Re: [IWAGUMI] Project Scree
ghostsword said:
I can grow plants, but aquascaping does not seem very easy...
Well, growing plants is relatively easy. Especially with the great selection of planted tank products these days. As little as five years ago this was not the case in the UK. The high quantity of good quality information that is freely available on resources like UKAPS has also helped enormously. I am particularly proud to be part of that, if I'm honest.
Aquascaping is a very different case to plant growing.
You can read all you like, study all the great 'scapers, but there's no substituting personal experience and practice.
Few get a great aquascape with their first attempt (although it's becoming more common for the reasons mentioned above; better products and knowledge). But it takes a good deal of time and effort to become a great aquascaper (I do not consider myself in that group, by the way). Learning how different plants grow, their growth rates in different conditions, the way they interact with other plants and hardscape, they way they respond to pruning and other maintenance tasks.... The list is almost endless and they all influence the aquascape.
Then there is the minefield of choosing hardscape and plants, and their layout... Copying others is a good idea until you gain enough confidence to try our your own ideas. Mark (saintly) will readily admit to doing this by using a lot of Amano's work as influence. Most of us are influenced by other aquascapes and aquascapers, especially Amano, me included. He changed my life!
There's two main schools of thought with regards aquascaping experience.
1) Churn out as many aquascapes as you can.
2) Keep an aquascape going for the long-term.
Each has their merits. The Champagne solution is to have both a long-term aquascape, and a play tank where you can produce new aquascapes as often as you dare (or can afford).
Type 1 will benefit from new hardscape design experience and learning about different plant species.
Type 2 will benefit from seeing how plants grow and change over time. Maintaining a planted tank in the long-term is an incredibly valuable lesson too, in my experience.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
One question, when you are choosing the plants to keep, how do you stick a list? I haven't learned that yet.
I have an idea about the aquascape in my mind. It usually starts with the hardscape, then I think about what plants will suit both the hardscape and the overall design. This was the case with this Iwagumi, for instance.
Sometimes it's the other way around. I want to have a 'scape dominated with a certain plant i.e. crypts. Then I'll think about what hardscape I can use to compliment the plants and design idea I have. This was the case my my 120cm Crypt Eternal aquascape.
I hope that helps.
and that's thanks to you guys.
