I'd like to have shown the progression of this new scape, but truth be told I couldn't do much until the old one was taken down (which only happened the day before!).
A pound of flesh
The beginning of the day required sheer muscle and brain power - all your credentials were worthless at this point. How much mass can you move??!
@shangman and
@i.am.adonis helped me move my old (not even fully drained lol) tank and swap it with the new one before the sexy bit started. It took some fandangling and a solid Thai lunch, but we got there!
We had a few plays with the hardscape but the first arrangement was the clear favourite. One thing I love about aquascaping is that you can practice until the cows come home but nothing is more valuable than going with the energy you feel on the day. The new position is much nicer than the original plan in my opinion! I guess that's also the beauty of being forced to wait 3 weeks to scape.
It's a mix of 'bog wood' and Galapagos Rock from Riverwood Aquatics/Maidenhead Aquatics, Druid stone from WIO and speckled sand (which I actually really love and think is underrated) from Maidenhead Aquatics.
More is more.
My intention for this scape was to not buy any new plants and reuse my old ones but in a more purposeful way to the Tidy Jungle II. In the end I only bought 3 new plants (Ludwigia ovalis, Lilaeopsis brasilliensis and floating plants). The rest are all reincarnations.
We were definitely not
short of plants by any means. Microsorum 'Needle Leaf' in particular was growing like a weed in my old tank and borderline invasive. There was enough plants to plant a tank twice this size, which explains my CO2 consumption as of late!
We started planting with the intention that all the things I had acquired over time will get a deliberate and considered position in the tank, where they could show off their beauty. Some examples; Cryptocoryne nurii 'Rosen Maiden', Cryptocoryne spiralis 'Tiger' and 'Red', Barclaya longifolia... just to name a few.
One thing this wood was really great for is the many holes and crevices. It is perfect for wedging plants into since I wanted minimal super glue used. Hopefully that will have a positive impact on the mature appearance, with plants growing mainly in spaces they'd be able to naturally.
Bring the rains!
Now there's water in this tank, the initial graft begins. Thankfully I'm mostly off this week so I can be attentive, but also rest and be creative again. I've have had a few terrarium project in mind for weeks that I've just not had time for. Anyway, as you can see there's a fair bit of tint! Carbon is now in the filter and the water changes will help dilute this further, as well as the ammonia.
I'm also convinced that this style of tank allows for nicer photos. Even using my camera felt different - the photos just looked much nicer. Here's some more...