# Help with Manzanita Aquascape



## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

Hi, I'm new to freshwater community tanks with emphasis on the aquascape. 

I will be receiving this piece very soon and I would like your opinion on how I should scape my tank. It's going into a 40g...not sure if it's a breeder. I have to get the measurements, but definitely doesn't look as deep as a breeder.

manzanita measurements are 23"L x 17"W x 15"H

I'm certain I will have to trim with width as my tank is not as deep. I really wish I could have found a breeder while searching for a tank a long time ago. So this is what I have to work with. It has a nice oak stand and canopy, so that's why I want to stick with it. If not, petco's $1/gallon sale should be coming up soon, but my wife would kill me if I drag another fish tank into our house.

I'd really like this to be as low tech as possible since I don't have the time and dedication to run co2 or fertilize plants. As far as lighting, I have a 24" tek t5 light fixture that I used over my reef tank that has old bulbs that I can use. or I could just use a really old strip light that the tank originally came with.

I just placed an order for pool filter sand that should be ready to pick up within the week.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

not sure what your question is, but that is a fine piece of wood no doubt!


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

holy ishtar that is an amazing piece. 
i can see an ideal scape if you placed the aquasoil on a sloped scape, lower in the front, higher in the back. the driftwood would be exposed in the front and partially buried in the back. rocks can be used to hold the aquasoil in place and sand can be placed in the front.
for me, i think my biggest problem with that piece is the number of derivative sticks that will prevent me from putting the piece flush against the back of the tank. if i were you, i would try to remove those sticks so that i could put it against the glass. these sticks can be used elsewhere and can be strategically placed so they look like they are still attached to the main piece but partially buried where in truth they are detached. 

because the piece itself is reddish in color, i would utilize compact dense plants such as alternanthera reineckii 'mini' planted near the base of the wood, and then move to soft fuzzy or leafy green stems as we move to the sides and back. 

another idea could be growing anubias nana petite within the groves of the stump.

some people like the idea of attaching moss on the wood, but i wouldnt, as i think it deserves to standout and be a main centerpiece.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

amphirion said:


> holy ishtar that is an amazing piece.
> i can see an ideal scape if you placed the aquasoil on a sloped scape, lower in the front, higher in the back. the driftwood would be exposed in the front and partially buried in the back. rocks can be used to hold the aquasoil in place and sand can be placed in the front.
> for me, i think my biggest problem with that piece is the number of derivative sticks that will prevent me from putting the piece flush against the back of the tank. if i were you, i would try to remove those sticks so that i could put it against the glass. these sticks can be used elsewhere and can be strategically placed so they look like they are still attached to the main piece but partially buried where in truth they are detached.
> 
> ...


thanks for your input! Yes, sloped, i like that! I didn't even think of snapping some twigs off and using them again, lol. I might use something other than aquasoil though, as i've already spent a lot on this wood alone. But I like your idea of two tone substrate. I'm gonna go check out what the local decorative rock for landscaping business has in stock. 

I'll have to look into these plants you mentioned, hopefully they are easy and not demanding.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

I just received my driftwood, and it's exactly like the photos....except for a few broken pieces on the left and right...At least most of it came in tact. 

I wanted to trim part of the piece, but not the longer sides, just the depth. Is there a aquarium wood glue that is safe to use? Would elmer's wood glue work?


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## jmf3460 (Aug 21, 2013)

I would use aquarium sealant.

stunning piece btw


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

jmf3460 said:


> I would use aquarium sealant.
> 
> stunning piece btw


thanks. I'll look into the aquarium sealant.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

Just took these pictures of the stump on a foam board that represents my tank footprint. It's 15" x 36". Should I place this left, center or right?

The base is very solid on this thing. Anyone know what made the holes?

Anyway, here's a bunch of pictures. Let me know what you guys think I should do.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

How big is the actual piece? looks perfect for an 8-10 gallon tank, but that's my preference.

Otherwise with what you have, the right side positioning works.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

The piece is 20" x 17" x 15" so way too big for a 10g. 


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

vanz said:


> The piece is 20" x 17" x 15" so way too big for a 10g.


oh, then i guess a 18 or 20 gallon might be more appropriate. as much as i do love that driftwood piece--there seems to be a rather large uncomfortable amount of negative space. the sloping trick can still work, but the incline must rise at a slow rate, and even then, without any rocks or supplemental driftwood to add in, the hardscape will be overwhelmed by the magnitude of empty space available. dense growth of stemmed plants will also help correct this problem: high slope = tall plants, lower slope = low growing plants.

TL;DR: way too much negative space to determine a decent layout. maybe as you gain more hardscape materials, it will be easier to design it.

oh, also the holes are made when twigs pop off the stump. that's probably why some of them look fresh.


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## Jonnywhoop (May 30, 2012)

the way I decide on which side to put the hardscape, I imagine where the viewing area is. If people are coming into the room from the left side of the tank, I would put the wood on the right. If the couch or doorway is on the right side, I would put the wood on the left.

As for the negative space, that just means you need a sick ass carpet for it. But more rocks would be awesome at the base, If it were me, I would imagine a meadow with the "lonely tree." Awesome carpet all around.


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## Jonnywhoop (May 30, 2012)

OHHH and something really badass.... You make the stump sit on the slope. so its a little elevated higher than the rest of the carpet. then you use other brances under and out to simulate roots 

check out my journal in my sig. my wood is made up of multiple branches, but you kinda get the idea.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Wow, i gotta say again that is a fantastic looking piece. I HATE having wood in my tanks because of the tannins, i hate tannins in my water, but i wouldnt hesitate for even a second to use that in a tank. There are so many possibilities. I think to the left looks best.


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## [email protected] (Dec 13, 2013)

I personally would place it in a similar position that you have pictured on the right side. However, I would move it to the left a few inches and rotate it slightly counter clockwise. I would then use a series of stones on the left hand side front corner to compliment and balance the scape


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## Vepr (Jan 30, 2009)

Wow. I am jealous of that piece, it is one of the best I have ever seen.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

amphirion said:


> oh, then i guess a 18 or 20 gallon might be more appropriate. as much as i do love that driftwood piece--there seems to be a rather large uncomfortable amount of negative space. the sloping trick can still work, but the incline must rise at a slow rate, and even then, without any rocks or supplemental driftwood to add in, the hardscape will be overwhelmed by the magnitude of empty space available. dense growth of stemmed plants will also help correct this problem: high slope = tall plants, lower slope = low growing plants.
> 
> TL;DR: way too much negative space to determine a decent layout. maybe as you gain more hardscape materials, it will be easier to design it.
> 
> oh, also the holes are made when twigs pop off the stump. that's probably why some of them look fresh.


I can see your point with all the negative space on the foam board. I thought it would take up half the tank space by the measurement, but by the looks of it, more like a 1/4. I'm planning on adding rocks and easy to grow plants to even it up a bit.



Jonnywhoop said:


> the way I decide on which side to put the hardscape, I imagine where the viewing area is. If people are coming into the room from the left side of the tank, I would put the wood on the right. If the couch or doorway is on the right side, I would put the wood on the left.
> 
> As for the negative space, that just means you need a sick ass carpet for it. But more rocks would be awesome at the base, If it were me, I would imagine a meadow with the "lonely tree." Awesome carpet all around.


Very good point. The tank will be at an angle at the corner of the room so I'll be approaching it from the right side. The left it is. Maybe not all the way left, but lefter of the tank. Hopefully there are some very non demanding carpet plants! 



Jonnywhoop said:


> OHHH and something really badass.... You make the stump sit on the slope. so its a little elevated higher than the rest of the carpet. then you use other brances under and out to simulate roots
> 
> check out my journal in my sig. my wood is made up of multiple branches, but you kinda get the idea.


Saw your thread! Very nice tank. I want those rocks! Seems so natural.



Sean W. said:


> Wow, i gotta say again that is a fantastic looking piece. I HATE having wood in my tanks because of the tannins, i hate tannins in my water, but i wouldnt hesitate for even a second to use that in a tank. There are so many possibilities. I think to the left looks best.


Thanks! I just soaked it last night in a tub so I didn't see if it was leeching any tannins. It floats a little, but not like another driftwood I just previously tried to submerged. The other one was really buoyant. This one floated, but it was easily held down by a pvc pipe.



[email protected] said:


> I personally would place it in a similar position that you have pictured on the right side. However, I would move it to the left a few inches and rotate it slightly counter clockwise. I would then use a series of stones on the left hand side front corner to compliment and balance the scape


Thanks for your input, I think I'm going to do a reverse of this. Hopefully I can pull it off.



Vepr said:


> Wow. I am jealous of that piece, it is one of the best I have ever seen.


Thanks! I've never seen a manzanita branch/stump like this before. I stumbled upon it accidently on ebay while looking for something else, and I was like, oh crap...I don't have a need for this, but i have to get this, but my wife will kill me! So I debated back and forth for a few minutes, and finally pulled the trigger. I regretted not pulling the trigger on another awesome malaysian driftwood piece not too long ago. And that was bought not too long after I had it on my watch list. I didn't want to have to feel that again :wink: I just have to tell my wife I found it outside....:flick:


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## hisxlency (Jan 26, 2013)

I cant get over that piece, I have been looking for months for a piece like that. Good luck!


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## ElsaCooper (Nov 22, 2013)

I don't think it's not worth fighting for..?


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## sadchevy (Jun 15, 2013)

Awesome piece of wood, many possibilities for scaping. The holes look to have been drilled into the stump for attachment to something. They are to perfect to be where branches have popped off.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

hisxlency said:


> I cant get over that piece, I have been looking for months for a piece like that. Good luck!



The eBay seller I got it from has recently listed similar stump style branches. Let me know if you are interested.


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

sadchevy said:


> Awesome piece of wood, many possibilities for scaping. The holes look to have been drilled into the stump for attachment to something. They are to perfect to be where branches have popped off.



Could be but the holes do not go through to the other side. 


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

vanz said:


> The eBay seller I got it from has recently listed similar stump style branches. Let me know if you are interested.


I've been keeping an eye out for a MUCH smaller piece for my small Edge tank (has to fit through the dang access hole). Who is the seller, if you don't mind sharing?


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

kman said:


> I've been keeping an eye out for a MUCH smaller piece for my small Edge tank (has to fit through the dang access hole). Who is the seller, if you don't mind sharing?


His ebay store is Aquascaping Layout Material. 

Though I think the ones similar are still way too big for your needs


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

Okay, I plopped everything in my tank yesterday so it's pretty cloudy and not a good picture. I adjusted the levels to make it lighter since my picture came out dark. The LED flood light I'm using casts a pretty cool sunlight through the cloud look. With the tunze 6025, it's making a very nice shimmer throughout the tank. The image isn't really this dark though, you can actually see everything. The iphone just captured it more dramatic than it actually is. 

All I have in there is sand, seiryu rocks, and the manzanita. What what you guys think? More rocks? Less rocks? Move rocks certain places? The branches in the foreground are moveable. 

So anubias on the driftwood, fissiden on the rocks?


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

I'd go the other way around, fissidens on the branches and anubias on the stones. You'll lose the beauty/flow of that nice piece of wood if whatever is on the wood gets too "heavy".


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## vanz (Dec 16, 2013)

xmas_one said:


> I'd go the other way around, fissidens on the branches and anubias on the stones. You'll lose the beauty/flow of that nice piece of wood if whatever is on the wood gets too "heavy".


hmm good point, how about anubias and fiss on the stones and leave the stump alone? 

Another thing I've been thinking about adding is a background color. I'm going to get a black foam board and see if it helps. I was hoping to leave the background clear, but then I would be able to see the wires, heater, and canister tubing.


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