Need some help with aquascaping...

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boojumsnark25

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Aug 13, 2006
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So I started up a 125g planted tank a while ago, and I just kind of threw the plants in to make sure they would grow...didn't want ot spend a whole bunch of time aquascaping for nothing. To make a long story short, the plants aren't doing great, but they are hanging in there, so I want to try and make things look a little better. However, I don't have one aquascaping bone in my body. We're talking zero creativity. I was hoping someone could come up with a quick design, or even just give me a few pointers in the right direction...I have two decorations in the tank, attached pictures for reference. I can leave the decorations in or take them out, it doesn't really matter. I dont' want to go with real driftwood, too much of a hassle. Anyways, here are the plants I have in there:

5 Anubias Barteri
10 crypt Spiralis
15 Crypt Wendtii
30 Dwarf Sag
Java Moss
15 Jungle Vals
5 Lace java Fern
50 Stems Anacharis

I know it's not much to work with, and it's certainly not a creative grouping of plants, but I'd love to be able to make it look nice. If anyone can help, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!

DSC02049.JPG DSC02050.JPG
 
If I had a 125 with a bluegill in it I would do a biotope tank trying to mimic the lake that the gill came from. This plant I still haven't definitively IDed but I think it would work well. It is very tall and will end up spreading across some of the top of the tank. Seems to grow well with my low light and no CO2.
DSC00809.jpg


I would also have red ludwigia in there. I have found that in many lakes that house bluegills. Maybe even a couple of lily pads if you don't have a glass top or one of those stupid plastic hoods. I would think about finding a yellow bullhead catfish to put in there. I hate to say it but I would have to put some driftwood in there too because I know (from snorkleing as a kid) that gills love that stuff. A nice branchy one that he can swim through.

Whatever you do I think that you will be pleased by adding O2 to the tank.... whether that be by aeration or by making sure that you have happy healthy growing plants. I think that you will notice right away in the activity level of your gill.
 
"Real" driftwood is really not that much of a hassle. Just search on the forum for how to prep it before putting it in the tank.

Agree with the request for a full tank shot. That helps see the whole picture.

Don't worry about creativity. My best tank layout was one I threw together with plants from my other tanks. The cool thing about planted tanks is that you put the plants in, see how it looks when things grow in and you can go from there. I move, trim, arrange, and tweak my planted tanks constantly.
 
:iagree: I agree with max. Full tank shot would help and real driftwood is not that difficult. Once it sinks you can position it as you like. There are some driftwood, such as malaysian driftwood, you can buy at your lfs which sinks from the start. That's what I have.


If you're interested in a natural looking tank, I'd remove that fake log you currently have. That orange paint doesn't look very natural.
 
kingearwig said:
If I had a 125 with a bluegill in it I would do a biotope tank trying to mimic the lake that the gill came from. This plant I still haven't definitively IDed but I think it would work well. It is very tall and will end up spreading across some of the top of the tank. Seems to grow well with my low light and no CO2.


Whatever you do I think that you will be pleased by adding O2 to the tank.... whether that be by aeration or by making sure that you have happy healthy growing plants. I think that you will notice right away in the activity level of your gill.
Click to expand...

The plant looks like a hygrophilia polysperma, or something close.
Keep in mind thatif you add oxygen through aeration then you will drvie off the CO2 and your plants may suffer...
 
kingearwig said:
BTW she looks healthy... what do you feed her?
Click to expand...

Cichlid pellets all year round and earthworms during the summer.

Actually already had to put in two giant airstones to keep enough oxygen in the water. I run them during the night and they keep enough o2 in the water all day.

I'm not overly concerned with looking "natural", just what I think looks nice...I'm colorblind, and to be honest, I never knew it wasn't a natural color.

One question...if I'm constantly uprooting and replanting, won't that disrupt the plant and make it take time to adjust to its new spot? So wouldn't growth suffer big time?
 
Just thought of another question...I'd like to be able to "mount" the java moss on the driftwood/rock and have it kind of take it over. If that's possible, what would be the best way of placing it?

Thanks!
 
Java moss will look great attached to rocks and driftwood and in time it will overtake anything it is attached to. The anubias you have will thrive more if attached to the rock but would be even better on driftwood at the base along with your java fern. They are both rhizome plants with roots that adhere to porous surfaces.
Use cotton thread that matches the color of the rock/wood that you are attaching the plants to so it isn't too noticable and the thread will dissolve with time. Place your jungle vals in the back and corners along with the crypts spirals closer to the middle and the sags in the foreground.
I agree with the previous posters that branchy driftwood, especially in a bluegill tank, would look more natural since they tend to hang out under fallen trees at the bank of the pond/lake.
Hope this helps.
 
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