Whitebeard
New Member
Hi All,
Big Fan and a Heartfelt Thank You!
I am a great fan of UKAPS and have been following the interesting trials, tribulations and conversations as a mute spectator for a long time. I would like to start with a sincere “Thank You” to all the members of this forum, who have helped planted tank and aquascaping hobbyists across the world, including myself.
This is my first post / journal on UKAPS. And this is my first attempt at creating an aquascape with a story behind it. I will present this as a multi-part post with each part covering different aspects of the aquascape. This post covers the build up of the inspiration to a story and the initial hardscape formation to represent the story. I will pause after this post for your feedback and comments and any inputs to make the scape better. Moving forward, each part would evolve into different aspects till planting is completed.
Pardon me if it is boring | Laugh out loud if you find humour | Get inspired if you find my story good
but most importantly walk with me through the journey of this inspired scape.
Chapter 1 - The Inception
The Spark!
Twelve years into this hobby and I have accumulated more nature goods than I have been able to execute some decent aquascapes 😊. The other day, I was rummaging through the stock and came across a bunch of dragon stones that I had not used for a long time. I had not done any Iwagumi till now, it looked simple, and the Dragon stones were a perfect fit. So Iwagumi it is.
The Search for Inspiration
They say…every aquascape is inspired and should have a story behind it. So began the search for the inspiration (Story can be made up 😊). So searched and researched on Iwagumi layouts from Mr. Amano’s to amateur’s and formed a high level outline of the structure with the Dragon Stones in my mind. Simple process – odd numbered stones, some big, some small, facing away from each other or all aligned towards a single point in the aquarium surrounded by lush green carpets.
The inspiration was in place, but not the story for the aquascape. All I could think of was things like “neighbors angry at each other” (with stones facing away), “Lovers looking at the sun” (with all stones in one direction) etc. Nothing Classy.
The Trial
The search and research process went into Analysis-Paralysis. It was time to get my hands dirty. So added the ADA Super 4, mounded up the Power Sand Basic S, sprinkled the Amazonia additive, poured in the Amazonia and levelled it with low front and high back. Done according to the books and I was happy.
My aquarium tank has an odd dimension.. neither long, not square.. but somewhere in between. I am not sure what was the inspiration behind this size. More importantly, I am still not sure why I purchased this size. My bad. But there it is, sitting squat on the cabinet, completely empty with a band of etched hard water stain on its forehead…
The question was.. where should be the placement of the Iwagumi? In the center? At the golden ratio? Where?. After some deliberation and given that the tank is placed immediately towards the left from the door, I decided to go with 1/3rd from the right of the tank, with the larger stone facing the left, smaller stone facing the right back corner and so on..
The first large stone was set in place, followed by the next largest facing the opposite direction followed by another in alignment with the right, followed by…. And so it went on till I tamed all the dragons big, small and tiny. This is how it looked after about 5 hours of wrestling with the unruly dragons…
Oh wait.. this looks like a natural crystal formation… The Story!…
This Aquascape tells The Story…
…of crystals taking birth in the depths of Mother Earth’s womb…different elements pieced together with scorching heat and pressure. Till the day they break free through the surface. A wonder to be seen and appreciated…Oh man.. this is getting out of hands.
Simply to say, the inspiration was of an Iwagumi, and the story behind the aquascape is of natural crystals that have formed and are growing in all directions through the surface of the earth.
------------------------------
Hope you enjoyed the story till here. Do comment and provide your inputs.
Big Fan and a Heartfelt Thank You!
I am a great fan of UKAPS and have been following the interesting trials, tribulations and conversations as a mute spectator for a long time. I would like to start with a sincere “Thank You” to all the members of this forum, who have helped planted tank and aquascaping hobbyists across the world, including myself.
This is my first post / journal on UKAPS. And this is my first attempt at creating an aquascape with a story behind it. I will present this as a multi-part post with each part covering different aspects of the aquascape. This post covers the build up of the inspiration to a story and the initial hardscape formation to represent the story. I will pause after this post for your feedback and comments and any inputs to make the scape better. Moving forward, each part would evolve into different aspects till planting is completed.
Pardon me if it is boring | Laugh out loud if you find humour | Get inspired if you find my story good
but most importantly walk with me through the journey of this inspired scape.
Chapter 1 - The Inception
The Spark!
Twelve years into this hobby and I have accumulated more nature goods than I have been able to execute some decent aquascapes 😊. The other day, I was rummaging through the stock and came across a bunch of dragon stones that I had not used for a long time. I had not done any Iwagumi till now, it looked simple, and the Dragon stones were a perfect fit. So Iwagumi it is.
The Search for Inspiration
They say…every aquascape is inspired and should have a story behind it. So began the search for the inspiration (Story can be made up 😊). So searched and researched on Iwagumi layouts from Mr. Amano’s to amateur’s and formed a high level outline of the structure with the Dragon Stones in my mind. Simple process – odd numbered stones, some big, some small, facing away from each other or all aligned towards a single point in the aquarium surrounded by lush green carpets.
The inspiration was in place, but not the story for the aquascape. All I could think of was things like “neighbors angry at each other” (with stones facing away), “Lovers looking at the sun” (with all stones in one direction) etc. Nothing Classy.
The Trial
The search and research process went into Analysis-Paralysis. It was time to get my hands dirty. So added the ADA Super 4, mounded up the Power Sand Basic S, sprinkled the Amazonia additive, poured in the Amazonia and levelled it with low front and high back. Done according to the books and I was happy.
My aquarium tank has an odd dimension.. neither long, not square.. but somewhere in between. I am not sure what was the inspiration behind this size. More importantly, I am still not sure why I purchased this size. My bad. But there it is, sitting squat on the cabinet, completely empty with a band of etched hard water stain on its forehead…
The question was.. where should be the placement of the Iwagumi? In the center? At the golden ratio? Where?. After some deliberation and given that the tank is placed immediately towards the left from the door, I decided to go with 1/3rd from the right of the tank, with the larger stone facing the left, smaller stone facing the right back corner and so on..
The first large stone was set in place, followed by the next largest facing the opposite direction followed by another in alignment with the right, followed by…. And so it went on till I tamed all the dragons big, small and tiny. This is how it looked after about 5 hours of wrestling with the unruly dragons…
Oh wait.. this looks like a natural crystal formation… The Story!…
This Aquascape tells The Story…
…of crystals taking birth in the depths of Mother Earth’s womb…different elements pieced together with scorching heat and pressure. Till the day they break free through the surface. A wonder to be seen and appreciated…Oh man.. this is getting out of hands.
Simply to say, the inspiration was of an Iwagumi, and the story behind the aquascape is of natural crystals that have formed and are growing in all directions through the surface of the earth.
------------------------------
Hope you enjoyed the story till here. Do comment and provide your inputs.
