overwhelmed with proposed stone arrangements for the betta tank. opinions please?

[windfire]

hey guys so just got back from my stone hunting foray:p and have arranged them in the 'hills' that i kinda like but would like your guys opinion on them because i am siliconing them down and once they stuck they stuck so i want to be super sure of the design:bigsmile:. i would also like to run a poll on which of the 5 options i have for the standing stones i should use. i already have one definite , my black namibian rock with the white line running through it, and need another two rocks for a grouping of 3. i have 2 'mountains' that will go on either side of the tank and the standing stones will be off centre in the middleground with the foreground left for planting, either of moss or hairgrass not sure which i want yet:wondering:. i will be placing moss on the rocks aswell to create 'grassy' areas and might tie some anubias nana here and there but again not sure. i have yet to figure out where the driftwood will fit in all of this. wow theres so much to think of lol.

with the current arrangement there will be two large caves and some smaller nooks and tunnels for the khulis. i was thinking of placing a largish piece of wood at the back rising up to look like a tree stump but i have to find the right looking piece.

so without further ado here are my pics, critism and opinions would be greatly recieved, im starting to feel a little bit out of my depth here. oh and please use 1,2,3,4 or 5 starting from the left for the standing stone poll thanx:smile1: i like the midle 3 as they have the most texture but i cant decide which 2 out of the 3 lol

[Donny]

2 or 3
See only 4 pics

[TroyFish]

5? Only see 4. Anyways i like set up number 2 and 4. Gives enough space and creates that 'hill' look that you want. Number 1 is a bit plane lol no offence.

[snyper564]

I see u like fishing saw the reel there:) sorry dont want to hijack but how do u know the rocks are fish friendly i have tons nearby and want to do something interesting with the nanos just need to know they are safe. The 4th rock from the left would look great with some moss on it. Sounds like a good idea

[windfire]

lol sorry guys shoulda explained better, in the first pic is the 5 candidates for the standing stone group i like the middle three stones but only need 2 of them. the 3rd stone of the group will be a rock my brother brought back for me from namibia, its black with a white line running horizontally all the way around.

the 2nd pic is of the bigger hill and the 3rd pic of the smaller hill that will go on the right. the last pic is of the large hill from a different angle.

my lil brother is fishing crazy snyper lol. well i dont know but iv had similar rocks in my main community for about 2months now and havnt had any problems, and my smaller tank has had them for about a month with no worries either. i look for hard stone that i cant dent with a finger nail or by bashing it with another rock. yes i do get odd looks from people passing me when i walk the dogs bashing rocks together:p lol. the ones that are going into the new setup i found in a pile in the veld, either they where used as cladding and nobody wanted the excess or they where dug from a foundation or from the massive ditch that was dug 3 years ago for a water pipe line. either way it looks like a type of granite or basalt so i feel confident in using it. id stay away from sandstones or those really pretty yellow and red rocks that are soft enough to break by hand.

the first pic is the look im going for on the hills by using the moss and the 2nd,3rd and 4th are close ups of the 3 rocks i like for the standing stones, as you can see they have lots of texture. but i cant decide which 2 of those three to use lol

[snyper564]

lol sorry guys shoulda explained better, in the first pic is the 5 candidates for the standing stone group i like the middle three stones but only need 2 of them. the 3rd stone of the group will be a rock my brother brought back for me from namibia, its black with a white line running horizontally all the way around.

the 2nd pic is of the bigger hill and the 3rd pic of the smaller hill that will go on the right. the last pic is of the large hill from a different angle.

my lil brother is fishing crazy snyper lol. well i dont know but iv had similar rocks in my main community for about 2months now and havnt had any problems, and my smaller tank has had them for about a month with no worries either. i look for hard stone that i cant dent with a finger nail or by bashing it with another rock. yes i do get odd looks from people passing me when i walk the dogs bashing rocks together:p lol. the ones that are going into the new setup i found in a pile in the veld, either they where used as cladding and nobody wanted the excess or they where dug from a foundation or from the massive ditch that was dug 3 years ago for a water pipe line. either way it looks like a type of granite or basalt so i feel confident in using it. id stay away from sandstones or those really pretty yellow and red rocks that are soft enough to break by hand.

the first pic is the look im going for on the hills by using the moss and the 2nd,3rd and 4th are close ups of the 3 rocks i like for the standing stones, as you can see they have lots of texture. but i cant decide which 2 of those three to use lol

That first pic is what im going to attempt in one of my nanos and a small moss bonsai with the other. Ill go rock hunting later, guess i better get going before the sun sets. To test the rocks add some strong vinegar and leave for a few minutes if the rock foams its not safe but when collecting the fingernail dent test is the best "pretest" Hope u get everything your looking for

[windfire]

check this out snyper, its really cool. i love the path between the 'trees':nuts:

[Vis]

Windfire that tank must have taken months to create. Hope you have lots of patience. :)

[windfire]

i know hey lol im going for the mossy mountain look myself but snyper said he was going to do a moss bonsai. im getting pretty excited to build my new setup i got the rocks today, il get the extra glass for the bottom tommorow, clean up the rocks and start siliconing them together. ill also go check when my new tank will be ready. if i use the extra pane of glass ill be able to do the rock structures even if the tank isnt done yet and it'll strengthen the base aswell i think. now the next problem is figuring out where to put the rocks i alredy have moss growing on, they just starting to shoot nicely and i really dont want to disturb them now.

[windfire]

ok so having got lost in turfontein looking for a glass place i found it lol and got my glass, 2cm smaller all round so i can get my fingers in to put it in the tank. the place thats building my tank is still waiting for their tank builder to get back from leave, he was suppose to be there today but alas in a well known occurance he didnt pitch for work, *sigh* so will have to wait hopefully he gets back tomorrow.*fingers crossed*

i also started siliconing the rocks to the base plate. i had to change the layout as my rocks are on the large side and i cant possibly fit 2 caves in there so instead i have built one large mountain on the right with a feature rock next to it, i could'nt bear to cover it up it was pretty lol. then have 2 of the 3 standing stones stuck in the fore and middle ground will wait for the base stone for the last standing stone to dry and then will stick that down.

planting im thinking will include 2 amazons and a watersprite in the background, moss, anubias nana and hairgrass.

still trying to figure out where the wood is going to go lol. im adamant i want some wood in this tank but where oh where lol. iv now gotta wait for the tank to arrive before i finish the "mountain" so i can pack the peat in the bottom, plant and cap everything off.

i think when doing a project like this the hardest part is the waiting, for the tank, for silicon to dry for stones to dry after washing. theres so much waiting involved lol

pics to follow soon when i have a bit more to show