StockEwe49 Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Hi all, I have been preparing for a rimless cube aquascape and wanted to know, regardless of what the stocking is: What are some things you like to put in almost all of your tanks? It could be a specific plant, decoration type, I am just curious and looking for some ideas for my scape! Any thoughts would be appreciated! I am not looking for equipment ideas aka: light filter etc, more plant and design choices you like to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameCzar Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Nana Petite is so versatile. Being small you can group them how you want them and fit them in cracks and crevasses. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PedroPete Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Design - I personally think aquascapes look better with a balance of "blank", or negative, space with the greenery and hard scape. My newest tank is a cube, and I was stuck between two scape ideas (see below). I ended up going with the "riverside" idea because while I love the "wild wabi kusa" look, I thought it might be difficult to strike a balance of negative space and the plants. My guppies hang out all over the place, which is great, and I love that my pygmy corys now feel safe in the grass and hide and hang out, but then come to the front "beach" to feed. So I knew I wanted to show highlight those species and care for them but also have high quality scape. Plants - So many good options, to be honest. Rotalas are really great stems. Bolbitis has been a real trooper for me, as well as Dwarf Sag and E. tennelus/H. tenellum (same plant, I think) for "grasses." 🙂Cheers! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Always wood. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 On 12/12/2021 at 3:17 PM, Streetwise said: Always wood. some kind of wood, whatever catches your eye, and some rocks. large or small doesnt matter, just has to work for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Landscapers refer to thrillers, fillers, and spillers. The same can be applied to aquascapes. A point of interest to draw your eyes and a supporting cast of characters. For me, it is rocks and negative spaces. Rocks are forever and negative spaces allow the fish to do what they do best. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 I have been favouring wood over rocks as of late, as a wonderful source of blackwater. I still use a lot of rocks in my SW tank. I am now mindful of the critters who would inhabit the tank, especially after experiencing complete redesign of the landscape done by "them". (yes, crabs and corys, I am looking at you!) 🤪 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Emerged grown pothos/sweet potato/recently lucky bamboo for nitrate control. Brazil pennywort. I can snip it short or tall make it flowy or tangle it for fullness to add interest and fill empty spaces while things grow in. It’s a fast grower but unlike stems I don’t plant it into substrate just weight it with a plant weight so I never have the cut the bottom off and replant just cut a few top portions off. Real wood. Even in tanks that have no fish that need it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Rocks. I don't mean to sound dismissive here in the least. To me the correct rocks make or break the design of a naturalistic tank of any style. Whether the tank solely includes rocks as decor, or also includes plants and wood, it is the rocks that form the structure of the design. I completely understand that there are those who would argue that wood alone can serve the same function. And that is a perfectly valid approach. To my eye though, wood in tanks needs well selected rocks as contrast. The rocks still anchor the design, for me with he wood only being an extension of the hardscape. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriendlyLoach Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Manzanita wood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StockEwe49 Posted December 13, 2021 Author Share Posted December 13, 2021 @OnlyGenusCapsI totally agree. I have only recently discovered having mismatched rocks makes the scape look less than ideal. I have been trying to descide on one type of rock for the scape! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Since you're going rimless....if there's any way you can hang your lights - I say go for it. Will really show off the rimless look. Rosette Swords are great to put around the bases of rocks and wood. They stay small, and provide a nice midground plant look. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowerhorn_K Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Rocks, wood and epiphytes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 I like rocks, and have used them, but in organic soil tanks, you risk creating an anaerobic spot underneath them. I learned this with my tubs. You could plan for this with substrate placement, but I always improvise! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVoyager31 Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 I am partial to any and all plants that gives me a variety of textures and colors. Creeping Jenny, Ludwiga Reds, Ambulia Limnophila, Myrio green/red (though myrios are a PITA and I've yet to successfully get them to live), all the way down to your plain java ferns. I think they add visual interest. A big piece of driftwood is great for me too. I like to place them on one side of the tank to create movement and lead your eye from one side of the tank to the other (if the piece is long). Frame that bad boy with heavy plants on one side and I'm in business. When I can't get driftwood to sink I just drill them into a piece of slate and if that doesn't work...rocks (pond round rocks or zebra rock mostly in my case) that sit on top of the slate in the tank. xD Also +1 for all the mentions of negative space above. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minanora Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 (edited) I'm obsessed with rotalas. I also love my Myriophyllum Roraima but that is a tall plant so it's not in all of my tanks. Rotala is though! There are many varieties of rotala. They're all beautiful. I also have spider wood in all of my tanks. Edited December 14, 2021 by Minanora 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishPlanet Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Banana plants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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