kiwik

It's summer so i decided to make a new scape. I need comments/ help.



in the back of the big rock will be HM, and everything else will be HC. any other plant suggestions? and should i move and of the rocks or take out any?

heres a pictures of my old setup, which was torn down because the loaches keep burrowing under the HC and i got tired of the HC popping up.

 

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jazzlvr123

you should a a rock grouping on the left side too one somewhat smaller than the grouping on the right the look of symmetric rock groupings make an aquarium look really balanced

kiwik

like this?



that's all the rocks i got for today, couldnt make a smaller grouping.

travis

I like the rockwork you've done on the right side of the tank but the rocks you've placed on the left give the tank a much too symmetrical look (although I have to say that you've got some very nice looking rock for your 'scape). Their shape and placement looks like a mirror image of those on the right and appears a little unnatural to me. Unbalancing them by breaking up the left group, possibly moving some of them a bit forward and playing around with their angles, would help give your tank a more natural look.

In a small tank like this one, with rocks as proportionally large as yours, you should consider using only three of the larger rocks, possibly adding some of the smaller pieces in the foreground and to the sides. Iwagumi, the Japanese art of stone arrangement that Takashi Amano has so brilliantly adapted to aquascaping, uses odd numbered groupings of prominent rocks to create focal points and to produce a natural, asymmetric feel. The most popular style, sanzon iwagumi, uses three main rocks in its arrangements: one large rock complemented by two somewhat smaller rocks that are placed at varying distances from the main rock, often leaning reverentially toward it. Viewed from the top-down, the three primary rocks in a sanzon iwagumi arrangement may often be seen to form the points of a scalene triangle (one having three unequal sides). The relative positions and angles at which these three rocks are placed, along with their shape and texture are key factors in determining where the focus of the arrangement will be.

The focal point of the iwagumi design (which can be the rocks themselves or a spot toward which the rock arrangement leads the eye), tends to look most natural when it is not dead-center. In the case of your last picture the two similar groupings of rock on either side of the tank, although each looks great on its own, focus the eye on the open area at the very center of the tank and give the 'scape (to my eye anyway) an unnaturally balanced look.

An off-balance iwagumi arrangement with the focal point roughly 2/5ths of the way in from either the left or right side will help lend your tank a more natural appearance. I'm not sure why 2/5ths works so well (try searching for "golden ratio" here on APC to read more about it) but I have to admit that it really does seem more organic. Take a look at some of Amano's iwagumi-style tanks (or for that matter some of the amazing iwagumi tanks from members here at APC) and they will give you a much better illustration of what I've poorly tried to explain here in four rambling paragraphs.

kiwik

i scooted the rocks on the left more towards the front

kiwik

ive noticed change in the leaf size and shape in the HM. What causes this? it changed from a long, narrow shape to a short, rounder shape (sort of like a tear drop).

mikenas102

Either the HM was grown emersed and is adapting to being submersed or its a reaction to a change in lighting.

kiwik

probably the latter....i was worried that it might be nutrient deficiency. sounds right because it was narrow leaf in the setup from the store i bought them, and i only got them for like a week. thanks.

kiwik

this morning i woke up and discovered that all of my amanos were laying on its sides. i quickly relocated them into another tank, but they dont seem to be doing any better. Theyve been in the tank for a year and a half. The only difference is that i started feeding Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers, and i stopped dosing ferts for a few months and only started dosing again on Wednesday. What is to blame?

i went back to my old dosing schedule, which was fine with the shrimps awhile ago.

travis

When something like that happens in an established tank like yours you should always look at what has changed. Just started dosing ferts again? Any copper in the micronutrient formula you're using?

I like the way you've adjusted your rocks, btw.

 

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