# First "real" aquascaping attempt.



## sAroock (Oct 26, 2010)

If you want feedback, it's best to take a FTS (full tank shot).


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I got those too. 










The whole story can be found in my journal. 

I got the wood today, so I am going to be posting some attempts with it in there.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

New FTS with driftwood.










How's it look? I think I like it.


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## flowmsp (Feb 6, 2010)

Looks good to me!


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## petroica (Feb 23, 2011)

This may just be personal preference, but I think I might prefer it without the thicker V-shaped piece in the front. I love the setup of the rest of the branches, but feel like the front one is so thick and imposing. Perhaps if it were behind the others?


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I have some extra smaller pieces, let me try some options.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I'll have to figure put how to secure the branches but...










Does this make the main branch less imposing?


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## psalm18.2 (Oct 16, 2010)

Is the u shaped branch separate? Try taking it out and show us.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

It's separate, but it's the base/ bottom. The branchy piece coming off the back of it is separate. I screwed it together, actually. 

Let me illustrate the pieces. Back in a few....

Here it is, without the stuff in the front. Each color is a separate piece.










And here are the pieces I added to break up the large stump...










I know it's bold, I picture it with maybe willow moss or something like that hanging from the branches.

Psalm, do you mean go with the tree-like look without the U-shaped piece?


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## petroica (Feb 23, 2011)

I took the liberty of firing up Photoshop and erasing the U-shaped branch so you could get some opinions without having to dismantle it.










Personally, I'm very fond of it in this configuration, if you are able to position it the same way without the base.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

First, that is some powerful photoshop Kung-Fu. Second, since you put that effort in, I'm going to pull it out and see what I can do.


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## Shark1505 (Apr 16, 2011)

Very nice, looks great.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

How is this? Less wood. It will probably stay down easier.










I have a bunch of smaller, pencil thickness branch pieces too.


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## petroica (Feb 23, 2011)

I am by no means anything other than an aquascaping noob, so others may have differing opinions. I do love a good hunk of driftwood (or several), but at the same time, your tank doesn't look to be very wide, so I'd be concerned about having it look cramped. With just the main tree part, it may look a bit bare now, but I think when you have the carpet and other plants in, it would balance nicely.

Do you have any specific plants in mind, or an arrangement for them?

Edit: Just saw your last post. Love it! Makes me want to chop up some branches and make a tree of my own.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I know in want a nice carpet of dwarf baby tears, maybe some weeping moss hanging from the branches. And some sort of plants around the base of the wood.

The right side, I think, is going to be just the carpet surrounding the smaller rock.

The dimensions of the tank are 24" wide, 12" front to back and 24" tall. It looks more narrow than tall, but I measured it and stared at it and still did not believe it.


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## petroica (Feb 23, 2011)

Sounds awesome! Subscribed. Can't wait to see how everything fills in.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

im a total noob to this as well, but i think it looks good. thats a real nice piece of branched wood, it will look great with some moss tied to it. i would love to get my hands on something like that, but cant find stuff like that where im at :icon_frow. i just started a fairly similar layout so i would love to see how yours fills in. what kind of substrate are you using?


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I am using a mix of fluorite regular and fluorite dark. 

I couldn't find any good driftwood locally so I ordered mine from Tharsis in the SnS board.

Reasonable price too.


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

The last photo looks great, definitely my favorite of what was posted. The key of the layout will be getting the right look on the moss on the branches, it could be spectacular if done well. You might need to poke the large rocks a little bit more out of the substrate so they don't get hidden by your carpeting plant.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I made a slight change. I added the horizontal curved piece on the bottom right. It seems a little more balanced to me.










Yeah, the tree canopy is going to be a challenge. I did not plan originally for a full green canopy but maybe I should. How about a mesh netting over the branches with moss on top? Or some moss sandwiches between 2 pieces of netting...

I really need to order the light!


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

^^Dissect a bath poofy (preferably green or brown) and use that for your moss canopy.


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## FenderOffset238 (Apr 19, 2011)

Hey TedP,
I really like the piece of driftwood you got there, I have been looking on ebay and other places and now feel I need to spend $50 (including shipping) for a nice piece of wood. Where did you get it? and price range, if you care to share...


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## Bree (Dec 17, 2010)

I love how you had the driftwood set up at first, beatific prices you found, and great start to your tank!!


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

No need to look on eBay, we have excellent driftwood available in the SnS board! I got mine from Tharsis (Stumptastic thread). It was custom selected and assembled. It's actually several pieces. It was $43 shipped with a lot of extra pieces in the box. 

I think I settled on the last configuration. I am still not 100% sure. I have a lot of little branches left.


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## FenderOffset238 (Apr 19, 2011)

awesome thanks for the info, i will definitely check it out.

p.s. I really lke the last configuration too. nice work, cant wait to see it planted and all.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

While I wait for the lighting, I thought I'd plan the plants. I am thinking very simple. Four species.

Hemianthus callitrichoides - for the carpet
Anubias "petite" or Nana - surrounding the wood
Cypress helferi - background, behind stump
Weeping moss - tree canopy, multi-level

Another of my funny drawings:


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## SamandAnne (Feb 24, 2010)

I know I'm jumping in late in the game, but what would it look like if the driftwood was on the right side, in the wider space between the rocks. Maybe try it more at an angle/sloping up from the substrate (kinda like your first arrangement, but as a mirror image on the other side) and not so much upright like a tree, but more like a piece of wood laying on a riverbank. 

I like the three rocks and the plant ideas.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

So, leave the rocks and substrate the same, but have the wood on the right. As if it fell and is sort of pointed up-slope?

I'll try the in the morning. Heck, I'll try anything. I don't want to rush this part of it.


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## SamandAnne (Feb 24, 2010)

Hi, yea, that's what I was thinking. Leave all the same except the wood. Then have the wood between the rocks, like it fell, going upslope (back is much lower, front with all the branches is much higher, filling much of the space of your taller tank) and at an angle in between the rocks.  I think it might spread out the scape more (instead of being more heavy on the left with items), and have the wood fit/flow in the nice space between the higher section with two rocks and the lower section with one rock. Sure, take your time with this step and get it the way you like it. So much easier before you add the water, fish, etc!

One edit: if you do move the wood to the right, and you like it, you MIGHT want to move the more center rock a little more to the left, closer to where the wood was, to balance that out. But it's hard to tell for sure with the wood there now. But that might help balance, once you see how much space the wood takes on the right.


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

I am shooting for an upright tree, rather than the sunken log. The right side is going to be a low green carpet of HC, like a meadow. the initial plan was to have something with smaller round leaves around the base of the tree as "bushes" and moss as the canopy.

I may try to attach a bunch of Anubias to the branches for a more individual leaf appearance.


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## vespers_ (May 6, 2011)

i like the way you have it. once you get growth around the base and you have only some little branches sticking out, it will look great.

i would put something like blyxa/narrow leaf java fern around the base of the wood, moss along the branches and then HC or something as a carpet.

you'll end up with something like this: http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...=136&ty=102&page=1&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0


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## TedP (Mar 25, 2011)

That's really close to what I have in mind! I have HC planned for the carpet and some
anubias just inside the stones, but I've been thinking what else might look good. Do you think something with upright, narrow leaves would be good?

I plan to dry start the HC and Anubias at the end of the month when I order/get them from Gordon. I wonder if can also dry start (or plant at the same time anyway) something like narrow leaf java...


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## vespers_ (May 6, 2011)

i think a cluster of narrow leaf java fern would look awesome at the base/entwined trough the branches of the wood.

i have no idea about a dry start with it though.


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