# Almost done: Fire v Forest



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Nothing much happened the last time i posted a pic of this tank, i added flame tetras, and some Boraras urophthalmoides. Had a trim and this is it! Not sure if I will want to perfect this tank. Itching for a rescape. heh.



























One more thing, I edited this with a bug infested Picasa. So..they are not so good in that sense. Will get photoshop when I can afford it and edit the pics again of course 

Do tell me what you think of the position of the fish and the general layout. Thanks!


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## messy_da_legend (Feb 18, 2006)

I like this tank, but I have a couple of suggestions if you don't mind. IMHO I would keep it sand only in the front left corner and remove some of the larger pieces of gravel. I think this will give the tank a "cleaner" look. I would also like to see some small plants like moss in the right midground covering the rock (?) and maybe on the smaller rock in the front centre.

Other than that I think this is a really nice layout, well done. I like the placement of the Marsilea (?) on the wood.

Tom


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## arowanaman (Jun 14, 2006)

I think this tank is plesantly original and I like the tank just as it is. I have been experimenting with having larger pebbles spread out in the sand too it gives the tank more of a natural feel.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I like the layout a lot. Very good use of Marsilea. The Barclaya gives it a nice accent, but from my experience growing Barclaya, that looks like a temporary addition; the appearance would be hard to maintain.

I mostly wanted to comment about using larger pebbles scattered about in sand. The arrangement looks more natural (i.e., more like they are found in pebbly sand stream beds) if the pebbles are partly buried - usually to about their widest point. That way the pebbles aren't sitting on top of the sand, they are part of the sand.

I found that over a period of several years the pebbles didn't contribute enough to the tank to justify their presence. I gradually took them out as they got in the way of one thing or another.


Roger Miller


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Thanks Tom, Jordan and Roger  Your comments are well appreciated.

But sorry Tom, I have the same feelings for the pebbles as the other two, although I will find other ways to make the tank "cleaner". Maybe if the foreground is a FULL green, it ll look cleaner. Now its just black and green, cos the Lilaeopsis brasiliensis takes sometime to grow. 

I agree with the barcalaya. it is dying down. I heard that there is a dormant period for it. Well, hopefully it comes back.

The reason why I left the sides open is so that the reflection gives the tank more width. Just a random fact. Heh. More comments?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

Loving the layout!!!!

the right side sticks out though.


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## zQ. (Dec 15, 2006)

i love the way it is ! From the plant to the dw.
Ah,nice H.Quadrifolia


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## UG Dude! (Apr 12, 2007)

Original...


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## nornicle (Jun 17, 2007)

fantastic!! very original.. i love it!


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

I echo the comments about originality. It has a clean simple look, but so much small detail that it appears very natural. I actually like the sandy area on the extreme right I think it makes it look that much more natural.


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Thanks so much everyone! I ve got all my fingers crossed for someone to like this one. 

UG Dude! and nornicle: i am glad it doesnt look like something you ve seen before =)

zQ. and houseofcards: thanks for believing in the sandy area. haha! i think i know why i am getting 2 kinds of opinion for the sandy area. there is clearly sand on the extreme right but the sandy part on the left which is suppose to balance the whole effect is a bit busy with the pebbles. so its a good idea, but a bad idea at the same time since i did not properly balance the effect.

Will try and make some adjustments and post more pictures =) Is there anyone who has something bad to say about it? I mean, 100+ views... where else can i improve?


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## defdac (May 10, 2004)

I love your sense of colors and the color composition. Fish, stones and the Crypt(?) in the same orange matches well with the greens.

I also like the hirsuta and the wild look of the bottom and the sparse convex island. The island could fill in just a tad more, but not much.

The only thing that is somewhat annoying is the driftwood. The stump reaching out to the right feels unnatural, clunky and man made.

That said, this is one of the more inspiring aquascapes I've seen in a while. Very good work.


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Hey defdac you ve got me thinking about the DW. Thanks. I kinda hoped that the gnarly, slightly curvey look to the DW will throw of the idea that it is unnatural. i get your point, and will try to grow more crypts infront of it to make it more subtle, while still keeping the general layout of the tank.

To tell you the truth, the DW was one of the fav parts of the tank. Lol. But biasness shan't be in the way of getting something done _more _correctly =) I love twitching my tank. Its easy and it gives me something creative to do lol. Also a part of twitching is, it can be undone quite easily, so i ll try your suggestion.

I guess you are also saying that the tank is not tad mature enough also. Upon that comment, I will leave the tank to grow for a few months more.

Again, thanks to to the others that enjoys the tank. Both compliment and advise drives me.


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## KraKen (Jul 17, 2008)

I love it! At first glance I wasn't that sure but it's really grown on me. 

If you need a good image editing program check out the GIMP, it does pretty much everything photoshop does but it's free and open source.


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