# Tweaking a layout til you're ok with it



## viktorlantos (19 May 2014)

I remember in the past we've seen so many nice CAU examples and other asian ones how they refined their layout to the contests.

Preparing tanks to the contest is not just about trimming and timing. Til you have time you can do almost any change to have a better appearance on your layout. Sometimes we miss this chance and just wait for the plants to do the work...

Here is what i've done in the last weeks preparing to the contest shot.

Had a nice healthy and breathtaking layout (in live) which was extremely overgrown and fallen out of control with all these mosses 

Green Aqua Showoom by viktorlantos, on Flickr

So i made a PS sketch what if i would fill in some sand to refine the layout.

Conceptual work - Final adjustments to the layout by viktorlantos, on Flickr

It was much easier to draw in PS and have the visual pleasing path. Much better than filling in sand and try to make it nice in real....

So i took the sand which i had in already...

Making the adjustments in real by viktorlantos, on Flickr

printed the sketch and based on the printout put some sticks to the tank, then started to fill in the sand to the marked areas...

Making the adjustments in real by viktorlantos, on Flickr

partly done... 

Making the adjustments in real by viktorlantos, on Flickr

And this is how it looked at the end. A bit cloudy but that's ok. We also added in some wood pieces

Making the adjustments in real - no backlight by viktorlantos, on Flickr

We had to put some stones on the new wood pieces to keep them down...

but after 2 weeks we removed them....

Green Aqua Showroom by viktorlantos, on Flickr

Deadline is coming and the plants grown so much. So probably need to trim it back again and fill in some sand where it is needed. But the change really helped on the overall look and feel.

So do not hesitate to make changes on your layout if you think this helps.


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## tim (19 May 2014)

Your a genius viktor, been following you on flickr for a while now and I'm always gobsmacked at the quality of your scapes, superb.


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## TOO (19 May 2014)

tim said:


> our a genius viktor, been following you on flickr for a while now and I'm always gobsmacked at the quality of your scapes, superb.



Agree, if you ever doubt that aquascaping is an artform, just check these images out. 

Also, I really appreciate your willingness to share knowledge, Viktor. I learn something every time.

Thomas


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## Trevor Pleco (19 May 2014)

Thanks for sharing Viktor ! Now you got me thinking if I should take some more pics with some more tweaks, damn you !


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## Stormy (20 May 2014)

i'm impressed not only by your beautiful layout, but the willingness to share your thought, knowledge and technique is very cool.
good luck in this year's contest.


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## parotet (20 May 2014)

Yes, I agree with Stormy. Viktor you are a brilliant aquascaper that moreover has no problem in sharing his knowledge. Many thanks

Jordi


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## Martin in Holland (20 May 2014)

I agree too...most scapers only show their "succes", you dare to show progress and share.


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## flygja (20 May 2014)

Its usually a case of trying to fix something really wrong for me LOL


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## Vivian Andrew (20 May 2014)

very beautiful layout


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## viktorlantos (20 May 2014)

Thank you for all of your comments. But i am not that brilliant, otherwise i would keep in silent and wait for my award at IAPLC  
Since i know i missed the hit this year again i am free to show this piece and hope this is inspirational or something we can learn about it.

For example this tank had Twinstar nano in it from the beginning (around 5 months now). I never had such a mossy crazyness without extra cleaning effort before. 
On this scape i never cleaned, washed, vacumed any of the mosses. How cool is that? 
On the other side i shoot it with 4x54W ATI in the past 2 weeks running with 6x54W ATI. 

I had hoped at the beginning that weeping moss on the front will give a nice effect on the lava stones as its falling down, but this turned upward and act like spiky  The masterplan fallen at this moment


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## parotet (20 May 2014)

viktorlantos said:


> Thank you for all of your comments. But i am not that brilliant, otherwise i would keep in silent and wait for my award at IAPLC
> Since i know i missed the hit this year again i am free to show this piece and hope this is inspirational or something we can learn about it.
> 
> For example this tank had Twinstar nano in it from the beginning (around 5 months now). I never had such a mossy crazyness without extra cleaning effort before.
> ...


A brilliant aquascaper is not necessarily someone that win contests


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## macek.g (20 May 2014)

What tubes did you use ?


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## viktorlantos (20 May 2014)

Osram/Sylvania 865 THO


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## viktorlantos (25 May 2014)

Today finally photographed the tank to the contest.

But before the photo shooting i made a few changes. 

Since i am running the 6x54W over this tank more than 2 weeks ago plants grown a lot.
So had to do a trimming here and there. Fixed the red bushy Rotala sp on the back.

This is how the tank looked today after the maintenance this morning.




 

I did not liked how the left weeping moss pushed to the front glass, but the trimming not really helped on the effect.
So i've checked the earlier phases in my photo library and an one of the earlier photo looked much better. This was before moss started to overgrown that part.

So in photoshop i made another sketch. Overlayed the old phase and i got this. Look at the left side on the bottom area.



 

Now this looked much better.  i jumped in the car and went to the showroom to fix this part and make the final photos on the tank.
After i removed the mosses and the original lava stone already looked good there. Fixed the sand, made a quick water change.... pipes out, skimmer out, twinstar out.
And shoot.....



 

With lights in place, foreground fixed, moss trimmed, sand path fixed on the right.

Unfortunatelly a tiny Anubias left there after i removed the moss on the left..... but since i made the photos in a dark room and i was in rush i did not catched it. Well that's it 

Story ends here 
Thanks for your feedback guys. I hope you enjoyed this little tour


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## Luís Cardoso (25 May 2014)

Amazing work...


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## tam (25 May 2014)

I thought it looked really good 'overgrown' but the little changes made a big difference, even the little spot on the left - looks stunning now!

Is there is little hobit doorway in the 'hill' about 1/3 in from the right?


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## Martin in Holland (25 May 2014)

Do you let outflow lily pipes left and right point at each other?


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## parotet (25 May 2014)

Viktor, IMO you miss a very nice part of the tank if you trim the picture when taking the FTS (see the first picture to compare). A picture from above and probably a bit from the right (or left depending on the best looking side to see properly the sand tracks) in which the branches going out of the tank could be seen would be very beautiful: dark foreground, no equipment, soft light to show the texture of this wood, the contrast in the tank between the sand and the green moss. Awesome tank mate, no matter from where you take the picture!

Jordi


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## viktorlantos (25 May 2014)

Martin in China said:


> Do you let outflow lily pipes left and right point at each other?



Yup using that for years now no prob at all


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## Martin in Holland (25 May 2014)

I guess it will probably even help to get a good flow into the middle  which is lower


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## aquanick (11 Aug 2014)

Just went through this thread and I am amazed. I hardly see pro's (like you viktor) sharing your techniques..! this is inspirational..

Can you please share what are the mosses you have used in this scape other than weeping?


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## viktorlantos (11 Aug 2014)

aquanick said:


> Just went through this thread and I am amazed. I hardly see pro's (like you viktor) sharing your techniques..! this is inspirational..
> 
> Can you please share what are the mosses you have used in this scape other than weeping?



Thank you for your kind words. 

On the front we used Weeping moss on the Lava stones glued. Spiky went to the bottom of the large wood pieces to give a skirt effect also with superglue.
There are several riccardia patches which also Superglue tied. And on the middle path Fissidens Fontanus used Riccia Line (kind of fishing line) to fix it.
I think we used like 15-20x3g super glue at the setup  But after many months the mosses are there.

We let the tank live it's life after the contest shooting. I just love when mosses grows in it's best form. If you trim it you will never see the real shapes.
This was a beautiful showpiece in our gallery, but time is ticking and rather than trim it we will dismantle the tank shortly to have something new to our visitors.

The current look which i shoot in the past few days.

Green Aqua Showroom by viktorlantos, on Flickr

Green Aqua Showroom by viktorlantos, on Flickr

Green Aqua Showroom by viktorlantos, on Flickr

Green Aqua Showroom by viktorlantos, on Flickr


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## Alexander Belchenko (11 Aug 2014)

Crazy moss.


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## Greenfinger2 (11 Aug 2014)

Hi Viktorlantos , Fab thread Learning lots Thank you for sharing, The Show room is superb great design and lay out


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## Mr. Teapot (11 Aug 2014)

Your customers are extremely lucky to have such an amazing, inspiring space… I'd be utterly paupered if this was my LFS!


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## Ady34 (21 Aug 2014)

i so want to visit Budapest  Stunning aquascapes and store, a credit to you and your team.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (21 Aug 2014)

Yeah, your literally  the reason Ive just signed up to Flikr Viktor.

You should have a new 'follower' :yawn:


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## Ben C (25 Aug 2014)

Viktor - you fancy opening a shop over here in the UK...?!


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## Trevor Pleco (26 Aug 2014)

Yep, that show room looks superb ! I definitely want to make plans to go to Hungary to experience this and meet the main man, we have nothing like this here. If I have time afterwards I might even visit some of the other great Budapest tourist attractions


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## The_Iceman (28 Aug 2014)

Absolutely stunning!

Need to give you a visit, when I've the time to go to Hungary!

Cheers,
Christian


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