# rainbuilder's 'Smooth Hillside' - NO CAP dirted 45 gal hex *FILLED* *UPDATE 12/16/12*



## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Background info:
This tank was given to me for free, and I couldn't pass it up. This tank size and dimension is really awesome, albeit hard to scape. Long story short, I have had this tank for over a year, and have never really been happy with it. I rescaped it today (10/6/2012) and it turned out really nice.

*This is my first real scape.*

*Most current FTS:*





















Big mama enjoying the space. She's been laying once a week!







*I will put the most current shot on this post along with a new post*.

Planned fauna:
Some kind of wild type shrimp colony
Breeding pair of angelfish
Otocinclus

Planned flora:
2 ruffled sword plants 
Dwarf hairgrass belem 
Cryptocoryne nurii/wendtii 
Java fern windelov
Fissidens fontanus or maybe some fissidens I collected in oklahoma
Anubias coffeefolia [needed]
Hemianthus micranthemoides

Possibly some kind of bucephalandra, those are so cool

Now for the journaly part!

Expenses so far:
Filter, heater, and tank came free
~$20 for cfl lights
$1.49 for topsoil
$11.50 for rocks

I filled up some panty hose with some old aquarium gravel I had laying around and placed them in the tank to give my largest rocks a place to sit upon:















Then I found where I wanted my rocks to sit:















And then filled it with dirt and voila!















Critiques welcome. I'm pretty dang happy with the scape, so I probably won't move a lot around except for dirt. If you think dirt should be placed anywhere else please speak your mind. I'm not sure why but it seems a little off so suggestions welcome.

Let me know what you think!

*ALSO:
Help me pick a wild type shrimp species! Something that can hide well enough from 2 angelfish. Maybe wild type cherries or green babaultis?
Hairgrass is coming in wednesday!*


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Got my first plants in there! I had some leftover HM so I decided I'd go ahead and put it in there for it to get going.














Most of the rest of the open parts will be dwarf hairgrass.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

wont the dirt get kicked up every time you trim or replant?


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## jetajockey (Aug 23, 2010)

It'll get cloudy any time a fish gets near the bottom as well. Just be ready to do a lot of filter cleaning, this and fine particulate settling on plant leaves are my biggest gripes with soil tanks, and I've always done them with caps.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

@[email protected] said:


> wont the dirt get kicked up every time you trim or replant?


Yes, but not too badly. It'll settle back kind of like in a lake. Luckily, this topsoil luckily settles really quickly. I'd just have to turn the filter off until it was clear enough. I am also doing a dry start method on this tank.


jetajockey said:


> It'll get cloudy any time a fish gets near the bottom as well. Just be ready to do a lot of filter cleaning, this and fine particulate settling on plant leaves are my biggest gripes with soil tanks, and I've always done them with caps.


I am planning on dry start method to fix that problem. I will not have bottom feeder fish, only angelfish, otocinclus, and maybe some wild type shrimp in there. The particulate wont really get on the dwarf hairgrass I think, and if I have shrimp then it will be cleaned off by their activity.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

love those rocks, their so round.


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## flowerfishs (May 6, 2009)

looks good


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## KFryman (Sep 4, 2012)

Interesting method. Never have seen a dirt tank without a cap. It will be good to see the results.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

rustbucket said:


> love those rocks, their so round.


Thanks! Hence the name 'Smooth Hillside'  They're really awesome, I went to a rock store and got them cheap.


flowerfishs said:


> looks good


Thanks!


KFryman said:


> Interesting method. Never have seen a dirt tank without a cap. It will be good to see the results.


I've never done it before either, but I've heard of someone doing it with success and have been encouraged to try it so I decided I would 

Still doing some small tweaks to the dirt, to make it more like a naturally eroded hill.


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## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

Keep this updated, I want to do this myself and would love to see it in action.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

I definitely will keep it updated. This is my first real tank journal so I'm excited.

I really need some DHG for this scape, so if anyone has a good amount to sell to me let me know!


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Ordered some dwarf hairgrass 'belem'! It will be shipping tomorrow so I'm expecting it on wednesday.


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## Mostro (Aug 26, 2012)

Cool hardscape, the triad of round stones is very relaxing and grounded. With the two fore stones being similarly sized, I would move one of them forward and the other further back and in to create a bit more asymmetry. I guess if the soil gets to be a pain you could always cap it but it will be interesting to see how it works for you.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Mostro said:


> Cool hardscape, the triad of round stones is very relaxing and grounded. With the two fore stones being similarly sized, I would move one of them forward and the other further back and in to create a bit more asymmetry. I guess if the soil gets to be a pain you could always cap it but it will be interesting to see how it works for you.


Thanks for your compliments and input! They're not as the same as they look, and they are a pain to move. I think I may leave them, because the way I'm planting this tank it'll change the perspective of it. The rock on the right will have its front more covered up by plants (hairgrass) and will look further back. Here's a top view of it. Besides, they're a little more off center than they appear.







My plants are going to be in thursday actually, I forgot about columbus day.

*Also, should I try to dry start my windelov java fern? They will be superglued to the sides towards the base of the rocks. I'm not sure if I should or not so I'd like some input.*


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

*Day 5 Dry Start*
Got my hairgrass in today! Got it planted, and added some windelov java ferns I had been growing emersed as well.




























For some reason my pictures have a really greenish color to them.
My wall color makes for a nice background.

I have two ruffled swords, where should I put them in this scape? I also have a few crypts that I was planning on putting in there as well, so where should I put them?


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## wheatiesl337 (Mar 30, 2011)

Looks like a great start. Careful with the standing water during the dry-start. It can encourage some really nasty bacterial colonies to grow.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks, I'll watch out for it. It's just really clear right now so I dont think there is anything going on.

The hairgrass is starting to grow, I can see some small new stems coming out of the places I put them in the substrate.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Hairgrass is definitely growing! Just look at how clear this water is:


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Thinking about moving the rock to the far right up a little bit by putting some dirt underneath it. Any opinions?


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

I have been wanting to try this (no capped dirt) forever but I never had the guts (or the time) to do it. Looking forward to seeing this progress!


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Had some pretty good growth with the HM. The hairgrass is doing okay but it's not taking off like I want it to and the old parts are dying. I guess that's to be expected?




























Advice welcome. I'm having a hard time keeping the top part moist without flooding the bottom too much.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

had the same issue. you need to use an airline to drain the flooded part and then mist that on the dry part. then again the next day. thats what i did anyway.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

@[email protected] said:


> had the same issue. you need to use an airline to drain the flooded part and then mist that on the dry part. then again the next day. thats what i did anyway.


Ok, thanks! Just did that. I didn't think about using an airline.

I still am thinking about moving one of the rocks... Any suggestions? I think that I may move the one on the right up by putting some more dirt underneath it. I don't know though...


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

The tank is still going well. I've decided I'm going to leave the stones as they are. So far I have 6 unidentified crypts of the same species to put in there. They are dark brown-black and will compliment the scape nicely. I am also thinking about putting some regular java fern and adding fissidens as well, but I'm not sure they would go well with the scape. Suggestions?


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

No comments?? My hairgrass isn't doing as well as I want it to, so maybe some tips on that would be good.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Long story short, it's filled and has a few otocinclus in it. I'm impatient. There were absolutely no problems with cloudiness.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Excuse the reflection in these pictures please





















Everything is looking good, but the only thing is that the soil has an awfully large amount of clay. It's pretty compact, but the plants have no problem growing in it. I don't currently have CO2 but the only problems I am having are utricularia gibba and some hair algae.
My paired angelfish are currently living in here and are pooping out eggs like you wouldn't believe. They've been laying like once a week.

Any tips for me? Hairgrass growing tips maybe?

Still wanting to add some anubias coffeefolia to the rocks, and probably some christmas moss too. If anyone has these at a decent price let me know.

Oh, and I might tie some narrow leaf java fern to the filter intake tube just to cover it up. Why not eh?


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Love the HM. You should plant trimmings from it all around and create a full carpet. Looks great!


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Impressed with the water clarity!
Will be even more impressed if you find any shrimp that will survive living with adult angelfish LOL! The amount of clay is likely why the soil isn't staying suspended when disturbed. 

very cool to see it flooded.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Geniusdudekiran said:


> Love the HM. You should plant trimmings from it all around and create a full carpet. Looks great!


I might if the hairgrass decides to die on me! I like the variation though because it looks a little more natural to me. Thank for the compliments!


wkndracer said:


> Impressed with the water clarity!
> Will be even more impressed if you find any shrimp that will survive living with adult angelfish LOL! The amount of clay is likely why the soil isn't staying suspended when disturbed.
> 
> very cool to see it flooded.


Thanks! I think I'll take on that challenge when I get more growth for them to hide in :flick: Maybe green babaultis or some plain wild type cherry shrimp so that they could hide well.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Mo bettah pictures 





















Big mama enjoying the space


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## Bryanmc1988 (Apr 3, 2012)

nice tank but i think floor cleaning is out of the question as its dirt and will float alot worst then sand will ....


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

That's not really an issue for this tank because of the carpeting plants, because they suck it up and it doesn't show with them in there. It wouldn't be that much of a problem though, because of how clay-ey this soil is.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Awesome job on this! My first real planted tank was a hex and I agree they are difficult. Not that my 55 turned out to be any easier lol. Interesting using the dirt without a cap. Looks good and it looks like your water is staying clear, wouldnt work for those of us who keep bortom feeders though. I imagine it would be good for shrimps to graze on. Keep us updated.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks for the compliments! I don't think that bottom feeders would be too much of an issue once the carpet fills in, but they might stir up a little too much right now.

I forgot to add, for a while there I had some brown diatoms but they cleared up in a few days. I have no CO2 in there right now and it doesn't look like anything is suffering from lack of it. I didn't update for a while because of how ugly it was for a little while there, but now it's stabilized and everything is looking good.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Looks good now that you've filled it up. Also, the large round rocks give it a unique feel. I like it!


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks! It's definitely starting to look better.

Thinking about malawa shrimp or wild type cherry shrimp once the carpet grows out and I get some of those anubias I've been wanting. Anyone have some suggestions on those?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

The angels would most likely eat the shrimp. Where would you attach the anubias?


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

I know that they would eat a lot of them, but there should be a lot of hiding places in the carpet and moss I intend to have in there. Those shrimp are supposed to be able to breed pretty fast so I was thinking that they might be able to sustain themselves. If they are dull or clear colored I'm hoping that they'd be able to remain hidden better or at least good enough to reproduce. I also am thinking about scuds as well to aerate the substrate.

The anubias will be attached on a large part of the right side of the biggest rock and around where the otocinclus in the above pictures is sitting on the rock on the right. I also will probably attach christmas moss or fissidens underneath them and on the roots.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Angels are predators. They wont shy away from hovering about your carpet and picking out anything worth eating. I mean if you had the choice between algae flakes and cherry shrimp jumbalaya, which would you choose?


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

I think that I'll give it a try anyway  I can distract them with live foods on the top of the water, and see how they do. It's worth a try to me.

Probably gonna do an HM trim today. I went poking around and noticed that the soil is MUCH more soft where the plants are growing, which is good and means that they are getting a good amount of root growth and that the substrate is being aerated.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Just finished ordering some anubias coffeefolia and some aquascaping tools for this tank! Excited!

Everthing is still growing really well, but the hair algae is spreading and so is the utricularia gibba. Any advice on that?


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## izabella87 (Apr 21, 2012)

I adore the layout !


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## gordonrichards (Jun 20, 2009)

This is a lovely tank. It makes me rethink those hex tanks I always see up on craigslist... hmmm

-Gordon


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

izabella - Thanks! I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.

Gordon - Thanks for the great compliments! I'm going to be putting those anubias I bought from you in here.

Thinking about replacing the lace java fern with regular java fern, it really isn't fitting in with the scape quite as well as I want it to.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Still growing pretty good, but I am having some hair algae problems. Maybe it's time I start thinking about some kind of CO2...


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Been real busy







Sorry it's sideways lol


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## jamntoast (Apr 16, 2012)

it's grown in really well, i like the sword on the right there.


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## Clemsons2k (May 31, 2009)

Filled in great. I'm really digging the hex for some reason now...


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks! I'm going to be looking for a CO2 unit for it soon, and my budget is $120 so if anyone knows what I could do with that let me know.


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## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

great tank man! Any updates?


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