aquascaping q

[MyCatsDrool]

How do you decide on placement other than height? I am going to be overhauling my 55 when i move, and I am putting more thought into how I want to scape it when I redo it.


Do you group like plants together? Like all rotala in one spot, all cabomba together, all crypt parva in front, so on....


Do you sit down and draw up a plant plan?

I'd love to hear advice from the aquascapers on this.

 

[JDogg]

i just start sticking plants into the substrate :?

i try to think "what would mother nature do" she does not put all the same plant together, plants grow where they grow in nature. the tall ones in back and the sides and short ones in front, is artificial, but it lets me see my fish

i have tried to plan it out on paper but it neve looks as good to me as when i just start putting plants in the substrate in a more or less random fashion.

HTH

 

[dapellegrini]

I don't plan it out on paper either, but have learned a few things in recent times:

- Planting stems of same plant together is much nicer then scattering and mixing them among other stems.
- Try for a good mid-ground. Focusing there should help you create some depth and limit your options (in a good way) for background and foreground.
- Anticipate growth in with the placement of your plants. For instance anubias, java fern and crypts do fine in more shady areas, and thus make good plants under your taller stems when they grow out a bit. They also grow lower and will help you hide the ugly parts of the lower stems and also help create layers
- Think more small plants... One of my biggest mistakes (to this day) is maintaining too many large stem plants.

I stare at the tank (sometimes for hours) trying to think through where I should move things, etc... I have found that you just have to try different things until you like something. Then you have to carefully identify what you like about whatever it is you stumbled on, and move on to fixing other things that you are less content with.

I think you best bet is to just give it your best go, and expect to change and adapt whatever you end up with... I think that is a lot of the fun of the whole thing....

 

[Purrbox]

I generally start with the hardscape, usually driftwood. Make sure that whether you are using rocks or wood you have good sizes to work with. You want to have some that will reach above halfway up the height of the tank. Smaller pieces while helpful in creating structure, tend to just get swallowed up by the plants. I work with it until I find an arrangement that I like. Some things that help with this are creating angles and making sure that you don't divide the tank evenly in half.

Next you want to make sure that you select plants appropriately sized for the tank. Amazon Swords don't belong in 10 gallon tanks. Try to get some variety in the leaf shape, size, and color. I then plant these around the hardscape as appropriate for background, midground, and foreground. Always make sure to plant enough of a single plant together that it feels like it's supposed to be there. Generally most plants will only get planted in one spot, maybe two. I try to put contrasting leaf shape, size, color next to eachother. I also make an effort to emphsize the hardscape in some areas and play it down in others with the planting.

I really don't do a lot of planning ahead, although I might have an overall look that I'm aiming for on occasion. As a trained artist, I rely on my eyes to tell me what is working and what I need to adjust. I find that I'm pretty good at putting together an initial scape, but still need more practice planning for the growth of the plants I'm dealing with.

 

[newfound77951]

I think dapellegrini and Purrbox gave some great advice. I especially learned the hard way about not putting in plants that get too big (there are a lot of them, even in a 55) and also focusing on the midground. In a 55, with it so narrow from front to back, it's difficult to get the illusion of depth, and getting a good midground goes a long way towards helping. I also look a lot at the pictures of tanks that I like on AA and other places and try to pick out parts of these tanks that I like and then replicate (more usually just do something similar) them in my tank.

I'm good at sketching and thinking in 3D but I've never found that drawing a plan out works that well. I do find that taking my time to plant, taking breaks to get your arm out of the tank, going across the room, sitting on the couch and looking at the tank for a while helps a lot.

 

[Mosaic]

I've tried to draw up a plan. I'm an artist, and I couldn't do it. I have to get in there and start working with the plants, and they dictate where they go. I don't start out with all the plants I need (not by choice, heh). I acquire them slowly as I can get clippings. That gives me time to look at what I've got going on and think about placement. There's a few rules of composition (thirds, etc) but a lot of it is intuition and doing what looks right. Getting honest criticism helps too, but it's hard to get the people here to stop being so nice.

Thanks for the tip about the midground. I've never thought of it that way. Any help for developing it?

 

[travis simonson]

First off, I'm red-green colorblind, so I tend to choose plants that contrast sharply with each other so that I can tell them apart. This may not always be a good idea though. I also like to mix leaf textures (i.e. large-leaved plants next to fine-leaved plants) so that there is a dramatic distinction between adjacent plantings. Plant in groups that match the scale of your tank. In a larger tank the groups will necessarily be larger so that they may stand out. Also match the leaf size of your plants to the size of your tank. Finer-leaved plants lose some of their delicacy in a large tank so consider scaling up the leaf size a bit so that plants are not lost in the background.

Oh, I could go on and on, but I'll stop here

 

[dapellegrini]

Well, I don't really have any advice on midground, except maybe to do it something like this:

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Travis, will you come scape my tank? =)

 

[neilanh]

THat tank is awesome. Can I have it?

 

[travis simonson]

Travis, will you come scape my tank? =)

As long as it's warm where you are I have no problems with doing that It won't quit snowing here in CO.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

I;m in florida. is that warm enough? =)

 

[travis simonson]

Well, I don't really have any advice on midground, except maybe to do it something like this:

The sense of depth that is created in that pic is unreal. That's one of the ADA top ten tanks from this year's contest isn't it?

Oh, and yes, Florida is just fine

 

[Mosaic]

Well, I don't really have any advice on midground, except maybe to do it something like this:

Lol, you say that like it's easy!


Travis, go on! I want to hear more!

 

[dapellegrini]

Ya, I think it is one of the top 3 actually... By far my favorite... I would love to see this thing de-constructed... It boggles my mind in so many ways... If you look at the left-side glass, it does not appear to be a deep aquarium... Or no more so than say a 75gallon... Amazing.

 

[travis simonson]

Note the way the tank is off-center: the focal point is located roughly 3/5ths of the way across the length of the tank. This 3/5ths to 2/5ths ratio is one of the mantras of Nature Aquariums. It prevents a symmetrical, unnatural look. The ratio that Amano specifies is not exactly 3/5ths to 2/5ths, but that will do in a pinch. Asymmetry is much more natural than a tank that has its focus directly in the center.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

The 3rd, 4th and 5th are better than the first 2 if you ask me.

 

[dapellegrini]

Ya, I kinda see it as 2/3 then 1/3.... It's those grassy like hills that I would like to understand... Are those rocks? and what plant is she using there? Also the taller grasses in front of the midground is pure genius... As well as the background the does an L around the tank and runs straight into the front-right corner.

 

[Mosaic]

Note the way your (well, mine) eye travels too.
(roughly):

Your eye moves around the tank without anything (i.e. hardscape) drawing it out of the tank, so once your eye travels around intially, it stays in the tank to take in the details. I think creating that eye movement with shapes and visually interesting plants/groupings is a pretty big key.

The more your eye moves, the longer you look. The longer you look at something, the more your brain assumes what you're looking at is something out of the ordinary.

Hey, I like this critiquing thing. We should do more.

 

[travis simonson]

Very good point Mosaic. Like you say, the eye needs to travel around the tank rather than just focusing on a single interesting point. I completely agree with you that the eye should be drawn first to a focal point, then to another secondary point and so on. I must go think on this . . .