Mini Dream Tank Re-scape

[Rocky998]

Alright... So... I have a 20g high that is supposed to look like a "river"... Well being perfectly honest it doesnt look like a river... It definitely looks nothing like how I would really like it and nothing close to a dream tank. So lets make a "mini dream tank". I'm going to be removing ALL the dragon rock and replacing it with river stones. Im not sure on whether its going to be the grey ones or the brownish white ones but its gonna be one or the other... I also have two pieces of spider wood in my tank that I can use for the future scape. I may also decide to mix in some tank sand and I'll ask my parents if I can use the sand we have in the garage.

I usually hate hate hate fake decor that is totally not real but I saw these glowing resin pebnles on Etsy and immediately came up with an idea... I will stack up the river stones how I want but then I will take VERY few of those glowing pebbles and put them inside small crevices and then it will look like a bluish glowing cave... Again I wont have a lot, just enough to give a cool effect.
The river rock stacks/mounds will then be partially "outlined" by small to medium sized gravel.

I plan on also buying some more java ferns and some Anubias mother pots. I really really want to find some new plants for the tank besides those two (probably fast growing plants if possible that are green and leafy).

Lets hope this will actually turn out good!
I have no idea when I will "actually" start on this but the idea is out there and its an idea that will hopefully take effect soon!

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

I feel this, my husband gets bent out of shape because I get bored and change things up at least 2 times a year. I feel the fish are used to it by now, like "Here she comes, she is looking stuff over for too long, she is going to move ^$&# again".

I am really digging Tiger lotus right now. They have beautiful deep red leaves, they grow from a bulb that doesn't need to be buried very deep, if at all. If you are doing low light plants that might work as they can get very large, grow quickly, providing shaded area for anubias and javas. I have seen where others trim it to keep it compact. They are not demanding at all.

 

[Rocky998]

my husband gets bent out of shape because I get bored and change things up at least 2 times a year. I feel the fish are used to it by now, like "Here she comes, she is looking stuff over for too long, she is going to move ^$&# again".

am really digging Tiger lotus right now. They have beautiful deep red leaves, they grow from a bulb that doesn't need to be buried very deep, if at all. If you are doing low light plants that might work as they can get very large, grow quickly, providing shaded area for anubias and javas. I have seen where others trim it to keep it compact. They are not demanding at all.

I really love tiger lotus, but doesnt it need iron supplements? I'm ok with doing a plant that needs root tabs, but not things to add into the water column such as liquid ferts. If not, that would DEFINITELY be a good option. Thank you!

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

I really love tiger lotus, but doesnt it need iron supplements? I'm ok with doing a plant that needs root tabs, but not things to add into the water column such as liquid ferts. If not, that would DEFINITELY be a good option. Thank you!

All red plants love iron. Tiger lotus as well as many floating plants draw from the water column more so than the substrate. For that matter so do Anubias and Javas, that's why you can stuff them in a crevice and they are good with it. I have a lot of plants, like an ungodly amount. Many of them have been trial and error, finding what works as I have a good deal of South american Cichlid species and generally they murder plants. Surprisingly, I have been able to grow a broad variety across several tanks. I use both Liquid and root tabs, depending on the tank and the plants. I do not have any fragile fish, those that might be considered touchy would be my black ghost, hillstream loaches and tetras but haven't had issues with ferts and water quality.

 

[Rocky998]

All red plants love iron. Tiger lotus as well as many floating plants draw from the water column more so than the substrate. For that matter so do Anubias and Javas, that's why you can stuff them in a crevice and they are good with it. I have a lot of plants, like an ungodly amount. Many of them have been trial and error, finding what works as I have a good deal of South american Cichlid species and generally they murder plants. Surprisingly, I have been able to grow a broad variety across several tanks. I use both Liquid and root tabs, depending on the tank and the plants. I do not have any fragile fish, those that might be considered touchy would be my black ghost, hillstream loaches and tetras but haven't had issues with ferts and water quality.

Are there any lotus plants that don't need iron? I don't mind if they just stay green either... I like a lush green

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

You can grow Tiger lotus without iron supplementation and it would tend to lean more green with perhaps some red streaks or bronze tones, it will suck out any and all iron your water might have. It just will not be a dark rich red. Dwarf water lilies are greener but will bronze if the light is strong enough.

 

[Rocky998]

You can grow Tiger lotus without iron supplementation and it would tend to lean more green with perhaps some red streaks or bronze tones, it will suck out any and all iron your water might have. It just will not be a dark rich red. Dwarf water lilies are greener but will bronze if the light is strong enough.

Ok! Thank you for this info! I may have to get some lotus plants for in the tank to fill out some blank spaces.

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

I really like them. Make sure the bulb is firm, it may or may not have leaves, which if fine as long as the bulb is firm. Only plant the bulb 1/3 of its height in the substrate, or it will rot. They get large, and when happy will propagate a lot. One plant should do, keep plants from being in it's direct space as sensitive plant can be affected by the lotus when in direct contact...Allelopathy I think it is called, you see it a lot with floaters, where one species will stunt another. I have not had any issues with the rhizome varieties or swords being affected but something like hairgrass or baby tears might.

 

[Rocky998]

I really like them. Make sure the bulb is firm, it may or may not have leaves, which if fine as long as the bulb is firm. Only plant the bulb 1/3 of its height in the substrate, or it will rot. They get large, and when happy will propagate a lot. One plant should do, keep plants from being in it's direct space as sensitive plant can be affected by the lotus when in direct contact...Allelopathy I think it is called, you see it a lot with floaters, where one species will stunt another. I have not had any issues with the rhizome varieties or swords being affected but something like hairgrass or baby tears might.

All I have in the tank for plants is java fern and anubias so I don't think it should be a problem...
You said to plant the bulb 1/3 of its height in... When will it start producing leaves if it has none and how fast does it grow once it gets established? (Without fertilizers).

 

[Rocky998]

One plant should do

Is there any reason I can't buy two or three for the tank?

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

All I have in the tank for plants is java fern and anubias so I don't think it should be a problem...
You said to plant the bulb 1/3 of its height in... When will it start producing leaves if it has none and how fast does it grow once it gets established? (Without fertilizers).

I had one come without leaves at all, it took a week for it to get 5 tiny leaves on it and then it exploded, growing to about 5 inches high in 3 weeks. I had another that came with a few tiny leaves, it was about 8 inches high in 3 weeks. You do not need to plant it at all it you do not want to, the bulb can sit on the substrate. If you do plant it, only put a 1/3 of the bulb in the substrate. The roots can get extensive so they will spread a good deal through the substrate and draw more nutrients that way. Trimming it will slow the growth and is advisable in a smaller tank.

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

Is there any reason I can't buy two or three for the tank?

You can, but with the size of tank I don't think you will need more than one with how large it will grow. If you plan to trim them up and keep them compact then a couple more wouldn't hurt.

 

[Rocky998]

I had one come without leaves at all, it took a week for it to get 5 tiny leaves on it and then it exploded, growing to about 5 inches high in 3 weeks. I had another that came with a few tiny leaves, it was about 8 inches high in 3 weeks. You do not need to plant it at all it you do not want to, the bulb can sit on the substrate. If you do plant it, only put a 1/3 of the bulb in the substrate. The roots can get extensive so they will spread a good deal through the substrate and draw more nutrients that way. Trimming it will slow the growth and is advisable in a smaller tank.

Wow! That's very fast! Thank you!

 

[Rocky998]

You can, but with the size of tank I don't think you will need more than one with how large it will grow. If you plan to trim them up and keep them compact then a couple more wouldn't hurt.

Yeah, I kinda wanted to bush up two of them together near the front and keep trimming them to keep them low, and then have a third near the back of the tank.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I'm not an expert in aqua-scaping but just to share a few simple tips that can make your tank look better.

Firstly, you must use sand instead of other bigger substrate like gravel.
Sand will make big impact on the overall look.
Look for sand that is lighter in color and not too dark. Dark color sand like black will make your tank look dirty.
Lighter color sand will make your tank really look like a "neat & clean" river/stream.
If you are good in matching of colors, you will understand this point better.
I had tried different colors sand and gravel and nothing can beat a light color sand.

Secondly, get 1-2 big driftwoods.
Smaller driftwoods can be more difficult to arrange them.
Big driftwood that can cover 1/3 or 2/3 of the tank will give bigger effect on your tank.
Look for driftwoods that have more branches like a tree.
You can place them like trees growing upward or you can place them upside down to make them look like roots inside or above the water.

You can add some rocks - big and small mix.

Use either a black or dark blue background. Other colours will be hard to match.


Here are some basics on aquascaping.