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First Aquascape Project - 3 Months In

JinTse

JinTse

Seedling
Joined
5 Nov 2018
Messages
4
Location
Hong Kong
Dear all,

I have linked an image of my current aquascape project but I start to feel unhappy about my layout and the plants I have placed around the aquasoil. I hope you guys could help me hopefully identify most of the plants for me and give me suggestions on how am I suppose to make my layout look more natural in terms of what it is now. Thanks.
 

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The overall impression is good, pleasant to view. I will offer my input as you ask for it. The rocks on wood looks unnatural to me, I’d look at attaching more plants to the wood (or covering the rocks on the wood) & getting a few more foreground plants in along the front. Can you get your diffuser mounted lower? You need to clean your glassware.
 
Hi JinTse, if this is your first aquascape project then have no worries about plant or hardscape placement. These take time and practice to learn, and you will develop your own style as according to your preferences the longer you dwell into the hobby.

Let the plants grow in (you have done a solid job making them thrive!) and then months later, once you get a hang of an established planted tank, rebuild everything with the knowledge you have garnered from Day 1. You will find somehow your second scape feels and looks better than the first :)

Btw, my first aquascape turned out a disaster: the driftwood well kinda drifted and erhm so did every plant surrounding it.

Happy plant-keeping, cheers.
 
JinTse said:
Wouldnt you think the plants selected look very chaotic together?
Click to expand...

First thing, it's your tank, do you like it? Unless you're entering it into a competition where certain criteria need to be met then there are no rules. There are certain basic techniques that people use like sloping gravel higher at back to give depth and using the correct plants, for instance you wouldn't want plants that grow tall at the front and small ones at the back getting hidden but I would say the rules begin and end there. Ironically with the "chaotic" plants you've inadvertently stumbled across one of the rules of Dutch Style aquascaping where you put plants next to each other with totally different colouration and leaf shapes which makes them stand out more. Also using another rule of thirds you seem to have a three rocks sitting on top of each other about a third from the right which draws the eye so again, you've accidentally used one of the techniques.

Unless you have a plan of exactly what you're trying to achieve from the start it's a dynamic hobby. You'll find many times in this forum that people will draw and mock up layouts for weeks maybe even months before they add some plants and water only to totally change it later on as it grows in and things didn't turn out like they expected. Me personally, I like to get a general tank setup of what type of wood and stone I'm going to use and get the plants and water in. As time goes by if I don't like how something is panning out I'll just alter it, nothing is bolted down. I may even see something on somebody else aquascape that for some reason just draws my eye and try to incorporate that bit in my tank somehow.

I wouldn't try and build a scape for someone else mate, you're the one who spends the time looking at it. I also like what you've done there it's a nice tank which I think will look better when the plants grow in a bit more. If it was my tank I would try and get some carpeting plants going along the front but maybe you like the open gravel area more. In fact, the more I look at it I think if the plant mass was a bit heavier it would be a very tidy looking tank. Accidental or otherwise ;)
 
JinTse

Over its a very nice looking planted tank. Here are a few suggestions for you that should improve you Aquascape plus a little extra planting.
JinTse%201%207.11.18%20_edited-1.jpg

On the LH end of the DW I have ticked a few rocks to keep (only one to be moved) the remainder to be removed Red X, to allow for more planting of tall plants (Not Red).

RH end only one rock to be moved Red X.

Back RH corner more red plant same as central red plant.
Front RH corner low plants in front of the DW but do not hide it.

Substrate it will look far better if it's level across the front of the tank it will give a smoother eye flow.

All these are just recommendations that should improve you whole tank. I would strongly suggest you use this tank as a big learning curve and have fun improving it all the time.

Keith:wave::wave:
 
Because I might want to submit this current tank (after modifications) into contests to see where I am at, more suggestions and opinions are strongly encouraged. So do please feel free to say anything you'd like, as much criticism as possible helps alot. Thanks.
 
Keith GH said:
RH end only one rock to be moved Red X.
Click to expand...

I must be getting an eye for these kind of things :D The three rocks on the right seemed to tick boxes for me as well. I think it's the way the v shape on the edges seem to marry up as if at some point they might have been the same stone that broke in two. It tells a story and raises some intrigue which is what features are supposed to do I guess and is positioned about right by the "Golden Ratio" Wasn't that long ago it would just be some stones in a fish tank to me. I need to get out more :)
 
Also see what you mean about the rocks to remove and agree with that also.
 
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