Here's the 20 all planted.

aunt kymmie

Very!

burnsbabe

I'd agree that you ought to move the wood to one side a bit (less centered) and perhaps plant some of the plants to "cover" the filter if you plan on having it for any length of time.

What redchicgh is trying to explain is the rule of thirds. Mentally divide the tank in to three both vertically and horizontally. You could even measure and use masking tape or something to really let you see it. Where the lines intersect are supposed to be the most "interesting' points visually to have something going on. This is also why the perfectly centered drift wood is throwing most of us off a bit.

Good start.

cbirk

where did this rule come from out of curiosity? it seems rather arbitrary considering that people tend to be drawn towards symmetry. Don't get me wrong I will try it and see, just seems random. Also I am holding off placing in front of the filter until I can get an HOB. I don't want to risk having my plants sucked up into the intake (as it is an intank filter)

tanker

Here's some info about it - it's to do with photos, but it is the same thing. Rules of photo composition Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition: Rule of Thirds

aunt kymmie

Then on top of that, you have the Feng Shui rules of aquarium aquascaping...

cbirk

ok attempt 2

took out the shells moved drift wood to the left and angled, attached Java Fern to drift wood, moved some of the other plants around.



I think I will see if I can get some of those dwarf sag or Isoetes that red suggested for the foreground on the right.

burnsbabe

At least I find this more pleasing. You've got a big swimming space, a hiding space, and things are just...I dunno.


The rule of thirds is applied in Photography as well. It's based on the Golden Ratio and has been known in some form or another since, I believe, the Renaissance. Which doesn't mean you have to follow it. Just a suggestion.

Also, your Java Fern will love you for putting it on the wood.

cbirk

yeah I had read somewhere that they like that so I attached it with some cotton thread. I think it looks better. The golden ratio I understand, just didn't see how it applies here. Right now my tank, to me, looks a little too empty on one side and crowded on the other. but I do like the way the drift wood looks a lot better now. So I guess its all about playing. And if I get those foreground plants it might look better too. Thanks for all the help and suggstions!

burnsbabe

Clearly, the most important thing is that YOU like the way your tank is set up. By all means continue to mess around with where things are placed etc. Though I'd probably get the plants settled pretty soon. The wood is easily mobile whenever you want. Just trying to offer some design advice.

tanker

Yes, I think the wood looks better over to the side. How far out from the side of the tank is it? Can you get your hand down there to clean the glass? (sorry to harp on about it, but my driftwood hampers my use of the gravel vac at the front, and it is a source of irritation).

Yes, I agree with burnsbabe - we should decide what pleases us with our tanks, we're the ones who get to see them every day and if we like it, all well and good.

Another thing - when you've got real plants in your tank, the landscaping isn't static. When I first set up my big tank, I moved my driftwood until it was "just so". The first time I shoved my gravel vac in there, the wood shifted.... My plants went rampant and you couldn't see it.... Deciding precisely where to put it was pretty much a waste of time.

Some plants went crazy, others haven't grown much, others are a bit leggy and scraggly looking. I had the Water Sprite in the front, now the sword has grown up and the Water Sprite is gone (just from that spot - I have it floating). Everything is constantly changing so how it looks now isn't how it will look next month, or the month after (although with swords, yours shouldn't change as much as mine did).

There's also nothing stopping you deciding to move your decor around if the mood strikes you. You might find another piece of wood, or a rock that you really like and think would suit your tank. It's part of the fun of having a tank, looking at it and thinking how it's changed, or what you could do to it or fiddling with this and that...