# Planted Tanks > Aquascaping >  My First Attempt at Aquascaping

## soltari007

Hi guys, sharing some setup pics of my new planted tank after 3 months. Starting to get green spot algae, but largely clear of the curse so far. Welcome any suggestions on my foreground as well, thanks!

First pose


Change background


Positioning wood


Tying moss


Current layout


Temperature: 27 - 29 Degree Celsius
Lighting duration: 7 hours*
Light: 39W x 2 = 78W
Fertilizer/Aqua Soil: ADA Amazonia
Sand: None
Rocks: Lava Rock
CO2: 1 bps
TDS: 110
pH: 6.8

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## bluebubbles

Very nice and wild looking. When I look at your first hardscape photo, my immediate suggestion is - GO FOR BUCEPHLANDRA. Your last photo with every pieces of the green is exactly what & where they should be. I got no more suggestion...hahaha

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## soltari007

Haha thanks for your kind comments. I think there's always something to learn from fellow hobbyists, please don't hesitate to give me pointers to improve my scape  :Smile:

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## cobrafish

Wow your water is so clear, Initially I was wondering why your shrimps and fish is inside when theres no water. Great job bro!

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## HeMan

Bro I like your concept of pasting the black oyama below 
Really look like a water in the middle of a swamp forests. 

Nice one

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## soltari007

> Wow your water is so clear, Initially I was wondering why your shrimps and fish is inside when theres no water. Great job bro!





> Bro I like your concept of pasting the black oyama below 
> Really look like a water in the middle of a swamp forests. 
> 
> Nice one


thanks for your kind words, I'm lucky that somehow it's working out with minimal algae problems  :Angel: 

Here's some pics:

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## Orcishwarrior

Nice! concept is there.  :Smile:  
Fill up the Gap between rocks then probably plant E.Tennulus into the soil. The creeeping will blend into your aquascape well. You may consider Crypto Parva as an option for your foreground
Just my humble opinion

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## bluebubbles

hmm...now it is not about your aquascaping but the "poisonous" spread of your buce plants. :Evil:

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## barmby

Ok. I am going to follow this thread : )

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## soltari007

> Nice! concept is there.  
> Fill up the Gap between rocks then probably plant E.Tennulus into the soil. The creeeping will blend into your aquascape well. You may consider Crypto Parva as an option for your foreground
> Just my humble opinion


Thanks bro I think the same! Yesterday I happen to come across really small-leaved hydrocotyle sp (sibthorpioides?) and I decided to put that in between the rocks to try out. The bonus is that hydrocotyle sp can be found in borneo too (did a quick check with a prominent borneo flora photographer  :Grin: ), and so i still maintain more or less borneo fauna and flora in this tank  :Smile: 




> hmm...now it is not about your aquascaping but the "poisonous" spread of your buce plants.


haha i'm a collector like you bro, other than new rhizomes nothing in the tank is repeated! It's really fun to see them grow, the immersed leaves look totally different from the emersed ones! 

When I started collecting buce I shortlisted those that I wanted to see grow.. turns out that some of the plants look very similar, so I sold some and kept the others. I personally find it difficult to add them into a classic aquascape, like eriocaulon, how about you?




> Ok. I am going to follow this thread : )


thanks bro! your tank's longevity is what I hope to emulate with this tank! everything inside can convert to low light low tech without dying (ok maybe a chiller or really big fan is needed to drop my ambient temperature of 31-32 degrees  :Exasperated: )

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## soltari007

Something came in the post!  :Jump for joy:  :Jump for joy:  :Jump for joy:  :Grin:

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## kuki

nice plants  :Smile:

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## barmby

echinodorus uruguayensis????? hahaa...

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## TS168

Hi soltari007 
So finally you got your Black Skeleton King. Look good. It will be very beautiful in your tank .

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## soltari007

> nice plants


Thanks bro, I hope they don't melt into nothing under my care haha




> echinodorus uruguayensis????? hahaa...


Where's the Echinodorus? I don't see it, but I want... Haha




> Hi soltari007 
> So finally you got your Black Skeleton King. Look good. It will be very beautiful in your tank .


Yes my heart skipped a beat when I saw it, really black, and really beautiful! But as with many wild collected buce, there's much damage to the leaves and I can only hope that the new immersed leaves will grow to be just as big and lush.

My green Skeleton King had lost of its old leaves unfortunately, but this has also resulted in the immersed leaves growing out faster.. Interestingly the new leaves are red and stay that way for a while.. Here's a pic:

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## barmby

can you please identify the plants?

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## soltari007

> can you please identify the plants?


Haha yes bro! Your wish is my command  :Laughing: 


Bucephalandra motleyana Brown "Silver Powder"


Bucephalandra sp. "Brownie Ghost Red"


Bucephalandra sp. "Blue Centipede"


Bucephalandra sp. "Brownie Helena"


Bucephalandra motleyana "Red Under" 


Bucephalandra motleyana "Deep Purple"


Bucephalandra sp. "Green Skeleton King"


Bucephalandra sp. "Black Skeleton King"


Bucephalandra sp. "Keris"


Bucephalandra sp. "Lamandau mini"

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## barmby

tHANK YOU for the education. they are really new to me

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## vreugy

_ I don't think you can add to perfection. Love the tank. Love the look of the water down low. I too wondered how you were keeping your animals alive until I looked really good. Can you share what you used in the bottom of the tan?_

_Hope you have a great day_

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## mincedmeat

I love the layout of the plants. The scape looks really natural!

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## soltari007

> tHANK YOU for the education. they are really new to me


saw E. uruguayensis today bro, they look really similar!
In fact, it also looks like Anubias afzeli..




> _ I don't think you can add to perfection. Love the tank. Love the look of the water down low. I too wondered how you were keeping your animals alive until I looked really good. Can you share what you used in the bottom of the tan?_
> 
> _Hope you have a great day_


No substrate bro! Just tank glass bottom!  :Smile:  Thanks for the amazing compliment.




> I love the layout of the plants. The scape looks really natural!


thanks bro, moss really gives a wild look to the whole layout!

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## bluebubbles

> saw E. uruguayensis today bro, they look really similar!
> In fact, it also looks like Anubias afzeli..


You need additional tank to house your ever incresaing collection of Buce plants. I can see you are *VERY* addicted to it already. :Shocked:  :Laughing:

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## o2bubble

The water is so amazing clear! I near thought there is no water until I noticed the shrimps hanging in mid air!

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## Atham

Amazing! I don't find water mark in the tank. The shrimps look like crawling emerge plants. Planted tank has no substrate. Nice collection of bucephalandras too.

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## soltari007

> You need additional tank to house your ever incresaing collection of Buce plants. I can see you are *VERY* addicted to it already.


yes... what to do... is there any cure??  :Razz: 




> The water is so amazing clear! I near thought there is no water until I noticed the shrimps hanging in mid air!


haha thanks bro, eheim filter is doing its job well  :Smile: 




> Amazing! I don't find water mark in the tank. The shrimps look like crawling emerge plants. Planted tank has no substrate. Nice collection of bucephalandras too.


actually there's substrate at the back... for my borneo crypts to hide!

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## soltari007

Here are some pictures from my tank for the weekend... (:

Normal sized

Belindae


Black Biblis


Brownie Blue


Brownie Upper Ghost


Brownie Brown

Mini-ons! (pictures where my thumb looks exceptionally big

Pygmaea


Lamandau Purple (for comparison, those are mini fissidens)


Lamandau Narrow (see how small the leaves are!)


Lamandau Mini (cannot get any more mini)


Fake Catherineae

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## beetroot

wow, amazing! i also thought there was no water, till i saw your shrimps and fish.  :Well done: 
how big is your tank? and which eheim model you're using... or did i miss this info somewhere?
you sure this is your first attempt? kekeke.... :Razz:

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## barmby

He talk c0ck one. where got first time attempt at planted tank. : ) anyway, i knew him personally to say that. He bred L46 and etc.

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## soltari007

> wow, amazing! i also thought there was no water, till i saw your shrimps and fish. 
> how big is your tank? and which eheim model you're using... or did i miss this info somewhere?
> you sure this is your first attempt? kekeke....


It's a 2 feet tank bro, and it's powered by a Eheim Pro 3 2078. Big capacity, fuss free and silent, basically low maintenance haha




> He talk c0ck one. where got first time attempt at planted tank. : ) anyway, i knew him personally to say that. He bred L46 and etc.


Haha actually not true bro, I've gone very much into pleco, then all sorts of large predatory fish, then corydoras, but aquascaping, I last did in 2006.. Got drawn into it because I was inspired by tanks like yours la  :Razz:

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## anu182

love it! http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...jumpforjoy.gif

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## kohanson

very nice bucephalandra tank! I thought there was no water in there until I saw the shrimps.

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## Dredshere

wild and natural!

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