# Terraces in Dutch Scapes.



## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I would like to know some tips on how to create the terracing affect used on dutch aquascapes. For those of you who dont know what that is, it's where the back plants are always higher than the plants in front of it. Look up any dutch scape and the back plants are always very high to really showcase every plant in the tank. Thanks.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

lots of trimming and pruning.. No secret


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## Guest (Dec 18, 2010)

those dutch scapes are amazing...


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I mean like tips on how to raise the plants in the back. I guess you could rely on the plants in the back to grow but I heard that some people attach them to stuff in order to help raise them, and whatever you use should be hidden. I was just wondering what some people use to raise the plants in the back up.


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## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Maybe you could stack bricks in the back of the tank and then pour substrate over it to hide it. It'll save you some substrate instead of having to pour a lot more soil to make a hill.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

its all about how you prune the plants, for that look

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/92010-trimming-plants-video.html

that video shows you how


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

You could use eggcrate like reefers do...


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

chumlee said:


> I mean like tips on how to raise the plants in the back. I guess you could rely on the plants in the back to grow but I heard that some people attach them to stuff in order to help raise them, and whatever you use should be hidden. I was just wondering what some people use to raise the plants in the back up.


you don't need to raise it.. Stem plants will grow tall. You can if you want but it's not necessary.


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## Cuchulainn (Nov 2, 2010)

Somebody on TPT made retaining walls out of clay, fired them as well. I thought it was a pretty sweet idea, and may work well for creating tiers in your tank. Can't seem to find the link...


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## glassbird (Sep 12, 2010)

I recently made retaining walls out of lava rock that I had laying around. I used tank-safe silicone to stick them to each other, and pushed aquarium gravel into any silicone that showed to help it blend. As I went along, I also discovered that pouring black sand on the exposed silicone did a better job of hiding it. I made multiple short sections, about 6-8 inches long that butted up against each other, end to end, rather than one long piece. I ended up tieing them to eggcrate with fishing line to keep them from sliding around once they had 2-3 inches of gravel behind them.

The big trick is to use as little silicone as you can, but enough to do the job. And concentrate on hiding it with sand that blends with your rocks. Silicone gets more visible under water, and turns white, too!


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

I made retaining walls from big pieces of driftwood and poured flourite behind or over them. It looked pretty good I thought, but now that the plants have grown back in, you can hardly see any of the driftwood. I'd say use something cheap unless you aren't going to grow a carpet.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

glassbird said:


> I recently made retaining walls out of lava rock that I had laying around. I used tank-safe silicone to stick them to each other.


Oh that reminds me, cheapest silicon safe for aquarium is GE 100% silicone.


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## glassbird (Sep 12, 2010)

Hilde said:


> Oh that reminds me, cheapest silicon safe for aquarium is GE 100% silicone.


...except there are two versions of that stuff. One is for bathrooms (with a mildew preventer) which is the type we do NOT want. And the other one is for windows and doors, wich IS the one we want. They are called Type 1 and Type 2, and I can never keep track of which type it is. I just look for the GE tube that says "windows and doors".

Oddly, in my area, the hardware stores do not carry the right version. I have to go to Walmart for it (which I hate doing).


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

glassbird said:


> ...except there are two versions of that stuff. One is for bathrooms (with a mildew preventer) which is the type we do NOT want. And the other one is for windows and doors, wich IS the one we want.
> 
> In my area, the hardware stores do not carry the right version. I have to go to Walmart for it.


That is ironic! Here not in Walmart. Only 1 brand in Lowe's and it was the right one.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

From my understanding, this is to bring plants that may not be in the back closer to the surface. Realize that with modern lighting, this isn't a problem, but from my understanding, many people still use T-8 lighting that doesn't penetrate as low. Now, I have never done a dutch scape, though I am planning too soon, or as close as I can get to it, but I don't see lighting as any limitation with modern technology. You can create this by trimming.


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