# Hardscape Layout



## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

I finally was able to sit down for thirty whole minutes and hash out my tank plans:

Front view:










From the left:










From the right:










The plan is to have the plants slope down from some tall plants behind the rock in the back-left corner, to some microsword and/or dwarf hairgrass all around the base of the driftwood, with a solitary bunch of another tall plant growing behind and through the driftwood in the back-right corner. I still have to work on the plants, though. There not hard, just tedious.

Any plant suggestions? This is going to be a low-tech borderline El Natural tank, so nothing fancy.

Tschuss,

Kent


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

For me it separates the hardscape elements too much. I think it would look better to incorporate the wood and stone together somehow.


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## GlitcH (Aug 21, 2006)

AaronT said:


> For me it separates the hardscape elements too much. I think it would look better to incorporate the wood and stone together somehow.


Thpse were my first thoughts also


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## TonyV2 (Oct 16, 2006)

HI schaadrak, what application did you use to create that image?

As for the scape. I would try to lay the rock on left on its side. The similarly in height and shape lools unnatural to me. 

-Tony


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

The reason I put the stone there was to have something coming through the plants that would help pull the eyes away from the driftwood. Maybe it needs to be moved a little more forward and to the right, and made a little shorter and broader. The driftwood was modeled after a piece I already have, but the stone I just made up, so I can play with it a little more.

Tony - The program I used is Google SketchUp. It's free and pretty easy to get the hang of.


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Here we go.










I changed the shape of the stone a little and moved it forward and to the left. I also added a rotala looking plant amongst the driftwood. I was thinling a tall grassy plant for the back-left corner, with some water wisteria in front of it and wrapping around from behind the stone. I'll try to work on that this week.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Maybe if you move the rocks to the right in front of the wood? I think that could look good, with some slightly shorter rocks of course.


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

I made a grass plant and a few crypts and placed them in the tank.










I'm trying to make a wysteria right now to go in between the grass and the rock, and I'm thinking of putting a java fern on the driftwood somewhere.

Aaron - Thanks, I think that would help wth the transition. I'll make a couple later.

And a Happy ChrismaHannaKwanzika to all!


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## cydric (Nov 1, 2006)

How is this progressing?


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## Sudi (Feb 3, 2005)

It's going to look odd with wood on one side and rocks on the other...
Aaron is right. 
Good luck!


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

It looks entirely unnatural having wood perfectly clustered on one side with a bunch of flat rocks stacked edge on the opposite side.

Do you have any real hardscape to work with?

If you're still looking for plants, check out the Marsilea genus. There's a lot of great undemanding plants in there.


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

I didn't think anyone was still interested in this.

I took the rock out and added a java fern to the driftwood. I haven't had time to do much else.

I'll post a pic when I get home.


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## tutquarium (May 27, 2005)

Kent,

I have also tried to use Google Sketchup before setting up my last tank. However, I figured out that creating the plants would not be so easy and would take time so I gave up. Did you create the plants or use some ready templates instead?


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Here is the latest version.










I need a couple plants to put in between the "grass" and the "crypts". I was thinking wisteria, but I've heard the drop their leaves as a way of propagation. Ant suggestions for a semi-tall plant?

Troy- water clover would be pretty interesting, and would look pretty sweet in the emerged set-up I'm planning. I'll study some pictures and make some to put in.

Anubias- The plants really aren't all that hard and I've since learned of a way to make them in less time. The leaves take the longest time for me because I like to give them curves to make them look natural. The trick is to make one leaf a component, then just attach paste several leaf components however looks natural. The "crypt", "java", and "rotala" plants all share the same leaf component, I've just stretched, skewed and painted them all different ways.


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