# Mountain Range for 12 Long (Fun with rock and foam...)



## Trickerie (May 10, 2012)

Love the look. Can you give us more details on the process of creating the mountains?


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## wacky (Jun 4, 2012)

Would love to see it when put together and then pictures as it grows!!! Cool!!!


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## Devonviolet (Jul 10, 2012)

very nice! looking forward to seeing that as it develops


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Great Stone work! That should save you some substrate. I was thinking about this yesterday... What if you had 2 of those mountain ranges in parallel? So you'll see a long valley when viewing from the short side. Good luck!


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Trickerie said:


> Love the look. Can you give us more details on the process of creating the mountains?


I bought more lace rock than I needed. The important thing, I thought, was looking for pieces that would make good "peaks." After that I concentrated on relatively flat pieces, with at least one side which looked less "volcanic" and more stony. I bought 10lbs worth of lace rock.

I spent some time laying them out on a foot print the size of my tank (that board). This involved lots of holding them up and together. You will have cavities at the "base" of each mountain.

I think propped up the bigger ones using other stones. I tried to lean them so they sort of supported their own weight. This helped a good bit.

I then squirted the foam into the base of each mountain. I spent about 10 mins wiping away excess foam that came dribbling out. Be careful at this point. Foam that bubbles naturally can sort of be broken off after it is dry. If you wipe the wet stuff on a rock though, getting it off will be very difficult.

I then let it set over night, and in the morning I used an old serrated knife to carve off the excess and to deepen the crevices until I felt like I could smear substrate into it later. On nice thing is that the foam is dark so it adds to the crevice like effect, imho.



wacky said:


> Would love to see it when put together and then pictures as it grows!!! Cool!!!


Thanks! I will probably do a tank journal. Lights are ordered. Trying to source plants atm, and building my stand. Have the filter I am going to use.

Will be dry starting to let the roots grow in to hold the substrate in the crevices.

Still no Co2 system  Bargain hunting with little luck.



Devonviolet said:


> very nice! looking forward to seeing that as it develops


Thanks! Appreciated! I will do a tank journal most likely.



Kai808 said:


> Great Stone work! That should save you some substrate. I was thinking about this yesterday... What if you had 2 of those mountain ranges in parallel? So you'll see a long valley when viewing from the short side. Good luck!


It will *definetly* save me some substrate. I was originally going to use MTS, which would have been cheap, but will probably go with Azoo substrate. I will crush some of it to wet and smear into the crevices like Peter Kirwan did on his mountainous scapes.

The ranges in parallel is a lovely idea. Sadly, the 12 long is VERY narrow. If I was doing something like a 20 long, what I tink I would do would be make one like this, and behind it do a version with larger stones, sort of raised up to add to the perception of depth, maybe with HC on the rear mountains and a slightly larger carpeting plant on the front mountains to increase the depth illusion.

It would be cool to be able to do a valley in the 12 long, but for reference, this fits with only about 3/4s of an inch of clearance on each side of "Everest."


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

are you keeping your substrate perfectly leveled?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

This is absolutely stunning! I cannot wait to see it in water. Especially with whatever livestock you select.

This is one of the rare times I think such a massive rock scape is okay, honestly. Impressive!


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Vermino said:


> are you keeping your substrate perfectly leveled?


I don't plan on hilling my substrate at all, no. I won't really have room in the tank to do so anyways.

I bought some eggcrate at the same time I bought the foam in case I needed to connect two mountains with a hill, which would then be planted with Parva, but as I started making this, it became a non-issue.

Why do you ask?


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> This is absolutely stunning! I cannot wait to see it in water. Especially with whatever livestock you select.
> 
> This is one of the rare times I think such a massive rock scape is okay, honestly. Impressive!


Thank you very much for the kind words.

This will most likely just be a shrimp tank, plus an Oto or two.

I have about 30 blue pearls and 100+ malawas in a 7 gallon cube which I will be tearing down after this is filled.

If the blue pearls start being more prolific, I may add some decorative fish.


***Edit

OOOH! You have the same light I bought. Based on your experience, any idea how high I should hang it above the tank?

I will have Parva on the flat substrate, with HC in the cracks. Will be running pressurized Co2. (My shrimp aren't fancy like yours, so I can get away with it )

I also have a very similar filter, a 2236. How is the flow on yours? I believe they have the same impeller, just the 2236 has a bigger media housing, so slightly less flow.

Same substrate I will be using too!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I use two large ZooMed lamp stands that I have DIYd into my shelf. Allows me to raise or lower the fixture as needed and still have it [STRIKE]suspected[/STRIKE] (What the heck? I need to proofread more often.) suspended. While the ZooMed stands aren't exactly attractive, they get the job done. 

I've got my fixture about 13-15 inches (I think) from various parts of the substrate. Growing Anubias, C. parva, M. minuta, B. monnieri really well.

I think you're going to enjoy the "lace rock." I've found it to be a terrific buffer and great grazing for shrimp over the years. Even with more sensitive varieties like Crystals.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> I use two large ZooMed lamp stands that I have DIYd into my shelf. Allows me to raise or lower the fixture as needed and still have it suspected. While the ZooMed stands aren't exactly attractive, they get the job done.
> 
> I've got my fixture about 13-15 inches (I think) from various parts of the substrate. Growing Anubias, C. parva, M. minuta, B. monnieri really well.
> 
> I think you're going to enjoy the "lace rock." I've found it to be a terrific buffer and great grazing for shrimp over the years. Even with more sensitive varieties like Crystals.


Yeah, I have lace rock in the cube my shrimp are in right now. After about 6 months it all took on a thin film of hard green algae, which I don't mind, and all the rocks are covered with shrimplets 24/7


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## meowschwitz (Sep 6, 2011)

That's pretty sweet. Can't wait to see it in tank.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

larcat said:


> I don't plan on hilling my substrate at all, no. I won't really have room in the tank to do so anyways.
> 
> I bought some eggcrate at the same time I bought the foam in case I needed to connect two mountains with a hill, which would then be planted with Parva, but as I started making this, it became a non-issue.
> 
> Why do you ask?


watch out about foam - make sure they sink because Amano used it in one of his projects and the rocks were unstable. I asked because I personally believe all the best aquascapes i seen besides iwagumi have somewhat of a grade to substrate (ie: being hills, valleys, drop offs, etc etc).

But I can understand a 12g with buying substrate could suck (i mean it's like $100 here, $100 there and just starting adding up) 

I really do like your hardscape and will look very cool being centered in a 12gal. Now all you got to do is create your beauty and:drool:


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Vermino said:


> watch out about foam - make sure they sink because Amano used it in one of his projects and the rocks were unstable. I asked because I personally believe all the best aquascapes i seen besides iwagumi have somewhat of a grade to substrate (ie: being hills, valleys, drop offs, etc etc).
> 
> But I can understand a 12g with buying substrate could suck (i mean it's like $100 here, $100 there and just starting adding up)
> 
> I really do like your hardscape and will look very cool being centered in a 12gal. Now all you got to do is create your beauty and:drool:


Oh! I understand your question.

This tank HAS to be viewable from both sides. Trying to mound substrate into hills this extreme in an 8" space is impossible. My experience is also that hills generally flatten, which is what this is meant to cure


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

I'm pondering fissidens fontanus instead of HC in the crevices. Anyone have any thoughts?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Fissidens would look great.


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

> It will *definetly* save me some substrate. I was originally going to use MTS, which would have been cheap, but will probably go with Azoo substrate. I will crush some of it to wet and smear into the crevices like Peter Kirwan did on his mountainous scapes.
> 
> The ranges in parallel is a lovely idea. Sadly, the 12 long is VERY narrow. If I was doing something like a 20 long, what I tink I would do would be make one like this, and behind it do a version with larger stones, sort of raised up to add to the perception of depth, maybe with HC on the rear mountains and a slightly larger carpeting plant on the front mountains to increase the depth illusion.
> 
> It would be cool to be able to do a valley in the 12 long, but for reference, this fits with only about 3/4s of an inch of clearance on each side of "Everest."


Yeah, this 12 long is a very tight squeeze. I kept hitting the glass when I was moving my stones around. Are you going to put something under the stones or is it going to lie on the glass? I hope you broke up the mountain range into multiple pieces. It'll be easier(maybe safer) to put into your tank instead of one huge 10lb mountain.

I can't wait to see this in a journal.


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

wow, i just love the mountian range look you have put together. this thing will be epic.

have you started a journal?


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

ChadRamsey said:


> wow, i just love the mountian range look you have put together. this thing will be epic.
> ....


roud:roud:roud:

Well done Devin...Well Done!


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Thanks for all the kind words from everyone!

My light showed up today  and I just ordered 15 pots of Parva.

After solid advice from those wiser than I, I have decided to do the Fissidens in the cracks instead of the HC. Probably will look as good/better, and be much less of a headache.

Just need to find a bunch of Fissidens reasonably now!


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

larcat said:


> Oh! I understand your question.
> 
> This tank HAS to be viewable from both sides. Trying to mound substrate into hills this extreme in an 8" space is impossible. My experience is also that hills generally flatten, which is what this is meant to cure


completely understand :icon_smil


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I love it. I actually love mountain scapes. I think it will look awesome in a 12 long. I only saw one in person for the first time and was pretty shocked how narrow they are, not that pictures tell you differently but everyone's scape always looks so big that I didn't realize that. Positioning the rocks will be a lesson in patience lol.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Making a new thread in the journals section for this hardscape, since I will be setting up the tank soon.

Thanks again for the encouragement from everyone!

Please feel free to close this, mods.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Where can I find rocks like that?


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

That was part of the reason I posted this.

There is nothing like Seiryu locally, and I am not paying $8/pound plus shipping for fancy branded rocks from japan. It is amazingly pretty though.

These are _bog standard_ lace rocks you can get at any LFS for $2/pound.





Neatfish said:


> Where can I find rocks like that?


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Thanks.


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