How do u aquascape?
- Thread starter eylk
- Start date
I always search at pictures around, but I always go with a natural set up. Brownish mix rocks/gravel for the substrate, fake plants, driftwood and that floats my boat even though I want to go with live plants one day.
I've always had an idea of what I wanted to create , before I started & I put a back ground on the tank to ultimately help in giving it depth. I placed some of the shorter plants in the front & the same species (but larger) in the back,....except for either the middle of the tank on on either end where I wanted to create the illusion of distance & I put the larger plants in the foreground & the smaller one in the back (to look like off in the distance.)
I'd also say that if you are on a po' budget, you can wait to aquascape the tank, when you have the money & make sure that you use driftwood b/c (besides it's other more practical applications) it also creates space & looks just as good in a po' budgeted tank as it does the more affluent.
I'd also say that if you are on a po' budget, you can wait to aquascape the tank, when you have the money & make sure that you use driftwood b/c (besides it's other more practical applications) it also creates space & looks just as good in a po' budgeted tank as it does the more affluent.
hahah I guess I can wait to aquascape my tank however I dun think my fishes can wait.. some of them really needs some hiding places.. real bad ! Anyways Thx for all of your feedback/opinions.
and hey guess what! most of the articles have some common points! I always tot aquascaping is just pure inspiration.. looks like there are rules after all..
hope i can set up one of them magazine cover tanks!
and hey guess what! most of the articles have some common points! I always tot aquascaping is just pure inspiration.. looks like there are rules after all..
hope i can set up one of them magazine cover tanks!
A couple things I like to keep in mind:
First of all, while most of us like to go for a "natural" look, understand that aquariums are by definition unnatural environments. The water in most FW environments is murky, either with suspended substrate and/or algae. Lighting is typically dim, and you only find rooted plant growth at the very edges. Fish in general don't like to be exposed in brightly lit, clear water, but that's how we like to look at them. So don't obsess too hard about recreating an authentic slice of the biotope--create an environment that's esthetically pleasing to you while keeping your fish happy.
Also, some of the links make reference to the "golden ratio." The essential point is that you are looking for balance, as opposed to symmetry. Symmetry and straight lines are unnatural-looking; balance is pleasing.
I like to work on the illusion that structures continue outside the limits of the tank. In particular, I like objects on the tank floor that give the illusion of something buried which is peeking out of the sand. I have some pots and crockery pieces that I cut with a tile saw so that they look like most of the item is buried. You can achieve the same effect by finding rocks that are shaped like pyramids--the shallower, the better. If you set these into your substrate, you create a "tip of the iceberg" effect.
You can do the same thing with driftwood by slicing it at an angle and sticking the cut edge to your tank floor, so that it gives the appearance of a dead log buried beneath the sand.
If you like the look of fish swimming through root tangles, you can create the illusion of mangrove-like roots by turning branchy pieces of wood upside-down. I'm always scanning roadside brush piles for likely pieces (bleach, soak, boil, pressure-wash, leave out in the weather for months, etc)--crape myrtle is one of my faves for this effect.
Stay away from pitchy woods like conifers, which will reveal themselves at first boil by gunking up your pot.
First of all, while most of us like to go for a "natural" look, understand that aquariums are by definition unnatural environments. The water in most FW environments is murky, either with suspended substrate and/or algae. Lighting is typically dim, and you only find rooted plant growth at the very edges. Fish in general don't like to be exposed in brightly lit, clear water, but that's how we like to look at them. So don't obsess too hard about recreating an authentic slice of the biotope--create an environment that's esthetically pleasing to you while keeping your fish happy.
Also, some of the links make reference to the "golden ratio." The essential point is that you are looking for balance, as opposed to symmetry. Symmetry and straight lines are unnatural-looking; balance is pleasing.
I like to work on the illusion that structures continue outside the limits of the tank. In particular, I like objects on the tank floor that give the illusion of something buried which is peeking out of the sand. I have some pots and crockery pieces that I cut with a tile saw so that they look like most of the item is buried. You can achieve the same effect by finding rocks that are shaped like pyramids--the shallower, the better. If you set these into your substrate, you create a "tip of the iceberg" effect.
You can do the same thing with driftwood by slicing it at an angle and sticking the cut edge to your tank floor, so that it gives the appearance of a dead log buried beneath the sand.
If you like the look of fish swimming through root tangles, you can create the illusion of mangrove-like roots by turning branchy pieces of wood upside-down. I'm always scanning roadside brush piles for likely pieces (bleach, soak, boil, pressure-wash, leave out in the weather for months, etc)--crape myrtle is one of my faves for this effect.
Stay away from pitchy woods like conifers, which will reveal themselves at first boil by gunking up your pot.
Also..i don't think it was mentioned in the above...the gravel in the back of the tank should be at least an inch thicker than the gravel in the front, again to give perspective and also to help in cleaning - if you do this debris will tend to roll to the front of the tank where you can easily scoop it out...or you can make a valley from left to right, an inch or two from the front where the detris will settle, yet won't be so obvious. You can also read through webpages and look at what other people have done. One thing that most people forget to do is to consider what kinds of things their fish would prefer to have. Do they need caves and plants to hide in? Do they need lots of open space to swim around in schools? Also, don't forget that change is as easy as putting your hand in the tank and pulling something out, or moving it to some other part...easy, of course, as long as you are not raising piranha 
The scaping is actually where it gets fun...for me at least. When I had my fake plants in the tank it was like...hmmm...yeah...that looks ok. But now that I am going with live plants and driftwood..it definately has triggered the creativity part in me. Always examining the tank to where to put the next plant...trying to the get the flow of them. Mind you I am going with several differnt species so for me it is a little challenging unlike to the pros out here. I've seen some really beutiful tanks that I hope I can get mine like eventually.
