# Plant & hardscape placement



## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

I have been trying to figure out what is missing or wrong with the look of my tank for weeks now and figure I need some help or guidance from you good folks.

I have a fairly well planted tank consisting of crypts, java fern, anubias, and recently some hairgrass, which seems to have been slow to start but now is popping up over the place.


My current configuration is:


100 litre tank


Aqua compost (b&q pond compost) at the back capped with a play sand from toys r us. The front is just sand and root tabs for the odd crypt I have planted at the front. 2 chunks of bog wood at either end of the tank with jave fern covering one and anubias the other (which has begun to flower).
Some smaller rocks or pebbles in the centre , mainly there to cover the co2 difuser but then added some more mot see if that's what I was missing from the lookk

Dose with excel weekly 


DIY CO2 which is providing a pretty consistent ( or as much as can be expected by diy) 30ppm. 


2 x 18 watts of t8 light 


Hob marina slim20 filter 


Neon tetra and harlequins are the primary population











I really think that some thing is missing or out of place and would like to hear your views on what I'm doing wrong or how I can adjust / completely rework it.


Also I picked up a Lilly and would like some help identifying it, it's in the top right of the above image?


Thanks


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## mnemenoi (May 28, 2012)

The tank and plants look great, maybe a good piece of Manzanita or a larger centerpiece stone to work better with the rule of threes....


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

Thanks for your kind coments, I did try priming some sticks from around my yard (Manzanita style) but unfortunately I didn't realise how much sap was in them, even after boiling. My bristle nose loved it for a while before death became it..... Soon pulled the sticks out! I loved that little bristle nose too...... Maybe ill not go el cheapo and buy some next time


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## mnemenoi (May 28, 2012)

Perhaps look for very old/dry Oak twigs, might work a bit better. 

A very nice tall showpiece plant in the cenetr could work as well, maybe a Madagascaran Lace or Black Amazon Sword...


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Agree, a very nice tank, you are doing great. 

If you could reposition the hardware so it is out of sight that always looks better. Even placing them on the sides in plain sight works better than on the back of the tank if possible.

I don't see a lily, but I do see Brazilian pennywort, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, at top right.


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

mnemenoi said:


> Perhaps look for very old/dry Oak twigs, might work a bit better.
> 
> A very nice tall showpiece plant in the cenetr could work as well, maybe a Madagascaran Lace or Black Amazon Sword...


Yeah the lace might be a really nice addition,thank you




Kathyy said:


> Agree, a very nice tank, you are doing great.
> 
> If you could reposition the hardware so it is out of sight that always looks better. Even placing them on the sides in plain sight works better than on the back of the tank if possible.
> 
> I don't see a lily, but I do see Brazilian pennywort, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, at top right.


Kathyy your a gem! Brazilian pennywort! That's the UFO in my tank. I was given pretty much 2 or 3 cm of it 3 weeks ago and now it's 40 cm long with many branches...

I agree about the equipment, the HOB filter can't move and I have the Co2 difuser under it to blast it around, but I was thinking some planting / moss coverage might hid that, plus I'm thinking about planting my HOB up so some thing falling from that?? The heater must be moved though for sure


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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

Try some color!


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## rowdaddy (Jan 20, 2012)

*Re: Need ideas / help*

Something large and red for a.nice focal point.

I am Rowdaddy. 
SC Aquaria

75 Community
20H Community
20L Convict "Bedroom" 
20L Growout
10gal RCS
1.5gal in progress
55 gal Paludarium/Vivarium coming soon


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

I had one of the lights out when i took the picture, I do have some crypt wendtii in there which gives a bronze in With the sea of green, but yes ok I do see what you mean, it may be that the canvas is bland?!


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## Isujustice05 (Mar 1, 2013)

Im no expert just a friendly opinion but my eyes seem to be drawn to the center of the tank but then I see the equipment which of course isnt going to look the best. It is something we all have to deal with on our own tanks. That may be what seems out of place. If you could try to move the equipment as best as you can or hide it behind some plants then you could try and place something in the center like the above poster mentioned. I have ludwigia peruensis in my tank and it grows tall and is a beautiful red might look good. Again thats just how my eyes see it but im sure someone on this forum can lead you in the best direction. Overall though tank does look very nice good job!


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## Idrankwhat (Mar 20, 2013)

I think a thin piece of driftwood that would stay low but span the open area in the middle would look sharp. Of course I think it looks nice the way it is too. As that stuff matures it will fill in height in the middle more. Keep up the nice work.


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## Jnad (Aug 17, 2012)

I like your tank a lot.

We all have different likes, but i would have used more plants in the middle/back. Use tall bushy plants with small leaves, big plants with big leaves (sword plants) always make tanks look smaller i think. Look at them proffesionals aquascapers, they use plants with small leaves often. You could move those plants you have in the middle bacground now to the front of the tank and use bushy tall plants in he back.

This is just what i would have done, probably 10000 different opinions out there

And always try the best to hide equipment.

Jnad


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

Guys, thank you so much for your input. On the back of your suggestions I have begun to make some minor changes in the hope that I won't want to rip the whole thing down.

First I took a peice of the Brazilian pennywort and wrapped it around the CO2 output pipe in the centre of the tank, this alone has made me feel better. I have removed the excess "white strip" from behind the filter intake... This is to reduce the rattle against the glass so is very much required lol.
I have push the heater further into the corner, with the view that in a few weeks the stems will hide this completely. Finally I removed the gray / black gravel scattered in the foreground and instead added a finer gravel which matches the colour of the sand,
I like the CO2 indicator on view as I have diy Co2 so if it starts to drop off I can react....


Ps, my anubias in the top right corner has a nice little flower now !


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

Update on my tank, added some val n the amazon swords have gone made sending runners up and out every where. Started adding KH2P04 and K2S04, leaving out KN03 as i am slighly over stocked. trace elements every other day. The tank has basically exploded.

Battled with GSA for a few weeks but since adding KH2P04 it's pretty much gone over night. Crypts have started to go through some melt but I think it's just due to the change in water chem??

How you you go about moving a thread? 











Buggered up the backing paper a bit but no big deal.... In a few weeks you'll not see the back of the tank.


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## mc1973 (May 1, 2013)

I think what was missing in the original picture was that you had tall plants on the left, barely any in the middle, and short on the right. What you have right now looks great because it kind of makes that "U" shape with the plants which helps it look more natural.

Keep us posted on updates!


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

Well it's turned into a bit of a jungle still dosing with EI method and, well see for your self..I will need to do some arranging soon
What you can't really see from the picture is that the val is moving toward the front of the tank infant there is a runner right up at the front window, the hairgrass is growing at a slow pace but its moving, the rest is just crazy.


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Looks good! Really like the rasboras and the thick planting


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

I'm gutted, it's been a while since I last posted and looked at this thread. 
Moved house since my last update and clearly had to break down my tank . It's been 5 months now and I'm just getting it settled back down, so here it is.... I have a long way to go till it gets back to the jungle style it was once.


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## naturelady (Dec 14, 2009)

One idea for your CO2 line: I understand why you want the CO2 to be diffusing out underneath the filter. That makes sense. However, I find that light colored tubing to be very distracting to the eye in all of your pictures. If the length of tubing is long enough, you can get a few more suction cups. Then you can leave the CO2 output in the same location in the tank, but you can run the tubing in a place where it is less visible- either with the filter intake, or more preferably, up closer to the side of the tank. 

And good luck with the tank growing in again! Your plants all look healthy. With time, they should grow in again just like they did last time.


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## MurphyC (Mar 29, 2013)

Actually I have never really thought about this, but your right. I'm going yo do thus, this evening, thanks


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