Is this hardscape too much?

[IrishFish]

Hey guys,

2 questions about my fluval roma 90.

1) is this too much hardscape? I plan on adding plants as well as hoping to get some Cory's.

2) are the elbows on my 207's meant to be as shown in the image below, or should the "fluval" be on the outside?

 

[oceanArnold]

yes, because corys will dig throw any sand or gravel you put in so you are going to want a good lair of it, and that amount of hardscape is going to make that difficult.

 

[MattW]

Some members may suggest a finer substrate for Cory's but I can't comment on that since I've never kept them @CassCats any issues with that substrate? Looks like JBL manado
Looks great to me hardscape-wise. You've managed to create some hiding areas that any fish that are stressed can retreat to. Dragon stone I presume? Just rinse that before use it is a soft stone so it will erode easily if washed and scrubbed a lot. Driftwood will float if not waterlogged so be cautious of that. Will need to weigh it down or waterlog it before scaping

As for the elbows no idea I'm afraid Hopefully other members will post other advice/help

 

[IrishFish]

yes, because corys will dig throw any sand or gravel you put in so you are going to want a good lair of it, and that amount of hardscape is going to make that difficult.

There's about 4 inches of substrate currently, JBL aquabasis plus and Manado dark.

I imagine I need to keep the foreground more open, but I really like the heart shaped dragon stone and it kinda needs to be towards the front.

 

[IrishFish]

Some members may suggest a finer substrate for Cory's but I can't comment on that since I've never kept them @CassCats any issues with that substrate? Looks like JBL manado
Looks great to me hardscape-wise. You've managed to create some hiding areas that any fish that are stressed can retreat to. Dragon stone I presume? Just rinse that before use it is a soft stone so it will erode easily if washed and scrubbed a lot. Driftwood will float if not waterlogged so be cautious of that. Will need to weigh it down or waterlog it before scaping

As for the elbows no idea I'm afraid Hopefully other members will post other advice/help

That's why I'm not fully set on them, as the Manado might not be suitable. That said, the manufacturer says it's safe for them.

Dragon stone indeed!
I was thinking it might be a bit crowded with the 3 pieces of DS though.

As for the redmoor wood, I plan to weigh down and/or tie it with fishing line. The piece is too big/awkward for me to waterlog.

 

[MattW]

I’ve been using manado for a few years now and love it but the only “bottom feeder” I’ve had in tanks with it is shrimp so I’m not 100% sure if it is suitable. Then again it might be but members with experience in keeping Corys will have a lot better idea than me

Never used dragon stone only cobbles and lava rock. I do like the way it looks but the sharpness and the clay aspect has put me off a bit

Good idea I used to use slate and stainless steel bolts for driftwood. Might have been a bit overkill..

It will be good to see what you can create in that tank and what fish you eventually choose

 

[CassCats]

Yeah that substrate is a little too coarse for corydoras unfortunately. It will not allow them to sift through their gills.

Now, you can add a pocket in the front of finer sand and go for a group of pygmy corydoras for this scape. I wouldn't do the bigger guys, not enough ground space for them to truly enjoy it. The tiny guys could work though, depending on your pH and GH. You want a GH below 200ppm for the pygmy corydoras

You can see the fine sand here, how the corydoras in these videos sift it... this is important for them as it's a natural behavior that they do to find food, and it provides mental enrichment and natural health for their gills as the grains of sand can dislodge things in them.

Videos are in slow motion to show the sifting well.

 

[IrishFish]

I’ve been using manado for a few years now and love it but the only “bottom feeder” I’ve had in tanks with it is shrimp so I’m not 100% sure if it is suitable. Then again it might be but members with experience in keeping Corys will have a lot better idea than me

Never used dragon stone only cobbles and lava rock. I do like the way it looks but the sharpness and the clay aspect has put me off a bit

Good idea I used to use slate and stainless steel bolts for driftwood. Might have been a bit overkill..

It will be good to see what you can create in that tank and what fish you eventually choose

I was a bit unsure when I bought it after seeing some mixed reviews, mainly how light it is.

I never actually considered the sharpness, I'll have to keep an eye on that when the time comes to adding in some fish.

Appreciate your input, always good to get feedback from others. My attempts on reddit haven't been very fruitful!

 

[IrishFish]

Yeah that substrate is a little too coarse for corydoras unfortunately. It will not allow them to sift through their gills.

Now, you can add a pocket in the front of finer sand and go for a group of pygmy corydoras for this scape. I wouldn't do the bigger guys, not enough ground space for them to truly enjoy it. The tiny guys could work though, depending on your pH and GH. You want a GH below 200ppm for the pygmy corydoras

You can see the fine sand here, how the corydoras in these videos sift it... this is important for them as it's a natural behavior that they do to find food, and it provides mental enrichment and natural health for their gills as the grains of sand can dislodge things in them.

Videos are in slow motion to show the sifting well.
View attachment 349966
View attachment 349967

Oh wow, after watching those videos, Manado definitely wouldn't work for them, certainly not to encourage this natural behaviour anyway.

Pygmys where what I was thinking myself! Some sand towards the front and maybe in the "cave" like section under the driftwood could be the route I take.

On the topic of ground space, this is one of my comcerns also, it's what makes me think I may have overdone it with the dragon stone. It was only after buying it and taking it home did I realise that the roma 90 isn't all that big! I may remove one of the pieces and keep the other as well as the heart shaped stone.

 

[CassCats]

Yeah you'd be fine with the pygmies with the hardscape for space, but just need the addition of a fine sand for them. You'd be good with a decent group of pygmies as well, it's basically a 90 liter which is approx 25ish gallons. If it was a longer tank, you may have had better options for larger cories, but cube tanks you need to stock them more like the smaller tanks because the footprint is smaller. And with many fish, footprint matters a lot.

Pygmies will also sit on top of the dragonstone and sit on top of your plants a lot as well. They swim mid level decently.

 

[IrishFish]

Yeah you'd be fine with the pygmies with the hardscape for space, but just need the addition of a fine sand for them. You'd be good with a decent group of pygmies as well, it's basically a 90 liter which is approx 25ish gallons. If it was a longer tank, you may have had better options for larger cories, but cube tanks you need to stock them more like the smaller tanks because the footprint is smaller. And with many fish, footprint matters a lot.

Pygmies will also sit on top of the dragonstone and sit on top of your plants a lot as well. They swim mid level decently.

I guess pygmys really are that small!

I'm just wondering if it's "ok" to put sand on top of manado. I don't think you are supposed to cap it but maybe a small patch would be OK?

 

[Nells250]

Since you asked, esthetically, I'd remove one of the rocks. BUT that's just me.

 

[MattW]

I guess pygmys really are that small!

I'm just wondering if it's "ok" to put sand on top of manado. I don't think you are supposed to cap it but maybe a small patch would be OK?

There's a high chance after a while it would just seep through.

If you are up for some DIY on your tank you could try either of these off Etsy or make something yourself

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1738157671/flexible-wall-substrate-divider-gravel

Could make a "beach" area for the sand near the front of the tank?

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1520599088/corner-undergravel-fish-and-terrarium?click_key=9d9bdd7ea5508abf8605450f49d7c1027f2b1a2b%3A1520599088&click_sum=c629b9bc&external=1&rec_type=ss&ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-1&pro=1&sts=1

I bet cory's would love an underground cave especially with a sand layer even though its unnatural

 

[IrishFish]

Since you asked, esthetically, I'd remove one of the rocks. BUT that's just me.

Obviously it's hard to really explain how you would, but.. What way would you configure it yourself?

Drift wood even across the middle with the more square dragon stone at the back or in front of it on either side?

Maybe one in the back corner with the wood slightly horizontal from front left to back right and the heart in front right, as in picture.

Or other configuration altogether?

 

[IrishFish]

There's a high chance after a while it would just seep through.

If you are up for some DIY on your tank you could try either of these off Etsy or make something yourself

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1738157671/flexible-wall-substrate-divider-gravel

Could make a "beach" area for the sand near the front of the tank?

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1520599088/corner-undergravel-fish-and-terrarium?click_key=9d9bdd7ea5508abf8605450f49d7c1027f2b1a2b%3A1520599088&click_sum=c629b9bc&external=1&rec_type=ss&ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-1&pro=1&sts=1

I bet cory's would love an underground cave especially with a sand layer even though its unnatural

The guy in the LFS had a 3d printer and has done a few little caves for the stores tanks, he's open to making one for me should I decide to go with it.