# Satisfied with your scape?



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

How many times have you all scaped your tank to where you were satisfied?

I just started out about a month ago, got a bunch of plants from people on this forum and started trying new designs and layouts. None have really satisfied me. I think it's partly because I don't know all the possible plants out there and their scaping "applications".

I've looked at gorgeous pictures of other peoples' scapes, but I don't want to copy them. I want something that I created myself.

It's getting a little disheartening and I'm not sure what to do...how did you finally figure out a decent scape? What can I do to help me figure something out?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

never satisfied.


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## joephys (May 9, 2006)

I am not much of an artist, so I am never satisfied. I have some great looking plants though, which is what I really care about. Try researching some aquascaping techniques. I think that most of the good looking tanks follow those basic guide lines.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

I plan, I do, and then I stick with it. Really, good planning and disciplined execution (not giving up on it) are the probably the key attitudes to take to aquascaping. Come up with a plan, do it, and then don't give up on it. You can click on my banner to see pics of my current tank lay out.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

When I do a new scape/rescape I will be satisfied for a while, then as time goes on I become disatisfied. Then the process starts all over again,


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

trenac said:


> When I do a new scape/rescape I will be satisfied for a while, then as time goes on I become disatisfied. Then the process starts all over again,


Very true, sometimes my plants just died due to replacing them frequently.


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## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

By all means.....COPY!!!

Copy exactly!! 

Firstly, you will never be able to do it exactly the same. Each tank has its own energy and growth. 

Second, its like martial arts. You practice the forms....exactly as they are. Then you learn to adapt to your situation. Aquariums are no different. Learn the fundimentals. After you "copy" a few tanks, you will learn why they are good. Then you will be inspired from within by things like a cool rock, or a cool plant.

jB


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## Cassie (May 27, 2006)

when I was, and still am eve, just starting out, I find myself rescaping my tank whenever I get a new plant, or, if I have free time on my hands, I'll often tweak things, switch plants, etc, since I'm never satisfied, especially when I see all the beautiful scapes here and on the web. I know that it may come in time, and practice makes perfect, right? So the more you try out, the better you get and the more likely you'll be to find something you like...at least, I hope that's how it works, since that's what I am doing!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Practice is good, but not if it means the scape never gets the chance to mature. You won't really be able to see if it's going to be good or not unless you stick with it (unless it's blatantly obvious, but that's why you should have a good plan in mind from the get-go).


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## Moody (Sep 14, 2006)

It takes time to get a feel for how plants will grow and look when mature.
When i first started out i would be pleased with what i had acheived but not al happy with the over all layout, over time i have become more experianced with the plants i know and so can create better scapes and be more satisfide.Give me a new set of plants and i will not be so confidant but i will learn from it wich is only a good thing.

Takes time and experiance but you will progressivly get better at it all.


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## gabeszone (Jan 22, 2006)

I think if you have the image in your mind and dont give up on it it will come out to what you wanted.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I've had my 46g bf to a point once where I was quite happy with it. For me, it was a combination of healthy plants and enough time spent on the 'scape that it all looked good at the same time for a brief moment.

To be in "peak" form - good enough for a contest - it takes a few months of careful arranging, trimming, and "fussing".

The need to constantly tweak the setup is 1/2 of the fun for me.


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## tao (Jun 15, 2005)

Only once. My problem was that I kept changing what I wanted it to be.


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## newguy (Mar 18, 2006)

i am not satisified with my scape at all, but cant really change anything unless redo the entire tank as the plants have all grown in place.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Here's a few pictures of my scape that I just finished. Not very happy with it, but it's my first or second try.

By no means am I a photographer, so please excuse my poor pictures. It's not a great digital camera either. I haven't figured what to do with the background. I was thinking probably a black background.


















































I have Anacharis in the front left, Ludwigia repens in the back left, Spiral Vals in the back right, Sunset Hygrophila in the front left, and a lone java fern in front of the big rock.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should add/remove or move around? Thanks!


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

By no means is this densely planted....should I add even more Spiral Vals and Ludwigia repens to the back? I have a few more stems that I plan to put in another tank, but if you all think I should, then I will.

I heard that I should leave space between plants so that they can grow in. I hope the Anacharis gets longer and bushier so I can get a whole row of them against the left side. And I want the Ludwigia to fill in most of the back.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

you should add way way more plant


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Added more plants.










































The fish were in the tank before I re-scaped and are in their "old" water. I hope the elodea grows longer and straighter soon. It looks retarded.

Any help with this, please?


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## jassar (Jul 30, 2006)

Hi, not sure if this helps anyone else but I draw the layout on paper ( or in photoshop) to see the best balanced aquascape....simple art tricks.
-Jassar


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

I agree with Jason....copy what you like. That is how I started out my current tank, and it is taking on a different look than what I started out copying. It is still the same composition, but I have rearranged, changed out plants and trimmed it differently. I went this route to simplify things a bit since I knew that I would have a learning curve in regards to trimming, ferts etc.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

I am never satisfied...or have not been satisfied yet. My 2 biggest problems are that I have next to no artistic ability and I hate to get rid of my plants that have outgrown my tank. The latter being the biggest problem. 

Perfect example is my java fern. I recently did a complete tear down and start over when I discovered my java fern flourishing under a bunch of hygro and some type of onion plant. It had attached itself very nicely to a piece of driftwood. It also had approximately 10 baby java ferns on it. They all had 3-5 leaves on them and were anywhere in size between a penny and a quarter. Most hobbyists I believe would have thrown them out being that they are just java fern, I, on the other hand, can not do that, I feel too bad  because they are living things. So, I attempt to incorporate them into my scape or I throw them in my "grow out" tank. This leads to a dislike of my "current" scape. So if anyone wants any cheap plants that I have(cause thats pretty much all I have) that I can't bear to throw out, by all means they are yours. Just let me know!!


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I am mostly satisfied with what I have. I'm not really an aquascaper, I just try to tame my jungles a bit. Out of 4 tanks, I am very happy with one, content with another 2 and a bit disgruntled with the last one. The stupid plants aren't growing like they did in the other tank and are a bit of a mess. Overall, it just takes time to learn and experiment, and patience to let the plants grow out.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

very true, right now i uproot all my rotal rotundufilia and replcae it with Rotala Green, it take me 4 Hours to decide if im gonna uproot them


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

trenac said:


> When I do a new scape/rescape I will be satisfied for a while, then as time goes on I become disatisfied. Then the process starts all over again,


Same here.

I think this is one of the best aspects to the aquascaping hobby/art. There's always room for improvement (for the vast majority) and through attempting to creat that killer scape we learn and improve all the time.

As mentioned a plan is a very good idea. Unless you are very lucky then a great aquascape won't happen by chance.

Copying a scape you like is a good idea I think for the beginner. If the scape that is being copied is a good one then you will immediately choose the right plants, (assuming appropriate lighting etc.), composition etc. These are important lessons are taught well by copying as you become more intimate with the techniques. This said being bold and trying something original can also work, but I suppose there is an element of natural ability to carrying this off.

My 2p.


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

gf225 said:


> If the scape that is being copied is a good one then you will immediately choose the right plants, (assuming appropriate lighting etc.), composition etc. These are important lessons are taught well by copying as you become more intimate with the techniques. My 2p.


You touched on a very good point, and one I didn't mention. When copying, or close to it, you know what the end scape should look like. You will be able to spend your time on some of the more basic aspects of this hobby like trimming techniques, fert schedules, maintenance etc. versus having to learn all of that plus designing a pleasing scape.

Also one thing I have noticed with my tank, which started out as a copy, is that it has evolved into a different scape. It is still the same composition, but I have changed out plants, moved stuff around and trimmed a little differently creating a somewhat unique scape.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

While I have never copied someone else's scape, I do understand the value of doing so-- especially for beginners.

The tought thing for aquascaping, is that unlike in drawing or painting, one must invest at least 3 months to complete the lay out. That's a lot of time to invest just to "copy" one lay out. 

More important I think is patience-- people are too fidgety with their scaping, so they never get it right. They need more patience.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I agree with green. I'm of the opinion that really great scapes are born even before purchasing the hardware. Every rock, stick, and plant needs to be visualized in it's final form. Most tanks don't even start to look good before 3 months. Most are hitting their prime at the 6 month to 1 year mark.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

guaiac_boy said:


> I agree with green. I'm of the opinion that really great scapes are born even before purchasing the hardware. Every rock, stick, and plant needs to be visualized in it's final form. Most tanks don't even start to look good before 3 months. Most are hitting their prime at the 6 month to 1 year mark.


I'm with green and GB on this. Well, I don't prescribe copying but emulating something and making it your own. Like a layout? Use it but change something.

I still remember my first few attempts. Crap!
After 4 years, not as crap!
After a few months of foruming, the advanced topics was becoming clearer and understanding rules of placement with golden section principles, the subject becomes easier.

Epicfish,
for your tank, the scale of the plants to tank size could be tweaked to make it look larger. The plants in your tank are by no means the large type but for your tank size it does look large.

Smaller plants will make your tank look bigger. EG: A big rock is bold like the one you have, surround it with tiny small leaved plants like moss would make your scape look big.

If you really intend to have stem plants, then do choose those with small leaf like Rotala nanjean, Rotala rotundifolia.
If not Eleocharis vivipara is a good bg plant for a tank this size.


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

guaiac_boy said:


> I agree with green. I'm of the opinion that really great scapes are born even before purchasing the hardware. Every rock, stick, and plant needs to be visualized in it's final form. Most tanks don't even start to look good before 3 months. Most are hitting their prime at the 6 month to 1 year mark.


That may be true, but if it is, then that is somewhat depressing. If one's visualization has to be at that level, than great aquascapes would only come from someone with years (and years) of scaping, or a natural born genius . . .

I think it's not impossible to adjust the tank as it goes. It's true that a great start and envisionment is a good part-- maybe like 80% even-- but that 20% does let people suceed through hard work as well I think . . .


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## MiSo (Nov 4, 2005)

before i moved into my new apartment, i was pretty happy how the tank looked.
the plants were very healthy and the scape imo looked very nice.

but when i moved, all that got moved around and i've already changed the scape twice in two months. but generally speaking, once i do find that scape that i like i'll leave it alone. i left the previous scape up for about a year before it was changed and that was to transfer to a bigger tank.

tfmcder, i know how you feel about the plants. i have some HUGE amazon swords that i can't bear to toss out. even though i know my scape could do better with less/none.


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## blackeyes (Oct 8, 2006)

I use very few real plants- can I say more? Never satisfied!


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