August ‘Scape Update

If you follow this site (why don’t you? Just click the button on the right), you’ll know I recently had to re-scape my creek tank thanks to some feline hi-jinx. I also recently re-did the setup of the 60 gallon tank, so I figured I’d share some pictures.

29 Gallon Creek Tank

Before:

It was  a decent enough setup that somewhat resembled a creek, though the lava rock and java fern aren’t exactly native.  I kind of felt that the driftwood messed with the rule of thirds and didn’t look natural.

After:

I decided rather than two hills with a valley in the middle, I’d go with a large, pronounced hill.  Originally I wanted a drop off, but this ended up more like a hill.  It’s barren now, but I planted a tiger lotus in the back and an apogenton in the mid ground.  That should fill out that hill nicely once it grows out.

Similarly, the Java fern will hopefully grow out into a nice, bushy background.  I have some random native stem plants in the corners and back to add some variety when they grow out.

The driftwood is more natural laying down and draws the sight line across the bottom third of the tank. There’s some java moss which hopefully will take off and lend a softer, more natural look in time.

60 Gallon Planted High-Tech Community Tank

Before:

This is my main tank, and the one I spend much of my time on.  There wasn’t anything in particular wrong with the setup and I was very pleased with how well the java fern took off.

Basically, I was just bored and decided to mix things up.

After:

First thing to note: I didn’t go crazy planting the ludwigia repens. This photo was taken about a week after I did the aquascape.  I had cut those plants way down, most were only a couple inches tall.  These things just blew up like weeds.

It’s great for background, but they are effectively choking out the tiger lotus.  That is the problem with a jungle scape.

I have to say I’m still not 100% happy with this setup.  I wanted do something more like a rock cliff with driftwood protruding from it.  Turns out my giant fake driftwood there is way too big for the tank and will only fit a couple ways.

The new setup does make for some nice hidey spots for shrimp and fry. I’m hoping this will also get more light on the dwarf swords so they’ll spread out and cover the open ground.  But, I have a feeling, this setup will look different come the next update.