# Critique my scape. Brutal honesty please.



## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

From a purely aesthetic POV, it looks like three separate parts: left, middle, right. Like a sandwich. If you're aiming to create a path in the center, then the path is too big, especially at the back. It may also be too centered but whether it's too centered or not will ultimately depend on the left and right rock arrangement and planting. The way the rocks are stacked on the left may or may not work depending on what the goal is. The right side rocks looks tossed in, unarranged.


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## dcutl002 (Apr 8, 2014)

You have some nice rocks! My suggestion: Go to Google Images and search for "Iwagumi". I love the looks of an Iwagumi tank and you could use some of those stones for that.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> From a purely aesthetic POV, it looks like three separate parts: left, middle, right. Like a sandwich. If you're aiming to create a path in the center, then the path is too big, especially at the back. It may also be too centered but whether it's too centered or not will ultimately depend on the left and right rock arrangement and planting. The way the rocks are stacked on the left may or may not work depending on what the goal is. The right side rocks looks tossed in, unarranged.


Yah, I think I need some more rocks, which I can get. I think I may want to build the right side in more towards the center, that way it will narrow the path but leave some space for crypts on the left side. Is unarranged bad? I think the goal for the left side may be to fill in the back top of the rocks with some blyxa and the lower front with buces and a couple anubias. Maybe some fissidens in between? 

Also forgot to mention I have a couple branchy manzy pieces I can break up and toss in if necessary but I don't know if they are needed. 



dcutl002 said:


> You have some nice rocks! My suggestion: Go to Google Images and search for "Iwagumi". I love the looks of an Iwagumi tank and you could use some of those stones for that.


Yah I'm a big fan of iwagumi and I have a few of these rocks that are basically labeled in my mind for a future iwagumi scape. I'm not sure what type of stone they are but I found some at an LFS nearby and then realized that the city got the same type of rocks from a stoneyard to dump near the beach by my house. They are inert and after I did some serious soaking/bleaching to get rid of any salts/nasties they work awesome for scapes.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Are you aiming for a nature scape?


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## Whiskey (Feb 15, 2005)

I think the rock piles need to come away from the glass sides a bit, put them more toward the golden ratio.

Hth,
Whiskey


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> Are you aiming for a nature scape?


Let's say yes. I'll admit though I've never really considered myself to be that great at scaping so who really knows how it will turn out. But my goal this time is for a something towards the nature scape spectrum of things. 



Whiskey said:


> I think the rock piles need to come away from the glass sides a bit, put them more toward the golden ratio.
> 
> Hth,
> Whiskey


They aren't too far off might be the angle a bit. Do I position the peaks of the piles at the 1/3 marks?


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

The rock pile on the right looks very artificial.

Needs more plants also.

Check out the aquascaping tab here, I found it helpful:

http://fish-etc.com/


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Aplomado said:


> The rock pile on the right looks very artificial.
> 
> Needs more plants also.
> 
> ...


I'm looking for hardscape feedback. I don't have the majority of the plants in yet. I'm gonna look for some more rocks to build the right side up and out though.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Is unarranged bad? Depends on how you feel about how it looks.
In the workplace there are two rules.
#1 The boss is always right.
#2 When the boss is wrong refer to rule #1. 
So for my aquarium I must be happy with it or why do I have it.
So...Rules are as follows.
#1 All suggestions will be considered.
#2 Any suggestion which interfears/w my likeing the way it looks will be
disregarded with a polite thank you.
If you took several of those flat sandstone pieces and stacked them on top of each other in the middle of the tank...that would be arranged. So arranged can be bad as well. I set a couple of rocks into my tank once and walked away for a while to come back and see what impression it gave me. My immediate thought was...hmmm..looks
like someone placed those in just the right spot...better move them now.
I think what looks to one like unarranged to me looks very arranged as the first thing which comes into focus is that I see four rocks, two in the back and two directly in front of those with a couple of extras thrown in to disrupt that look. That is the impression it gives me. But I also am a bit apprehensive as to how close rocks are on both ends, to the glass. Doesn't seem to give room for plants in front. Perhaps the removal of that left front rock on the right hand side would change it fairly well though.
The addition of some very small type of plants between the rocks on the left will make that rock formation on the left look great. The one on the right needs some tweeking in my impression. Perhaps more, like you said.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Axelrod12 said:


> I'm looking for hardscape feedback. I don't have the majority of the plants in yet. I'm gonna look for some more rocks to build the right side up and out though.


It sounds like you don't have a plan. It's almost always better to make a plan, scrutinize that plan with a sledge hammer, then work that plan like putty. That's how houses, skyscrapers, cars, and clothes are made. Through extensive planning and research, you can easily put together something nice. But if you just toss things into the pot, you won't know what the results will be.


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## MeCasa (Apr 22, 2014)

Go through the Tank Journal section and steal segments of ideas/looks that you really love.

I'm not being sarcastic, every idea we get is formulated by what we've seen and experienced in life.

Find something you truly love then adapt and personalize. Any member of this forum would be proud to be emulated and no two scapes are the same.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

+1 ^

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

The rocks are ok, but not really suited to iwagumi. 

rocks needn't be the feature. if I were using the rocks you have I'd have a vacant foreground, then a low border of moss covered rocks. The several layers of plants and dw sticking out. 

A bit like this...


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

iwagumi is a particular style that usually has rough jagged rocks in it.
The ons you have are more suited to a "rivers edge"typt theme. 
Stemmed plants will look "trimmed" for half of the time if you keep trimming them to keep them short. Between trimmings that is till the trimmed off tips grow new leaves.
Something fern looking would go/w a rivers edge theme and a Bolbitis plant can grow on rocks because it has a Rhysome anyway. Only a suggestion but look at it to see.
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=bolbitisheudelotii
You can use that site to see what other plants there are which stay smaller by just clicking on "find your aquarium plants" and choose from the drop list in "what length".
http://www.aqua-fish.net/index.php?...sto=not&rozmnozovanie=not&povod=not&speed=not


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> It sounds like you don't have a plan. It's almost always better to make a plan, scrutinize that plan with a sledge hammer, then work that plan like putty. That's how houses, skyscrapers, cars, and clothes are made. Through extensive planning and research, you can easily put together something nice. But if you just toss things into the pot, you won't know what the results will be.


I did kinda come up with a plan and I usually do try to. In the past they always turn out completely different and don't really look like what I planned. This time around I spent much more time looking at other pics of tanks and picking and choosing aspects from them. I find it hard to really come up with a sort of sketch/planned scape though without playing around with the actual materials first. 



MeCasa said:


> Go through the Tank Journal section and steal segments of ideas/looks that you really love.
> 
> I'm not being sarcastic, every idea we get is formulated by what we've seen and experienced in life.
> 
> Find something you truly love then adapt and personalize. Any member of this forum would be proud to be emulated and no two scapes are the same.


Spent a lot of time on the forum and on google before starting this looking at pics. I just find that things don't usually turn out the way I plan. 




Dantrasy said:


> The rocks are ok, but not really suited to iwagumi.
> 
> rocks needn't be the feature. if I were using the rocks you have I'd have a vacant foreground, then a low border of moss covered rocks. The several layers of plants and dw sticking out.
> 
> A bit like this...


I like it, not exactly what I was planning on though but if I can't get the two sides with the path thing to work out I may switch it up and go for something a little more like that.



Raymond S. said:


> iwagumi is a particular style that usually has rough jagged rocks in it.
> The ons you have are more suited to a "rivers edge"typt theme.
> Stemmed plants will look "trimmed" for half of the time if you keep trimming them to keep them short. Between trimmings that is till the trimmed off tips grow new leaves.
> Something fern looking would go/w a rivers edge theme and a Bolbitis plant can grow on rocks because it has a Rhysome anyway. Only a suggestion but look at it to see.
> ...


I'm pretty familiar with available plants, I'm more concerned with the hardscape right now.



So back to the topic, I am going to play around with what I've got a little more and see if I can get a foundation set that I can build up more, but I'm still working on getting some more rocks together.


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## Joost (Feb 13, 2014)

I'd say:

1. remove the water from your aquarium;
2. put the filter, including sufficient aquarium water, in a bucket (and heater, depends on the duration);
3. gain inspiration by looking at several aquascapes on the internet;
4. create a couple of designs and take a photo of each design;
5. post on forum.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Joost said:


> I'd say:
> 
> 1. remove the water from your aquarium;
> 2. put the filter, including sufficient aquarium water, in a bucket (and heater, depends on the duration);
> ...


Thanks, not so helpful though. I have fish in the tank already as this is a rescape not a fresh scape. I've already done the browsing inspiration thing. I have gained inspiration and can share several sources if needed but my issue is translating it to the actual scape in my tank hence this thread. 

Anyways, finally got around to gathering some more rocks, I didn't use them all but kinda built on top of what I had already. Still not so sure about the right side. Might take all of them out on that side and redo it. But first opinions?









Left:








Right:


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

It's just a pile of rocks. There's no place to plant.


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

Stuff some anubias in the rock gaps and that will look killer. Some driftwood to connect the two sides wouldn't be bad. I think the best part about having a scaped tank is you have the ability to make it what you want. Are you building this to get likes or something amazing to look at after a long day? Unconventional is never a bad idea. I would stick a decent log type driftwood between the two piles leaving a gap at the bottom. I love watching my fish swim around my "obstacles" in the tank.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> It's just a pile of rocks. There's no place to plant.


Anubias, Java ferns, bolbitis, moss, bucephalandra, and some stems should all be able to be planted within the rocks without much issue in my opinion. In my initial plan I did want some more room for crypts and such though. Any constructive thoughts on how to change that though?



Italionstallion888 said:


> Stuff some anubias in the rock gaps and that will look killer. Some driftwood to connect the two sides wouldn't be bad. I think the best part about having a scaped tank is you have the ability to make it what you want. Are you building this to get likes or something amazing to look at after a long day? Unconventional is never a bad idea. I would stick a decent log type driftwood between the two piles leaving a gap at the bottom. I love watching my fish swim around my "obstacles" in the tank.


Hmm I have some manzanita handy I might be able to mess with a bit. I also have a moss/gibba covered Malaysian piece in another tank that I'm also considering rescaping. Might test it in here. 

I'm shooting for a nature type scape. My tanks are primarily for my own enjoyment. Why else be in the hobby. But part of my enjoyment comes from establishing something that will look impressive to others, not the biggest part but it's there. So for once I'm trying to make a true effort to listen to some people on here who may have a better eye than me for a nature scape, take my time, and get something impressive together.


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

Thats a great outlook to have. Its hard unless you start with a large mass of plants to really see the tank come together. Once everything grows in and you are happy, you will want to change it. Its a vicious cycle lol.

Throw the manzanita in and post some photos. I


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Italionstallion888 said:


> Thats a great outlook to have. Its hard unless you start with a large mass of plants to really see the tank come together. Once everything grows in and you are happy, you will want to change it. Its a vicious cycle lol.
> 
> Throw the manzanita in and post some photos. I


I have a chunk of the plants already. Some will need to be obtained still. I'm trying to go one step at a time. Hardscape then plants.


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

Build up the rocks on the right so they are taller, more towards the back, and to the left.


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

I think it will look good once the plants are there. My only concern would be that it is maybe a tad too symmetrical?


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## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

I find the stones to be of too similar sizes. Adding some smaller ones at the base may make the transition between sand & stone more natural. The two sides are also a bit too balanced? same height, same distance from glass. This could be offset by planting though. Also a straight path shortens perspective, maybe you'd want it slightly meandering to give depth?


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

This is what you can do. Arrange the rocks into a border:









This leaves the top for substrate and planting.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Xiaozhuang said:


> I find the stones to be of too similar sizes. Adding some smaller ones at the base may make the transition between sand & stone more natural. The two sides are also a bit too balanced? same height, same distance from glass. This could be offset by planting though. Also a straight path shortens perspective, maybe you'd want it slightly meandering to give depth?


I was having a hard time finding small rocks. There are a few incorporated into the large piles that I may be able to pull out and move to the edges. Otherwise maybe I'll take a hammer and chisel to some bigger ones and see what happens.



Solcielo lawrencia said:


> This is what you can do. Arrange the rocks into a border:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I can't really build it up at all that way though. It would change the planting I had in mind significantly and stray from the type of nature scape I had in mind.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Sorry, the picture is at a front viewing angle so it's difficult to see that the rocks are actually all the way to the front of the tank with a lot of space for the substrate.
Here's a top view picture:


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Been busy with work and other hobbies for a bit so I put this on hold but the other day I got to fiddling with it some more. I may give planting a shot with this one but would like some opinions first, see if I can change it up a bit. If I don't like it after planting I may go back to ground zero and try this from a different angle.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

Here's a pic with some plants roughly in place. Maybe it will help see where things are heading. I don't have everything I want for the tank yet but there's a few things I had laying around and some buce's I have specifically for this tank that I threw together in there.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

I think it's going to look nice once it fills in. One think I dont like is the moss on the top left and top right. I would use the moss down low (if at all) and put some taller foliage right there. Java fern comes to mind, because it would contrast with the buce just below. Or just another buce or anubias would work too.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

burr740 said:


> I think it's going to look nice once it fills in. One think I dont like is the moss on the top left and top right. I would use the moss down low (if at all) and put some taller foliage right there. Java fern comes to mind, because it would contrast with the buce just below. Or just another buce or anubias would work too.


Thanks I was kinda thinking that too, I was really trying to find a way to incorporate it but I think the moss will get used in a different tank. I like the java fern suggestion.


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## MountainPool (Jul 13, 2014)

One of the principles of iwagumi is about not having symmetry? Like the rule of thirds for two grouping of rocks goes that you build one side up 2/3 the height of the tank, and the other side only 1/3.

I think that if you took a few rocks from the left to bring it down to 1/3, and made the right more angular, cone shaped, it'd be easier on the eye, because the focal point would be pulled more towards the peak on the right. Your gaze would spend less time trying to work out what to look at, and flow more naturally from the taller peak, across the canyon, then back up to the smaller peak.


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## keith1937 (Oct 14, 2010)

Axelrod

I have just come back from being absent health reasons for too long.

I am a Mod on a specialist Aquascaping Forum are you still looking for some constructive criticisms?

Keith


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

When I look at this tank, my eye wonders and I feel confused. You have two focal points with no side looking more prominent. 
I found myself looking around and not coming to any conclusion.

When you look at extraordinary aquariums, they make flow and make sense immediately. With that said, I think it's pretty good. Probably about as good as I can do. Good luck.


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## Powerclown (Aug 17, 2014)

I totally agree with Raymond,in a iwagumi scape the Rocks are the dominant part,not the plants.


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

try it with the two top(and lighter colored)rocks removed on the left hand pile.
I think that will help the flow and balance of the scape with out loosing the look you like.
that will make the other stack be predominant and the two side more complentary to each other rather than fighting for dominace as they are.


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