# Iwagumi Style, Am I doing it right?



## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Hi everyone, finally got my seriyu stones and ada as in today. Didn't take photos of the whole process but this is what I'm currently at. Let me know what you guys think, any suggestsions are welcome.


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## kribkeeper888 (Oct 8, 2011)

Well you have the idea, but theres nothing that really strikes me as a focal point or anything overly interesting. also I would slope the substrate to the back. What would you think of slopeing the substrate into one corner like a hill and put an outcropping of rock there, have a couple of small stones on the slope and having the bottem an open plane of whatever your going to use as a ground cover? Or you could create a canyon effect, but i really think the one big rock Is too big for this size setup. But that might be just me.


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## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Thanks I appreciate your input. I was thinking something similar but my fondness of my work blind sighted me into thinking it was alright. Also I now can see that my rocks heights are aligned almost horizontally. I will post up another pic of my updated rescape.


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## kribkeeper888 (Oct 8, 2011)

kadium said:


> Thanks I appreciate your input. I was thinking something similar but my fondness of my work blind sighted me into thinking it was alright. Also I now can see that my rocks heights are aligned almost horizontally. I will post up another pic of my updated rescape.


Haha dont worry about it, I know how that goes, 100% I also am a flat landscaper. Its hard to break out of that routien. I'd be curious to see what else you can come up with


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

from what i've seen in iwagumi is that rocks are planted irregularly. Meaning something that will catch the eye like in real nature(things you wouldn't normally see but when you do, it's jaw-dropping). Then there is flow, which i'm completely retarded at haha. 

Seriously just play around and see what you like - make sure if you plant rocks irregularly, to make sure they are secure because mine were a bit loose after filling it with water (not fun). 

(personally I would love to see that big rock standing straight up in the middle or at least 45' like a cliff (ie: "The Lion King's Cliff") just because you have tons of head room


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## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Nice scape vermino. I would say yours has a lot of iwagumi qualities which Im currently missing. About my big rock, I was thinking also of raising it up on a slope as you said. I'll experiment and take photos and update with pic.


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## kribkeeper888 (Oct 8, 2011)

Vermino said:


> this is my current one (i didn't really get a huge rock like yours and kind-of bummed)


Ok I like the scape but Ive gotta say, you need to keep that substrate away from the front glass, it just doesnt look good, try having a low level even substrate line at the front and build up behind it. Otherwise great scape!


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

kribkeeper888 said:


> Ok I like the scape but Ive gotta say, you need to keep that substrate away from the front glass, it just doesnt look good, try having a low level even substrate line at the front and build up behind it. Otherwise great scape!


completely agree - first time scaping and doing it in an fluval edge aint fun, especially with powersand,natural and powder ADA soil. I'll redo it at some point but just gonna try to plant and see how it goes


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## kribkeeper888 (Oct 8, 2011)

Vermino said:


> completely agree - first time scaping and doing it in an fluval edge aint fun, especially with powersand,natural and powder ADA soil. I'll redo it at some point but just gonna try to plant and see how it goes


Ugh, sounds painful in an Edge, I can see your problem lol


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## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Landscaping in a edge must be very difficult. Ive read that people often remove the top of it, just stating options. Anyway I spent the night cleaning the rocks thoroughly and did some rescaping. Heres some pics, definitely not the best pics but I'm really feeling it. Once again any thoughts and opinions are welcome.


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## neueklare_ein (Jan 25, 2012)

This leaves too little space on the two sides...It's hard for you to clean, to plant etc. :icon_smil

A lot of people can't wait to fill their tanks with plants and water. I am glad that you are willing to spend time on placing the rocks in the right place!



kadium said:


> Landscaping in a edge must be very difficult. Ive read that people often remove the top of it, just stating options. Anyway I spent the night cleaning the rocks thoroughly and did some rescaping. Heres some pics, definitely not the best pics but I'm really feeling it. Once again any thoughts and opinions are welcome.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I like the way you have divided the rocks into 2 groups. 

The big rock (and its companion) is too far to the right. 

Think of the materials as if they had weight. Try to make the 2 sides more balanced. 
Not symmetrical, just so a larger rock is not so far out to the side, and several smaller/mid-sized rocks are to the left. (You have that last part)
Almost like placing kids on a see-saw: The larger children get closer to the center.


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## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Thanks, I never thought about that. When I get to rescaping it I will try to give myself more space between the rock and glass to make my life easier! 


> This leaves too little space on the two sides...It's hard for you to clean, to plant etc.
> 
> A lot of people can't wait to fill their tanks with plants and water. I am glad that you are willing to spend time on placing the rocks in the right place!




Wow I read what you wrote, and pictured perfectly what you were explaining. Thank you for the enlightment. When I get home and finish rescaping the tank I will update pics once again. 


> I like the way you have divided the rocks into 2 groups. The big rock (and its companion) is too far to the right. Think of the materials as if they had weight. Try to make the 2 sides more balanced.
> Not symmetrical, just so a larger rock is not so far out to the side, and several smaller/mid-sized rocks are to the left. (You have that last part)
> Almost like placing kids on a see-saw: The larger children get closer to the center.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Getting better. Keep trying new layouts. I find the best way to practice is add the dirt and level it side to side and slope it front to back. Keep a bunch of extra dirt in a bowl to add impulsively.

It's all about feel. Every part of the layout is by feel. First add the main rock. Stand back and look at the whole tank. Make sure it looks like the position feels right. Is it too centered? Too high? Too far right? Etc., etc. 

Add some more dirt to start shaping the mounds or valleys. Or don't, just go with your gut. If you add dirt and it makes it look wrong, take it back out. 

Now add your supporting rock. Play with it until it looks good. This will probably make the main rock look off due to the added weight of the new rock, but now you can see the difference if your imagination isn't up to snuff just yet. Moe everything around and play with it until nothing irks you. Stand back often and gaze at it. It's gotta feel right. Don't worry about the small imperfections but the 'bones' of the layout have to be there. Once your at this point it's easy and you add rocks here and there to round out the layout. You can strengthen themes, like flow to the right, or soften themes by something as simple as turning a rock or sliding it to the side an inch. 

If the first few rocks aren't feeling just right don't be afraid to start fresh. Is easier to start again than it is trying to force a layout that isn't working.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

it looks alot better this time but yeah you might want to keep working on it. there is dead space in the center so unless your planting something that will be a focal point, people's eyes are first going to see that huge opening then look at the rocks to the left and right.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Read up on the Golden Mean for better ideas about the placement of the larger elements. 
The smaller (companion) stones are less critical. Often these get covered in plants anyway.


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## ramen lover (Jun 22, 2012)

what kind of rocks are you all using?


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## fplata (May 20, 2012)

he said he is seriyu stones


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

Disclaimer: I'm new to planted tanks and iwagumi, myself, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

Many years ago, I bought a book on landscape design, and the book had no beautiful color pictures and only crude drawings. I still read it, and it contained a lot of gems. One illustration that I found extremely helpful involved one aspect of design known as _balance_. Imagine the area you are planting is resting on a giant serving tray being carried above a waiter's head, and the tray is balanced on one hand. Some plants/stones/structures will have more weight (perceived) than others, so you must vary their distance from the center to keep them in balance. I think with iwagumi, this concept can be useful. Of course, in the beginning stages, all we have are stones, and there will later be plants, so the end result with the plants must be visualized and taken into account. Of course, there are other aspects of iwagumi, but this one helped me a good deal. I hope it will assist you.

Below is a crude illustration of my own that demonstrates this concept.


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

I love the new layout; the rock on the right maximizes height while the group on the left ads weight to the overall impression. Having space in the middle is important, because you have to consider room for fish to swim, after plants have been added and are actively growing.


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## ~~~ (Apr 2, 2012)

I'm no aquascaper, but big improvement!
Personally, I say that the big one should go a bit off center on the right, specifically 1/1.618ths of the way there.
I may also add the rocks would look a bit more natural with some flow, all pointing the same direction. 

Disclaimer: Not a aquascaper, just stating what would look best to me.


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

SaltyNC said:


> Disclaimer: I'm new to planted tanks and iwagumi, myself, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.
> 
> Many years ago, I bought a book on landscape design, and the book had no beautiful color pictures and only crude drawings. I still read it, and it contained a lot of gems. One illustration that I found extremely helpful involved one aspect of design known as _balance_. Imagine the area you are planting is resting on a giant serving tray being carried above a waiter's head, and the tray is balanced on one hand. Some plants/stones/structures will have more weight (perceived) than others, so you must vary their distance from the center to keep them in balance. I think with iwagumi, this concept can be useful. Of course, in the beginning stages, all we have are stones, and there will later be plants, so the end result with the plants must be visualized and taken into account. Of course, there are other aspects of iwagumi, but this one helped me a good deal. I hope it will assist you.
> 
> Below is a crude illustration of my own that demonstrates this concept.


Good post.


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## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Ive been doing alot of rescaping heres a some pictures of what I have it at. I used the golden ratio to help me layout the rocks. Which will explain the black lines and tape if you see them. And my first pic of my whole set up right now.

Tank Spec:
Mr. Aqua 17.4g
Petsmart 20G aluminum tank stand
CatalinaAquarium light fixture 24x2 T5 w/ their own line 6700k bulbs
Home Depot conduit, conduit hangers, and paracord rope


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

do you like it kadium? I personally don't get the golden rule and loved your second landscape better (it's just your stones were too close to the glass which makes the glass cleaning a pain)

The new scheme you have your smaller stones wont get covered but personally liked the other one. just depends on what you like tho 

I need to rescape my tank - finally got the plants to do a DSM

also, are you seriously gonna leave that at the foot of your bed?!?! i predict a sleeping foot kick to the tank


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## onekraz3 (May 24, 2012)

Just do whatever looks good to you man you're the one thats going to be looking at it everyday, 2nd one was the best though in my opinion. Nvm was looking at vermino picture, still 2nd one looks best.


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## robbowal (Mar 27, 2011)

I like the second scape as well. And if it were me i would move the pair on the right toward the centre by 1" and the trio on the left 1" forward and right.
That way it adds depth and perspective to the scape


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## kadium (Jun 25, 2012)

Hi everyone thanks for all your opinions and insight. It has helped me gotten better on my first attempt at a planted tank. We have an amazing community here! After many rescapes, I've finally came to something that pleases my artistic side. While still applying the golden ratio and iwagumi standards.











I am using some 2 inch tall plastic cut outs to hopefully keep the dwarf hair grass and baby tears from mixing. And kept the plant info sticks just so when people check out my tank they know what they're looking at.
And the current placement of the stand is temporary. So far I haven't kicked it yet while in my sleep (3 weeks), hopefully I don't get a random cramp in my leg and karate kick it down. I need to get a new desk so I can fit my tank along the wall. The desk is taking up twice the space of a normal sized desk.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

that formation looks pretty good as well (hard to see because of your DSM) but just make sure those little rocks are snug when you fill it with water, don't want one rolling down the hill =P


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

I like the hardscape you've arranged. I would suggest breaking up your plantings more.


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