# Critique needed please!



## Wayney (17 Dec 2008)

As the title suggests I'm looking for some views on a hardscape that I've literally just thrown together.
All comments good and bad are welcome so come on guys and get stuck in  










Regards Wayne,


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## Mark Evans (17 Dec 2008)

firstly, can i say it was nice to meet you wayne at the ukaps meet.  

ok, for me i'd try to make more of an island with the stones making up the base. thats not to say what youve done is wrong BTW...its not!.ultimately,   it depends on the planting scheme whether certain arrangements work. id maybe push the whole thing back a tad?...it lacks that sense of depth IMO....unless of course you plan on stuffing the back with plants. remember you dont need acres of room at the back for stems as the bulk will be at the upper 50%...if that makes sense?   

also maybe adjust the height of the 3 main branches as there on a similar plane. 

just remember wayne, a good planting scheme will change everything. 

later matey


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## Ed Seeley (17 Dec 2008)

I like the wood, though the far left piece looks a little different from the others, but that could just be the way it looks in the photos.

As to the rocks I think it might look better if the larger rocks are in the centre with the smaller rocks looking they've broken away from the main parts, a bit like the island idea Mark said.  Good job though.

What are the plans for the planting?


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## Thomas McMillan (17 Dec 2008)

It looks a bit...weird to me. I think it would definately be better if you went for a more island scape, e.g. the wood positioned how it is, but more central and together, rocks holding them in place on top of and around the base

Also, as has been said, the left piece is kind of distracting because it looks different from the others, but it might just be the photo. You could always overcome this by covering the wood with moss, but once the tank is full of water this might not be an issue. Also, the large clump of wood far right is distracting, because it's too upright and stands out too much ATM i think but I don't think it'll be an issue once plants are in


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## Wayney (17 Dec 2008)

saintly said:
			
		

> firstly, can i say it was nice to meet you wayne at the ukaps meet.
> 
> ok, for me i'd try to make more of an island with the stones making up the base. thats not to say what youve done is wrong BTW...its not!.ultimately, it depends on the planting scheme whether certain arrangements work. id maybe push the whole thing back a tad?...it lacks that sense of depth IMO....unless of course you plan on stuffing the back with plants. remember you dont need acres of room at the back for stems as the bulk will be at the upper 50%...if that makes sense?
> 
> ...



Howdy Mark! It was a pleasure to meet you as well mate along with all the other UKaps posse  
I was thinking of trying an island scape but kinda went off track a bit  with the end result being what i posted earlier.
There's no rush with this scape, I'm not gonna get it running until mid january maybe so there's plenty of time for me to work out the kinks. 

Cheers Wayne,



			
				Ed Seeley said:
			
		

> I like the wood, though the far left piece looks a little different from the others, but that could just be the way it looks in the photos.
> 
> As to the rocks I think it might look better if the larger rocks are in the centre with the smaller rocks looking they've broken away from the main parts, a bit like the island idea Mark said. Good job though.
> 
> What are the plans for the planting?



Thankyou Ed, 
The far left piece is slightly different as in it does'nt look as aged as the others do. I'll have a play with the rockwork tomorrow and as far as planting goes i was thinking of the usual crypts and ferns in the midground, either a riccia or flame moss foreground and for the background i'm thinking of rotala walachii (spelling?) and some small leaf stems :? 



			
				Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> It looks a bit...weird to me. I think it would definately be better if you went for a more island scape, e.g. the wood positioned how it is, but more central and together, rocks holding them in place on top of and around the base
> 
> Also, as has been said, the left piece is kind of distracting because it looks different from the others, but it might just be the photo. You could always overcome this by covering the wood with moss, but once the tank is full of water this might not be an issue. Also, the large clump of wood far right is distracting, because it's too upright and stands out too much ATM i think but I don't think it'll be an issue once plants are in



Cheers Thomas,
your probably right about the right side , I'll have a play with it tomorrow and see what i can come up with, maybe use some different rocks as i've got loads of the stuff  .

Thank again guys I really appreciate your views

Regards Wayne,


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## John Starkey (17 Dec 2008)

Hi Wayney,it was great to see you again mate,like i said if we are meeting at TGM just pm me and you can tag along with us,Right as for your aquascape i can only second what has already been said(especially by saintly) but with the wood and rocks you have i think you have the makings of something very good,you just need to find something YOU like the look of,take care see ya soon john.


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## Wayney (17 Dec 2008)

john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi Wayney,it was great to see you again mate,like i said if we are meeting at TGM just pm me and you can tag along with us,Right as for your aquascape i can only second what has already been said(especially by saintly) but with the wood and rocks you have i think you have the makings of something very good,you just need to find something YOU like the look of,take care see ya soon john.



Hi John, It was great to see you again as well matey 8) . I did'nt know if i was gonna do another tank or not but the day at TGM has given me the buzz again and now I'm looking forward to starting this one  

Thanks again John
Best wishes   
Wayne,


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## The Green Machine (17 Dec 2008)

Hi Wayne,

We have found that the longer that we live with the "dryscape" the more scope there is for tweaks untill we get that gut feeling that things are right and are ready to plant. Getting there though and would love to see the progress.

Great to see you on the day as well and look forward to meeting you again,

All the very best,

Jim and Mark.


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## George Farmer (17 Dec 2008)

Hi Wayne

Nice hardscape with plenty of potential.

Consider arranging the materials so they're not so equidistantly spaced.


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## GreenNeedle (18 Dec 2008)

George has said exactly what I was thinking albeit in a very 'well spoken' way 

The first thing I noticed when I saw your pic was the rocks.  Not the type of rock etc but that they all have exactly the same gap between them, almost mosaic!!!

I have to bow down to the others on the rest though because apart from noticing straight forward things I am no scaper and tend to just bang it in and let it grow  

AC


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## Themuleous (18 Dec 2008)

Yeh, for me you need fewer rocks and more variation in size and spacing.  I would also try putting one of the smaller pieces of wood on the far right over on the left side to balance it up?  Try and see, might not work in reality.

Hope that helps 

Sam


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## Wayney (18 Dec 2008)

Wow  Thanks for all your replies peeps, i really value your input and help 8). I've tried so many different layouts today that i have'nt had time to take any pictures  , a few of them have been half decent but nothing special though.

Thanks again guys
Wayne,


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## Mark Evans (18 Dec 2008)

you've got it in you wayne. i seem to remember that iwagumi you did prior?...that was a good use of stones. i know this is different and all....stick at it mate.


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## Wayney (19 Dec 2008)

saintly said:
			
		

> you've got it in you wayne. i seem to remember that iwagumi you did prior?...that was a good use of stones. i know this is different and all....stick at it mate.



Cheers Mark, the gumi was pretty much down to beginners luck really  but I was quietly pleased with it though  

Here's another layout that's a bit ...... well different I suppose   










Cheers,


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## Goodygumdrops (19 Dec 2008)

Different is GOOD!!!I like!!It's so hard to be different.I can see that whorling round,flowing clockwise.


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## Garuf (19 Dec 2008)

Looks nice, make sure all the wood faces the same way though


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## Goodygumdrops (19 Dec 2008)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Looks nice, make sure all the wood faces the same way though



Why is that?


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## Wayney (19 Dec 2008)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Looks nice, make sure all the wood faces the same way though



Cheers matey, I did try it all the same way but it looked a bit too obvious if that makes sense :?   



			
				Goodygumdrops said:
			
		

> Different is GOOD!!!I like!!It's so hard to be different.I can see that whorling round,flowing clockwise.



Thankyou very much   Still early days yet though

Cheers,


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## Garuf (19 Dec 2008)

Keep it if you like it, to me it reads all wrong, it creates a "tension" that I don't think benefits the scape.
That's not to say it can't be made to work but I'd want to have it going the same way as the main wood.


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## Goodygumdrops (19 Dec 2008)

Looking back,you could maybe try angling the bit on the left more towards the back so that the whole thing flows (do you know what I mean?).The wood would still be pointing in viewed from the front,but viewed from above,following,like I said,a clockwise pattern,or current if you can imagine it?
I can see a path,starting at the front,just below the point of the wood and the small rock,arcing round to pass through the far left rock and main rock past the right hand side of the single piece of wood.
Just my opinion,and as I've said already today,I'm not an aquascaper,no harm trying it and trying to visualise it planted though.


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## Thomas McMillan (19 Dec 2008)

*Re: Critique needed please!efinateut that*

You've got it in one! Looks really different, but as said different is good and it has that special something for me. Definatelygets the thumbs up from me.

I don't see a big problem with the wood facing the way it does, it could work but that doesn't mean to say it MIGHT look better if you changed the direction of the left piece to face to the left instead of the right.


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## Mark Evans (19 Dec 2008)

its a step in the right direction wayne. the use of dragon stone sure gives a different feel to the layout. much better IMO

IMO the opposing  branches could work. amano has done it so many times to good effect. there is tension in the layout but that can be softened with grasses maybe?...aciciualris?

theres no right or wrong


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## mr. luke (19 Dec 2008)

its nice, but to me, it looks a little bit to 'placed', none of the decor is touching, not very natural imo, but it could look nice once the spaces fill out with a nice carpet.


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## aaronnorth (20 Dec 2008)

i agree with Gareth partly - you could have all the stones facing the same way and leave the wood to create tension, or have the wood facing the same way and leave that left rock in its position   - one or the other, not both.

My thoughts...


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## Wayney (20 Dec 2008)

Thanks for all your comments so far, I've done another layout but without stones this time though  
I must say thare was no thinking with this one , just going with the flow  












Cheers Wayney,


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## Goodygumdrops (20 Dec 2008)

Nice,similar in a way to this:
viewtopic.php?t=3583
but that may not be such a bad thing as that tank is a cracker.I still liked the last one though.Whatever one you do though I'm sure will be great,as you seem to be creative and eager.


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## Wayney (20 Dec 2008)

quote="Goodygumdrops"]Nice,similar in a way to this:
viewtopic.php?t=3583
but that may not be such a bad thing as that tank is a cracker.I still liked the last one though.Whatever one you do though I'm sure will be great,as you seem to be creative and eager.[/quote]

Thankyou for your kind comments, If I could emulate that tank I would be extremely pleased because the guy who created that tank is simply a Genius! I intend to use some stems though such as Rotala walachii (spelling)  and Ludwigia arcuata and possibly star grass. 

Thanks for your comments

Wayne,


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## Thomas McMillan (20 Dec 2008)

Nowhere near as good as the other one


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## Wayney (20 Dec 2008)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> Nowhere near as good as the other one



Thankyou for your straight up views , I liked it but there was something that was bugging me from the off!
Next pic will win the next AGA comp easiy    

Cheers Wayne,


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## Mark Evans (20 Dec 2008)

Wayney said:
			
		

> Next pic will win the next AGA comp easiy



bring it on brother   
i find when arranging hard scape, you can look at it too much and become hysterical  about whether its right or wrong


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## Wayney (20 Dec 2008)

saintly said:
			
		

> Wayney said:
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> ...



Hysterical is the understatement of the century    , I'm feeling cuckoo for coco puffs right now  
Seriously though I feel I'm getting there slowly.........really slowly


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## Goodygumdrops (20 Dec 2008)

Wayney said:
			
		

> Thomas McMillan said:
> 
> 
> 
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Oh,hahaha,lol   




 You're a real funny guy


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## Thomas McMillan (20 Dec 2008)

That's so true about the hardscape and becoming hysterical. I find if you just throw something together, without having much of an idea then it works, whereas if you plan it too vigorously then it doesn't turn out as good. Also, if you look at it too much then you end up not liking it so if you think it's good, keep it and don't look at it anymore!


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## Wayney (21 Dec 2008)

*PUBLIC NOTICE!*

DONT DRINK AND HARDSCAPE   It's just not worth it


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## Goodygumdrops (21 Dec 2008)

That is THE ONE!!!Do not move A THING!!Perfect!


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## Mark Evans (21 Dec 2008)

brilliant wayne, outstanding! AGA watch out


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## Superman (24 Dec 2008)

DOH!


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## Wayney (12 Jan 2009)

Well....after what seems like an eternity I'm finally ordering my plants tomorrow from my lfs   So hopefully i'll be starting a journal soon :? 

Plants will be -:- 
8 pots Bacopa monnieri
4 pots Crypt undulata
4 pots Eleocharis 'sp'
3 pots Glossostigma elatinoides
3 pots Ludwigia arcuata
3 pots Microsorium 'narrow' sp
8 pots Rotala red        

Regards Wayne,


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## Mark Evans (12 Jan 2009)

Wayney said:
			
		

> Well....after what seems like an eternity I'm finally ordering my plants tomorrow from my lfs   So hopefully i'll be starting a journal soon :?
> 
> Plants will be -:-
> 8 pots Bacopa monnieri
> ...



i'm liking the amounts.


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## Wayney (28 Jan 2009)

All being well I should be picking up my plants tomorrow but as always there's been a glitch as they cant get my bacopa and rotala   ahhh well....... They've got everything else so it's not a total disaster.

PEACE OUT YA'LLL


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