Landscaping

[marge02144]

I look through the pictures on here and see such beautiful tanks. I have no idea how to do it. Is there anyone willing to help me?

 

[butterfly_koi]

Well what would you like to do to your tank? What size is it? Current stock?

 

[marge02144]

Well I really like colors. It's a 37 gallon and it was just cycled so I only have 3 fish in at this point. I have about 12 really colorful fake plants but I don't know if I like the way they look. I also have rainbow gravel.

 

[butterfly_koi]

Well are you looking to keep the rainbow in your tank? Or are you looking for something more natural?
Could you post a picture?

 

[marge02144]

I like the natural look. But I'm not sure how much time that will take since I already have gravel and how much money that will be. And would it effect my cycle since it's just now cycled and taking out eveyrthing?

 

[butterfly_koi]

If you have enough BB stored in the filter there shouldn't be a problem switching the gravel.


View attachment 106305

I'll use my 29G tank as an example:
The sand is natural play sand from Walmart, it cost 3.34 a bag there is two bags in my tank. Rinse it well before putting it in the tank.
The rocks are from the creeks here in Missouri, scrubbed clean (no soap) and soaked in hot water for a few days. It was free.
The driftwood is another freebie from the creeks, smaller piece was boiled and soaked for a week, larger pieces were power washed and soaked in hot water for two Weeks.
The plants are Java moss ( acquired from a trade here) and hornwort bought from my lfs for 2.25 per bunch.
My whole decor only cost me 11.18
Plus $9 for the tall fake plant but I've had that since I've started the tank. So it all included its about 20.18 for everything.

Keep in mind though that certain things put in the tank can affect the water levels. Always check any rocks before using them because they can raise the Ph, and DW can lower the Ph. Always monitor your levels closely after adding anything new to the tank.

 

[marge02144]

thanks! i don't have any rivers or anything around here so do you know how much that stuff would cost at a store?

 

[butterfly_koi]

thanks! i don't have any rivers or anything around here so do you know how much that stuff would cost at a store?

I honestly don't know about how much DW will cost at an lfs, mine doesn't sell driftwood. But there are plenty of users here that could answer that one for ya.

 

[brennae]

Driftwood can be purchased off Amazon. I got several large Zoomed brand pieces for $7 each.
I also recommend the play sand. It looks very natural if that's the look you want.

 

[PC1]

I would reccomend that you take it slow and do plenty of research on how to make a tank look the way you want it to look. Doing a well done tank takes time and patients. If you look on my site you can see some beautiful tanks as inspiration. The biggest thing I think is to research There are lots of sites that can help out

 

[fort384]

Agreed with PC1 - it is all about your personal preference, and finding a tank out there that is a look you are striving to achieve - and then methodically and deliberating working your tank in that direction over the course of several months, or even years.

A successful aquascape in my opinion is one that looks very natural. It takes a lot of planning and tinkering though to achieve that natural look, which is a bit counter-intuitive.

There are a few principals that can help guide you as well: Just like in photography, using the rule of thirds can help your tank look stunning. Rather than centering a show piece of rock or driftwood, work it into one side or the other. Offsetting it is more pleasing to the eye in most cases. Also, using a triangular composition can help a tank achieve a good look.

Here are a couple of my tanks over the years that I was happy with the scape.

A 29 gallon tank, with several triangles built into the composition:

And a 5.5 gal tank, with a good hardscape layout imo:

As far as driftwood, the best place imo is online. LFSs usually charge an arm and a leg for decent pieces. We have had lots of happy members who purchased their DW from manzanita-driftwood.com, so I would take a look at their site and see if anything strikes your fancy.

Oh and we call it "aquascaping" instead of "landscaping". Same difference though

 

[butterfly_koi]

Agreed with PC1 - it is all about your personal preference, and finding a tank out there that is a look you are striving to achieve - and then methodically and deliberating working your tank in that direction over the course of several months, or even years.
A successful aquascape in my opinion is one that looks very natural. It takes a lot of planning and tinkering though to achieve that natural look, which is a bit counter-intuitive.

Agreed, my tank is no way near as complex as some of the other aquascapes on here. It has taken me months just to accomplish what I have done, and I am always finding different things that I could do differently. It takes patience because its not all going to happen in one night.
Please don't take me using my tank as an example to what yours should look like. I was just using it as a cost example. Your aquascape is only limited to the depths of ones imagination.