Hello - Looking for inspiration

Howsit Guys

I have recently decided to start up a small tank again.
The last tank I kept was about 25 years ago: 1.2m tropical setup and thereafter I had Oscars in the same tank.
This time round I want to do a planted aquarium

I am so excited to have come across this site last night. I have been browsing quite a bit and have seen some great tanks and it has given me quite a bit of inspiration

At this stage I can only manage a small 60cm setup, as that's all the space I have allocated lol
I have started browsing around at some pet shops but have not yet found what I am looking for.
Any advice on where I should be shopping please - I have found it extremely difficult to find the right rocks and especially the right shapes of wood for my small tank

I bought some hardscape yesterday, in haste, and although they can fit, aesthetically they might be a bit too big
I have added a pic of my intended setup - any advise would be appreciated (water will drip from rock - rock will protrude above water level - box is tank)

Thanks

AQP
Cape Town

 

Hi and welcome

I would use the wood and the nicer of the two rocks which will give you lots of space to work with the aquascape

 

Welcome! Think you might be onto something here.

I love the colour and texture of that stone! You could use epiphyte plants (eg anubias, bucephelandra etc) quite effectively in the crevices to soften the outlines of the stones.

ito wood I’d go for spider wood. Go to @RBM AQUATICS

Will add more comments when I have a bit more time later today.

 

Thank you for all the welcomes

They are big yes. I dont think I can return them however, so I will have to make do with them for now
If the scape turns out as i have pictured in my mind then they wont be too much of an eyesore

The bricks will be replaced with substrate and gravel (just used it to prop the rocks up during the "design" phase)
Can you recommend any other filler to use perhaps that will save me all that gravel fill?

Thanks for these - I will sort out the reds from the greens and the talls from the shorts when I get to that stage

me too! hence I impulse bought it
And I think once the water is flowing off it, it will provide a great spot to add some moss - well thats the plan for the rocks

Thanks - being from the southern suburbs, I didnt know about this shop. Also saw their advert on the site


Once I have bought the gravel an equipment, then I will start a new thread with those pics

 

It feels to me that, with the stone as main feature on the right hand side, the strongest composition would be triangular. I’d personally use spider wood just to accentuate the stone and plants (something like I added in brown). Then planting something like what I’ve added in green?

from which angles will your tank be viewed, because this type of layout would work best when viewed from the front and left.

 

Tank will be standing right there!
hence the cut out at the back left of the tank and the flap at the left, so that I can assess the visual appeal from those angles

I am going to try to do a similar render of what you did, of what I have in mind
Bear with me...

 

Blue line is water trickle
Green blotches are mosses
Black is gravel slope
Vertical green/red lines are taller plants
Horizontal green lines are shorter grass type

 

Can you recommend any other filler to use (where the bricks are) that will save me all that gravel fill?

 

Crushed lava rock (got mine at RBM) but rinse very very well. Excellent home for beneficial bacteria also.

you’d need to build in some sort of hidden retaining wall system under the gravel to keep the slope stable. Eg lava rock or pool filter sand (very very well rinsed) in stockings...

 

I still have about half a big bag left that you could buy from me if you don’t want to buy a big bag. Southern suburbs. But it’s not super expensive

 

Also I have seen people substitute substrate with potting soil
Any thoughts on this perhaps?
Especially in a low tech aquarium

 

Yes sure - will message you when Im ready

 

Perhaps once you have some more planted tank experience under your belt? Can cause issues but can also yield good results.

You could do an active aquarium substitute such as Langa (which will grow most plants) , or use a sand such as pool filter sand or black sand if using easy plants only.