Continuing to learn…

[Pepere]

I love looking at Dutch style scapes. I have 2, 29 gallon tanks and I feel they are less than an ideal canvas for Dutch Style.

1.). At 3 inches wide and a 3 species per foot rule you are looking at 7 1/2 species. How do you do half a species? And different curtains at both sides? Can one of those count as a half species?

2.). 12 inches deep… yeah, create “Depth” with that…. How do you get background, midground and foreground with that?

Well, its what I have for now, and surely I can use them as workshops to start to learn how to compose, group, grow, trim and get various plants with different regrow characteristics after trimming to peak together…



I am liking the Pink Flamingo Crypt. It has finally started coloring up well, and I have pruned it back quite a bit to not impinge on the front wall.

The S Repens in front left corner has a lot of growing out and spreading out to do…

the Corymbosa Compacta plants are growing together nicely. Hopefully they can gain a few more inches of height.

The Rotala Rotundifolia Orange Zjuice is growing well, but the color is lackluster. I have sunk a bunch of root tabs and will try nitrate limiting to see if they can color up more.

the Cardinal Lobelia needs more propagating fto fill in behind the cr6pt better and over to the Anubias Nana Petit…




The Ammania Gracilis needs a trim and prune but I finally have it free of visible algae.. I had 1 sprig of this left that I have been nursing to health and propagating more.

More Pink Flamingo. A bit more height on it will be nice.

The Rotalla Blood Red SG is growing in well. I am still learning how to shape this decent.

the Ludwigia Pantanelis gorgeous, but it is only here as a temporary occupant. Too much red and overbearing. I am trying to figure out what Green plant I want to use to replace it with.

Again propagating more cardinal Lobelia and gaining some height in the back..

I continue to have a lingering brown diatom algae issue in this tank predominantly on the Cardinal Lobelia. I am wondering if the BDBS is the culprit here. I have read some people claiming it contains silicates…

I also have been struggling with Green Dust even after significantly dialing back nitrates to 10 ppm and turning the lights down..

 

[Burr740]

I love looking at Dutch style scapes. I have 2, 29 gallon tanks and I feel they are less than an ideal canvas for Dutch Style.

1.). At 3 inches wide and a 3 species per foot rule you are looking at 7 1/2 species. How do you do half a species? And different curtains at both sides? Can one of those count as a half species?

2.). 12 inches deep… yeah, create “Depth” with that…. How do you get background, midground and foreground with that?

The 12" front to back is what makes that size difficult. Its hard to stack 3-deep with only 12 inches. As for the questions

1) The 3 species per foot rule includes the caveat 'plus 1 or 2 more at the judges discretion'. What most people try to do is strictly adhere to 3 per foot and count the curtains as the plus 2, and yes they should be different species. As for the half species thing, pick a number. Always better to err on the side of less but the number itself isnt that rigid. Its more about does it look crowded or not, which is somewhat in the judges opinion

2) Its tough to do. The 3 per foot rule is generally 1 ea foreground, midground and back, per foot. Of course its best to stack them like bricks not right in front of each other. But thats basically what the rule allows for. Which also brings the sobering idea that groups should be a foot wide, hmm...

Having said all that youre off to a pretty good start. Using dramatic differences in height also goes a long long way to create good depth. Try more of that, and think big groups. The good news is whether a tank is 2 feet wide or 8 feet, the 3 per foot rule equally applies to all sizes. There are no advantages or disadvantages to the left-right width of a tank

 

[Unexpected]

I love looking at Dutch style scapes. I have 2, 29 gallon tanks and I feel they are less than an ideal canvas for Dutch Style.

1.). At 3 inches wide and a 3 species per foot rule you are looking at 7 1/2 species. How do you do half a species? And different curtains at both sides? Can one of those count as a half species?

2.). 12 inches deep… yeah, create “Depth” with that…. How do you get background, midground and foreground with that?

Well, its what I have for now, and surely I can use them as workshops to start to learn how to compose, group, grow, trim and get various plants with different regrow characteristics after trimming to peak together…

View attachment 6290

I am liking the Pink Flamingo Crypt. It has finally started coloring up well, and I have pruned it back quite a bit to not impinge on the front wall.

The S Repens in front left corner has a lot of growing out and spreading out to do…

the Corymbosa Compacta plants are growing together nicely. Hopefully they can gain a few more inches of height.

The Rotala Rotundifolia Orange Zjuice is growing well, but the color is lackluster. I have sunk a bunch of root tabs and will try nitrate limiting to see if they can color up more.

the Cardinal Lobelia needs more propagating fto fill in behind the cr6pt better and over to the Anubias Nana Petit…


View attachment 6291

The Ammania Gracilis needs a trim and prune but I finally have it free of visible algae.. I had 1 sprig of this left that I have been nursing to health and propagating more.

More Pink Flamingo. A bit more height on it will be nice.

The Rotalla Blood Red SG is growing in well. I am still learning how to shape this decent.

the Ludwigia Pantanelis gorgeous, but it is only here as a temporary occupant. Too much red and overbearing. I am trying to figure out what Green plant I want to use to replace it with.

Again propagating more cardinal Lobelia and gaining some height in the back..

I continue to have a lingering brown diatom algae issue in this tank predominantly on the Cardinal Lobelia. I am wondering if the BDBS is the culprit here. I have read some people claiming it contains silicates…

I also have been struggling with Green Dust even after significantly dialing back nitrates to 10 ppm and turning the lights down..

Yep, 12 inches is going to be a bear to work with. That said, you’re doing an excellent job so far! The second tank you posted is looking like a Dutch tank already. Just keep working it and let it fill in and see what depth you can create. Now, with all your concerns, let me add more. Watch those reds, can’t have too many .

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I’m jealous of that flamingo, I want it!

 

[Pepere]

I’m jealous of that flamingo, I want it!

I bought 3 plants from Aquarium Coop when they had them for sale. 1 had a few scraggly leaves and damaged roots. I doubted it was going to make it but I planted it in a tank and left it to its own and it was the best growing of the three.

The best looking one melted and never recovered.

This one you see that is the bigger one in the middle of the tank was between the two condition wise. I planted it near a Tiger lotus and it ran in place for 6 months. Shoot out a new leaf. Melt a leaf. Shoot out another , melt two. Shoot out 2, melt another.

Finally I moved the tiger lotus. It still struggled. Root tabs for months, no difference. Then I excavated gravel all around it and put in some aqua oil and root tabs and backfilled gravel.. That did the trick for getting it to grow…

Heavy co2 and high red blue dominant light helped new leaves color up and started pinching off the olive green growth which stimulated more Pinkish growth..

It was a learning curve…

 

[Pepere]

So, reading judges reviews of Durch aquascapes from AGA contest there is a continual refrain to put in a moss wall on the back.

Personally I dont find them all the attractive and prefere painted black back wall.

I guess I can understand the concept of the texture providing some illusion of more depth…. To my eye it looks unkempt and not manicured and crisp like a ditch scape.

Have you heard reasons why it is preferred? I could be swung to a different opinion than a
i hold now,..

 

[Kwyet]

I would like to know this too. I have a blue-white gradient light screen for my back wall that I would like to keep.

 

[Unexpected]

Because this is classic style and if 2 tanks scored similar, the classic tank, moss walled, will win. It’s what judges want to see. Kinda like restored classic cars, original parts matter, though not necessary.

 

[*Ci*]

I guess I can understand the concept of the texture providing some illusion of more depth….

I find moss walls to give the exact opposite of depth. The eye just stops dead at the wall, much like a tall, moss covered stone enclosure in an English formal garden.
I had a moss wall that looked really good, but fish kept getting trapped behind it (and dying), so I removed it. I replaced it with a mirror … talk about depth!

 

[Pepere]

Because this is classic style and if 2 tanks scored similar, the classic tank, moss walled, will win. It’s what judges want to see.

Not a whole lot more satisfying than when my Dad used to say “Because I said so!”

But yes, if submitting a photo of a tank to a contest, there is nosense giving up points…. Then after the photo is taken you can pull the moss wall out…

 

[Unexpected]

Not a whole lot more satisfying than when my Dad used to say “Because I said so!”

But yes, if submitting a photo of a tank to a contest, there is nosense giving up points…. Then after the photo is taken you can pull the moss wall out…

I'm just going off what @Burr740 would tell us. I've talked to him several times about plant count and I'd imagine he would say the same with a moss wall . I'll bring in @gjcarew who literally won 2021 by giving the judges what they wanted. Aamzing scape. Notice the amazing moss wall?
Devil in the details?

 

[Burr740]

Traditional Dutch rules dont require a moss wall. The rule is that any visible wall area should be covered with plants and not bare. It can be epiphytes moss or whatever

If no bare wall spots exist you dont need anything. But its good for depth to have a few spaces that visibly go all the way to the back wall, in which case the visible part of the wall should be covered with something

 

[Burr740]

Remember you dont need to moss the whole back wall, only the spots that will be visible. These buces in my '22 entry are just two little triangle mesh panels maybe 5"x3" just for the bare spots

 

[SkaleyAquatics]

Currently I have decided to opt out of using plants on a back wall. Will I lose points? Probably but when I decided to omit it was because I had not anticipated the deadline announcement being this far push back, and did not think I had time.

Remember you dont need to moss the whole back wall, only the spots that will be visible. These buces in my '22 entry are just two little triangle mesh panels maybe 5"x3" just for the bare spots

Don't tell me this Joe!

Also I will leave this here for another resource for looking at examples. There are quite a few tanks that do not have a moss wall.
N.B.A.T.

 

[Burr740]

^ Thats a great resource Mr Skaley just posted

Here's the guide Vin wrote. I know a lot of you guys have seen it but some may have not

Tips And Tricks For Dutch Style Aquascaping

Tips and Tricks for Dutch Style Aquascaping

barrreport.com

 

[Art]

In case you haven't seen them, we have a great journal by @gjcarew entitled Long-winded ramblings about Dutch-Style aquascaping. Another good one on tips and tricks for Dutch-style aquascapes. And, of course, @Burr740's who can forget "Dutchy Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"? Awesome.

Keep us posted!

 

[gjcarew]

I'm just going off what @Burr740 would tell us. I've talked to him several times about plant count and I'd imagine he would say the same with a moss wall . I'll bring in @gjcarew who literally won 2021 by giving the judges what they wanted. Aamzing scape. Notice the amazing moss wall? View attachment 6338
Devil in the details?

Also, this scape was only 12" deep. It requires some creativity and it's definitely not ideal, but it is possible.

 

[Unexpected]

Also, this scape was only 12" deep. It requires some creativity and it's definitely not ideal, but it is possible.

Forgot about that, 20 long right?

 

[gjcarew]

22 long, so 12*12*36

 

[Pepere]

Tank updates.



Tank saw a complete reset over the weekend with substrate change.

More plants on order for both tanks. Just got email they are packed and awaiting carrier pickup…

Now I need to get some black canvas mesh to make moss walls.