# Philosophy: the missing ingredient



## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

WARNING: Do Not Read If This Sort of Thing Does Not Appeal To You Within The First Paragraph. 

I have struggled over the past few months, on a philosophical level, with the overall state of aquascaping in the United States. Every year I see overall rankings in contests ( which is not an absolute metric ) for The Americas drop, and increasingly see more developed and more well defined Aquascaping from other countries around the world, while we increasingly stay in the dark ages.

This applies on a personal level as well, and probably more prominently. The more I learn the more I come to an unsatisfactory result in my previous work. Although I believe all prior experience to ultimately be beneficial towards moving forward on a fundamental level. Frankly, I am desperate to be inspired by an aquascaper that isn't Amano and that isn't from a foreign country. The bottom line is: we, as a whole, ( big bold faced underline, yes very much including myself here ) suck at aquascaping.

Yes. I said it. We. Are. Bad. At. Aquascaping.

Now, I realize that saying so is not going to win me popularity points, and it will certainly attract flames. But I would at least urge you to consider reading the proposed solution before deciding that I am just an idiot and we in fact are not terrible at aquascaping. I also realize that I am inherently philosophical and not everyone shares this approach. I have always sought answers through a sort of meditative philosophical approach to things and this is how I best can suggest moving forward. I am very hesitant to use words such as a "zen" approach, because of how much that word gets thrown around so casually and often incorrectly in our culture.

My proposal moving forward is a wholesale shift in how we approach the idea of aquascaping on the next level: that it requires a *discipline*, and a balanced approach to all things. This includes segments from the way the water is filtered to who healthy the fish and plants are.

First, I will propose these core tenants:

1. The basis for an inspirational scape is the hardscape. Only the best materials should be sought with the most character. 

2. The selection process should be done diligently with a mind towards fulfilling a focused vision without "forcing" the "wrong" pieces into a particular vision.

3. In selection of materials, as well as plants and fish, there should be no unnecessary elements. Unnecessary elements lead to a cluttered appearance and distract from the appearance of the layout.

4. The substrate line in the front should always, always be straight. Lines in the front that aren't straight cause a loss of focus in the design, and distract from the scape itself so people only "see" an alternating line of soil in the front.

5. Equipment must be chosen on the basis of: efficiency and long term effectiveness, as well as visual impact. Equipment should take up the least amount of surface area in the aquarium as possible, this distracts from the layout. Rimless tanks are ideal as a canvas point and illustrate the purpose of what equipment should be.

6. Keep equipment clean and organized around the area of the aquarium. 

7. Water should be changed in the volume of 1/3 to 1/2 every four days. Every time water is changed the glass should be completely cleaned of all algae on it's surface and removed either with a razor or algae pad ( mag floats are usually not a good idea on planted tanks and rimless ). There should be no algae on the glass after this water change ( scrape algae before draining water)' you can see algae on the glass by looking at a panel of glass from the side or at an angle. The glass lily pipes or other filtration pipes should be diligently cleaned during this water change to keep their pristine look. The 
diffuser should be checked for any algae growth on the white plate and when 
present to the extent that the diffusion plate is green, it should be removed 
and cleaned.

8. You should only own the amount of aquariums in which you can maintain this schedule of diligence and standard. Do not get overwhelmed.

9. Water chemistry should be held to the highest regard - to limit outside factors from tap water ( unless living in an area that already has idealic water conditions out of the tap ) effecting growth of plants. RODI water with the appropriate amount of seachem balance should be used in a prepared 5 gallon bucket ( or larger container for larger aquariums ), kept at room temperature for water changes. Water purity is of the utmost importance.

10. Dosing should only be performed in levels that are necessary for the inhabitants to thrive. Excess leads to waste and problems that require dramatic over correction, and the same occurs with not adding enough. Unfortunately this requires a little learning and diligence in monitoring plant health. Dosing should be done on a daily basis. If possible any water changing and dosing should be done in the morning before lights and co2 come on.


There is currently so much more to write and add onto this effective treatise, however I feel a period of refinement should occur through some healthy discussion of those interested in adopting this approach. 

The core of the premise is, however that these tasks in terms of maintenance should be approached in a calm, enjoyable manner. It should be a calming experience to diligently keep the health of the system up to it's best. The mindset should be one of looking forward to the water change and the cleaning of the aquarium, rather than bemoaning the task. Admittedly it takes a lot of patience and practice to get to a point where you can do so quickly and efficiently and enjoy it. There's a lot of "pain and suffering" taxes on the way.

It should be something almost akin to a religious experience when you go to setup the aquarium, place the hardscape, plant the tank, fill with water ( dry start is extremely inefficient ), select fish and do maintenance.

And frankly, it takes a while to get to that point. It's a lot of frustration and 99% of people never reach the milestone. It is not easy, but the rewards will be bountiful.

I will submit more further writings on the topic later and delve even deeper into the philosophy, this is just basically a scratch on the surface.


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## jdm68 (Jun 2, 2011)

I appreciate that you take a philosophical approach to all of this, but I'm not quite so sure I agree with the 


Francis Xavier said:


> We. Are. Bad. At. Aquascaping.


line. I have seen some very nice work done by SOME people. I do, however, agree with your "maintainance as a relgious-esqe, devotionary act" idea. I do, probably quite contrary to most, actually enjoy water changes and maintainance, with the exception of pulling the canister off the tank and all apart for cleaning. I would like to discuss further on this subject, but as I'm at work, I should probably actually do some. Just dropping my half cent and letting you know that I hear what you're saying.


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## kangared (Apr 7, 2011)

I'll give my perspective -that of a noob who is working through setbacks yet becoming increasingly fascinated by this hobby. 

From my lowly point looking up, I wouldn't say were bad. Our stars don't shine as brightly maybe but I'm optimistic. I think we'll get there. We're trying.

But I do agree that it is disappointing not seeing many Americans on the top tiers. I do want to look up to my own Michael Phelps in the planted aquarium world. Although, I don't mind getting ideas from the Hong Kong and Malaysian guys who I often see at the top. 

I'm not sure how the rest of the world mentally approach aquascaping. Our countries gardening histories probably has an influencing hand.

"The core of the premise is, however that these tasks in terms of maintenance should be approached in a calm, enjoyable manner. It should be a calming experience to diligently keep the health of the system up to it's best. The mindset should be one of looking forward to the water change and the cleaning of the aquarium, rather than bemoaning the task. Admittedly it takes a lot of patience and practice to get to a point where you can do so quickly and efficiently and enjoy it. There's a lot of "pain and suffering" taxes on the way."

This is a struggle^. There are days when maintenance is calming and I observe my fish play joyfully in the current while doing so. Most of my maintenance days are, however, spent spilling water and cursing at algae. Grace, discipline and patience are not my forte :redface: I do hope that by participating in this hobby I will exercise and gain ground in those traits. Just the 2 cents of a newbie. Your post was an interesting read (in a good way).


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I have a noob point of view & question, too. Aside from the diligence required to maintain a show level tank, it sounds like you're comparing cultural differences in tank design. I see some folks here with styles similar to Dutch tanks, but mostly I see what I would call (in my noob way) biotopes - or biotope influenced tanks. It seems from what little I've seen of recent contest winners overseas, that in Asia and Eastern Europe, creating the illusion of realistic or fanciful _above_ ground landscapes is the trend. Isn't that sort of comparing apples to oranges? I've seen some stunning - to my admittedly unschooled eye - American biotopes. I've seen some equally awkward and unbalanced Amano style tanks from overseas. 
This should prove to be an interesting thread!


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

We Americans have too many distractions. Too many other things to do, too many sports, too many working hours, too much money to save for college... Too little opportunity to make a living on this hobby in order for more people to be able to dedicate more time...it just isn't popular enough here to generate the ecosystem and economy that it does elsewhere...I think.

So, like Soccer, the best athletes just don't go that direction here.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

NJAquaBarren said:


> We Americans have too many distractions. Too many other things to do, too many sports, too many working hours, too much money to save for college... Too little opportunity to make a living on this hobby in order for more people to be able to dedicate more time...it just isn't popular enough here to generate the ecosystem and economy that it does elsewhere...I think.
> 
> So, like Soccer, the best athletes just don't go that direction here.


Well said, never thought of it this way.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

You can also look at it this way. Americans are very free spirited, we do things our way. Its not a bad thing, it is one of the many things that make our country great. We care little for what others think, as long as we enjoy what we are doing. It would be nice to see someone join the ranks of Amano or Oliver Knott, but if we don't we don't. We enjoy the hobby in our own individual way.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Francis Xavier said:


> My proposal moving forward is a wholesale shift in how we approach the idea of aquascaping on the next level: that it requires a *discipline*, and a balanced approach to all things. This includes segments from the way the water is filtered to who healthy the fish and plants are.
> 
> First, I will propose these core tenants:
> 
> ...


Lastly, what is the issue for a dry start? Personally, now that I've done one I can't fathom why I would ever go back. It was all around so very easy and I found my success nearly guaranteed, unlike the pain and suffering in endured trying to keep down freshly planted carpets, etc.

Would you mind expanding on your thoughts here?


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

This thread means you're going to set up a 60-p following all these tenants right. _Right?_



Francis Xavier said:


> We. Are. Bad. At. Aquascaping.


We really are.



> 1. The basis for an inspirational scape is the hardscape. Only the best materials should be sought with the most character.
> 
> 2. The selection process should be done diligently with a mind towards fulfilling a focused vision without "forcing" the "wrong" pieces into a particular vision.


Agree. The right rocks or branches really do make all the difference, and some are just never going to work. I also wish people would just stop piling stones or up or having branches stick out willy-nilly without any apparent sense of direction or movement. 



> 4. The substrate line in the front should always, always be straight. Lines in the front that aren't straight cause a loss of focus in the design, and distract from the scape itself so people only "see" an alternating line of soil in the front.


This along with tanks that have like 3" of substrate at the front are a huge pet peeve. _Cannot unsee._



> 8. You should only own the amount of aquariums in which you can maintain this schedule of diligence and standard. Do not get overwhelmed.


BUT I JUST COMPLETED THE MINIDEX.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Speaking as an academic philosopher by trade and an aquascaper by hobby, I ask what you mean about "philosophy" as the missing ingredient in American aquascapes? Most of your advice is very general and pretty obvious to anyone who's been in the hobby awhile - what makes it "philosophical" advice?

cheers,
joel


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Francis....I do agree with you and it has frustrated me over the years as to why Americans have not been able put forth better aquascapes BUT there have been several people that have developed great aquascapes over the years, Jason Baliban comes to mind. I have strived to try and get better, to create an aquascape that is tranquil, that produces an awe from the viewer, and I continue to try each week. But I think there is a difference between those who want to dabble in the hobby and those who want to compete in the hobby and I see some of those people who dabble want to try and compete. If you want to compete in this hobby, be ready to spend some $$$, time and energy because you will need it. If you want to dabble and just create a nice ecosystem for plants and fish then don't try and compete.

I do disagree with you on one thing you said and that is your idea on dosing. I have been doing EI dosing now for 5+ years and I do a 50% water change every week and I have not had problems at all with this system. Though your philosophy for putting just the right amount of nutrients for what the plants need is a good one, it would take alot of time and testing to assure you are.

I will close by saying this....I do feel that 97% of Americans are not ready and not up to the standards that have been set by other countries of competing with their aquascapes. So if you are going to compete, then study, look at your competition and be ready to spend money and time and energy, but if you are not going to compete and just want to enjoy water, fish and plants in a box, then enjoy but don't give American aquascaping a bad name and try and compete.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Great post Francis.

Obviously you have the technical and aesthetic abilities to lead a discussion like this. Anyone familiar with the Bonsai tradition knows that technique is fundamentally involved with philosophy. It is almost impossible to separate the two. Having said that it is also clear that neither of those two considerations, neither technique nor philosophy are as important as the aesthetics that defines a real work of art. 

I suppose I could go on with some points about styles the golden mean and such but I would rather start with this statement of yours. 

“The substrate line in the front should always, always be straight.” 
Are you suggesting that there should be a front? Are the other three sides less important? How does that differ from a Dutch aesthetic? I can’t say that I really even agree with this idea that the substrate line should be straight in the first place.


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## Jeffww (Aug 6, 2010)

I wouldn't saw we're bad at it. Do you go on foreign forums often? Do you go on German, African, Taiwanese, Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese planted forums? All the tanks that make it to the State sides are the ones that are exemplary not the ones your average joe like me makes. As for our rankings in competitions? I'd say it's not so much that our husbandry is bad. We have some of the fanciest tech, most religiously meticulous cleaners and testers and obsessive hobbyists. Just look at some reef keepers, their hobby isn't just an obsession it's like have another job at home. No I think it's more because the people from winning countries have a culture more focused on nature. Coming from a Taiwanese background I know how the kids there spend a lot of time learning about Taiwanese animals and plants and they have excursions into the local rainforests. Japanese culture focuses on organic aesthetics, it's ingrained into their religion even. The vietnamese are smack dab in the middle of where nearly ALL of our plants come from. 

And with the issue of hardscape. I don't think that's an issue. It's because retailers charge a premium for a stick or two or a bucket of rocks. Sure we can go collect our own but I'm a lazy american and I'll be damned if I have to drive out to the hill country or to a lake to collect my hardscape. Personally I don't really have the time or the focus or the desire to become a top notch aquascaper. I just want a tank that looks good to me, not to the world.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I come from an art and design field so a lot of what you're saying I can relate to.

The philosophy is to know what looks good and what doesn't, a guiding principle. You can break almost any aesthetic rules and have things look good if you know what you're doing.

The practical things are maintenance, do a lot of scapes, and entering them in contests. Like they say, it's 99% perspiration. That's the only way you get good at what you're doing.

btw.. There a few excellent American aquascapers. They don't get the recognition their European and Asian counterparts.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Wha? Folks have to work and do a decent job at caring for their tanks?
Heresy I say! haha

I think we only see the top rankings in the world from different places, this is not representative of the average. Reef seems to be more attractive than planted gardens in the USA. So many go there vs plants. 

I have tried to suggest folks to do frequent water changes.......with limited success, good luck with that one..........

Likewise, I've not found excess ferts at least.....cause any issues, excess fish waste and such, less care for the filters and what not, definitely. I do not know what excess really is or means, it is a very poorly defined claim. 

I think overall (99%), you are correct. I agree that much with your assessment Francis. I'm actually quite glad you care this much.

Simply getting folks to do this amount of effort and sustained effort, is not an easy task. You will find many will fight strongly against it. However, you may find some knowledge there as well and be able to reduce the labor. In other words, have your cake and eat it too. Keep a few tanks that require more work, then a few that do not, but the aesthetic and look still be the priority.


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## FishFarmer (Feb 8, 2007)

This may be from left field; but is this really an issue that needs to be addressed? So what if USA "sucks at aquascaping..."?

Although I do appreciate the time you took to explain some pointers and tips.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Because this is an important topic I will take the time to reply to everyone individually. However my laptop is broken at the moment so please be patient with my iPad typing.



jdm68 said:


> I appreciate that you take a philosophical approach to all of this, but I'm not quite so sure I agree with the
> 
> line. I have seen some very nice work done by SOME people. I do, however, agree with your "maintainance as a relgious-esqe, devotionary act" idea. I do, probably quite contrary to most, actually enjoy water changes and maintainance, with the exception of pulling the canister off the tank and all apart for cleaning. I would like to discuss further on this subject, but as I'm at work, I should probably actually do some. Just dropping my half cent and letting you know that I hear what you're saying.


Here is the best way to understand the we are bad line: it isn't derogatory or to say that any particular style is worse than another, as that is a matter of subjective taste (for example I don't like "landscape" aquascapes ).

Rather it is a statement meant to inspire inward reflection: yes, I suck. But that's okay, I am learning and improving. But first being able to know that you need improvement and to at first be able to admit that you may be wrong in how you set it up, etc allows for deeper growth and inward reflection to get to the "next level," this is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks someone can do - truly admit and be okay with the fact that they aren't great - at least not yet. Whether you are a true noobie or veteran of decades.

Using myself as an example - I would have said my aquascapes of a few years back were pretty good. Probably with a fair dose of "classic American arrogance." however, it was only once I could truly admit to myself that I might be wrong and that it wasn't as good as the idealized picture in my head, that I could move forward and progress.

Consider it a mental exercise.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

kangared said:


> I'll give my perspective -that of a noob who is working through setbacks yet becoming increasingly fascinated by this hobby.
> 
> From my lowly point looking up, I wouldn't say were bad. Our stars don't shine as brightly maybe but I'm optimistic. I think we'll get there. We're trying.
> 
> ...


There is of course a steep learning curve in terms of groaning about doing maintenance - I mean the idea is so despised in aquatics ( except among seasoned hobbyists ), that companies even go out of their way to avoid ever mentioning the m word. It is evil and taboo and is the single thing that will stop xyz person from doing it.

However, this is something that should be embraced - when you get your technique down it takes no more time than say cleaning a cat food bowl or litter box. And I dare say doing a water change is infinitely more enjoyable than cleaning a litter box. Of course I exaggerate a little on the time, but about 30 minutes should be all you need to clean the filter pipes, change water and scrape some algae. On rough days an hour perhaps, but the more consistently you do it, the more you avoid having to spend that one day spending the whole day cleaning the tank because it got so out of hand.

When you aren't cleaning the water, a good exercise is to have a cloth handy to remove water stains from the glass, it takes a couple seconds and helps keep your equipment looking like new. 

Take little steps, build good habits and patience comes - then you want to do it, it is your "relax task."

In terms of we are bad line - again I would say to read my previous post as it sort of answers that part of the question as well. But again it comes down to admitting straight out to yourself: improve. Baby steps at a time is okay even!


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

driftwoodhunter said:


> I have a noob point of view & question, too. Aside from the diligence required to maintain a show level tank, it sounds like you're comparing cultural differences in tank design. I see some folks here with styles similar to Dutch tanks, but mostly I see what I would call (in my noob way) biotopes - or biotope influenced tanks. It seems from what little I've seen of recent contest winners overseas, that in Asia and Eastern Europe, creating the illusion of realistic or fanciful _above_ ground landscapes is the trend. Isn't that sort of comparing apples to oranges? I've seen some stunning - to my admittedly unschooled eye - American biotopes. I've seen some equally awkward and unbalanced Amano style tanks from overseas.
> This should prove to be an interesting thread!


Dutch tanks are some of my favorite when they are well done! Not just Nature Aquarium. I also enjoy dabbling with "new" ideas. I don't have a particular liking for the landscape aquascapes of the eastern europeans, nor physical representations of actual trees, as I like more abstract interpretations of nature as opposed to actual replication.

The point is - the actual style doesn't matter, however there are certain overlapping principles and good tenants and ideas to adhere to that are beneficial for developing the ability to produce any Aquascape. 

Now, I would strongly warn against jumping in and trying to just make a new style for the sake of doing so - pick your favorite and master that one first, then start tweaking and experimenting. This was my first mistake when I started: I had the hubris to say well, those aquascapes are good, (Amano and some others) but I can do better easily with this totally new idea! Turns out that was the worst tank I've ever done, to this date. You can even see the bones and remnants of that disaster on this forum.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

NJAquaBarren said:


> We Americans have too many distractions. Too many other things to do, too many sports, too many working hours, too much money to save for college... Too little opportunity to make a living on this hobby in order for more people to be able to dedicate more time...it just isn't popular enough here to generate the ecosystem and economy that it does elsewhere...I think.
> 
> So, like Soccer, the best athletes just don't go that direction here.


As a society, sure. I would agree. But on an individual level I have the at least naive idea that a handful will be able to spend the time and discipline to keep awesome tanks that are at the very least - very solid aquascapes.

I mean, once you get past the first few learning curves, it gets much, much easier and less time consuming and the rewards are worth it.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Noahma said:


> You can also look at it this way. Americans are very free spirited, we do things our way. Its not a bad thing, it is one of the many things that make our country great. We care little for what others think, as long as we enjoy what we are doing. It would be nice to see someone join the ranks of Amano or Oliver Knott, but if we don't we don't. We enjoy the hobby in our own individual way.


This is true - America has an entrepreneurial spirit bar none n the world.

However, I believe we care a great deal about what others think - we're just good at hiding it. Forums such as these would not exist of only our own opinions mattered.

Unfortunately (and it really is) "if you like it, then that's all that matters" has become code word for "eh....I can't think of a really good compliment to be polite..." 

Being individualistic and creative should be absolutely supported, but as with all things a strong foundation is needed to be able to diverge an define ourselves from. This is a mission to help develop a foundation.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

justincgdick said:


> Lastly, what is the issue for a dry start? Personally, now that I've done one I can't fathom why I would ever go back. It was all around so very easy and I found my success nearly guaranteed, unlike the pain and suffering in endured trying to keep down freshly planted carpets, etc.
> 
> Would you mind expanding on your thoughts here?


First I will reply to you highlighted in red comments which I can't easily get pasted because they're within another quote (again iPad).

For materials I am actually suggesting the opposite! Buy less when you have the opportunity. Carefully select the best material you can afford and spend no more than that, rather than stockpile material you either feel obligated to use or is in storage forever. If you're spending $40 spend it on one or two awesome pieces of driftwood rather than say 6 mediocre or useless pieces.

The reason alternating substrate lines are distracting is because they tend to fall exactly on the lower focal points (of which there are four primary ones on a rectangular object) and draw the eyes attention to them and take focus off the scape and into the dirt. Where as a straight substrate line goes by almost unnoticed and the focus is more cleanly on the layout.

The reason to change water so often is because algae that distracts from the Aquascape, such as green dust, appears commonly after the third day or so. Scraping this off the glass quickly and then doing a water change keeps the water more clean and stable and is less work than spending more time scraping more algae later. In an extremely mature and well established aquarium this can be extended to 7 to 10 days.

Realistically in a small nano aquarium this is especially easier because you can essentially have one or two large cups of prepared water ready for a quick water change and can be done with the task within a few minutes. You could even do a small daily water change this way. Also diligence daily or once per four days allows for you to easily remove hard water stains from any glass before they ruin the appearance.

as for being anti dry start method, it comes down to it being more work and more heartache in the long term except in a very few select plants. Rather than wait the months for things to grow, start with a little bit more plant mass and fill up from day one and it is infinitely more satisfying and allows for fish quicker, which is important towards enjoying the scape. Plus, the success and completion rate of tanks I see that are started with dsm have a notoriously low completion & success rate ( coming from someone who has liberally done both methods).


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Dollface said:


> This thread means you're going to set up a 60-p following all these tenants right. _Right?_
> 
> Of course. Although I am currently maintaining a 60p according to this exact philosophy. That 60p in the ADG videos is basically my aquarium in the gallery.
> 
> ...


Completing the minidex is great! Easy to maintain on that schedule, just have some water handy and a cup for water changes and you can change 1/3 to 1/2 quick and easy. Or change a cupful a day - takes no more time than feeding a cat.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

macclellan said:


> Speaking as an academic philosopher by trade and an aquascaper by hobby, I ask what you mean about "philosophy" as the missing ingredient in American aquascapes? Most of your advice is very general and pretty obvious to anyone who's been in the hobby awhile - what makes it "philosophical" advice?
> 
> cheers,
> joel


I think I could have some great conversations with you then!

What I mean more precisely about a philosophic state of mind in the approach pertains directly to a mindset towards self improvement, criticism and discipline. Like I said there should be something somewhat near a religious experience in keeping an Aquascape. Though this may jot precisely fit a classical definition of philosophy.

If my points come across as obvious than their intention is met - my mission is to arrive at a core set of principles that once read inspire a "well of course." response. Now as with the case with most of those types of things it requires someone else telling us them or reading them to arrive at the epiphany.

Now, the difficult part is turning comprehension into true understanding and action - there is nothing easy about simplicity.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

dewalltheway said:


> Francis....I do agree with you and it has frustrated me over the years as to why Americans have not been able put forth better aquascapes BUT there have been several people that have developed great aquascapes over the years, Jason Baliban comes to mind. I have strived to try and get better, to create an aquascape that is tranquil, that produces an awe from the viewer, and I continue to try each week. But I think there is a difference between those who want to dabble in the hobby and those who want to compete in the hobby and I see some of those people who dabble want to try and compete. If you want to compete in this hobby, be ready to spend some $$$, time and energy because you will need it. If you want to dabble and just create a nice ecosystem for plants and fish then don't try and compete.
> 
> I do disagree with you on one thing you said and that is your idea on dosing. I have been doing EI dosing now for 5+ years and I do a 50% water change
> every week and I have not had problems at all with this system. Though your
> ...


I'm not saying there are no good aquascapers in America. But I am again seeking that a fundamental shift in mindset in the foundational level approach to aquascaping can herald in a sort of "golden" age for our hobby here.

If you are doing E.I appropriately you are following that tenant just fine. Really of all of them it's the loosest one, it's basically just to say not to go completely overboard just for the sake of going overboard. Analyze the plants and respond to what the ecosystem needs. 

Everywhere has it's good great normal and bad aquascapers. However, this is strictly intended to merely improve and say "hey, look. We've witnessed Europe develop its own styles and spread rapidly with a larger volume of good aquascapers relative to ours." There are differences, but those basically don't matter. We've been doing much the same, as a collective for far too long, and it just isn't getting us anywhere. It's time to step things up and move forward.

And really it's for the benefit of the individual more than anything - who would object to an aquarium in their home on the level of maybe not Amano, but at least on the level of all those other inspirational scapes. Don't accept mediocrity just because it's more convenient is the idea there.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

BruceF said:


> Great post Francis.
> 
> Obviously you have the technical and aesthetic abilities to lead a discussion like this. Anyone familiar with the Bonsai tradition knows that technique is fundamentally involved with philosophy. It is almost impossible to separate the two. Having said that it is also clear that neither of those two considerations, neither technique nor philosophy are as important as the aesthetics that defines a real work of art.
> 
> ...


Hah! I like the way you poised that particular statement. It would, as you say be a mistake to say there is just a front no matter what. However it is quite design / vision oriented - if it's only meant to be seen from the front, then the front is the only one that needs to be straight. However a 4 sided design would require a straight line across the very front glass on all 4 sides. 

Basically viewing panels need to be kept straight so alternating substrate lines on the viewing panes don't distract from viewing the scape - since these alterations always end up disturbing the lower focal points. However in the back, with substrate not seen, then it can be as alternating as you want for a design vision.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Jeffww said:


> I wouldn't saw we're bad at it. Do you go on foreign forums often? Do you go on German, African, Taiwanese, Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese planted forums? All the tanks that make it to the State sides are the ones that are exemplary not the ones your average joe like me makes. As for our rankings in competitions? I'd say it's not so much that our husbandry is bad. We have some of the fanciest tech, most religiously meticulous cleaners and testers and obsessive hobbyists. Just look at some reef keepers, their hobby isn't just an obsession it's like have another job at home. No I think it's more because the people from winning countries have a culture more focused on nature. Coming from a Taiwanese background I know how the kids there spend a lot of time learning about Taiwanese animals and plants and they have excursions into the local rainforests. Japanese culture focuses on organic aesthetics, it's ingrained into their religion even. The vietnamese are smack dab in the middle of where nearly ALL of our plants come from.
> 
> And with the issue of hardscape. I don't think that's an issue. It's because
> retailers charge a premium for a stick or two or a bucket of rocks. Sure we can
> ...


Sure there is an advantage to cultures that stress harmonic balance with nature and the natural arts from the get go, but these are all things that can be learned.

Again, sure each country just isn't filled with the best of the best or the worst. However, the per capita of award winning to none is much higher compared to our society, and we have so much much more potential for greater than what we are currently doing.

It's not about who has the best aquascapers per se. It's about getting transcending what we are capable of for a more beneficial future of enjoyment. It is not a good idea to get bogged down on the minutiae of what other countries forums are doing.

As for material - there isn't much I can say here except that, the best thing to do is be careful about selection and invest in only what you want.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

mistergreen said:


> I come from an art and design field so a lot of what you're saying I can relate to.
> 
> The philosophy is to know what looks good and what doesn't, a guiding principle. You can break almost any aesthetic rules and have things look good if you know what you're doing.
> 
> ...


No of course we aren't without our own good aquascapers. But the idea is to spread more and more these beneficial aesthetic and technical principles beyond just the tired old "follow the golden ratio."


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

plantbrain said:


> Wha? Folks have to work and do a decent job at caring for their tanks?
> Heresy I say! haha
> 
> I think we only see the top rankings in the world from different places, this is not representative of the average. Reef seems to be more attractive than planted gardens in the USA. So many go there vs plants.
> ...


Maybe we can work more together to stress more of the water purity through changes side of things.

And again, through the dosing rule, the same response I have is generally the same as I previously posted, merely to say to pay attention to the plants health and act accordingly.

I think there is a great deal of potential, provided we can get past our hang ups that so often plague us and that we are all equally guilty of.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

FishFarmer said:


> This may be from left field; but is this really an issue that needs to be addressed? So what if USA "sucks at aquascaping..."?
> 
> Although I do appreciate the time you took to explain some pointers and tips.


It's totally cool to not care so much about our collective ability to scape. However for those of us that do, it actually tends to be demoralizing, since I think everyone seeks to be inspired by their fellow hobbyists.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

FishFarmer said:


> So what if USA "sucks at aquascaping..."?


You could also pose the question "So what if you can grow the rarest plants or keep the rarest fish if your tank is ugly or unenjoyable?" :icon_neut


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Francis Xavier said:


> Now, the difficult part is turning comprehension into true understanding and action - there is nothing easy about simplicity.


 Indeed!


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Francis Xavier said:


> Maybe we can work more together to stress more of the water purity through changes side of things.
> 
> And again, through the dosing rule, the same response I have is generally the same as I previously posted, merely to say to pay attention to the plants health and act accordingly.
> 
> I think there is a great deal of potential, provided we can get past our hang ups that so often plague us and that we are all equally guilty of.


Well, being honest with one's self is the start. Question everything, the design, the placement, the goal, the hard scape, the plant choices etc.

Big goals= big scapes that are cool.

I often am quite slow anytime I do a scape.......and many nag me about it.......but I think anything worth doing should be done that way. I also have no qualms about ripping a tank up and redoing it from the ground up if I do not like it.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Dollface said:


> You could also pose the question "So what if you can grow the rarest plants or keep the rarest fish if your tank is ugly or unenjoyable?" :icon_neut


Likewise, some seem to brag about not doing as many water changes....as if it's some huge goal. Or add barely enough Ferts.........This type of quackery is nuts if the goal is truly art and scaping.

But that's my opinion...what do I know


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Regarding simplicity: start simple, then add to that slowly and thoughtfully.

I often think what I would like for that space. Do I seek similar themes or different biotopes?

Sometimes it is a nice piece of rock or wood I see.
And I build from that.

I torn my 120 gal down because I had a very nice piece of wood, but I did not like the scape. It was too bland, mono tone. I wanted more color, more dutch grouping of the plants and I wanted to use the wood to make nice border like contrast. This "border grouping" makes maintaining the scape and grouping much easier, and adds nice contrast.

Most hardscapes serve this function.

I have seen some this done with rock as well, I'll be doing that shortly for another tank I have not scaped yet but is more a temp home for fish. 

These scapes are not "natural", they do not pretend to be. The essence might be contained......but I would not consider them "nature scapes". My non CO2 tank is more natural and nature style than anything I have. 

I'm not sure what the 180 Gal is..........or is not........it's not really a nature style, nor is it dutch in most any way either. But it looks good, is easy to care for and I like it. 

One thing that is obvious in the USA, is that VERY few folks use steep slopes and vertical height well in their designs. Same for the tank shape, most use narrow widths and tall tanks. 

The other issue is that many in the USA are cheap.
Yep, the C word, it's a quasi religion for many.
Church of the cheap.

This applies to hardscaping materials, rock more than anything.

I sell driftwood commercially and to hobbyists here. I'm always on the prowl for the perfect piece. I honestly believe that access to good materials is one of the main issues.

So good materials, more use of vertical height, start simple, then build from there.

I will also say many simply do not know how to trim and prune, fluff, clean plants etc, or pick suitable species for a particular layout, they pick plants they like vs the plants best suited for the overall goal.
We all do this to some degree, _but if you can free yourself from collectoritus.......then you have a much more powerful ability to try and explore the artistic side._

A nice Japanese landscape cost a fair Yen...........and cost a lot more than the initial set up cost to maintain over time. That is the real part of the gardening that counts.....long term maintenance.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Tom, that part about "free yourself from collectoritus" rings true to me. I first tried live plants within the last few months, and I was so eager to start that I just dived in. I read that I needed lots of plants fast, so I bought whatever I could afford that week, trying to stick to what I'd read were low light plants. Now I have a jumble of stuff. No focal point. I started keeping a folder of tanks I liked when I saw them, so I could distill out of it what was attracting me to those tanks. One of the aspects I find I like is the restraint some people have in using limited plant varieties. The simplicity (which takes disclipine) and the tranquility, and the lack of chaos.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

plantbrain said:


> Likewise, some seem to brag about not doing as many water changes....as if it's some huge goal. Or add barely enough Ferts.........This type of quackery is nuts if the goal is truly art and scaping.
> 
> But that's my opinion...what do I know


One could also say the same about overworked automatic auto water change and dosing systems on 200 discus gallon tanks with only three groups of stems in a corner. :icon_excl At that point the "neato" factor begins to outweigh any artistic component.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

I have a story that may help to illustrate a few of the main points that I am attempting to answer in going forward with this philosophy and further developing it as a sort of movement.

Last christmas, I bought my younger brother a Do!Aqua 45-P and my parents a Mini-M mist back aquarium. Now, my younger brother is almost the complete opposite of me, and you could say does not cleanly fit any stereotype that would first keep a planted aquarium: he could very easily be labeled as the frat boy type. Now I realize how flawed stereotypes are, but it helps to create a -very- general picture of my brother. He enjoys hunting, working out religiously and has been a volunteer fireman through high school. 

If you were to say he had an aquarium, your first guess would likely be that it would be a larger tank with "monster fish," as opposed to a planted tank. 

However, when I setup a hardscape in the Mini M for low maintenance (no plants, just rock and sand hardscape) for my parents, he saw what I did and combined with the Book of ADA I gave him, became inspired to want to delve into the planted tank. He wanted what was in the book and he wanted something that looked cool like what I had set up for the parents. 

So, after a few months he finally set it up: he got some fluorite and found some squarish pieces of limestone and set them up in a manner that he could best see that replicated the pattern I used in the Mini-M. He didn't read deeply into philosophy or anything but he wanted so desperately to have something that had that kind of aesthetic to it. He then also purchased some bamboo plants and put them in the aquarium, and only after that did he consult with me about what I thought and if I had suggestions for fish. He at least naturally kept it to one school of tetra for fish. 

However, this would be considered a failure: what I see here is a masked opportunity: the drive and potential of the stereotypical "american" culture that is claimed to be "incapable," of higher discipline for a planted aquarium of the Amano-type caliber for cleanliness and execution. Of course, I will have to redo the tank with him and instruct him step by step what to do, but the experience here you can see is compelling enough to at least inspire people to try and that is a good thing.

But this also illustrates many hurdles that goes into the planted aquarium:

First, the equipment: what to get? People constantly short-change this aspect and doing so ends up in spending more money (or wasting money as it gets thrown out in frustration). 

At base you need: 1. Aquarium (preferably rimless so you don't block out any aspect of the aquascape from viewing, and rimless tanks tend to come in more aquascape-friendly orientations (e.g. being wider). 
2. Appropriate Lights 
3. Nutrient-Rich Substrate 
4. Pressurized Co2 system (diy if you have the patience, but skipping co2 injection does not win any awards, it really adds sooo many more problems and is one of the best investments you can make. Even if you quit and sell it off you can get most of your money back on this item) and diffuser. 
5. Filtration, preferably canister filter. Try to stick to canister filtration and lily pipes if you can: this means that you are able to keep as much equipment out of the tank as humanly necessary and canister filters add immense extra capacity for beneficial bacteria. 
6. Liquid Fertilizers. 

From the strict equipment side of things: invest in things that you want to keep, not necessarily whats the cheapest possible thing you can get away with. The idea is to have an item that will last for years through careful maintenance, with the aquarium or alternatively things that maintain their value enough that you can easily resell them for most of your money back later.

Hardscape & Aquascaping:

This hurdle is the very first present when it comes down to it: most aquascapes end up being mismatched or aren't very artistic at all: but that's okay. The best thing you can do is to invest in quality pieces to be able to make them as "plug and play" as possible. if it's not exactly perfect the first time, that's fine - you will be able to develop the ability to make small tweaks and adjustments as you learn more. however, if your base material is just flat or squarish stone, you are extremely limited in what you can do. There's just very little way to make it interesting or have punch. So this is definitely one area where you don't want to skimp out on.

Don't buy more: buy less at a higher quality. 

The next hurdle is planting:

You will need to have some sort of pincettes and eventually scissors for trimming, but at least some sort of pincette to plant, especially carpet plants. You should start with as much plant density as possible to fill up right away: read not more species (keep it short, keep it focused, learn to -grow- plants and make a nice layout with only one or a couple species to better learn their growing patterns. This will increase the effectiveness of your layout, as well as allow you to learn proper ways to keep them and builds into creating more complex layouts later: what they go well with, what you need to do to make them grow the way you invision etc.

Water Parameters & Growing:

Dosing, proper care for the plants, and learning what are the best water conditions is a hurdle most people never bother to learn and it severely hampers their ability for success. This is just part that needs to be learned: know what deficiencies look like, learn how to treat them, and eventually you will be able to read algae growth and trends and be able to predict how a tank will go over in the future imagine it's like using the force for planted aquariums. 

I've found that, unless you have really good tap water (i.e. dkh of about 2-3 and a neutralish pH), it's best to develop a habit of preparing RODI water with a dkh of 2 (seachem balance is great for this). Why I add this here is that it's just an unfair advantage for other places that have great natural tap-water and you shouldn't restrict yourself to dealing with hard water just because it's what's out of your tap. It's also very hazardous in certain situations. For example, here in Texas we've had a pretty harsh drought. This has caused our already hard water to become harder, and the level of dissolved salt in the tap to increase. What this meant for our planted aquariums is that even hair grass was struggling to grow and essentially the pores of the plants were blocked and the substrate started to calcify. Ever since that, I've sticked to preparing water with RODI and balance - easy enough, and doesn't take much extra effort in smaller aquariums. However a little more coordination is required for larger aquariums and a little more advanced planning. Also, a lower DKH allows you to safely saturate more Co2 into the water column without harming fish, which allows for a higher growing capacity in plants. However don't ever use just straight RODI water since it has no buffering capacity and the swings that could be caused can wipe out even a mature aquarium.

When it comes to maintenance - develop religious habits. This is what you need to do to ultimately cultivate excellent aquascapes. There is no excuse for a dirty algae ridden diffuser (it not only inhibits co2 distribution, but it also looks unsightly), nor is there for dirty lily pipes and algae covering the glass (blocking the aquascape underneath). 

Start small: develop habits of cleaning water stains off of equipment on a daily basis if necessary with a rag. Do a 1/3 water change every 4 days, (make sure to scrape algae first). Be -diligent- with removing algae. The moment you see BBA, remove it, scrape it off the rock, piece of driftwood, cut it from the leaf, just do it. Not removing it as soon as you see it causes major grief later. 

The cleaner you keep your equipment, the more resale value it holds, and more importantly the better you feel about your aquarium over time and the easier it gets to do it. Once you have a steady work flow going, you can do the 1/3 water change in no time at all. 

For now, i'll leave it off at that.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Interesting topic. I don't care so much for the concept of rules in art, fundamentals in technique sure.

I used to attempt to create Bonsai, I get it when I look at Amano San's work. No question I get the "Wa" of it. However, I don't think I'd do that style as I prefer a more Bio-type concept. maybe because I am an American? 

I looked at the pics of the ADA show(I think 2010) Funny the tank that "spoke" to me was ranked 27? A entry from Vietnam. It reminded me of what one might really see underwater, river bank and a small drop fade out to a open area.

Isn't that what art is? Something that speaks to you? 

As far as American's not having skills in Aquascaping? Could that be that there is no defined "style" here unlike Japan or Denmark?


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

it could perhaps be defined as there being "no" american style - but really the style of aquascaping is irrelevant. You could, as you say do a biotope inspired layout - or a "zen," iwagumi-esque type one, You could do an abstract nature interpretation, or go for any number of a wide variety of styles. 

However, what is lacking is more a consistency in fundamental techniques - a unified method to make it easier for people to learn and understand how to be successful in making the best possible layout they could have in their homes. It is my suggestion that there is a set of universally applicable fundamentals to being successful in a basic layout of any type - the minutiae details of placement of stems in a dutch tank vs. a "Nature Aquarium," would result in further study into those particular branches of the aquascaping "tree."

Obviously not every style speaks to every person - but there is a massive difference in taking pride in what you do, and simply suggesting to yourself "well I like it, so I'm not going to improve." 

It's an aggressive move for sure - but I feel it's a conversation that's long overdue and holds the utmost benefit to those who seek to refine their skills in keeping the planted aquaria. It is derivative of passion, which ultimately is what brought us to where we are today: we all want a great planted aquarium. We all want what we see in the photo's that inspire us. 

It's time we laid a common groundwork to make that "learning curve," transform from something only a select few ever attain to a small bump in the road that anyone can achieve. We can continue talking circles about what we've all been doing and seeing for years, or we can take that step forward into the dark unknown and define what it is to be an aquascaper. For ourselves, for the inspiration of our fellow hobbyists and for making what we do more accessible.

Like it or not, we are pioneers of our time for our hobby. We can either take up the challenge, or hide behind what is 'safe,' to do and say. It's time to either be Louis and Clark or be the other guys who decided to stay home.

I, for one, will press forward and am dedicated to support, help and converse with anyone who wishes to make the giant leap forward too.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

So your complaint with American aquascarpes is not lack of artistic vision as much as it is not striving for excellence in our work?


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

I would not be so arrogant as to claim that it is not a purposeful lack of striving for excellence. It is a myriad combination of artistic vision and of course fundamentals - but more precisely the best way to put it is to say more of a lack of proper guidance. At worst (or best depending on point of view) you could call it ignorance. We simply do not know what we are capable of, how to get there, or as a mass movement how to teach it.

It is a very common notion, and easy cope out to say simply "It cannot be taught." 

I challenge this notion by saying that we need to work to create that very foundation. Rather than having everyone so confused over what to focus on, we should provide those resources to increase our level and quality of work. 

For example - I have a luxury that most people do not have. It's not aquascaping material or access to plants or anything at all physical.

The luxury I have is, when I have a problem, I can find the answer to my question from a variety of accomplished aquascapers directly in my area within minutes. If I cannot find the answer that way, then I have direct access to ADA itself to find the answer to my question in what they do in their gallery. Whenever I've tried to find this information via internet search, I'm always met with a myriad of contradicting information and confusing articles and ultimately a saddened and frustrating experience.

My mission is to coalesce, combine and make available to anyone this body of knowledge in one unified format. To make this "luxury," into a democratized resource for everyone for the betterment of the hobby.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

ooh. If I was your brother, I'd instantly lose interest in having a tank. It seems to me that you think it's a failure because you don't like it. Does he? "Of course, I will have to redo the tank with him and instruct him step by step". What a turnoff to a new hobby. Is he a child? 
I _think_ I am starting to understand what you are saying in regard to striving for a higher, more polished goal than is typical of a hobbyist, but speaking as an artist with a BFA & MFA, it sounds to me that your underlying tone is more about technique than expressionism. Granted, it's a very fine line. Some people are very disciplined and methodical in their approach to creativity, others are spontaneous and experimental. Most fall somewhere inbetween. Your brother's tank is his first one so naturally he has much to learn about aquaria (as do I) but in the end you are two individuals and will approach all things in life from different perspectives and with different goals.
As you can probably tell, I fall into the spontaneous, barely disciplined group...lol


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Perhaps that was not the best sentence to use in regards to describing the scenario with my brother - it's not so much a "I have to redo it for him," but rather, because he wants what is in the Book of ADA, I will take the time to guide him and teach him the techniques to succeed for that vision: for example, the bamboo plants he has in there right now will rot completely. It's not so much a matter of wanting to do it differently than what he saw in the book, so much as it was an ignorance in how to create it.

And I am totally with you on the spontaneity of art - that is in fact, how I came to join this hobby and how I ended up through most of my life path. It's only been through the refinement of technique in the planted aquarium did I develop 'real' discipline in that regard. 

I believe that once you have an understanding of the fundamentals then you have the greatest ability to 'break' the rules in the most successful and profoundly impactful ways.

I wonder - how many great visions for aquascapes, just in this forum alone, have failed to meet what they had in mind only because they simply did not know how to attain what they wanted? Just for myself alone, I can count in the high twenties and thirties of failed concepts and attempts.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Ah, that explanation of working with your brother is much more appealing ; )


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

I think the real issue here is "American planted tank" hobbyists are a few years behind when it comes to the planted tank game. This is changing everyday with the new products geared more towards the planted tanks that has became available. I know that alot has changed with regards to what has became available to the hobbyist for planted tanks since I changed gears from reef to planted just in the last 5-6 years. I believe their is plenty of "American" planted tank hobbyist that are more than capable of competing with the European and Asian hobbyists. Tom Barr and Jason Baliban are two that are regulars on this site that have created a planted tank that in my opinion are just as beautiful as tanks from hobbyists from other regions. The hobby in the U.S. has been so focused on the reef keeping hobby that the planted tank side of everything is so new that it should be expected that we "Americans" are a little behind. I think with time and some more knowledge there will be a shift in this hobby. I see good things in the future of this hobby the more the information and products become mainstream. I have been a regular subscriber to TFH since 1992 and rarely remember seeing articles on the planted tank side of things until the last few years. Now almost every issue has at least 1 or 2 articles that pertain to the planted tank side of the hobby. I believe the more mainstream this side of the hobby becomes and the more information that becomes available the more people it will bring to the hobby. I thought I was going to make things easier on myself when I switched from the reef side of the hobby to the planted tank hobby but I couldn't have been more wrong. That is probably because of the limited amount of information that was available at the time. The only thing that it was easier on was my wallet. This hobby has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years and with time us "American" hobbyists will be just as capable of competing with those that have been in the planted tank game way before us.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Francis, one thing I've notice in my search for valuable information, is that it isn't often dished out.

For example, the aqua journal is one of the best sources I've found. It's pretty straight forward, only beating around the bush a few times before spitting out some info. But everything usually ends in so and so product acheiving the desired result.

What I personally need is theory lessons. I know I need a straight line in the substrate at the front, but I don't know why. I don't know what, or how the eye follows certain points and what can be done to achieve the desired result. I know about the golden rule, but even when Amano maps out his layouts with the golden ratio, he seems like he just slaps it on there and the layout fits. What determines the focal points? Is it the stick over there, or the mass of fern beyond it?

Are you actually planning on going more through the depths of what, where, why, how, and when you should do things to increase success and quality within our efforts?

Because that is what I need. I need a teacher, someone who can teach me how to create with the theory and technique to back it up. I'm all for learning... I would love to get better, but I need something to practice. I can tear apart my scapes over and over, but I don't have anything new to apply to the next one.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Hey Justin,

I definitely have something planned that will be on a level that will do it's best to explain all of it in one concise document. The most difficult part will be the development time of crafting photos. 

Unfortunately my laptop is in the shop but in another week and a half or so I should be able to begin some serious development towards a concentrated source of information on theory and technique. Something that hasn't quite been seen yet.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Francis Xavier said:


> Hey Justin,
> 
> I definitely have something planned that will be on a level that will do it's best to explain all of it in one concise document. The most difficult part will be the development time of crafting photos.
> 
> Unfortunately my laptop is in the shop but in another week and a half or so I should be able to begin some serious development towards a concentrated source of information on theory and technique. Something that hasn't quite been seen yet.


That's fantastic. I am really looking forward to it. I have been looking for something like this for a long time and I'm really psyched that you will be putting this together.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

justincgdick said:


> What I personally need is theory lessons. I know I need a straight line in the substrate at the front, but I don't know why. I don't know what, or how the eye follows certain points and what can be done to achieve the desired result. I know about the golden rule, but even when Amano maps out his layouts with the golden ratio, he seems like he just slaps it on there and the layout fits. What determines the focal points? Is it the stick over there, or the mass of fern beyond it?


Here's what you do.

_Look at the tank._

*What is your eye first drawn to?* Is that the first thing you want the viewer to see? Does it appear or feel balanced compared to the rest of the tank?

It's just a matter of asking yourself "Does this look right" over and over, and fixing it until you can say "yes".


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## kangared (Apr 7, 2011)

Would it be off to say this is like an art movement? I mean, I do consider aquascaping to be an art. But more involved, you know, like a think tank, like Parisian artists chilling in cafes discussing the tenants of their art. Instead of Impressionist painting, it's aquascaping.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Dollface said:


> Here's what you do.
> 
> _Look at the tank._
> 
> ...


Yes, that helps a little. But what is it that causes you to see one thing and follow through to another, etc. What can you do to increase the balance, what breaks it up, etc.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Francis Xavier said:


> ... I have a luxury that most people do not have...


In a word: Mentor

I tend to feel that is the true answer to your struggle with fellow American Aquascapers is lack of mentorship. Rules & regulations, are just words without a mentor to bring them to life. It also takes one's peer group to amplify importrence of attaining excellence.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Francis Xavier said:


> WARNING: Do Not Read If This Sort of Thing Does Not Appeal To You Within The First Paragraph.
> 
> I have struggled over the past few months, on a philosophical level, with the overall state of aquascaping in the United States. Every year I see overall rankings in contests ( which is not an absolute metric ) for The Americas drop, and increasingly see more developed and more well defined Aquascaping from other countries around the world, while we increasingly stay in the dark ages.
> 
> ...


 
Philosophie's like loyalty,, are based largely on emotions and as such ,,most content can readily be drained from coversations on these.
Dare I say politic's as well?
Aquascaping ,lest one is entering into competition,should be about what makes YOU happy and pleases your eyes.
Screw everyone else.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

roadmaster said:


> Aquascaping ,lest one is entering into competition,should be about what makes YOU happy and pleases your eyes.
> Screw everyone else.


I agree completely. 
As an artist, I despise rules. Hitler arrested and executed artists that dared to paint skies other than blue, and grass other than green...
Unless you are in competition and can't/don't want to shake things up, stick to someone else's rules. I feel basics such as compostion, perspective, etc. are useful and should be learned, but I also think trial and error and practice teaches these things better than dusty old rulebooks.
Using 2d art to compare by, I have a very good friend with tremendous natural artistic talent. However, she buys all the supplies she can - multiple media - and asks me to teach her the "rules" so she can make professional level artwork instantly, with no learning curve. She doesn't want to practice painting, she wants to start at the top. Her "philosophy" is that she (and anyone) should be able to learn technique from a book and apply it instantly. Personal intuitiveness never factors in. I find it annoying to paint around her as she insists my brain must be like a textbook and I could simply tell what to do. Having had wonderful mentors and teachers, as well as terrible ones, I personally feel that for me, mentoring works best when it's a small percent of mentoring/push to explore, and mostly self exploration. 
Look at all you can. Decide what pleases you and _think_ and work for yourself to unravel the mystery of how to achieve it.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Methodology is very hard to decipher from the available information I have ready access to Francis. I have a copy of Peter Hiscock’s Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants out of the library right now and having read it cover to cover there is a lot I find lacking. As for the internet, I remember when I first went online to Prodigy and the would be Aquarium police insisted that you couldn’t run an aquarium without an under-gravel filter. These things too are trendy. I do still have a copy of the Innes book. 
Amano’s works have a lot more clarity when it comes to specifics. He seems to have developed a plant specific methodology that comes with all the necessary paraphernalia. Something other suppliers seem to miss because they never produce products focused on this simple segment of the aquarium trade. 
Something along the lines of you put these things in a box of water and you do this for the first few days and then this for the first month or two and then this once a week there after would be very helpful. Along with a specific explanation of this particular plant needs these things and this color of leaf spot is caused by this a lack of this. 

If I have one objection to the modern trend in aquascaping it is this, I want seasons.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I totally agree that most Americans are well below other aquascapers from the rest of the world, mostly Asia.

For me, I think the first reason is American people are far less disciplined than others when it comes to a hobby in general. I grew up working on Japanese cars, for example, and in Japan, modified cars usually have the goal of meeting or exceeding OEM quality. In the states, many people will half ass the details as long as everything works. So, you will find the overall performance of the cars similar but the details will be vastly different.

I think this mentality is the same with aquascaping here. It's not uncommon at all for someone to not want to invest in high quality materials, be it a tank, filter, hardscape, etc. Then you have the flip side, people will buy the newest everything around, just to have the best equipment. Either one has a mentality behind it that is making up for lack of planning. 

Look at lighting, rarely do people actually have the correct lighting for their application. So many people go extremely overboard, thinking they can find a way to make it work. Or, they let their lighting limit them (more rare but it happens). This is not an area that is really challenging to figure out. Plenty of people have purchased expensive equipment to test lighting, took time to compare many fixtures, and shared it with the world. People just seem to not want to acknowledge it. This mentality shows people don't want to learn. They will put in a bunch of work to attempt to fix an easy mistake, rather than just fixing the source.

Then, people really don't want to learn how to grow plants. If it's challenging, they tend to just redo something. Some are intimidated, some just don't want to put in the work. Tom Barr said it best, learn how to grow plants, not fight algae (or something to that extent). 

These are the absolute basics of a planted aquarium. So, when it comes down to the true detail of things, hard scape, plant choice, equipment choice, you get the same. People are striving for "good enough" at best. The don't look to perfect the layout, they just hope nobody will care that something is off. They get board and add colorful stems on a tank that is supposed to be simple. 


I don't want to make Americans out to be lazy, I think for many people, they will only dig so deeply into a hobby. I don't mind that mentality for the "run what you brung" crowd that just is making the minimal investment to have some fun. When I see people with $10,000+ invested into the hobby, I don't really get it as much, especially when you have over $5000 in a single tank. Learn, rescape, get better, repeat. 

I know I bring up a lot of non aquascaping things. First, the other things are obviously key to make a great tank. Secondly, if you are not striving to be a perfectionist on the basics, you will likely have the mentality to not be a perfectionist when it comes down to making an amazing hardscape (if we are talking natural).

Trust me, I am just trying to change the same mentality I am speaking of. I am trying to learn more about both growing plants at their best, not just growing them, and getting my scapes perfect. It makes the hobby much more challenging but that's what it lacked for me. I could make something look good enough to impress others but not be where I wanted. There isn't a tank I have done that I can't easily find and obvious issue I don't like ascetically.


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

I still think any lag in USA vs the world gas more to do with exposure and competition with other things we're exposed to. I think there are plenty of great USA tanks out there. Can't just the rest of world by what we see in magazines and assume all are at the same level. 

I think this has far more to do with exposure and volume. For instance, nearly everyone I know ha, or has had a fish tank. None have ever put a real plant in it. Why not?

Because the LFS or mega stores we see fish in don't. If they do, they are very simple, not the kind of thing that draws people on to try. So what are folks here exposed to...reefs, bubbling clam shells, plastic plants...? What if every store looked like an ADA store? What if every store was knowledgable? 

There are over 300M Americans and relatively few of us. So what's the average American's inspiration? Not advanced planted tanks. Rarely see them in a store, or home. I doubt our tanks come to mind when Americans think of aquariums.

I think it's that simple - Exposure relative to competing pass times and the lack of inspiration from the industry here.


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## jaybugg13 (Sep 4, 2007)

talontsiawd said:


> For me, I think the first reason is American people are far less disciplined than others when it comes to a hobby in general.


I can't agree with this more. Perhaps I would even suggest that the lack of expose, knowledge and resources is systemic of the fact that American's don't have the same level of discipline. In other words we do it for our own enjoyment where in other places it's done for the sake of itself. It might be enjoyable, but it's only enjoyable when it's done correctly. Half of my family members immigrated to Canada from Asia so I feel fairly confident in saying this basic difference drives a whole host of behavioral differences. 

On a side note it is interesting that when we start to call the tanks art (without question they are) we seem to want to forget all the rules etc, however the reason the rules exist in the first place is because they were observed in nature. Either in the wild where aquatic plants grow, or in the case of aesthetics, the rules were broadly implied from a study of ourselves and how we relate to the subject (what looks good).


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

jaybugg13 said:


> I can't agree with this more. Perhaps I would even suggest that the lack of expose, knowledge and resources is systemic of the fact that American's don't have the same level of discipline. In other words we do it for our own enjoyment where in other places it's done for the sake of itself. It might be enjoyable, but it's only enjoyable when it's done correctly. Half of my family members immigrated to Canada from Asia so I feel fairly confident in saying this basic difference drives a whole host of behavioral differences.
> 
> On a side note it is interesting that when we start to call the tanks art (without question they are) we seem to want to forget all the rules etc, however the reason the rules exist in the first place is because they were observed in nature. Either in the wild where aquatic plants grow, or in the case of aesthetics, the rules were broadly implied from a study of ourselves and how we relate to the subject (what looks good).


This may seem off topic but I actually have another hobby that I find to have similarities (and I am much better at it). I produce hip hop instrumentals. I have done work at a professional level and hope it can become a profession for me. The difference is, it's far more competitive than aquascaping but the wrong mentalities come up in the same way.

Someone will ask me how I make a beat. It's almost impossible for me to explain as I have devoted 8 years of my life to learning how to make hip hop beats, plus played clarinet for 8-9 years, and took piano classes and music theory classes throughout college. They don't want to hear the basics and the fact it takes practice to get further than where you are. Some progress faster than others be the key word is "Progress". It doesn't just happen over night or from a good tip someone gives you.

Then, you get someone who is starting to get on the right track. This is where this gets really similar to this conversation. "How do you mix your beats to sound like that?" Well, I have been practicing for a long time on one side. The other part is I have invested in great speakers, acoustic treatment, and programs that allow me to manipulate things the way I want. Most people are not content with practicing or investing money. They want the silver bullet. I could not do it solely on knowledge, nor solely on equipment. They work harmoniously together (most of the time).


Trust me, I think it's perfectly find to just enjoy something and not really care about the details. But, if you want to be good at something, or more so aspire to be great, you have to invest a bunch of time, energy, money, and sweat into it. If not, you will have a hard time getting past average. It's fine to be average if you enjoy it. Most people will be average (at best) at anything at first. But, if you want to exceed the norm, you need to have the knowledge and equipment to do it right.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

kangared said:


> Would it be off to say this is like an art movement? I mean, I do consider aquascaping to be an art. But more involved, you know, like a think tank, like Parisian artists chilling in cafes discussing the tenants of their art. Instead of Impressionist painting, it's aquascaping.


In our own small way, I believe you could be correct in saying something that effect. But really, I think that's something more that's said after the fact than during the event itself.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Talont, 

I think you are correct in your analogy where it applies. 

It's that to really excel it requires a difficult coordination of a great many things: technique, a mastery of the basics, good quality equipment and experience.

There's a pain and suffering tax to be paid for experience: but the rewards tend to be much greater than they are than if it were completely easy. For example, the 60-P in our video has struggled with cloudy water, even to the point where it wasn't completely clear after water changes, which was eventually sourced to our drought conditions after the tap.

Today, (the aquarium had a water change on Friday) when I walked in the aquarium was completely cloudy and looked like a mess. So I modified and implemented my formula of RODI and seachem equilibrium to add back necessary elements to the water, and the water is so incredibly crystal clear and the plants are so incredibly vibrant at the moment, while the aquarium is immaculately clean that it has come to stir a deep kind of emotional attachment of the aquarium. Because it was so difficult due to parameters out of our control entirely, it brought about a whole new appreciation for the clarity of the water, the cleanliness of the aquarium and the beauty of the plants growing in - it literally looks in person like it was mocked up and edited for extreme HD in that marketing fantasy-photorealism way. Except in this case, it's the reality of the aquarium.

It's moments like that that make the diligence worth it and reinforces the good habits for later refinement. 

However, many will inevitably lose to frustration again and again at certain points or will settle for conditions that are not quite what they originally mentioned out of an idea of laziness or lack of knowing. 

But through hammering through these roadblocks, we can achieve things that are much greater than they are now - again, why settle for less for your enjoyment? Why accept mediocrity? Because it is easier? 

We should reject these notions and embrace a philosophy of continual self-improvement, as well as support for that improvement. Rather than lazily accepting a lesser standard and blaming it on cultural norms or values. I say we throw that out!


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Here is another story to illustrate:

While I was living in Seattle, I first really delved into the attempt to further refine and develop a philosophical approach to the planted aquarium. This first run of things centered squarely on Iwagumi and Minimalist design - of course in retrospect I would say that it was incomplete, and required further development. And in many ways this discourse is an outgrowth and development of that start.

During the time I had two nano iwagumi's setup near each other in a way that emphasized both aquariums to be seen together. They both had the same plant selections (just the basics, hc and hair grass) and both had the same stone type.

It was about that time that I had become more involved with the local club, and it wasn't too long before finally I would invite people over to see the layouts, thinking that they were nothing too overly special (albeit with at the time, considerably more ego). It would be the first time I would expose layouts to people in such a way in any real manner as the first layouts I ever did, did nothing but inspire a 'meh,' out of people who weren't in the hobby. 

The first meeting went much better than I had ever hoped for - people were inspired to see it. There was a certain buzz that had developed around the aquariums. The people originally coming through were judging their own Home Show competition. It wasn't long after that, that pictures taken of the aquarium began to leak out and spread on the local basis and soon I had people visiting me again on a one-on-one basis, all swept away by seeing what was to the majority of them, their first 'iwagumi.' The far reach was something I never quite anticipated, but one story in particular stands out in my memory:

there was one particular hobbyist who had previously tried unsuccessfully to grow HC, mostly from the emmersed form into the submerged form. This hobbyist absolutely insisted upon getting some HC from my aquarium at the moment I did a trimming. When I finally did go to trim the aquarium and provide said person with the HC they wanted, they treated it as if it were somehow different from other portions of HC - that all else being the same it would inspire a level of success beyond what they had had with previous attempts. 

Oddly enough, this person did very successfully grow her own HC from this portion, and was utterly convinced of the quality of the plant attributing towards it. This in a way is a sort of faith that is inspired when we are able to start focusing on reaching higher levels in our own techniques through diligence and experience. 

In fact, I would warrant to guess that this kind of diligence and careful adherence to technique is a lot with what has to do with the foundation of "Amano Magic," as the best example I can think of.

A photo of that past scape:


Mini L - "The Id" by Francis "X" Wazeter, on Flickr


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

My 2 cents. There are lots of Great aquascapers in America but the majority aren't at that level. How many people do you think in Asia are at the top tier level? There's probably countless folks with crappy looking scapes for every top 100 iaplc placer. 

Another issue is that so many struggle with growing plants to begin with. I see it a lot on this forum. Lighting is too high, too much poorly done DIY stuff etc. it's hard to think about scaping when the basics aren't there. 

Avaliability is another problem. How many stores focus on plants? I'm lucky to live in the bay area and have some of the best shops here but how many are that lucky? and for that matter how many companies out there focus on us? Reefing is what brings in the big bucks. At my lfs, even after an extremely busy day on the planted side of our store it almost never reaches even half of the saltwater revenue. Look at how many companies bring out products for reef stuff.

Look how quickly LEDs have grown on their side of the hobby. The most advanced and feature packed lights on our site pales in comparison to the stuff I've seen on the reef forums. And so far I think we're one of the very few planted forums that even does LED stuff. I posted my led builds on apc and was met with a lot of speculation about how LEDs can't grow plants still. 

Anyways, I'm way off topic now but the jist of what I'm trying to say is that I guess until planted tanks becomes more mainstream and accessible, and until the basics of healthy plant growth are set in stone, we will continue to lag behind everyone else.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Really, I only used the IAPLC / aquascaping competitions as a very loose metric. It's not a question of volume of hobbyists into planted aquariums in the USA vs. other countries. It's more just a metric that we're by and large just not ranking really at all. 

Sure, the industry focuses more on Reef and mass-market kits. But just because we don't have 700,000 (rough # of saltwater aquarium owners in the USA) people in the planted hobby - and if you said perhaps we just have 30,000, that absolutely should not be what we are fixated on.

Raw numbers will increase as information becomes more readily available and as the aquarium hobby as a whole grows and people are opened up to hardscape aquascaping and other less maintenance intensive versions of aquascaping (which will naturally result in more planted tank aquascapers). 

LEDs will be developed further as numbers and demand grows. That's not even a real hang up here though. 

Really - there is nothing in our way to stop us from progressing with just the core we have now. I'd rather have 200 hobbyists that are awesome than 700,000 that can't scape their way out of a paper bag. 

We have all of the equipment available - ADA is readily available to anyone. There are a myriad of competitor products now that perform the same functions. There are lights out there that work and work appropriately, there are co2 systems and a full range of support in terms of chemicals and liquid fertilizers from seachem, ADA, etc etc. 

It's true that you can't just walk into any old store and just pick up what you need (for example, I couldn't for the life of me find much in the way of product that I needed anywhere in Houston short of us ordering it from a supplier or online). But there are sales online, and as far as live plants, there is a great trade going on even here on just TPT.

This doesn't make gaining plants and materials the easiest of tasks - but it makes it possible and it's prevalent enough to where it shouldn't serve as a stopgap to prevent further refinement.

I absolutely agree - there needs to be a great deal of time dedicated to just learning how to grow plants as that is the core. Really, placing the hardscape is the easy part of the endeavor. 

It comes down to: we have the resources. We just need to improve ourselves and refine our common practices and methodology.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

While Frank makes some excellent points, I think IAPLC isn't a good benchmark for "why Americans suck at aquascaping". Many of the high-placing tanks are abovewater landscape replicates. Amano talks about these in his latest book - he labels them as "Asian" style (in contrast to a "German" biotope style).

Well, the Asian countries can keep their mini-landscapes, as far as I'm concerned. I suspect the reason they are popular is that it is much harder for the average person in China or Japan (or some countries in Europe) to go out and experience nature for themselves. Americans have the luxury of living in a (relatively) thinly populated country, and most can see natural landscapes in a few hours' drive, regardless of where they're located. I have no desire to turn Alaskan glaciers, the Mojave Desert, or the Great Smoky Mountains into a desktop tank. What would be the point, when I can see it for myself?

I do think there's more of a demand for biotopes. American tanks are primarily about the fish, which is not a bad thing at all! We like our fish! Seeing a fish in an excellent representation of its natural habitat is very cool - for instance, one of our local club members has put together a gorgeous discus biotope with manzanita branches and shimmering LEDs, and it looks better than any Amano-style discus tank I've seen.

I do agree that planted tanks in general aren't that popular here - the high-end and arguably most "American"-style tanks are the reef tanks.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

The IAPLC is composed of judges from all around the world, including from America, Europe etc. Might be as many european judges as there are asian ones.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Hardscape availability, support and geography holds the average American back in my opinion. 

Unless you live near Houston or San Fransisco, you don't have access to a large selection of hardscape. Hardscape is best picked out in person to fit the vision of your scape. Lots of details and perspective is missing in pictures. Who wants to pay shipping on 50lbs of rock? What if that awesome piece of wood you bought from TPT comes and it is a simidge too big/tall/long and throws your whole look off? What if you want a multiple wood piece scape? Very hard to pick from pictures.

Asia for the most part is very small or centralized. They also have much nicer LFS that support the hobby. You can go to any major city in Asia and find multiple LFS that would put 99% of American LFS to shame. What if you live in Wyoming or Montana? Great for cowboys not so much for aquascaping. 

Lastly, we GENERALLY have much nicer front and backyards than Asians and Europeans. Aquascapers live though their tanks because they all live in apartments in Asia and Europe. I bet the millions of hardcore gardeners would make some fantastic scapes if they had no yard to work on.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Francis Xavier said:


> The IAPLC is composed of judges from all around the world, including from America, Europe etc. Might be as many european judges as there are asian ones.


So why such a heavy representation of what Amano calls "Asian" mini-landscapes? He doesn't really do them personally, but 4 out of the top 5 scapes at last year's IAPLC followed this style, and the only top10 scape we've seen from IAPLC 2011 does also.


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## Bahugo (Apr 18, 2011)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Hardscape availability, support and geography holds the average American back in my opinion.
> 
> Unless you live near Houston or San Fransisco, you don't have access to a large selection of hardscape. Hardscape is best picked out in person to fit the vision of your scape. Lots of details and perspective is missing in pictures. Who wants to pay shipping on 50lbs of rock? What if that awesome piece of wood you bought from TPT comes and it is a simidge too big/tall/long and throws your whole look off? What if you want a multiple wood piece scape? Very hard to pick from pictures.
> 
> ...


I agree with this whole heartily. 

I would love to be able to get materials locally, one thing that scares me about ordering driftwood or other materials offline is you really can't tell what it looks like, or the feel of the piece etc. I would love to be able to go to a LFS and pick up and eye it with my own eyes not through a camera picture, and hold it in my own hand to get a feel the shape and see all the small crannies of the piece. 

It honestly is rather disappointing that for me too further my aquascaping endeavors 90% of everything I would use would have to come from online. I have nothing wrong with the internet or ordering things offline, but you really don't get the full effect of the plant or wood or rock or fish or shrimp (etc etc etc) from a picture, or a youtube video, or someones description. I enjoy picking things out in person, I will pay the extra few bucks for the gratification that I get from buying something I want, not what I think will work from an online picture.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Keep in mind, though, we can pick out hardscape materials from landscaping rockyards. There's often quite a diversity of stones to choose from, often at 10% the cost of stones from ADA.


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## BradH (May 15, 2008)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Hardscape availability, support and geography holds the average American back in my opinion.
> 
> Unless you live near Houston or San Fransisco, you don't have access to a large selection of hardscape. Hardscape is best picked out in person to fit the vision of your scape. Lots of details and perspective is missing in pictures. Who wants to pay shipping on 50lbs of rock? What if that awesome piece of wood you bought from TPT comes and it is a simidge too big/tall/long and throws your whole look off? What if you want a multiple wood piece scape? Very hard to pick from pictures.
> 
> ...


These are my thoughts exactly.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Hardscape availability, support and geography holds the average American back in my opinion.
> 
> Unless you live near Houston or San Fransisco, you don't have access to a large selection of hardscape. Hardscape is best picked out in person to fit the vision of your scape. Lots of details and perspective is missing in pictures. Who wants to pay shipping on 50lbs of rock? What if that awesome piece of wood you bought from TPT comes and it is a simidge too big/tall/long and throws your whole look off? What if you want a multiple wood piece scape? Very hard to pick from pictures.
> 
> ...





Bahugo said:


> I agree with this whole heartily.
> 
> I would love to be able to get materials locally, one thing that scares me about ordering driftwood or other materials offline is you really can't tell what it looks like, or the feel of the piece etc. I would love to be able to go to a LFS and pick up and eye it with my own eyes not through a camera picture, and hold it in my own hand to get a feel the shape and see all the small crannies of the piece.
> 
> It honestly is rather disappointing that for me too further my aquascaping endeavors 90% of everything I would use would have to come from online. I have nothing wrong with the internet or ordering things offline, but you really don't get the full effect of the plant or wood or rock or fish or shrimp (etc etc etc) from a picture, or a youtube video, or someones description. I enjoy picking things out in person, I will pay the extra few bucks for the gratification that I get from buying something I want, not what I think will work from an online picture.


I too agree it's hard to find nice material. Where I live there is little water, and lots of evergreens. Finding wood is a big problem. I've found my best option is to order a big ol' box of wood, take what I want, and sell the rest. Due to the large order I can usually sell what's left for what I paid in total, recouping my money. The effort required is what I pay for the material. 



kuni said:


> Keep in mind, though, we can pick out hardscape materials from landscaping rockyards. There's often quite a diversity of stones to choose from, often at 10% the cost of stones from ADA.


I've tried this. I've found a few decent types of stone, but the majority looks the same as my unpaved driveway. It's all slate or that grey gravel stuff. Sure it's $10 for a trunk-load, but it's free off the ground and the same stuff. Finding something like seiryu or dragonstone, etc.; things with character, is more difficult. I've actually just bit the bullet and paid the shipping. I ended up paying $3.40 a pound all said and done for seiryu, but that was half luck. My lfs has dragon stone - or Ohko Stone from ADA for $3.00 a pound, so I slowly buy it. I have about 80 pounds so far, and I know I should select quality, but who knows what will look the best when I actually use it. I do however try to select the best colours that match and skip bulky or useless shaped rocks. Some just don't match the rest and they don't make the cut.


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

I think most of the people in America don't Aquascape but keep planted tanks. This is not to say they still aren't beautiful, but they don't have a definite hardscape and the fish are more important. Even nature aquarium have the hardsape. 

I have not yet set my tank up, in 4 days I get my 60-P at AFA and hardscape, but I have been planing for months, reading articles on Iwagumi so I can have a better understanding, and hopefully a better scape.


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## niko (Mar 8, 2006)

We are not only Bad. At. Aquascaping. 

We are also Bad. At. Understanding. How. A. Planted. Tank. Should. Be. Run. Real bad.

It'd be wise to watch a few videos of the ADA's contest judging - the public portion of it that shows the first 20 or so contestants, the judges, the comments, the way everybody behaves. It will give you a glimpse why US aquascapers do not and will never place well.

That would be a good start. Just a start and nothing else. And I think that's what Xavier here actually did with the first post in this thread.

--Nikolay


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

As long as you people think imitating Japanese aquariums is the point no American Aquascaping will ever be of much value. Amano didn’t look at pictures of aquariums when he started he looked to Japanese landscapes.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Like I've mentioned repeatedly - it's not about imitating the Japanese aquascapes themselves. Taking some lessons of diligence and care? Sure, that's applicable.

The actual style of design is totally and 100% up to the person crafting the scape - if you want to imitate Japanese style, sure, go for it? Asian "mini-landscape," okay great! Dutch style? Not a problem. 

But whatever the style, extra care should be taken to learn the basics, get a good solid foundation of the principles and technique. And then from there start branching out.

As much as I absolutely hate saying the phrase 'golden ratio,' that's one good example - there's nothing expressly "Japanese," about it, but applying that concept of focal point management and placement to any layout reaps a much more pleasurable layout.

Of course, if you are only into growing plants, that's totally great as well. But, even then a little extra attention to arrangement can increase enjoyment immensely.

It's the difference between growing some weeds in your yard and saying you're a gardener and actually plotting out in a patch of dirt what will grow where and why.

The point being, is that universally applicable techniques, principles and guidelines apply as a set to -any- style.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Francis Xavier said:


> We should reject these notions and embrace a philosophy of continual self-improvement, as well as support for that improvement. Rather than lazily accepting a lesser standard and blaming it on cultural norms or values. I say we throw that out!


I think a wiser approach to management can be done to achieve the laziness + aesthetic goal. Choosing the correct plants........choosing the correct lighting(less not more)........good sediment........good hardscape...........

These things are universal no matter which style or design one might do, and makes the horticulture easier.

Yes, we can all power through and make any method work to a high level, but a nice tank does not define a method. I think to achieve a good aesthetic goal, good management will lead to a higher % of success. We need folks to be able to garden and NOT get bogged down with algae........ferts.....gassing their fish with CO2.........ignoring light intensity......etc.......

Only when the basics are mastered, will many be able to get to a higher level.
Many work VERY hard and still end up struggling.

This is very frustrating for them.
Not all are highly tenacious.

I'm more interested in "what, why, when and how...".....so it is less frustrating when I went through much of these issues in the past. 

In re reading some Sprung and Delbeek's articles and books on reefs, they seem to approach things with a similar view. We may be able to learn a lot from other areas of the hobby, while not entirely analogous..........there are some good points they make.

Anyhoo........I learned a great deal by approaching things in this manner.....and can work my management very effectively to suit a particular scaping goal.

Many have poo pooed the non CO2 method.
So I did something different:



















Betta macrostoma pair are in here. 110% piggy eaters.

This tank gets little care, but needs little, it's non CO2.
Light is relatively low, I need a light when I walk into my home also.......so this tank is on most during the evening.

Stand matches the floor somewhat, it is not too large for the space.......people really enjoy this tank as do I. I made good use of the wood as I have well....truck loads of it. This type of "style" is EASY and has a very high degree of success rate %, and is very very easy to care for.

I have another tank that is mid and another than is high in terms of work effort to achieve the goal.

I also tend to have more fish.......because I love the fish as well.
These are my goals........and might not fit with the Japanese aesthetic and *their contest.*. I scape for myself and no one else however. Likewise, when I did a macro algae planted tank, ADA nor AGA would allow it in a contest..........there is something new....but too new for them
My new SPS seagrass tank will be as experimental and "new", but neither will be judged as a planted tank. I guess marine plants do not count because many lack the skill set required to keep them and have no knowledge of the plants.

I looked at several of the UK folk's tanks, they quickly have had their hobby become much much better in the last 5 years. They espoused lower light and good care. They did not worry too much about ferts, instead focusing on light/CO2. They have not yet embraced sediment ferts.........but I suspect that will be forthcoming.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Francis Xavier said:


> Like I've mentioned repeatedly - it's not about imitating the Japanese aquascapes themselves. Taking some lessons of diligence and care? Sure, that's applicable.
> 
> The actual style of design is totally and 100% up to the person crafting the scape - if you want to imitate Japanese style, sure, go for it? Asian "mini-landscape," okay great! Dutch style? Not a problem.
> 
> ...


I read a few good articles, I'll dig them up and see if we can get some things going here.

They brought up some good ideas.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

I also think it's important to not bog down on being overly reactionary to "we are bad..." etc etc. That isn't precisely the point of the statement - I've seen and read through a lot of responses that detail excuses as to "well this is why we aren't as good as the others," which mostly have to do with controllable factors in individual mindsets - just because American culture at large isn't exactly fabricated for such things, as individuals we are capable of doing anything we want to.

It's not a "grass is greener," comparison, it's not a "well lets enter the contest!" statement (that's only a comparative statement, I mean, we should at least be able to rank highly in our -own- contest (AGA), but that's not precisely the point, it's merely an illustration towards other aquascapers improvement. 

The point of the original line that "we are bad," is meant to be taken as an inward reflection: Rather than looking at it like "okay, well, all is hopeless!" it's a self-evaluative piece.

What do I do really well?

What do I need improvement in?

What is my weakness? 

How can I improve on the middle ground and turn the weakness into strength?

It requires a deal of inward reflection and outside guidance to make this kind of progress. Even at the higher end of the industry - there isn't much in the way of 'guidance,' no magic recipe. It all has to come from within to push the limits of what you are capable of doing.

But there is a recipe towards creating that mindset that is capable of constant continual improvement. 

Where does it start? Not with Co2. Not with any equipment. Not even with plants or aquascaping material.

It starts, and you will think I am crazy, but: with something as simple as cleaning water stains off of your aquarium and making sure filtration pipes are kept clean. It starts with keeping up with a water change regime. 

Small, tiny, itsy bitsy steps. The things that we don't relate what-so-ever with anything at all in terms of learning the planted aquarium.

*As an exercise, here's what I want anyone who is interested in experiencing it to do tonight, this weekend, whenever (the sooner you do it and don't put it off, the better).*

Go home, take out all of your aquascaping tools, and look at all of your equipment and your aquarium. Evaluate it's condition. 

The easiest steps: take one dry cloth and one slightly damp cloth. Use the damp cloth to remove every single water stain from every piece of glassware you have. If you have an algae razor, use it to remove hard water stains from the rim of your aquarium. Remove any dust on filters, light switches etc. Lightly dab stains with water and quickly dry to remove stains. Repeat this on any stainless steel equipment.

If you're really feeling into it, take your filter off, and clean the lily pipes (or other filter output) with a tube brush. Thoroughly clean the hosing with the same tube brush, running water through it in a sink as you do it to remove the debris. 

Scrape all the algae off of the inside glass of the aquarium. To spot algae that isn't immediately viewable looking straight at the glass, look "behind," each pane of glass by looking at it from an angle and you should see a light coating of GDA. Remove that with an algae pad (not a mag float) or a razor. 

Then do a water change - it can be small, just to remove some of the excess debris. Use the aquarium water to gently rinse and clean out your filter media and take the canister and clean out the inside from any debris. 

Try to make your equipment look like new. Then re-attach everything and fill up any water you changed. 

When you step back and see the result of your hard work. I bet you a bottle of Green Bacter that you'll be more content if even for a second with the work you put into the aquarium. That feeling that you feel at that moment, even though you think you were doing absolute bs during all of those tasks, will slowly grow and inspire you to continue to do it, and from there to continue to improve upon all your other skills. I promise you, you will feel even more proud of your aquarium then.

This is the gateway.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

I'm not quite understanding the premise here. I do agree with some of your points but the idea that choosing the right equipment, materials, and being diligent with your maintenence routine doesn't equate being good at aquascaping. I have been involved in the aquarium hobby for over 25 years and seen trends come and go. The planted aquarium concept in regards with aquascaping is fairly new. I have put much thought into the equipment I use and I'm very consistent with the maintenence of my tank and its equipment but yet I would still say I'm not very good as far as the aquascaping side goes. I can grow plants and have a nice looking planted aquarium but that in no way results in being good at aquascaping. I would consider myself still pretty new when it comes to the planted side of the hobby even though I have kept a planted tank for about 6 years now. The idea that doing something a certain way will result in being a good aquascaper does have some merit but experience is the best way to advance in a hobby such as this. I think if information was more readily shared about what I would consider a fairly new side of the hobby, that would be the biggest help in getting us where we need to be. New ideas and concepts will come with time but getting people to understand the basics is a start.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

I think aquascaping and planted aquariums are two different things.

Americans don't succeed at planted tanks because there isn't a single good CO2 solution available at big box pet stores (or many local fish stores). If there was an idiot-proof way, or if ADA-style canisters cost $5 to refill instead of $15 and disposable. Heck, even a foolproof, well-designed yeast CO2 system would help...if it was available on a wide scale.

Aquascaping is a whole different can of worms, and there's no reason folks can't learn it. Heck, ADG has shown that plastic plant tanks can look amazing, better than 75% of the planted tanks on this forum, quite frankly. Unfortunately, many of the conventional pet store plastic plants don't look very good, so the average person going to Petsmart won't have access to what they need.

As I've mentioned above, there's little in the way of supply, and not THAT much in the way of demand, not with reef tanks being the the status symbol. No supply + no demand = no market.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

You are correct in saying that just because you have diligent maintenance and good equipment does not equate directly to being good at aquascaping.

Rather, what it is is an enabling mindset: practice in meticulous care for the maintenance of your equipment and selection of what you choose to invest in translates into the same mindset being translated into care for your aquascapes and the diligence necessary to be successful on another level. 

The whole picture requires an in depth mix of quite a few variables: experience, exposure, the right equipment, diligent care, selection of materials, knowledge to grow plants, etc. 

This is merely one component of the whole picture: and an easy step to take to start developing that meticulous mindset. Like I said, I know it sounds crazy, however it is a crucial step in taking that "giant leap forward."

Cultivate the mindset.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Great exercise. Definately a step in the right direction.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

Francis Xavier said:


> You are correct in saying that just because you have diligent maintenance and good equipment does not equate directly to being good at aquascaping.
> 
> Rather, what it is is an enabling mindset: practice in meticulous care for the maintenance of your equipment and selection of what you choose to invest in translates into the same mindset being translated into care for your aquascapes and the diligence necessary to be successful on another level.
> 
> ...


It's like a pride in ownership sort of mentality that people have with their homes or cars. You start out keeping up with the easier things making them look their best - fresh paint, neat and well mowed lawn, clean windows, etc. After a while that mentality spreads to what else can I do to improve my home's appearance. You read some books on landscaping and gardening, get an idea of what you want and find out what plants and materials work for where you want to go. Is it perfect at first? No, but you continue refining it, getting ideas from those with landscapes you like, etc.

Frank, very good thread you've started. It's good to get away from the usual surface topics and dig a bit deeper.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Just for illustration, to add a few more pictures and less text to the thread, here are some photos I took from my mobile phone (which don't really give it justice) of the level of cleaning habit that should be sought to attain.

All that is necessary is a few extra minutes during a water change to maintain it at this level, or just a few quick wipe downs during the week. All of this equipment is 2+ years old now. As of these photos it has been 4 days since the last water change.

Here is the view you use to see if there are any spots on the glass easily:


IMG_20110823_150319 by Francis "X" Wazeter, on Flickr

Lily Pipes and Filter hoses, also the filter itself is clear of water stains, also notice how there are no hard water stains on the upper rim:


IMG_20110823_150335 by Francis "X" Wazeter, on Flickr


IMG_20110823_150349 by Francis "X" Wazeter, on Flickr

Stainless steel tools are free from water stains and kept in good condition:


IMG_20110823_150415 by Francis "X" Wazeter, on Flickr

Quick overall picture:


IMG_20110822_180305 by Francis "X" Wazeter, on Flickr

In many ways, you could liken this part of developing technique / learning to the Karate Kid painting the fence, cleaning the cars, etc.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

As pretty as all this sounds - I dislike a philosophy that requires me to spend incredible amounts of money. 

If aquascaping is your thing then all of this should already be part of what you do. 
Many of us aren't in it purely for aquascaping.
I love the aesthetic of a fish tank even if the glass has algae on it or not. 
And as people have said in this thread, there is not much in it for us to make some huge devotion out of every tank - some people want to have lots of fish, and dont mind if they can't keep every tank in tip top shape. 

Even the simple task of cleaning the lily pipes well every week would require me to spend a butt load of money on a spring washer thing.
If I clean my glass every 4 days my oto's will starve. 
A great idea, but not for the masses I say!

Although we should definitely make maintenance a relaxing act, and not a stressful one - but thats true about everything we do in life!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

I'm having a really hard time understanding where exactly this thread is going. All the things you have mentioned while they are great advice I for one don't understand how this makes one a better aquascaper. Keeping your equipment clean and having a regular maintenence routine are good rules to go by whether you keep a planted tank or just have a tank with fish. Everyone keeps giving these analogies that have nothing to do with the topic. Were not talking about landscaping your yard, fixing up your car, or karate. Were talking about aquascaping, at least I thought we were. You can find a wealth of information about landscaping your yard or you can go to a dojo to learn karate, but there is not a ton of information on how to properly aquascape your aquarium. Tom said it best a few posts back when he said I want to know the what, where, when, and how. These are the things that will help someone become a better aquascaper. Most that come into this hobby would benefit from this advice. For example: WHAT kind of lighting to use, WHERE should one place the hardscape to give the best visual impact, WHEN to dose, change water, HOW to properly trim your plants. I understand partly where you are going with some of this but at the same time we are talking about what would make us better aquascapers. I have read through many articles by Amano in TFH that help with a lot of these questions that one would have but it is still fairly new to this side of the world. There needs to be more information available that discusses these parts of the aquascaping hobby. Most people have no idea how to do these things. This to me seems to be the "missing ingredient". It is still so new here that the experience and amount of information are lacking. While everything you have suggested are great advice in their own respect I don't see it making one a better aquascaper anymore than painting the fence or waxing the car will make you a black belt.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

He's getting there. It's all part of the bigger picture. And it all starts with discipline.


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## jaybugg13 (Sep 4, 2007)

justincgdick said:


> He's getting there. It's all part of the bigger picture. And it all starts with discipline.


I think this is a big part of the point. If you start to maintain your tank as though it were a work of art and not just a tank eventually that level of care for the detail will force you to examine the scape. People know what looks good and what doesn't and even a cursory glace at some of the tanks that represent the ideals of aquascaping will show you what's possible so it follows that if you are invested enough to take care of the minor details that attitude will expand to the aesthetic side. On the filp side there is some technical knowledge required to get us to the point where the water quality and environment are suitable for the plants to fill in the artistic vision. So strong attention to detail = desire to attain more skill/knowledge = better art in the end. imho.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Another Story:

The 60-P we setup was intended as a minimalist iwagumi - just hairgrass and rock. We figured that it would be easy enough to maintain and be a nice, pleasant fast growing tank. We had all grown hair grass countless times before: in gravel, in mud, sitting and floating in random buckets. Just about anywhere! It's a weed!

Well, things began to get messy around the third week: it just wasn't growing. And when I say it wasn't growing, I mean it was just sitting there looking at you with a pathetic feel to it. 

Frankly, it was depressing. Such beautiful potential. It got to a point where everyone had just given up on the aquarium and was ready to start over. The one question remained: why in gods name isn't the hair grass growing?

Well, rather than giving up on the layout, I decided to redouble efforts on it. There had to be a reason. There's no reason why this layout can't be successful!

Weeks of chronic cloudy water occurred. At one point, a little BBA showed up - which was quickly removed and never came back. Dosing levels were increased steadily and finally there was some growth - a little bit. But the water still just always had this haze to it. 

But, there was no relenting - the problem would be fixed. I was dead set on it. Well, finally at one point there was an epiphany moment. Texas has been undergoing a drought. A really, really bad one. As in maybe 1/2 inch of rain in the past 6 months bad - and in many areas no rain at all. 

What this caused was concentrated salt levels and hardness levels to increase because water was evaporating to a point where the water was mineralizing intensely: and we already have really hard water to begin with (and had we actually tested the water earlier, could have detected it much sooner).

This meant that the ability for plants to uptake nutrients was compromised and the soil began to calcify. Well, the immediate next solution was to begin using RODI water to control what was being put in the tank. A few struggles later and we finally arrive at a singular moment today:

The water is crystal clear, so clear that you cannot even tell where the glass begins and the water ends on the back pane of glass, and looking through the water at the aquascape within it, in water of that clarity is something that is hard to quantify in words: it is breathtaking. 

At the same time, hairgrass has finally acted like, well hairgrass, and there is so much pearling that it appears like there is some sort of bubble wall underneath the substrate - multiple bubbles of oxygen floating up to the surface in groups every 30 seconds or so. 

Looking at the aquarium in this light, with everything clean and finally working is a moment of absolute zen and enjoyment. Even while growing out - in person it looks like the idealized HD photographs we see of aquascapes. 

And it was about one quick discussion away from never happening: it was just one step away from being torn down.

Diligence and dedication are the only things that made that moment of enjoyment possible: one that will now finally continue as the aquarium ages and fills in.

The cell phone photo does it absolutely no justice.


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## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

Ah me....

Admittedly i did not read all the posts, but i get the feeling this thread is forking into two threads that are not necessarily related. 

Firstly, the idea of layout, balance, and hardscape, which in my estimation are all that matters.... In my experience in this hobby i find that most americans just do not get it. Sorry. Most american planted aquarium hobbyists just do not see the difference in the small details that make a layout balanced. The people who do get it are creating pleasing layouts before they even know how to grow plants successfully. This is something that can be taught and studied but i would be hard pressed to think of more than a handful of americans that even want to learn this. This is something i do not understand. It may be cultural, it may be based in attitude, i dont know. I think america is often about impact, and impact is not something that often creates balance within a layout.

The point that we as americans do not "see" these things leaves a huge gap between those that do. The folks that do (that i know of) live very far from each other, so there is very little collaboration or incentive for competition. In asia i am sure there are 5 very capable aquascapers in a 10 mile square...this enables is enrichment and progress.

My personal stand point is that I get it. My goal since I bought my first plant was to have a balanced layout. Not grow plants, not own ADA products, not have killer hardware, etc. I am not amazing or even accomplished, but i know why those that are amazing, are. I know why cliff is the best aquascaper in the world. I know why i am not. I get these things. 

Now for the folks that get it there is one thing that ups the game. One thing that really is a jagged pill to swallow. Unique hardscape material is hard to find and extremely expensive. If you are not willing to pay, you cannot compete at the next level. 

An artist will create art with anything that is a fact. It is also understandable that an artist with unique and fine raw materials will create amazing art.

While i understand why it is important for anyone running a gallery or a biz such as ADG to be very focused on cleanliness, i know that it has very LITTLE to do with the final product. 

Techniques and regiments are the lowest in importance for creating art. I dont care how many times somebody cleans the glass, does water changes, uses ADA products, $500 filters, nifty racks for tools, EI or no dosing at all....IT DOES NOT MATTER for art. 

You want to learn to aquascape, study aquascapes not hardware. You want to learn to compose, study compositions not water chemistry. You want to create balance, study balance not ADA products.

The problem with american culture is that most believe that tools and methods can make up for lack of imagination and thinking. This is why reef is most popular here. Buy the tools, spend the money, you have a successful, extremely impactful reef aquarium.

I have seen some clean pieces of crap and i have seen some dirty diamonds. I dont know about you, but im always picking the diamond no matter how dirty!

jB


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Chlorophile said:


> As pretty as all this sounds - I dislike a philosophy that requires me to spend incredible amounts of money.
> 
> If aquascaping is your thing then all of this should already be part of what you do.
> Many of us aren't in it purely for aquascaping.
> ...


It's not all about spending a significant amount of money - merely to invest money in what you won't necessarily have to replace in a month or two, etc.

As far as cleaning - a $23 spring washer isn't much, but even still you can get a tube cleaner from home depot for about $2-3: it won't be quite as convenient around the corners is the major difference. Algae pads and razors are also extremely cheap, as well as towel rags!

And yes, it absolutely should be the basis for aquascaping - but it isn't yet. Which is why I've spent a great deal of time to extoll this as part of a core foundation.

Aquascaping isn't just about the layout - it's a synthesis of the layout, the fish and when applicable the plants or coral, etc. Improper selection of any of the elements leads to a weaker picture.

I would definitely say that those who aren't willing to put forth the dedication are definitely not those I would recommend a planted aquarium to - it's like the formula one race car of freshwater aquaria, and it definitely won't starve oto's cleaning the glass every 4 days, at least it hasn't yet for any of ours.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

jason baliban said:


> ah me....
> 
> Admittedly i did not read all the posts, but i get the feeling this thread is forking into two threads that are not necessarily related.
> 
> ...


+1.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Jason Baliban said:


> Ah me....
> 
> Admittedly i did not read all the posts, but i get the feeling this thread is forking into two threads that are not necessarily related.
> 
> ...


 
Thank you! I knew I was not the only one.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Jason Baliban said:


> The point that we as americans do not "see" these things leaves a huge gap between those that do. The folks that do (that i know of) live very far from each other, so there is very little collaboration or incentive for competition. In asia i am sure there are 5 very capable aquascapers in a 10 mile square...this enables is enrichment and progress.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



These 2 things resonated with me. The first part. I am lucky enough to have LFS that specialize in plants but they don't have the most amazing tanks I have ever seen. Even AFA in SF has great tanks but they are not close to the best I have ever seen if we can add pictures off the net. And that is fine, they are stores, their tanks have to look good all day long, everyday. I don't hold them to a standard but that's the best I get. Yes, there are clubs in my area too but I have not been able to find the time to participate. I really have never seen a planted tank beside my own in a non commercial environment. 


Second part: Even a true artist will re-purpose something and make great art. But, the reality is, most people don't often live where they can find enough unique things to put something together. If they do, they probably don't have enough types of unique things to continually be able to make something different from the last. Trust me, I have tried to buy rocks cheaply and though it only cost me $10 or so and I have bought maybe 250lbs or rock, I still found it hard to create something I knew didn't stand up to what I could buy if I wasn't limited by my mind set.


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## ClintonParsons (Aug 22, 2011)

We do suck…. I saw the ranking for America in this year’s competition and I kept searching and searching the list, thinking maybe we did OK… but we suck. We really suck. I’d like to mention that I am not an artist in any way (but admire the talent of others.) Despite this, I have often thought of the same topic and have a few cents to put in.

While some American aquascapers are exceptional, overall the quality and more importantly the philosophy is lacking and that shows in the final scape. I believe the reason for this is a fundamental lack of understanding of nature its self. Amano has commented how he is inspired from nature and observed heavily from the natural work for inspiration. 

The reason Amano stand out, besides developing the philosophy of the Nature Aquarium (AKA Japanese or Zen style) is that his works don’t appear to be contrived. That is what is most important. They seem as if he randomly threw hardscape, aquasoil and plants in the tank but created a masterpiece. While he is basically able to do just that now, it is based upon much experience… Amano has spent countless hours perfecting his technique based on math, color theory, and physics. He was truly dedicated (although as a photographer I am sure he also had an eye for what is attractive.) Americans don’t know how to do this yet. We spend hours and hours trying our hardest to perfect an aquascape but at the end, even if it is very attractive, it still looks contrived. You mist master the fundamentals, and once you do that, I believe you can create artwork via intuition and gut feeling without having to think about how to do it. This is the level of experience Amano has achieved and is what we must strive for if we are to take this as a serious form of art.

I believe Americans lack an understanding of Wabi-sabi. Impermanence. Chaos. Growth and decay. It is not a common concept in American culture and if you ask five random people what it means, you will probably get five different answers (assuming they have heard of it.)

Specifically I’ll address my thoughts on your bulletin points. 
1: The problem is that in America we get the dregs of the crates when it comes to wood and stone. I am not throwing around accusations but it seems as if we get the products that aren’t as good as the products that are available to the Japanese and other Asian countries. Even ADG has stated that they don’t carry Seiryu stone because they get crappy specimens. That is unfortunate because that is my favorite type and while Ryuoh stone is similar enough to be a substitute… there are important subtle differences. From what I have gathered, access to materials is easier in Asian countries as well. In America, you order the amount you think you need and hope for the best. While companies such as ADG can hand-pick your materials based the buyers wants and needs, it’s not a replacement for being in person and selecting your hardscape materials. 
A very important factor is the availability of mining quality hardscape materials. They are a very, very slowly renewable resource and we consume them far faster than they can be created through time. Once the best of the best is gone, it’s gone. The ugly pieces of stone and wood in the past may be being sold as primo material because that’s all that is left. The rest may be stumps. 


2: This ties into the previous response. Materials are limited and you have a very limited amount of material to work with because of the cost of materials and shipping. Sometimes you have to make the best of what you have to work with even if it doesn’t work well at all. 


3: The topic of unnecessary elements regarding fish and plants is interesting. In nature, you don’t find that many brightly colored red plants which American aquascapers love so dearly. You find a few while the rest is greenery. It isn’t that natural most of the time. Fish selection plays an important role as well, because various types of fish all have different body shapes that suite their native environment. Fish in the US are generally chosen because of color but not because of a complementary shape with the aquascape. I remember my reaction when I read about complementary fish based on the aquascape in the latest catalog. I had never considered it, but now I see it’s importance. Americans are also cheap when it comes to aquaria. They don’t understand the importance of minimalism or glassware in many instances. 

5: Equipment is the scaffolding of the aquarium its self. Any opportunity to use glassware as to not distract from the aquascape should be taken advantage of. Even ADA sells extraneous equipment such as drop checkers, the softenizer, and bubble counter. Drop checkers are invaluable for calibrating the dosage of CO2 but many leave them in the tank once it is calibrated. Distracting. The softenizer is useful but inefficient when a RO/RO-DI system could be purchased for the same price. I know that the softenizer isn’t popular at all in the US, so you may be wondering why I even mention it. I mention it because is is a great example of extraneous equipment compteting with the aquascape. My favorite aquascape (forget the name, but know It distinctly in my mind’s eye) has a softenizer which ruins the entire scape. The eye is immediately drawn to it and is distracted. This is analogous to the use of any other distracting equipment such as drop checkers, steel intakes/outtakes, and drop checker. 

7: To be honest, I think water changes every four days are impractical. Once per week seems to be sufficient for most. Cleaning of glassware/glass is very important. Many people think nothing of posting pictures of their aquascape and asking for critiques/advice but have diatom-coated glassware. That is unthinkable to me. That is laziness. The best way to maintain a sense of hygiene is to clean everything before it actually requires cleaning in order to prevent the buildup of biofilm and algae. This way, hygiene is second nature and never develops into a real issue,

8: I have on tank that I take meticulous care of. Many people have several tanks in various states of needing maintenance and think that is ok. I don’t understand this. I would rather have a flawless diamond than a handful of quartz crystals. Quality over quantity cannot be emphasized enough, especially if you plan on incorporating the aquarium (and its associated equipment for that matter, noting once again the important of high quality glassware) to be viewed as an integral part of the décor. 

10: As a beginner, I had a very difficult time with dosing. I tried the EI method and it didn’t work well for some reason despite following it to the letter. I believe in adequate dosing without excess now. It is pretty much the same idea of an all-you-can-eat buffet… there is plenty of food but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary and can be detrimental in fact. This is not natural. This is basically equivalent of steroid use. It is not a balanced method. 

Overall I think the sad state of Aquascaping in America is due to a lack of patience, cheapness, and lack of understanding of nature. Few people experience nature. We may see creeks or mountains but do we ever stop and experience nature? Stop. Meditate on it. Experience it. We don't do this enough. You must understand nature. You must stand before her. Go not the woods. Go to a bod. Go to a lake. Stop there and clear your head of all thoughts. Just exist in the moment. That is where you will find nature. That is where you will find inspiration. That is where you will gain wisdom. You may not think you learned anything because it isn't presented in bulletin points, but you absorbed the experience and it will help you later even if you don't consciously recognize the impact.



People (including myself) want instant gratification and if they fail they often give up. They don’t see the need for proper trimming tool or minimal glassware. They are disconnected with nature and don’t spend much time in the forest or around local lakes/ponds/streams/etc. They also don’t devote nearly as much time as the Japanese do when it comes to composing an aquascape, but I must say I think the Japanese have an advantage because the concept of wabi-sabi is so integral to their sense of aesthetics and culture. 

When it comes to the average Joe Sixpack who wants a planted aquarium, they never escape the mentality of “It’s just an aquarium.” I am not speaking of the contestant of the IAPLC, but instead of many everyday hobbyists which make up the majority of the hobby. They don’t see aquascaping as a legitimate form of art, philosophy, and expression. To them, it’s just a fish tank. The reason I am mentioning this is because these people are the common denominator of the hobby. They need to advance in their ideology and commitment to the hobby and take it seriously. 

While I am without a doubt a newbie of aquascaping (not to botany of aquaria, however) I am eager to learn and develop my skill (although for a college student finances are a bit short of good materials.) The difference between people like you and me is that it’s not just a fish tank. It is a legitimate work of art that is in constant flux. The flux is part of what makes it beautiful. Impermanence. 

Once the fish tank ceases to be just a fish tank for the majority of Americans, we will always have a small handful of good aquascapers who just aren’t that good compared to the international community. I think that is what it boils down to in the simplest explanation. The fish tank has to stop being a fish tank for the hobby to evolve and compete. It is a grass-roots movement and this post should be a call to action. 

I am sorry for the long post. I have no homework, however I have had a few drinks so I am feeling talkative. 

The hobby lacks structure. It is fine and dandy to say "if you like it, then that's all that matters" but let's drop the politeness for a second. What that really means is it's not that great. It's like folk art. Any one can make folk art and anyone can make a planted aquarium but that doesn't mean much. We need firm structure. We need details. Telling us to trim a certain way helps but we need the why's and how's to go along with it. It's not as simple as "trim diagonally." I have contacted ADA a few times for info on thing this the useage of Penac P or tourmaline with no reply. It is a bit like making an appointment with your professor and he doesn't show up, making you rely on the notes of your classmates.

People don't like rules and so it is easy to say "If it makes you happy then that is all that matters" but let's face it. If you are serious then that doesn't cut it. An artist may be able to create from his imagination and skill but all that stems from the understanding of basic principals and guidelines. There should be a book about aquascapng 101. Seriously. Is is what we are lacking. I see many people trying to be avante garde but they lack the fundamental guidelines and philosophy and thus the product of their raw imagination lacks structure and meaning. This makes the aquascape look terrible. It is folk art. 

Another thing I will point out is the lack of quality plant material. If you want good plants, you must organize a trade or purchase online. Don't bother looking for healthy plants locally. If they are healthy, chances are they are terrestrial plants such as Draceana or Sleginella and will die soon after purchase. This disheartens the beginner and they give up.

Someone mention selecting plants you like versus plants that work well with the aquascape, get over it. My favorite plants are tonina, lobelia, Eriocaulon and Downoi. The problem is they are good specimen plants to appreciate on their own aesthetic but they don't play well with other plants when it comes to aquascape composition. Often times people use plants that look rather alien because they like them rather than plants that are complementary to each other but rather bland by themselves.

We need an Aquascaping 101 book. We need guidance and philosophy. We need to take the fish take to the next level, and we need to get serious about treating the subject as a legitimate art.


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## alex009 (May 21, 2011)

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

- But I'm just a noob. Didn't even know that the word "aquascape" existed until a few months ago...


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

ClintonParsons said:


> We need an Aquascaping 101 book. We need guidance and philosophy.


I agree with you there. It would be nice to have some sort of guide on what plants compliment others, general guidelines on how to arrange a layout, etc. I posted a pic of my tank on AquascapingWorld in hopes of getting some suggestions for improving my scape. One of the comments/suggestions was that the transition between some of my plants was very abrupt and that was due to those particular plants. The person who replied also gave the reason why using those particular plants give such an abrupt transition. A couple of plants were recommended that I could use to soften the look and give a more natural look to the tank. It made complete sense to me but had no one told me I doubt I would have ever figured it out on my own. It's just things like that which would be good to know other than through trial and error.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

ClintonParsons said:


> While some American aquascapers are exceptional, overall the quality and more importantly the philosophy is lacking and that shows in the final scape. I believe the reason for this is a fundamental lack of understanding of nature its self. Amano has commented how he is inspired from nature and observed heavily from the natural work for inspiration.


Well emulating nature is one thing, actually being natural is quite another matter. I am in natural systems most of the day.........and modified ruined ones......



> The reason Amano stand out, besides developing the philosophy of the Nature Aquarium (AKA Japanese or Zen style) is that his works don’t appear to be contrived. That is what is most important. They seem as if he randomly threw hardscape, aquasoil and plants in the tank but created a masterpiece. While he is basically able to do just that now, it is based upon much experience… Amano has spent countless hours perfecting his technique based on math, color theory, and physics. He was truly dedicated (although as a photographer I am sure he also had an eye for what is attractive.) Americans don’t know how to do this yet. We spend hours and hours trying our hardest to perfect an aquascape but at the end, even if it is very attractive, it still looks contrived. You mist master the fundamentals, and once you do that, I believe you can create artwork via intuition and gut feeling without having to think about how to do it. This is the level of experience Amano has achieved and is what we must strive for if we are to take this as a serious form of art.
> 
> 
> > Agreed.
> ...


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Jeff5614 said:


> I agree with you there. It would be nice to have some sort of guide on what plants compliment others, general guidelines on how to arrange a layout, etc. I posted a pic of my tank on AquascapingWorld in hopes of getting some suggestions for improving my scape. One of the comments/suggestions was that the transition between some of my plants was very abrupt and that was due to those particular plants. The person who replied also gave the reason why using those particular plants give such an abrupt transition. A couple of plants were recommended that I could use to soften the look and give a more natural look to the tank. It made complete sense to me but had no one told me I doubt I would have ever figured it out on my own. It's just things like that which would be good to know other than through trial and error.


Perhaps a community effort to do this, with Frank in on this and Jeff Senske, anyone else, Jason? Then each ad to it.

Bag o tricks........anyone that's been around has many ........transitions are key I think...........the Dutch style has a lot to be offered on that aspect. 

I use wood a lot for obvious reasons. Oliver from Germany really really wants some manzy........but like the prime stuff elsewhere, not much in Germany
CA? We got more than we know what to do with.

Jeff wrote a nice book on aquariums and this could be along the same lines.
I know both he and Frank would do the topic justice. It might be nice to get more input into this, but have someone with veto power to get the darn thing done actually.

Also, it does not need be limited to PLANTED tanks also, fake plants, rock scaping, slope, outside the glass box considerations, placement in the home etc...many of these have been touched upon already, but could use some more focus into one book on scaping.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Jason Baliban said:


> Ah me....
> You want to learn to aquascape, study aquascapes not hardware. You want to learn to compose, study compositions not water chemistry. You want to create balance, study balance not ADA products.
> 
> The problem with american culture is that most believe that tools and methods can make up for lack of imagination and thinking. This is why reef is most popular here. Buy the tools, spend the money, you have a successful, extremely impactful reef aquarium.
> ...


I agree. You got it.


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## jaybugg13 (Sep 4, 2007)

Jason first let me say that I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and your skills. I try to study multiple artistic disciplines so that I can apply things to my aquascaping and generally make a sincere effort to improve. That said I feel like I have to disagree with this statement...



Jason Baliban said:


> Techniques and regiments are the lowest in importance for creating art. I dont care how many times somebody cleans the glass, does water changes, uses ADA products, $500 filters, nifty racks for tools, EI or no dosing at all....IT DOES NOT MATTER for art.


It is completely possible that my limited understanding and skill prevent me from grasping what you are saying here. My logic is that I have never seen a scape that was a masterpiece as soon as it was planted. The scapes I admire most often have the tell tale marks of aging and transition from newly planted layout to full grown art work and in order to get from that fresh state to the finished piece technique and regimen seem required. Please help my understand if I am missing the point. Even if you managed to lay out the most fantastic hard scape if after planting all the plants looked unhealthy and algae took over we'd never be able to appreciate the tank holistically. We'd say "Ahh lovely hard scape but the plants don't look healthy and there's algae everywhere". I agree that it doesn't matter if you can use EI or PMDD or nothing as long as the plants are thirving, but they have to doing well to complete the overall artwork. Another I look at is that in other forms of art, say painting, the artist gets to put the paints on the canvas in a way that will never really change, if a red triangle goes on nothing will change that unless the artist decides it should be so. In a planted tank the paints (plants) are constantly in flux (true that says nothing of the hardscape, but as I hope I have conveyed I feel the hardscape can be marred or enhanced by the plants).

I would agree with you that overall equipment and such are of little consequence. If the scape is amazing it will be so with or without green tubes and a bulky heater. ADA doesn't equal great scapes.

Anyway big fan, hopefully you can set me straight if you feel I am wrong.


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## jaybugg13 (Sep 4, 2007)

Tom, I was going to quote the your entire post from above but it's incredibly long so instead I will just say I agree without the quote. I also agree with everyone who mentioned impermanence as that concept plays a pretty big role in my personal life.


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## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

jaybugg13 said:


> It is completely possible that my limited understanding and skill prevent me from grasping what you are saying here. My logic is that I have never seen a scape that was a masterpiece as soon as it was planted. The scapes I admire most often have the tell tale marks of aging and transition from newly planted layout to full grown art work and in order to get from that fresh state to the finished piece technique and regimen seem required. Please help my understand if I am missing the point. Even if you managed to lay out the most fantastic hard scape if after planting all the plants looked unhealthy and algae took over we'd never be able to appreciate the tank holistically. We'd say "Ahh lovely hard scape but the plants don't look healthy and there's algae everywhere". I agree that it doesn't matter if you can use EI or PMDD or nothing as long as the plants are thirving, but they have to doing well to complete the overall artwork. Another I look at is that in other forms of art, say painting, the artist gets to put the paints on the canvas in a way that will never really change, if a red triangle goes on nothing will change that unless the artist decides it should be so. In a planted tank the paints (plants) are constantly in flux (true that says nothing of the hardscape, but as I hope I have conveyed I feel the hardscape can be marred or enhanced by the plants).
> 
> I would agree with you that overall equipment and such are of little consequence. If the scape is amazing it will be so with or without green tubes and a bulky heater. ADA doesn't equal great scapes.
> 
> Anyway big fan, hopefully you can set me straight if you feel I am wrong.


I think I could have been more clear about certain baselines. For example a great photographer will take great pictures with ANY camera, but there are of course certain baseline things like focus, exposure, etc that must be correct first in order to achieve a successful photograph. Of course, further manipulation of these things are potentially an artistic expression.

My point is that once a baseline is accomplished the art part takes over. Dare i say that amano isnt a master of growing plants. He uses aquasoil that will grow almost anything and he uses mostly common and easy plants. That is not a jab, really, who cares how difficult the plant is to grow? The point is that you use what you have within you technical skill level to create art. Mastering the outlying things like water chemistry, hardware, ADA products will certainly help your art, but the foundation was always there. In fact, to me, mastering the technical aspects of carpentry or aquascaping or audio mixing or photography or ANY craft are some of the things the show growth in an artist. 

ADA tanks = AMAZING!! I love mine. Would buy more without thinking about it. What is it? A SUPER frame for my art.

PPS, EI, water changes, no water changes, no dosing = a vehicle to grow plants. Do i have preferences, of course. Do each have their place, of course. Can they all be used for success, of course. EI would be the toughest for me, that thing grows plants so fast your tank is only mature for 5 minutes! HAHA That being said, ive see EI tanks (including my own) display unparalleled growth and health.

Step one, learn to grow plants. Learn the fundamentals and techniques. This includes chemistry, maintenance, hardware. (Most americans go right to step three and four from here. They grow their technical abilities and their buying power of prettier tools and solutions.) 

Step two, learn the art. (skip this and you will forever have farm tanks in expensive aquariums)

Step three, take it to the next level with nicer frames and nicer materials.

Step four, grow as an artist. Revisit step one, two and three. 

Tom - About the book I think it would be interesting to have a book that displays many styles and highlights the areas that separate it from the pack. The only way to learn art is to evaluate and study art.

jB


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## Senior Shrimpo (Dec 4, 2010)

I started off wanting to defend Americans but gosh Frank.. you make such a depressing point man... 

I agree with you on the lack of tools. I for one don't like ordering online UNLESS I have no other way of getting something.. I find this true a lot with aquarium stuff. I have to order 95% of what I want in my tank (occasionally a LFS will have something but I've weened off them since I got planaria from one). It's difficult to buy scaping things like rocks, driftwood, etc. unless you see it in person and visualize it in your tank. Buying things online where you only get a photo... difficult to say the least. I really need to see and manipulate the scaping materials before I use them.

Also, unrelated to that but about TDS: I noticed the same thing a while ago: my DHG belem was fine but not growing fast... I upped the co2 thinking that might be it, but it didn't help. Turns out I was skipping water changes too much, and the TDS in my tank was ~500 from the Seiryu stones. I switched the whole tank over to emmersed growth and within a month I had an amazing hairgrass carpet.



Francis Xavier said:


> In many ways, you could liken this part of developing technique / learning to the Karate Kid painting the fence, cleaning the cars, etc.


I enjoyed this quote.


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## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

Senior Shrimpo said:


> Just look at guys like Speedie, Chad, Tom Barr, Mike and Jeff Senske, Frank, and many more I'm sure you'll find Americans have just as much potential as any other nation.


I think the whole point of the thread is that these folks ARE NOT up to the world standard.

jB


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Jeff Senske
I also wouldn't say I try and follow any one style or aesthetic, though obviously I amdrawn to Japanese styles and influences. Because the spaces in which I do tanks varies so much, I feel I must be able to cover a lot of ground in terms of style. I can tell you that if there was one defining moment for me- a singular event that forever changed the way I approach aquascaping- it was at the 2001 AGA Convention. I had brought several photos of my work and like the student before the master I showed them to Amano. He said I was on the right track and obviously knew how to grow healthy plants-but that my tanks lacked "philosophy." While he did not elaborate, I understood what he meant. I was arranging plants and trying to balance things enough, but my compositions lacked a unifying element- a clear direction or intent. Plants growing healthfully in an aquarium alone are not sufficient to achieve the higher goals of aquascaping, though I do think such tanks to can evoke a similar response from someone who doesn't "know" anything about aquascaping as an artform (i.e. what we are now commonly referring to as "collector tanks"). Ghanzafar Ghori's Tank of the Month here at APC certainly shows that. He claims it's not aquascaped, but I find it beautiful and a brilliant accident.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/1012-weekly-topic-interview-jeff-senske.html
Hope no one minds if I put this here.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Jason Baliban said:


> I think the whole point of the thread is that these folks ARE NOT up to the world standard.
> 
> jB


I do not think I am. Jeff has clients...........and many clients are unwilling to pay to take the time to spend on this stuff. In other words, it's not a priority. I think that is what Frank is concerned about. I have business and school, other jobs etc. Many many other interest, I'm sure Jeff will say the same, kids, music etc. 

This is the top rated tank in the USA in terms of the ADA Japan contest placing 20th:










George and Steve Lo spend a lot of time thinking about their display tanks, sometimes months...........and the tank is empty...sitting there as they get around to doing the layout.

I think this process is good. Never rush. 

I know for yourself, you chose the have the light bar on the sides vs the rear for one reason: pictures for your tank. I chose them in the rear so I could move them back and forth and get more light angles and choices..........

This gives me nice views of the sides, I do not view the back of the tank since it is now against the wall. For me, this is more a Feng shui type of thing I suppose. I do not believe in any of that, it's more practical and aesthetics for me personally, not for the purity of the art of a picture of an aquarium.

There is a huge massive difference between being a good aquascaping picture taker vs being a good aquarist. My trade offs involve fish and living with aquariums, not aquascaping as the primary focus, but that does play a role, just not the same level as some folks. I'm cool with that, I know the trade offs. 
*
So what do I personally get out of say if I won in the top 10 ADA contest?*
Money? I really do not care about that.
Fame and bragging rights? I really do not care about that either.
Personal self challenge? I suppose........

This is a good question to ask. I think you must be very passionate about aquascaping to get to a higher level. We only see a small % of the folk's from each country and some are obsessed with the scaping. I really do not see such approaches being done here. Training can certainly help, but that also takes strong commitment.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

I've always wondered how long some of these "World Class" tanks stay looking like they do. I've had a few tanks that I'm very proud of but they all seem to end up as a jungle because I don't have the desire to spend more time raising them than I spent raising 3 kids. lol


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Jason Baliban said:


> Dare i say that amano isnt a master of growing plants. He uses aquasoil that will grow almost anything and he uses mostly common and easy plants. That is not a jab, really, who cares how difficult the plant is to grow? The point is that you use what you have within you technical skill level to create art. Mastering the outlying things like water chemistry, hardware, ADA products will certainly help your art, but the foundation was always there. In fact, to me, mastering the technical aspects of carpentry or aquascaping or audio mixing or photography or ANY craft are some of the things the show growth in an artist.


The same can be stated for the more rigid style of the Dutch contest.
They also used simple easy to grow species.

Nothing wrong with that.
Collectoritus plays a big role for many and the idea that more light is better is a strong issue for many in the USA, this has NOT changed in the last 15 years.

It's as strong as ever.

The Dutch also used nice "built in" styles for their tanks.........rarely had more than 2-3 in their homes, mostly just one display and then some grow out tanks that look ugly. They often tried strongly in all of Europe to hide the equipment, much like a public aquarium display. My clients like this aesthetic as well and I try to add this to their displays. 

But those are their goals.



> ADA tanks = AMAZING!! I love mine. Would buy more without thinking about it. What is it? A SUPER frame for my art.


Here I think there are BETTER makers of aquariums in the USA today(maybe not 10 years ago).......high grades of glass and more options, shapes etc, and better well made seams. But I do like ADA style of tanks and the small 60cm ranges a re quite nice and well made, the 90-120 cm ranges seemed to have the most issues, the same is true from comments from folks in Japan also. 

Sourcing such tanks is not easy.
I drove 14 hours for my tanks.




> Do each have their place, of course. Can they all be used for success, of course. EI would be the toughest for me, that thing grows plants so fast your tank is only mature for 5 minutes! HAHA That being said, ive see EI tanks (including my own) display unparalleled growth and health.


Use less light, then all growth is reduced and less management is required for the CO2/ferts/sediment draw.

How about doing a non CO2 aquarium at a high level?

That shows patience and skill unlike the dope which is CO2 gas..that is not particularly "natural".........I have many examples where it is natural, but folks want to squabble about how nutrients or light levels are natural outside these same systems.........as a reference as to what is natural or not, you cannot have it both ways there.

This is horticulture/ecology..........not nature/ecology.
While nature might be the theme, it is NOT natural.
Not even close.



> Step one, learn to grow plants. Learn the fundamentals and techniques. This includes chemistry, maintenance, hardware. (Most americans go right to step three and four from here. They grow their technical abilities and their buying power of prettier tools and solutions.)
> 
> Step two, learn the art. (skip this and you will forever have farm tanks in expensive aquariums)
> 
> ...



I think Jeff Senske mentioned learning art even before learning to grow. I agree with him on this point. I focused on some Dutch Concepts and then got side tracked with school, college, then experimental ideas and concepts. the local group and the APD made a big brauhaha over the PO4 thing.....I became more interested in plant physiology, ecology, management of aquatic weeds and algae. I do not regret the path. 

Returning to the scaping aspect is more a priority at this point now. 
A book could highlight the various layout designs and styles...........I think we could get permission from many many people world wide on this book, many would be honored to have their tank's displayed in such a text. 

I am not an Art Expert. I do not possess a Master's of Fine arts degree(w./strong focus in Art education). I would prefer to find someone who does and has a more professional background. This will help I'm sure, but we also need a practical side, so the lay person can get some ideas.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

This is old aquascaping article, about 1998 I wrote:

*Neil Frank's "Stages of the aquatic gardener" inspired me to think further as a scaping viewpoint.

Differentiating from the plant _gardener_, the plant aquascaper has a much longer, and less frustrating path in development. "Gardening" involves the growing aspects of aquatic horticulture. This includes the physiology, ecology, pruning, aquarium maintenance and mastering the ability to use the "colors"... the plants themselves.

I started off aquascaping with rock, next came coral and marine tanks, then driftwood and finally to plants both Marine and Freshwater. The "Aquascaper" uses the colors(the plants) to paint their design. Aquascaping involves all aspects of design and layout. This extends beyond the confines of the tank itself as a well placed tank in a home, office or or other dwelling will greatly enhance the over look and impact. One can be a great aquascaper yet a poor gardener, but most are good gardeners first then later develop their artistic abilities with more focus on the design.

Some wish to dissect the elements of the aquascape, immerse themselves in the artistic elements of space, design and layout. Some wish to focus on techniques such as attaching moss to wood for a natural effect. Some, like perhaps the majority of folks, wish simply to have a tank full of plants without algae and to have their choice of plants to grow. Most discussions about aquarium plants revolve around how to keep plants rather than design.

This trend is changing as the horticultural methods are becoming demystified.

Many people start off choosing plants that are not easy to grow for the beginner and change their design plans. Later, after a period of algae woes, they simply want to keep the tank free of algae. Many folks feel they need to work more on algae control and growing the plants than the aquascape. Some folks stay true to their original design. Other folks let the tank evolve on it's own. These stages are not in any sort of _definite order_ since many folks may jump from one area to another unlike many aspects of the mechanical/biological "gardening/horticulture". Nor is this all inclusive nor exhaustive listing.

Stage one: "Hey!, It's growing, I saw a new leaf today! I see pearling! It's Alive!(with a Dr. Frankenstein tone)". This stage is fun, but often the only goal is growing the plants but adding any plants to an aquarium is a design choice. Often, it's just what will grow in their tank and added anywhere. Many folks start off like this and later develop design interest.

Stage two: How much of the tank do I want to use for plants? Many folks start off with the goal to plant only a part of the tank or sparingly. This is not surprising since most folks are comfortable with rock and/or wood already. Seldom do folks jump right into a planted without other aquarium experiences so this allows them to "stick their big toe into the water" without fully committing to a full blown planted tank which might seem a bit too intimidating initially. These tanks can look very nice depending on the layout and the aquarist design and ideas and is perhaps a sub area of design versus a fully planted tank. Many aquarist want the fish to be the main focus and the plants to be a secondary consideration. Floating plants only can be added to most all freshwater aquariums and can be included in this stage. These tanks can be done to a very level of design and impact.

Stage three: The psychological disease known as "Collectoritus". This person wants every new plant that comes along (which includes most of us). This is a good exercise, though not at first glance. Since plants are the colors, learning how to grow each one of them is very helpful to execute later designs. You need the "colors" to "paint". It also helps the aquarist to get to know and understand each plant on a personal level and realize it's long term potential for placement in the tank design. Many plants may grow too fast for placement in a design for example while other may grow too slow to maintain the design choice without a great deal of work. Collectoritis is somewhat like a zoo, a few species here and there, mixed in, seldom looking like a natural design. But one of the most interesting of all tanks is the one that has many rare and interesting plants with a good design as well. This can be very challenging.

Stage four: "Darn, I can grow plants well, now I have to design something?" Many folks slowly increase the groups of plants they keep over the years. They start off with a little bit of Riccia in one corner. A couple of years later, they have added it as most of the foreground or the entire tank. Many folks are torn between having more species and having a large field of one to few species. But the overall impact can be seen in many aquarium of the large groupings of a single species. Nowhere has this been shown to be true than in Amano's book one with the Glossotigma. But the emphasis on the groupings impact becomes increasingly important and the aquarist is more willing to try larger grouping designs to see how the tank looks. This involves reducing other species which many aquarist have difficulty with. A good way around that: the plants will be there later when you want to redesign the tank, nothing is permanent. The tank grows and evolves, so does the aquascaper. Think of it as "renting" a few plants for awhile. If you change your mind, you can always go back and use the other plants, after all, planted tanks are anything but static, they are constantly changing.

Stage five: The technique freak. Using java fern attached to wood was the first real planted goal I had when I first decided to get serious about a fully planted tank. I thought that the Aponogeton bulbs I bought were Java fern and proceed to crush them into the wood cracks. Two out of the 20 lived. This stage involves some very gratifying work. It is somewhat like using the plant "colors" as it gives three dimensionality to many designs with a minimum of a maintenance. Moss looks very impressive on thin crooked branches stuffed into a group of rocks. Everyone loves Riccia rocks and branches. Using cotton thread, thin (but not too thin!), glues, like silicone folks can attach plants to rocks, driftwood or cork the back of the tank's wall(e.g. cork wall tanks). Folks that are interested in design and execution using these techniques often will make this the central theme and leave much of the remainder of tank more subdued.

Stage six: The sloper. The Sloper realizes that the tank's look and impact can be radically changed by adding hills and valleys to gravel/substrate. Sloping the gravel can create three dimensionality. Many aquascapers try to use the plants and trimming techniques to do this. This make the tank more labor intensive and often results in "flat tank syndrome" with overgrown plants most of the time. Sloping also opens a tank up more and keeps a sense of order and design in the tank.

Stage seven: The micro grouper. No, it's not a small Grouper fish. These folks will get a nice looking groups within a tank and try to add them together in an over all design. Sort of a collage of different micro scenes.

Stage eight: The external aquascaper. These folks often work outside of the tank with a nice cabinet design, lighting, house plants near by, nice location in the house, some put waterfalls, garden style rooms around their tank. Anything to do with the external tank designs.

Stage nine: The imitator. These folks see a design and try to emulate it. A good work study for folks. Although many are often too hard on themselves for not getting exact details down, later more seasoned folks realize that close to the same design with a different plant, or slightly differing rock arrangement, driftwood etc, does not ruin the design but actually gives each and every work it's own personality and uniqueness.A sub group here worth mentioning is the Canvasser. This aquarist uses a backdrop of a single plant, such as Glosstigma or Riccia are the background for design and then added color and texture to the tank. They can remove the plants and build or layer on the "plant canvas" and rearrange designs quickly without disturbing the tank or the general layout too much.

Stage ten: The Dutch aquarist. The focus is on design elements of the Dutch European style, gardens. Lots of pruning, generally easier plants are kept.

Stage eleven: The Natural aquarist: Design inspiration from natural scenes.

Stage twelve: The innovator: Makes their own style and techniques and attempts to break the conventions associated with aquascaping with a stunning impact.

Many of these stages are interwoven, intermingled and interconnected. Some folks start off with great designs, others take many years to find interest in this area. Some may never find much interest in this topic. But I think everyone is awed by a spectacularly designed tank. But folks need to take the risk and try out their ideas, there's no limit to the creativity if this hobby. A new person with a good interesting design will win out over the best grower in the world for an aquascaping competition. So try it!

Regards, Tom Barr *


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I suppose I could add a lot more to the above article.........but.......I'd rather have other folk's input, more a consensus and democracy.........I'm less interested in what I have to say.....more interested in what others think there.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

fresh.salty said:


> I've always wondered how long some of these "World Class" tanks stay looking like they do. I've had a few tanks that I'm very proud of but they all seem to end up as a jungle because I don't have the desire to spend more time raising them than I spent raising 3 kids. lol


Actually they do and can. Many of the folks tear down and try something new however, I have allowed this art to take it's path and reach where the end point is, time to try some new idea or to work with some new materials I collected 4 months ago and cannot wait to play with!!!

My 180 Gal wood was very nice and I've allowed it to live longer. The tank is easy to care for, make 200-400$ a month in livestock and plant sales........and I like the look. 

My 60 Cubes looks okay, but I was not happy with the shape of the tank etc......so they had their time and I upgraded.

But they are not traditional planted tanks now, they are Reef seagrass tanks, something newer that folks here rarely even consider, marine plants, yes, vascular plants, not macro algae. The other is a style I saw 20 years ago by a cichlid breeder, really one of the best scaped tanks I've seen to date still.

Tangy cichlids are some of my favorite FW species, so I'll use some liberties in the design and spies, but I want to explore it more.

These are experimental tanks, I'll be taking large risk, but the pay off for me is high as well. I can always tear them down and try something else at any time. *Life is short, but life is wide.*

So try new things.

I am keeping a betta in my 60 p non CO2, not much of a betta guy...but it is B macrostoma.......one of the coolest and yes, they do bite.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

plantbrain said:


> How about doing a non CO2 aquarium at a high level?
> 
> That shows patience and skill unlike the dope which is CO2 gas


I know I am not taking what you are saying in the context you put it in but I think everyone should try this. I think it was the most beneficial thing I did in terms of keeping plants. It does 3 things.

First, you really have to learn to establish balance. Though it's actually easier, you have no "shortcuts" like high tech, more co2, change up ferts, etc. I put shortcuts in quotes because these really don't help on a high tech either, but it's easy to feel they do when something changes over night.

Second, you learn how to grow plants better. Again, no short cuts, no adding or subtracting things and see instant results. It takes a long time for things to change. You also learn which plants don't really need as much light or co2 as you have been told, what plants are easy to grow low tech that you would not expect. Then you are more easily able to choose proper plants, and care for them in a high tech environment.

Lastly, it just takes a long time for things to grow. You have to love your scape before it grows in. I think people can more easily accept something they don't like once their plants grow in. They are more willing to make changes all the time, knowing that it's not going to take a long time for their idea to solidify. 


I would say that it helped me in all 3 but my scaping skills are still where I lack most. I am doing more "soft scaping", plants only, but I have come pretty far by doing more low tech.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

talontsiawd said:


> I know I am not taking what you are saying in the context you put it in but I think everyone should try this. I think it was the most beneficial thing I did in terms of keeping plants. It does 3 things.
> 
> First, you really have to learn to establish balance. Though it's actually easier, you have no "shortcuts" like high tech, more co2, change up ferts, etc. I put shortcuts in quotes because these really don't help on a high tech either, but it's easy to feel they do when something changes over night.
> 
> ...


The Dutch did this with amazing results in the 1940's and 1950's, into the 1960's and 1970's. I was always amazed. Wim gave one of the best talks I've ever seen on aquatic plants in the Dutch history at the AGA convention back when we had Amano in the USA for the first time........

Still ranks as my favorite planted talk I've ever seen.

Like the cultural thing, it pays to learn the history, same with Science or anything of value. They do not make you take Art History in school for nothing.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

For me aquascaping wasn't even a word I had in my vocabulary when I first began keeping plants. All I was interested in was learning how to grow the plants, and like Tom and some others have been saying, *you have to know your plants* in order to scape a "perfect" ending to your canvas (the tank). Without going through a long Collectoritis phase, I wouldn't have even gotten to where I am today. And I still can't grow everything lol. 

I don't consider myself an aquascaper. Maybe a farmer or fish keeper would be better terms. I just do what I love, keep what I like, and place things where I see fit. That's it. I was never in it to win it. Yes, I'll admit I recently entered my tank into the 2011 IAPLC but it was only because all my friends on here and SFBAAPS kept telling me to enter it. My original plan was to do it for self gratification, and that has been achieved 10 fold. Even though I placed so far behind in the contest, it didn't really matter to me because I like my tank the way it is. I didn't care if my lilly pipes were still in, or that my CO2 diffuser was not removed for the photoshoot. The point is, some of us who live in the States have other priorities and or LIFE and it will always supersede over this hobby of ours. Those who can afford to make it a lifestyle and compete to become the top aquascaper in the world, you have my blessing and I will be rooting for you to the end. I however probably won't chose to go that route unless I have lots of money to invest into this hobby and my kids are grown and self sufficient enough to where I don't have to worry about them anymore. That's when I can focus all my "zen" to possibly get to where all our Asian and European counterparts are.

Also just from my limited experience (being the new kid on the block) here's my 2 pennies. As Tom stated clearly in his 1998 article (in my own words), we as planted tank keepers have to learn how to grow plants and get to know which plants work for the type of layout we envision before actually planting them into our canvas if we are indeed trying to "aquascape" a tank. Without that seasoned knowledge we can still be a decent aquascaper but you must have access to super healthy readily available plants at arms reach to bust the overnight aquascaping contest tank that gets torn down the day after the contest pictures are taken. That person never cared for growing those plants out in the first place. Though I've never met anyone who did this, I'm sure there are those type of aquscapers out there. 

Babysteps. We'll get there one day


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Senior Shrimpo said:


> Just look at guys like Speedie, Chad, Tom Barr, Mike and Jeff Senske, Frank, and many more I'm sure you'll find Americans have just as much potential as any other nation.


Ha, ha Frank should look at Frank! Sorry but found it hilarious. 

Great points and I am a big proponent of it (focus on aquascaping). I cannot say we are bad, but do agree that the focus on good aquascaping is probably less than growing plants in a tank. I see so many expensive rimless tanks people are investing in (point is rimless tanks were primarily introduced as part of a product line that reduces clutter and eyesore rims and exposes the most of an aquarium that contibutes towards displaying a nice layout to it entirity.....those who do not agree should read Amano's own notes on the inception of these products...not touting for ADA but the thought process behind the design and how it is focused on layouts) but not as many show up in competitions. Where as Asians and Europeans put more entries, from the very best to the....ummm, not so good ones. But the participation is definitely more which probably gives the impression that we are not good.

However based on data in forums it seems that the focus on aquascpaing is more among Europeans and Asians as well. For example, the amount of threads and scapes in aquascapingworld is way way too many than in PT or APC, where the discussions are more on DIY, techniques, the science behind, collectorities etc. which are all good but just shows the lesser focus on scaping itself.

Those who might be struggling with my point in this reply, it's simple...focus on aquascaping is lesser among us Americans.

Well, there you go....shoot @ me, kill this  But just to be clear, I am not suggesting any opinion that one interest is better or worse than the other. Its just different.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

malaybiswas

I think you is correct, the post do not lie about it.
The stat's here and most forums are poor on the scaping.
Even with ASW, they have most from elsewhere.

My old open top tank pre dates anything I saw from Asia, it's more an easier access to garden for me, but I also want it to look nice too since it is in my home.

Same for the stands. The Dutch had the habit of adding everything into a cabinet, this is bad IME because it requires more work and access issues, making gardening more difficult, no matter if you just grow weeds or if you scape nicely.

I think the integrated cabinets look nice, and the more modern look of other stands and cabinets is nice also. I try to work with clients to make sure the access is easy, but........many......... do not listen.

I still think a group Aquascaping book might help a lot and save a few folks from making some of the past mistakes. 

If you feel that you can do better, then do something about it, change, grow, learn. It is not an easier path, but nothing worth while is an easy path.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

I have some pressing business to take care of that will occupy all of my time until next wednesday. But about that time I'll have a treatise ready that pretty much sums up a core premise.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

> This is horticulture/ecology..........not nature/ecology.
> While nature might be the theme, it is NOT natural.
> Not even close.


Very very true. Like I told Tom the last time I was over getting some manzy, the Nature Aquarium style is more of a "Disneyfied" nature concept. Those of us who tromp around streams/lakes/swamps know what I mean. They're gorgeous natural habitats (sometimes), but you could take a snapshot from the nicest lake and it wouldn't place well in the IAPLC. It's a different mindset there, more horticultural/landscape imitation than natural per se.

On other tack, there's no reason to try to draw such a strong connection between nature and aquascaping. The tanks of mine that I've enjoyed aquascaping the most were with artificial plants. You get complete freedom with leaf shape and color, carpets, etc, and if it doesn't look right, you can immediately break it down and do it again.

I think the way forward for *aquascaping* in this hobby is with artificial plants first. Anyone with an aquarium in the US is capable of learning to aquascape it and make it look great. Add in some of the regular maintenance Frank is talking about, and you get a gorgeous result. Just look at what ADG have done with totally conventional super low-tech setups.

Or this tank, courtesy of the PFK guys across the pond: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4189

All plastic, but looks amazing. Why? Good aquascaping.


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## MiamiArt (Aug 27, 2010)

Frank,

Thanks for posting such a thought provoking idea. That fact that we are focusing on and discussing aquascaping is a step in the right direction.

My humble opinion is that aquascaping is the science of planted aquariums extended to an art form. It is a form of art just like photography is an art. To become proficient at it takes dedication, passion and artistic talent. 

Like all forms of art, mastery of basics principles is required before you can truly push your creative boundaries and put forth masterpieces. Michael Angelo didn't paint the Sistine Chapel the day he first picked up a paintbrush. He first learned the basics and then worked at it with passion and dedication.

Those of us wanting to improve our aquascaping skills must first learn the basic principles and study the work of today's masters. We must then put effort to improve. To date, I know of only a few people in the US that are doing this.

Best,

Art


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

This is a math problem. How many LFSes have you visited? What do you see at them? Do you see awe inspiring planted tanks? Probably not. You will see awesome reef tanks because as long as the fish are alive, they are beautiful.

I've been to dozens of LFS stores within driving distance. One has a single, nice planted tank. Very different from store in EMEA.

You can't have championship players if you don't have a farm team. In the US, the average person never sees a planted tank. Has no idea what is possible and never enters the hobby. No volume of interest, no great products for it. No ecosystem.

Math problem. Internet may change that over time, but then there is the major recession...another math problem.


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## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

NJAquaBarren said:


> This is a math problem. How many LFSes have you visited? What do you see at them? Do you see awe inspiring planted tanks? Probably not. You will see awesome reef tanks because as long as the fish are alive, they are beautiful.
> 
> I've been to dozens of LFS stores within driving distance. One has a single, nice planted tank. Very different from store in EMEA.
> 
> ...


Is this that "New" math everyone is talking about? 

Good points.

jB


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

All of my friends have multiple reef tanks and continue to try and convert me. Good luck, not going to happen.

As far as aquascaping goes, after seeing the scapes of the CAU, I just want to throw in the towel sometimes.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

I agree as well but the notion of nature aquarium has totally changed. If you notice carefully, Amano's own creations are quite different than what we see in IAPLC (although he has done a few mountain scales recently). This drew me to learn more about his own creations view since he originally conceptualized this form. If I understood it correctly he saw nature aquarium as a beautified biotope. In his own journals he wrote about how he used his photography tours to see how plants and fish live and harmonize in their natural habitats (e.g. how anubias grows on rocks, how angelfish use their strips to camouflage in the vals and swords ) and tried to do his setups keeping those aspects in mind with some aesthetics of course. Not a terrestrial scene recreated under water. That concept has changed a lot among today's "nature" aquariums but still as an art these are gorgeous creations. That said iaplc is not "the" standard but a lot very good international medium to see some of the best concepts and designs being created

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

malaybiswas said:


> I agree as well but the notion of nature aquarium has totally changed. If you notice carefully, Amano's own creations are quite different than what we see in IAPLC (although he has done a few mountain scales recently). This drew me to learn more about his own creations view since he originally conceptualized this form. If I understood it correctly he saw nature aquarium as a beautified biotope. In his own journals he wrote about how he used his photography tours to see how plants and fish live and harmonize in their natural habitats (e.g. how anubias grows on rocks, how angelfish use their strips to camouflage in the vals and swords ) and tried to do his setups keeping those aspects in mind with some aesthetics of course. Not a terrestrial scene recreated under water. That concept has changed a lot among today's "nature" aquariums but still as an art these are gorgeous creations. That said iaplc is not "the" standard but a lot very good international medium to see some of the best concepts and designs being created
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


I want to say that I think you are 100% valid here. One thing I don't like, for example, is the tree under water, even if well done. But, I remember a scape that you did, that didn't work out making a bunch of trees, to mimic a much more scenic scape (alps I believe), and it was far more appealing.


But, I also don't think Amano needs to be the standard, or contests, as you stated. One trend I like is creating a sort of "fantacy" based on reality. People often comment on these scapes as looking like Lord of the Rings (haven't seen it). It's a trend I like.

I think whatever aquascape you like, do it. I am honestly kind of sick of natural/Amano style tanks, though I appreciate them. I really like the new stuff.



Lastly, and on another subject. To some this may be obvious, to others not so much. The difference between a good aquascape (and sometimes medicure ones) is not a large gap. Usually it is super subtle things, slightly different placement, slightly different choice of materials, the plant choice, all the way down to the way things are trimmed. Many of the scapes that I consider great just have the little bit that draws your attention compared to the next. But, it makes all the difference in the world.


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## Senior Shrimpo (Dec 4, 2010)

Sorry,

Just learned how to read. You're right, we don't match up to some other countries, but we do still compete. Remember, we as Americans weren't the first to reach space, but we did have the first guy up there on the moon. I think right now people are beating us, but soon our moon landing will come.

...Or not. And maybe we'll never be able to master a sport like this. Who knows. It is kind of depressing. :/


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

The answer is simple and can be found with some inward meditation:

Yes there is a shortage of good material - no matter who you are or where you are, it is always hard to find good material. Just because the rock is from Japan does not mean it is going to be a better rock than the one you find in your yard - but consistency and characteristic rock in 'sets,' is very difficult to find no matter what.

Yes, there is a lack of presence of planted aquaria in retail shops. It's increasing in presence but slowly.

Yes, there are certain cultural traits that are 'against,' patient discipline and more towards instant gratification.

Yes information is hard to come by.

However, these just become excuses that block your creative potential. The only thing preventing good aquascapes is ourselves and our mindset. When we -let- these things become roadblocks, then they become insurmountable mountains. There will never be the perfect rock, plant, driftwood, advice, etc. They just represent manifestations of the mind that prevent you from tapping into what your potential is. And I can speak of this from experience - I've been there, had those thoughts, maintained those excuses.

Lets be honest - the planted aquarium is the formula one race car of the fw aquarium world - and if you give the keys to a formula one race car to a 16 year old who just got their license, they aren't going to drive it right and they will crash it. But if you take baby steps and develop skill, then you can drive the car. It's not impossible, it's just more difficult.

On the flip side evaluate this:

Yes it's hard to find material, but there is a vast source of natural material available here in the US. You just have to find it. If you don't want to try the endeavor of natural collection, then pay the price for the material - they last nearly forever. $100 for a piece of driftwood that will last at least 10 years and makes for an awesome show-tank is absolutely priceless and every bit worth that value - it's not like it goes away after the first time you use it.

Sure good planted shops are in lacking: but there is plenty of resource online for plants amongst hobbyists and if you take the steps to support more plants in local pet stores they will carry them: I get calls every day about stores doing precisely this because a customer asked for it.

Yes our culture is geared towards instant gratification: but the Japanese often complain that western culture is more 'creative.' We develop new things, then they're very good at refining the idea. Many Japanese innovations are refinements of either centuries long traditions or imports from other cultures.

Yes, information is hard to come by - but we are working on developing exactly that.

I urge you to trust me on the discipline side - it seems ridiculous I know, but just -try- it. No it won't make you a better aquascaper tomorrow, or teach you to grow plants tomorrow. But it is a vital cog in the whole picture. Again when I have more time next week i'll provide a full length pdf booklet right up. In the mean time - just take my word from it as someone who has been there, questioned that and understands.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

talontsiawd said:


> I want to say that I think you are 100% valid here. One thing I don't like, for example, is the tree under water, even if well done. But, I remember a scape that you did, that didn't work out making a bunch of trees, to mimic a much more scenic scape (alps I believe), and it was far more appealing.
> 
> 
> But, I also don't think Amano needs to be the standard, or contests, as you stated. One trend I like is creating a sort of "fantacy" based on reality. People often comment on these scapes as looking like Lord of the Rings (haven't seen it). It's a trend I like.
> ...


Very true. That's the point. There is no set standard of art. Some of Gary Wu's creations got lower score in iaplc due to use of artificial elements or fantasy themes but they are still masterpieces. Should he change course to score higher in iaplc or follow his aspirations? 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Senior Shrimpo said:


> Sorry,
> 
> Just learned how to read. You're right, we don't match up to some other countries, but we do still compete. Remember, we as Americans weren't the first to reach space, but we did have the first guy up there on the moon. I think right now people are beating us, but soon our moon landing will come.
> 
> ...Or not. And maybe we'll never be able to master a sport like this. Who knows. It is kind of depressing. :/


Being the topper is not as important imo. Being creative is. Like I said before fantasy themes and terrestrial scapes came thru vision and practice and initially they did not score higher in iaplc or other competitions but are slowly gaining acceptance and popularity. Even if we do not score top in a handful of competitions it does not matter. However it would be great to see some fellow guys here focusing on creating new techniques. Right now it seems to be very limited to a handful of us vs many more in other countries. I am hooked to this aspect of planted tank n would love to see more from here. Competition is just a medium to showcase alongside others worldwide. 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Francis Xavier said:


> The answer is simple and can be found with some inward meditation:
> 
> Yes there is a shortage of good material - no matter who you are or where you are, it is always hard to find good material. Just because the rock is from Japan does not mean it is going to be a better rock than the one you find in your yard - but consistency and characteristic rock in 'sets,' is very difficult to find no matter what.
> 
> ...


Yep. If there is a will there is a way. May be exposure is an issue but that will likely change over time. When I moved to chicago I could not find good enough hardscape material locally but then settled for some Wisconsin granites. My layout was criticized by some as an array of rocks vs a "true" mountainscape and my answer was that if 2 staggered peaks is what is understood as a mountainscpae then that is not what I wanted to do. It scored 403 in iaplc. Irrespective of the score, inspite of not so ideal rocks and unconventional use of them still got appreciation. Don't make set "standards" be your limit.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I was looking at the ADA AJ's and got to wondering, looking at the various trimming articles and scaping articles in the AJ's and in general from Amano. Folks in the USA squawk on and on over Penac or some little item.........then do not read or at least listen to most of the main points in the mag's. Yea, they are selling the brand.......but they are also trying to teach scaping as much as well.

I think Amano could easily make several of the articles into a good excellent aquascaping book, a how to guide for various styles. Most of the stuff is already there and available, but folks get distracted.

Everyone thinks there's some dang "trick" to it.
There is not.

Some will have much more trouble with this than others. 
I liken it to learning "groove" on the bass, or "dancing..".......
Some get it....some really do not. Everyone can do it, but........some may have to try harder at it, work is rewarded in the end regardless.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

kuni said:


> Very very true. Like I told Tom the last time I was over getting some manzy, the Nature Aquarium style is more of a "Disneyfied" nature concept. Those of us who tromp around streams/lakes/swamps know what I mean. They're gorgeous natural habitats (sometimes), but you could take a snapshot from the nicest lake and it wouldn't place well in the IAPLC. It's a different mindset there, more horticultural/landscape imitation than natural per se.


Yes, I think sometimes folks like to create the essence of a scene, a more sublime creation.........not the copy cat thing at all.



> On other tack, there's no reason to try to draw such a strong connection between nature and aquascaping. The tanks of mine that I've enjoyed aquascaping the most were with artificial plants. You get complete freedom with leaf shape and color, carpets, etc, and if it doesn't look right, you can immediately break it down and do it again.


Well, you can with live plants if you are willing and patient enough to wait for them to grow back again.



> I think the way forward for *aquascaping* in this hobby is with artificial plants first. Anyone with an aquarium in the US is capable of learning to aquascape it and make it look great. Add in some of the regular maintenance Frank is talking about, and you get a gorgeous result. Just look at what ADG have done with totally conventional super low-tech setups. Or this tank, courtesy of the PFK guys across the pond:  http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4189
> 
> All plastic, but looks amazing. Why? Good aquascaping.


Yes, interesting take on using the fake to do well with the real. :icon_idea


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