Portinho Da Arrábida - Uma Vista De Troia

[SuperColey1]

How about this for a sort of sketch. The dark green dots are Fontanus, the light green dots are flame moss and the long green bits are Needle. sand at the front and lightish gravel the rest:

Andy

 

[Ps3Steveo]

I like it, I just hope the needle fern stays shorter than the sketch version and it looks good to me.

 

[ian]

here comes the rock police...

the main rock it to central on the main pic...however it looks quite good on the sketch.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Duno about that random bit of gravel in front of the tank tho lol

 

[SuperColey1]

Some photos of the area I am using for inspiration.

This is me on Troia beach facing the Serra da Arrabida hills (or the start of them.) Setubal would be just to right side of the picture the other side of the estuary. I think this is in 2005. Was only 30 then. lol. This is at peak beach time and probs about 35C in August. Yes peak time, empty beach and the atlantic to the left. If you look to the left of my head there is a drop of water on the lense. Draw an arrow down and my wife lives (or lived) in a village behind the hills you see.

Again 2005 (seems the best year for me taking photos of this area) This is a photo I took on top of the Serra da Arrabide looking down on the Troia Peninsual. The beach you can see over the estuary is the one I was on in the photo above.

Just to show the rocks these hills comprise of. Ignore the car, wife and mother in law

A couple of pics from on the hills looking down at Portinho beach:

And to end a picture of me and my mother in law. Can you tell that neither of us like our photographs being taken:

The wife will love me putting photos up her just after giving birth. lol. this one is taken from Palmela castle (The Sera da Arrabida) is behind me as I take this picture) and looks out over the Tagus flood plain. Palmela is a hill on it's own next to the Serra da Arrabida so it slopes down into the flood plain.

The hills in the far horizon are 20 miles away and Lisbon is set into them. Lisbon would be just out of picture to the left. Its half a photo away. lol

Regards
Andy

 

[SuperColey1]

I've played around with the hardscape a little here. What do you think? I think it looks much better like this.

Regards
Andy

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Looks good, is the large stone thinner towards the bottom? If so I'd turn it over, might look slightly more natural then.

 

[coldcazzie]

He had it the other way round before...

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Duno lol I showed my other half and she immediately said Sydney Opera House! But I did like it tho.

 

[ian]

nice to see the wife getting in on the journal Andy. I personally think you have the hardscape pretty much spot on. If we are going to be the pedantic rock police though, i would just bring that main rock down to the left a little, it looks as though it's sticking up a little un-naturally. However i reckon once you'd go them in the tank you sort that anyway. I am impressed with the rocks though mate, what a bargain!

 

[lljdma06]

I like the rock placement as well.

 

[SuperColey1]

With hardscape arranged in several ways outside of the tank I decided to try my favourite in the tank. This tank has just had plants attached to rock in it for the last 3 months (mosses, ferns, anubias) while I got ready for the new scape.

They were pulled out, the hardscape added and then I put a few of them back in just to have some fern in there so ignore the brown stones. they will not be there in the final setup.

This is just a test/trial to see if I want to alter the hardscape in any way. The fish are still in there as are the shrimps.

I think it is pretty close to how I will set it up for real so in 2 weeks I will remove the rocks, put the tank back in the lounge and then start from scratch with new substrate and plants attached to the final hardscape.

You do however have to visualise how it may look in a year's time. A lot of the rock (not all) will have Fissidens Fontanus growing on it. The intersections and patches around the sides/front will have flame moss growing out of it and the Ferns will grow from behind.

I am tinkering with the idea of Bolbitus as I have a huge bush of it and not used it in a scape yet. I am pretty wary of using it though as it may ruin the subtlety of using just one large growing species. I may end up selling a load of Bolbitus as it is filling up a 23 litre tank at the moment. lol

Some pictures. This is the boldest hardscape I have ever done. It is incredibly powerful from any viewing angle, maybe it is a little overpowering but I like the way the tank frames the rock. I think it fits the space perfectly and because the hardscape is so visually powerful I will have to be careful with the planting so that I don't take away this effect.

I meant to take these pictures last night when it was dark but I fell asleep. lol Looks incredible solely under the white LED light.


The LED luminaire is 80cm above the tank. This is because the cables are cut to suit it's position in the lounge where it hangs from the underside of a shelf and not from the ceiling. Doesn't seem to matter though. Does a great job even at that height.

For the LED fan boys The DIY luminaire (electrics) are still untouched 2 and a half years after they were built. It has had a fresh outer (box) though when I redesigned it, however no LEDs failed or replaced in 2 and a half years.

Regards
Andy

 

[BigTom]

Looks awesome mate. Only thing I'm not sure about is the large flat rock on the left, seems to compete with the main rock a bit... might need another small rock in the crack just to soften it a bit?

 

[lljdma06]

Andy, this is one of your strongest scapes. Very out of what you normally do. The left rock will be problematic for some. Not the same color scheme as the others, but I love it. For me, it makes it more interesting to look at. I think otherwise, the scape is too sterile. I've been having problems with what I call "sterile" scapes. Too perfect, too placed.

Liz

 

[SuperColey1]

Andy, this is one of your strongest scapes. Very out of what you normally do. The left rock will be problematic for some. Not the same color scheme as the others, but I love it. For me, it makes it more interesting to look at. I think otherwise, the scape is too sterile. I've been having problems with what I call "sterile" scapes. Too perfect, too placed.

Liz

Indeed. I am way out of my 'comfort zone' here but a chintzy woodland wouldn't suit the new lounge style so I am attempting something new to me.

TBH I am one of those to whom the left upright rock is problematic however I am looking to the long term finished article and the aim is to have only little parts of the rock visible. I think the shape and character of this particular rock meant it had to go in Most of the 'striping' of the other rocks will be hidden eventually and the Fissidens alongside the Flame moss should smooth out the spaces making it almost a single piece. That should then remove the artificial 'placed' perception. All the little 'shards' around the edge are natural though. I dropped them from 6 inches and they rest where they landed.

Hopefully what I can envisage can be fulfilled.

What you can't see is that where the 2 upright rocks meet and the front centre one slopes in it creates a cave dead centre of the tank which my Corys have already taken control of. lol. It's like a snake pit under there with them jostling for position.

The Tetras seem to love this scape. They are seperating from the Rasboras they've been schooling with and started swimming much lower down with each other.

One thing with this scape (albeit a trial at present) that I love is that unlike others it is viewable from all angles without losing anything. Its almost like a new scape from each angle where others have been great from the front or slightly angled but tend to look pretty messy from the sides or severe angle.

Of course once its back in the lounge it will not be possible to view it from the left pane or rear but while it is in the kitchen I am enjoying looking through the length of the tank.

AC