how do you aquascape your tank?

[allaboutfish]

i'm changing over to a planted tank and right now have wisteria, anubius nana, anubius afzelli, and aponogeton. i want to know how all of you do it? should i just have a driftwood in the middle or a rock cave? im thinking of either making the tallest plant in the middle of the back and then making a slope or the tallest plants on the right sloping down or something. anybody have pics of their heavily planted tank?

 

[fort384]

Remember the rule of thirds when aquascaping. You do not want things to be centered or symmetrical if you want a natural look. Hardscape is usually a great addition to a scape, as you alluded to. Stone or driftwood work equally well.

Check out aqua journal: AQUA JOURNAL- Natural expression

There are some great ideas that will kind of lead you down the right path to get started, if you are looking to make a scape that is truly pleasing to the eye.

The most important thing to remember when you are aquascaping though: All that matters is if YOU like it and YOU are happy with it. Everyone can/will have opinions and suggestions, but if you like it, then no "rules" or anything else really matter.

 

[Retired_AF]

It's all a matter of preference. Try what you think you will like, but be prepared to make some changes along the way. I have 2 planted tanks, 1 with driftwood and 1 with a big (plastic) rock that I attached some plants to.

There are a lot of threads showing pics of planted tanks. Browse through them and see what suits you.

As far as putting larger plants in the back, thats the way many people do it. However, if you want a more 'natural' look, try mixing them up a little but be aware that you may block the shorter plants from view if they are behind something that grows full and lush.

Have fun!

 

[Coleallensmom]

I just want to reinforce everything already said. A natural look is usually what you're shooting for when going planted which means everything doesn't have to be centered; just move things around until everything seems to flow and feel balanced to you. Like Fort said, in the end you are the one who will see the tank every day, so how the scape feels to you is more important that anyone elses opinion..and as the above poster said, don't be surprised if you rescape it several times until you get it just the way you want it. If you want some eye candy to look at to give you ideas, just google planted aquarium and take a look at all the photos that come up. I love doing that just for the pure enjoyment of looking at all the pretty tanks that appear.

 

[allaboutfish]

thanks guys. i just re did my tank. ill post a pic once my tank clears up (i do all my rearanging when i do a water change).

 

[allaboutfish]

any suggestions?

 

[molly100a]

Your tank looks good, I just recently started at 29gal planted tank and will soon be converting my 56gal. I found alot of ideas on youtube, you can see how the pros do it. I really like your slate in the center, you should be able to build around it beautifully.

 

[molly100a]

Check out this site, great ideas.

Tropica Aquarium Plants - Home

 

[allaboutfish]

thanks

 

[ChizerBunoi]

It would look more natural if you placed the same plant species together and group them. Cluster the stem plants closer together in a corner. Tall plants in the back of the rocks instead of in front. I would scatter the smaller rocks out from the center to create a path. But I would also add some more plants to the mix over time to add more of a foreground/background.

You can build some depth with the rock scape by layering the sand at a slope.

 

[molly100a]

My 29 gal planted tank

Hi all,

Just thought I would share my pics

 

[Flossie]

Ahhh beautiful!!!! I wanna share looking good allaboutfish

 

[hippy guy]

Here's my tank before was moss wood, after is the java fern..

 

[molly100a]

They all look great, this is my first planted, it's about 2 months old, I plan on converting my 56gal to a planted but have to see what to do with my silver dollar.

 

[Philly33]

This is my first tank of any kind (90g) and I've changed, added, rearranged since Jan 2011. So enjoyable

 

[Pecktec]

Here is a video of me setting up my latest one.
YouTube - ‪56 Gallon Column Setup: A Planted Tank Journal‬‏