Hardscape

[Oddball59]

Kia Ora.
Hi, does anyone know of anywhere in the East Yorkshire area that has a good selection of large hardscape? Although I don't mind a drive for the right place. What do people do usually, are many of you shopping online? I have an image in my head now of what I want wood wise, stones I'm not sure. I want to do something borderline jungle.... but it's evolving every day.
I have a four foot tank, quite deep. But intend keeping the lid on for power conservation and water loss... but this may change too. Thank you, Kia Kaha. Phil.

 

[Acorno]

For me it is easier and cheaper just to collect locally. You do have to know what type of wood it is and make sure it’s aquarium safe. The method I use is to collect dry dead wood from a safe species of tree (I use apple) then boil the tannins out. It results in a safe piece of wood. Although it is limited by the size of pot you have to boil it in.

 

[Lcc86]

Looking online there are a few branches Maidenhead Aquatics in Yorkshire but not sure how much of a drive they would be for you. I only mention these as from what I've seen they have a good selection of everything to scape a tank. There might be other stuff near you that someone else is aware of too!

 

[Wills]

Feel like I sit pretty perfectly in the middle of this venn diagram... (little local joke there too...)

Are you wanting aquascaping style wood and rocks like Redmoore, Bogwood, Seriyu and Dragon Stone or are you happy with things like slate and well... the garden centres here only really sell slate here.

For aquascaping things Ings Lane is the best here, particularly for wood and dragon stone, they stock quite a bit of nice wood like spider wood, redmoore and malaysian bogwood. They do a few different types of rock but for some reason their dragon stones are really good.

I did drop in at a store in York called Tunnel Aquatics who had some really good bits of root wood, they were really big like 4-6 foot long, they were £90-£120 but as you will find aqua scaping stuff isnt cheap... The garden centre its within also has a rock specialist and they had some nice red lava rock for a good price too.

If you are prepared for a bit of a trip though (about 1hr 45 from Hull) Horizon Aquatics in Newton Aycliff is 100% the best option, prices are pretty good but like I say it adds up and they have pretty much everything you'd ever want, loads of types of wood including plenty of really big pieces and lots of intricate and interesting pieces, lots of types of rock including the cool stuff like Wild Rhino and Frodo Stone. They also do a rock called Hakai Stone which is really nice (but it is a bit more expensive!)

I've been getting hardscape online recently which is a bit of a lucky dip but it's paid off this time for sure.

Wills

 

[Oddball59]

Feel like I sit pretty perfectly in the middle of this venn diagram... (little local joke there too...)

Are you wanting aquascaping style wood and rocks like Redmoore, Bogwood, Seriyu and Dragon Stone or are you happy with things like slate and well... the garden centres here only really sell slate here.

For aquascaping things Ings Lane is the best here, particularly for wood and dragon stone, they stock quite a bit of nice wood like spider wood, redmoore and malaysian bogwood. They do a few different types of rock but for some reason their dragon stones are really good.

I did drop in at a store in York called Tunnel Aquatics who had some really good bits of root wood, they were really big like 4-6 foot long, they were £90-£120 but as you will find aqua scaping stuff isnt cheap... The garden centre its within also has a rock specialist and they had some nice red lava rock for a good price too.

If you are prepared for a bit of a trip though (about 1hr 45 from Hull) Horizon Aquatics in Newton Aycliff is 100% the best option, prices are pretty good but like I say it adds up and they have pretty much everything you'd ever want, loads of types of wood including plenty of really big pieces and lots of intricate and interesting pieces, lots of types of rock including the cool stuff like Wild Rhino and Frodo Stone. They also do a rock called Hakai Stone which is really nice (but it is a bit more expensive!)

I've been getting hardscape online recently which is a bit of a lucky dip but it's paid off this time for sure.

Wills

Thanks for the reply Wills. I've looked at Maidenhead and Ings and while they do have a reasonable selection they don't carry larger pieces which I'm looking for. Horizon sounds good.... I'll see if they have a website. Do you have a favourite online seller? I'm looking for something authentic wood wise and Seiryu stone or Lava rock. I know Seiryu stone will play games with my PH etc... but I'm drawn to the fact it has a direction to its composition. It also opens up the chance for me to do something Iwagumi style which I'm pottering about in my noodle with.
I was looking at some old slides I took back home in New Zealand, landscapes in my beloved South Island.... and I could see Iwagumi in the landscapes I took looking towards the mountains, it did look right as the scale is similar instead of rocks there are mountains, and in place of plants are the bushes leading to trees. I always looked for depth to give scale and a sense of peace, but also there was mystery. I'd like to see that. My better pictures also had a sense of danger.... many went into the bush, got turned around going for a piss and were never seen again. So tension would also be good.
The Seiryu stone also is the closest rock to visually recreate the mountains I would photo and also climb. I'm not rushing anything and if I see the right combination in a store or online I'm sure it will send a spark to my brain.
If I go to Horizon do you fancy a road trip? You said earlier you was starting a new project. Thank you for your as usual friendly, and useful advice.

 

[Oddball59]

Looking online there are a few branches Maidenhead Aquatics in Yorkshire but not sure how much of a drive they would be for you. I only mention these as from what I've seen they have a good selection of everything to scape a tank. There might be other stuff near you that someone else is aware of too!

Kia Ora, Thanks for the reply, Maidenhead is about ten minutes from me, and they do carry some hardscape, the larger pieces I'm looking for they don't have. The stone is also very limited in type and style. But it's ok. Nice people for sure. Plants and rock are also limited around here, there's another shop, Ings, and they are also very friendly but again lack the range I'm wanting to dig through.

 

[Oddball59]

For me it is easier and cheaper just to collect locally. You do have to know what type of wood it is and make sure it’s aquarium safe. The method I use is to collect dry dead wood from a safe species of tree (I use apple) then boil the tannins out. It results in a safe piece of wood. Although it is limited by the size of pot you have to boil it in.

Kia Ora, Thank you for your kind reply, I did consider that approach, but it's not what I'm looking for. Maybe if I could go into some old oak forrest with a few nice streams........ but I'll know it when I see it. It's finding a big enough selection to choose from, I don't really want to "make do".
It might be fun to collect locally rocks, tree branches and even dirt and see what happens, I find that "dirty tank" idea intriguing. Ki Kaha Acorno and have a good weekend.

 

[Essjay]

I second Horizon Aquatics, though it's lot closer for me.

Horizon Aquatics | Aquascaping Specialists

We supply high-quality live aquarium plants and aquascaping equipment from leading brands. Horizon Aquatics stock a range of products, including fish tanks, aquarium filters, aquascaping tools, and specialist equipment, as well as shrimp, snails and fish. Stockists of ADA, Oase, Tropica, UNS...

www.horizonaquatics.co.uk

 

[Oddball59]

I second Horizon Aquatics, though it's lot closer for me.

Horizon Aquatics | Aquascaping Specialists

We supply high-quality live aquarium plants and aquascaping equipment from leading brands. Horizon Aquatics stock a range of products, including fish tanks, aquarium filters, aquascaping tools, and specialist equipment, as well as shrimp, snails and fish. Stockists of ADA, Oase, Tropica, UNS...

www.horizonaquatics.co.uk

Kia Ora. Thanks for the reply.... strangely I've just got off the phone with them! I'm going to take a road trip in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Naughts]

Feel like I sit pretty perfectly in the middle of this venn diagram... (little local joke there too

You're Maureen Lipman?!?!?

Hull: the ultimate Venn diagram

John Venn, the inventor of Venn diagrams, was born in Hull - now set to be the UK's next city of culture. So what overlap does Mr Venn have with two other finite collections of sets*?

www.theguardian.com

 

[Wills]

You're Maureen Lipman?!?!?

Hull: the ultimate Venn diagram

John Venn, the inventor of Venn diagrams, was born in Hull - now set to be the UK's next city of culture. So what overlap does Mr Venn have with two other finite collections of sets*?

www.theguardian.com

I am very glad someone got my Jonn Venn joke

 

[Wills]

Really glad you're headed to Horizon I have to admit I need to curb my spending for quite some time haha! Just bought another 4 foot tank and I have everything for it already.

If you like the look of Seriyu Stone but want to avoid the hardness issues you should check out Frodo Stone - Horizon are one of the only places in the UK to sell it and it looks very similar to Seriyu, but not as sharp edged, does not effect your water and has a more earthy tone.

For Iwagumi set ups I'd just develop it a bit further than the traditional single level plants - check out Brazilian Style aquascapes which is a bit of an evolution of Iwagumi that incorporates some stem plants which gives a bit of height to the tank that is usually missing. Even a simple curtain of hairgrass against the back wall will really help, the extra height gives the fish a lot more cover and is a more natural home for them.

Wills

 

[Oddball59]

Really glad you're headed to Horizon I have to admit I need to curb my spending for quite some time haha! Just bought another 4 foot tank and I have everything for it already.

If you like the look of Seriyu Stone but want to avoid the hardness issues you should check out Frodo Stone - Horizon are one of the only places in the UK to sell it and it looks very similar to Seriyu, but not as sharp edged, does not effect your water and has a more earthy tone.

For Iwagumi set ups I'd just develop it a bit further than the traditional single level plants - check out Brazilian Style aquascapes which is a bit of an evolution of Iwagumi that incorporates some stem plants which gives a bit of height to the tank that is usually missing. Even a simple curtain of hairgrass against the back wall will really help, the extra height gives the fish a lot more cover and is a more natural home for them.

Wills

Thanks Wills... yeah that spending can get out of hand. Looking forward to it... Horizon... apparently they have a bacon butty caravan parked opposite.

 

[Wills]

Thanks Wills... yeah that spending can get out of hand. Looking forward to it... Horizon... apparently they have a bacon butty caravan parked opposite.

haha yeah that is very true! The people that own and work at Horizon are so nice as well, good for a natter and their showroom is incredible.

This was filmed at Horizon a few months ago worth checking out

Wills

 

[Oddball59]

haha yeah that is very true! The people that own and work at Horizon are so nice as well, good for a natter and their showroom is incredible.

This was filmed at Horizon a few months ago worth checking out

Wills

Yes this guy is so cool and laid back. I also watched the you tube workshop and guided tour of Horizon by Marc Young... maybe spelt wrong, but the Dutch guy who does all the cube aqauscapes. I am just going back and forth in my head what I want. I have a couple of very clear images but the details are not there. Maybe they shouldn't be? There is certainly a space for spontaneity. But that can easily spill into chaos. I'm in no rush, just having my floor reinforced at the moment. lol. Another channel I enjoy is "Green Aqua". https://www.youtube.com/@GreenAquaShop