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Re: terracing
>Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 18:42:32 -0600 (MDT)
>From: "Roger S. Miller" <rgrmill at rt66_com>
>
>Relief on the substrate surface is a very important part of the layout in
>many of the tanks in Amano's books - or at least in the larger tanks.
>Robert H. pointed out that terracing to get relief on the surface is an
>important part of Dutch aquaria too, though I have to admit that I've
>never actually noticed it in the few photos I've seen.
>
>My problem is that I've never found a natural-looking way of building
>terraced substrates so that the terraces don't flatten out after a while.
>Every one of my attempts has gone completely flat; it usually takes only a
>few months.
I don't bother to terrace any more because, as you noted, once the plants
fill in, you can't see the terracing! It much easier to create different
heights in a tank by selecting the plants you use to create the effect.
But, if you must terrace, I once used some clear acrylic to create a
barrier. I wanted some extra depth for a large E. bleheri sword so I cut a
strip of clear 1/8" acrylic 5" high and bent it into a U shape. A couple of
rocks held the U shape at the rear and it provided a nice "seawall" to hold
the extra 2" of gravel for the plant. It also kept the massive roots from
spreading across the tank.
I hid the wall with some low A. barteri var nana but even if you saw the
plastic, it just looked like gravel.
George Booth, Ft. Collins, Colorado (booth at frii_com)
NEW! On-line Aquascping seminar. More to come! WOW!
http://www.frii.com/~booth/AquaticConcepts/