ruud
I'm tearing down another one of my almost-no-maintenance tanks and replace it for a smaller aquascape. I'm really enjoying the new ADA 60F model tanks; one that I used recently for a chocolate gourami peat swamp. The new model has a similar footprint as the old one (24 inch/60 cm in length, 12 inch/30 cm deep), but the definition of shallow has gone up to a staggering 10 inch/25 cm height, which gives a total volume of 12 gallon/45L.
I had a riverscape on the agenda, but I simply can't find the proper stones for what I have in mind. Instead, I'm going to create a so-called "jungle style" aquascape; I bought another ADA 60F for this purpose.
The "jungle style" is probably the easiest aquarium to create and maintain. It's the evil brother of the "Dutch style". And although I'm Dutch myself and I recall my grandfather kept such a tank, the well-ordered and scrupulously kept clean tanks, never interested me. I lean much more towards chaos and avoiding the use of technology as much as possible.
For any beginner who wants to start with live plants, but without the CO2, the "jungle style" is almost a walk in the park. Especially when using a shallow tank.
We start off with the tank and a first layer of substrate, ready for hardscaping. I choose aquasoil for the appearance. Yes, that's right, just for the appearance. Creating dark shades below the green layer of plants that will appear all over the tank.
For scaping I will use spiderwood only. I might add a few "grey mountain stones" or "elderly stones" in the future. I might also add a bit of sand in the front; but this should really be the final step. The tank's ugly background will be replaced with a dark window screen.
The result I have in mind is to create a valley, so slopes on the left and right, as well as a corridor that starts in the front and then moves somewhere to the left. It is not going to be a very distinctive "street", which you often observe in aquascapes, as if humans were interfering with nature once again. It should look natural. Let's see if I succeed.
I had a riverscape on the agenda, but I simply can't find the proper stones for what I have in mind. Instead, I'm going to create a so-called "jungle style" aquascape; I bought another ADA 60F for this purpose.
The "jungle style" is probably the easiest aquarium to create and maintain. It's the evil brother of the "Dutch style". And although I'm Dutch myself and I recall my grandfather kept such a tank, the well-ordered and scrupulously kept clean tanks, never interested me. I lean much more towards chaos and avoiding the use of technology as much as possible.
For any beginner who wants to start with live plants, but without the CO2, the "jungle style" is almost a walk in the park. Especially when using a shallow tank.
We start off with the tank and a first layer of substrate, ready for hardscaping. I choose aquasoil for the appearance. Yes, that's right, just for the appearance. Creating dark shades below the green layer of plants that will appear all over the tank.
For scaping I will use spiderwood only. I might add a few "grey mountain stones" or "elderly stones" in the future. I might also add a bit of sand in the front; but this should really be the final step. The tank's ugly background will be replaced with a dark window screen.
The result I have in mind is to create a valley, so slopes on the left and right, as well as a corridor that starts in the front and then moves somewhere to the left. It is not going to be a very distinctive "street", which you often observe in aquascapes, as if humans were interfering with nature once again. It should look natural. Let's see if I succeed.
