# Is this Mangrove Roots



## jimmytruong87 (Oct 16, 2012)

Rose wood


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

The one on the bottom is fantastic!


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## rbtmccord (May 15, 2013)

*Here are some possible configurations*

Here are several layouts in a fullsized mock up of my tank Nuvo 16. A couple are very similar just with a shift in positioning.
The substrate will be deep and tiered. It is eco-complete fine black sand.
If I go with one of the ones where fine roots are going downward the actual top will be closer to the surface maybe even breaking the surface a bit. I want swinning areas between substrate and the fine roots.

Which is your favorite or what would you recommend I do to improve it.

Thanks Bob


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## rbtmccord (May 15, 2013)

*Rosewood*

I am calling number two Birdsnest and Number 3 Fire


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

Love love LOVE the Fire!


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## tomfromstlouis (Apr 2, 2012)

If you Google Image "mangrove roots" you will not see what you are showing us.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...89.10j2.12.0...0.0...1ac.1.14.img.YYwh-a4zkdw


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## xiaoxiy (Dec 18, 2012)

I personally like 1, 3, and 4.

3 might be a bit hard to plant.

1 and 4 remind me of these aquascapes:


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

I vote for 4.


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## rbtmccord (May 15, 2013)

*Update*

I would like further people to vote but at present the majority is for #4.
I will be taking this as is and tilting the trunk upwards and to the left. This should do 2 things it will pull the farthest left lower roots more to the right, kill the very vertical look of the trunk and be a more natural position as I am going to build the substrate up to 3+"'s on the right wall. I am also going to have a mound on the left side that will come out from the left walls glass and after it comes to the right about 4" it will taper down towards the first roots on the farthest left side of the trunk and then level off until it is about 1/3 way under the large mass of the root trunk and then go up pretty sharply to the right wall to represent the bank. 
I am considering some java moss, christmas or some other type moss over the some of the prominent limbs and roots. The very top 1/2 to 1" of the roots may project out of the tank.The finer roots on the bottom will go into the substrate about a 1/2" or so but the major portion will them will be above the substrate to create areas for fish to swim thru underneath it. I will also plant a couple of Anubias nana's super glued to the trunk and roots.
On the right side I am going to try to find a small piece of root to put there but it should be less visible and amidst heavy plants.

I would entertain your thoughts on plantings. Please let me know the plant location, number of them and I will use these suggestions to come up with a aquascape.

You can sketch them out and email them to me at [email protected] or attach your drawing here in a file.

I want mainly low plants on the right with some strategic ones to give the wood more character and realism. I am thinking DHG might be used allot as mid and background with some thing of color sparsely planted near the root.
On the right a bit taller and denser plants as I may put some juvenile Discus in there to grow out some.

I also want the foreground to have a heavy thick low carpet with some bare sand leading diagonally from left to right and then fading into the left side of the roots about mid tank. Since I will be dosing CO2 I would love to have something there at readily pearls. My main lighting is going to be the Current Satellite Freshwater Plus 6400K 18w LED Light. This light will be positioned at the front edge of the tank. Behind it will be the 2 8 watt 10K LED Innovative Marine LED Lights giving the tank 36 total watts of light. This will give white, blue and red spectrum lighting to the tank. 

What I am thinking for livestock? 11 or so neon or better yet cardinal tetras.
5 pygmy cories, 2 to 3 2-3" discus and that is it. I am open to suggestions for all livestock. MY LFS will swap them out for new juvies when these get too big for the tank. I want a tight packed schooling group that have allot of color thus the neons/cardinals but if I ditch the cardinal/neons, I thought of Celebes Rainbows perhaps. I could also replace the Discus with Electric Blue Rams also. Many options ;-) and I challenge everyone to help me create a really nice planted tank. Also a couple of otocinclus in there somewhere.

Bob


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Hey there. Sweet roots. You've got a lot of options. 

I vote for four, as it is the most traditional and will make a great scape. 

I will just say... Do NOT rule out where you put the wood upside down. You could use weeping moss, a carpeting plant and have one of the most unique scapes on TPT.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Bob, 

I'm one who will try to sway you to avoid the Juvie swap out scene. It is more trouble than its worth, and any fish you get you should afford a permanent home to. 

Consider a larger school of micro fish and some red cherry shrimp? They'll make you a never ending box of aquatic fun.


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## rbtmccord (May 15, 2013)

*Update*

MAJB I agree and certainly have no problem having a larger group of tetras or some other schooling fish. I do want something to be an interesting and larger fish but not too much. Maybe a pair of discus or if you can think of a better choice I am all ears here.

The shrimp sound good. How many would you say I don't want them spanning all over and taking the tank over. Also may not be a good choice for me if I have Rams probably.

What do you think of a small pod of the pygmy catfish I bet they would be all over and under the roots of the rosewood.

I included some images of some candidates for replacing the discus such as the Red-Gold Honey Gouramis (Don't know allot about these but could probably have 3 or so in lieu of Discus) , Peacock Gudgeon (I have never seen a good specimen of this fish in person), Electric Blue Ram (a favorite of mine) (if you have no females in the tank can you keep several of the males together)and the Gold German Ram. Any of these look like fine candidates?


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Oh man! Some of them are really great choices. 

All probably poor choices for shrimp, but that's ok, it wasn't your goal anyways. 

So I never read what size your tank was. 

I'd pick two rams to match a small school of tiny fish. Maybe ember tetras? They'd look nice. Or lemon tetras. 

Depends on the type of Cories. Pygmaeus or Hasbros. Sorry those are spelled wrong, but they one is a good choice, one bad. 

I definitely want to know the tank size tho!


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## Mizuhuman (Mar 16, 2013)

Wow it looks like a great project, rbtmccord. Do you plan to journal your progress? I would love to see it take shape. Good luck


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## rbtmccord (May 15, 2013)

*Update*

Yep it is being journaled and the size of the tank is the Innovative Marine Nuvo 16.
23.5 l x 13 h x 12.2 D


I need planting ideas, better yet some aquascaping sketches this is where my knowledge of plants and aqua-scaping really suck. I do wanna keep it simple just a few plant varieties. I want plants that pearl nicely. Especially is it pearl grass? 
A very low thick ground cover, some Anubias Nana in the roots. And a dash of red probably in the background on the left. Some kind of moss such as christmas moss, java moss or other type moss on the trunk and a couple of the more substantial roots. Some Dwarf hairgrass in the mid and back ground.

As for the catfish I am thinking a small pdo of 5 pygmy cories.
Then a large school of cardinals or neons probably 11. In the neons place maybe Celebes Rainbows. I don't want many varieties of fish rather a tank that has 3 or so species displayed to their best.

What do you guys think.


I am going to copy these posts and move them over to the journal page. See you guys there ok.

Bob


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## rbtmccord (May 15, 2013)

*Hey all*

If you have been following this and wish to continue here is the title where I will be posting my journal in the Tank Journal Forum.
Innovative Marine Nuvo 16 Tank Build Journal

Hope to see you there.

bob


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