# No Imagination



## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I have sourced some awesome Seryu stone but coming to scape it is a huge struggle to me, i have tried to replicate other scapes that i am hugely impressed by ie.. little mountain but im really struggling to come up with something myself, ive searched through ADA galleries and yes i have taken inspiration but cant seem to create something different, what do you guys do?

Adam


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## samc (7 Nov 2009)

have you tired it in the tank? 

i normally go into a scape with no real idea of exacly what i want and play about for a few days until i am really happy with it.

sometimes it is not what i planned and is totally different


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

samc said:
			
		

> have you tired it in the tank?




No, im doing it outside at the mo as the tank is already in use and has livestock in so my plan was to come up with what i liked and then take everything out of the tank, put the new decor in, plant up and fill..


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## samc (7 Nov 2009)

thought that was the case. 

its hard to get a good feel of how it will be until you do it in the tank. 

if you could run the filter in a bucket with the fish in. and plants in another bucket, they should be ok for a couple of days which would give you some time with the tank. 

for some reason i struggle to come up with ideas intill i do it in the tank.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I will try and get a picture to show what i have come up with, im not sure how far copying goes.. 2mins.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

Here are some pictures:













the size of the towel i have scaped on is roughly the size of the tank and the height of the rocks will come up nicely.


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## samc (7 Nov 2009)

thats a real nice layout mate!  with some moss in the cracks it would look very nice indeed.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

Ok, i think my planting choice just needs to be different then, i was planning on blyxa on the far left corner and then p.helferi infront of the rocks and a HC fore, but that _would_ be to similar to little mountain.. I may take on saintlys stems idea, i think that works very well, how do you think it will look based on this main, 1 stone layout? dont want to turn out with a volcano look  

thanks.


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## JamesM (7 Nov 2009)

Wow, that's some really nice stone  

The layout is great too bud, I'd be more than happy with that 

It might help to get yourself a bag of kids playsand so you get an idea of how the stones will look when set in to the sand. It'll also give you chance to play with different shapes to the substrate, like a steep rake to the rear, or a mound in the middle, or even back to one rear corner.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Wow, that's some really nice stone



  



			
				JamesM said:
			
		

> The layout is great too bud, I'd be more than happy with that
> 
> It might help to get yourself a bag of kids playsand so you get an idea of how the stones will look when set in to the sand. It'll also give you chance to play with different shapes to the substrate, like a steep rake to the rear, or a mound in the middle, or even back to one rear corner.



alrighty, i will probably just end up changing it when in the tank. Thinking about planting now, i think my ideas have all changed, not sure what to go with now


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## amy4342 (7 Nov 2009)

This may sound crazy, but I sometimes cut a cardboard box to size, cut the front off and then do my scape inside that. It allows me to get the dimensions about right. 

I think the rock formation you've got looks great though. And the planting plans sounds good to me.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

amy4342 said:
			
		

> This may sound crazy, but I sometimes cut a cardboard box to size, cut the front off and then do my scape inside that. It allows me to get the dimensions about right.
> 
> I think the rock formation you've got looks great though. And the planting plans sounds good to me.




What a coinscidence, i have just looked down at a cardboard box before looking on this and thought, ah, i'll do it in that  

thanks.


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## amy4342 (7 Nov 2009)

, oh well. Do you think craziness is infectious?


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I have started to scape in the box and the 1st thing that i have noticed is that the main stone is soo heavy it flattens all substrate under it, so that may call for a mound


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

scrap that, no mound- i will try a slope.


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## JamesM (7 Nov 2009)

If you have any fear of damaging the tank, use a small amount of polystyrene under the rock before you add substrate.. this can help hold the rock at the right angles too


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## Mark Evans (7 Nov 2009)

some quality stone mate.

i'd get some cheap sand and bang it in the tank to practise. 

a little like this....





it allows you to brush the sand up the rock edges thus, allowing for a more aesthetic pleasing scape. it also allows you to see the 'reality' of what the stones may look like with 'bad' edges hidden. 

i've made some dull stones look good by doing this.


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## Gill (7 Nov 2009)

THe Placement of the Stones is Amazing. 
It looks vLike the Entrance to an Ancient Creatures Lair


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

Ok, I have a few choices, the options are not huge variations of the scape, i just cant decide which looks better
Option1:









Option2:









Option3:






Option 4:










Sorry for the mass of pictures btw..
Thanks Mark i would have tried that before i took the pictures but for this purpose i think what i have done is ok.

what do you guys recon?

Ad


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## Gill (7 Nov 2009)

Def 3, to me looks the best and gives the most depth


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## JamesM (7 Nov 2009)

Personally, I like option 2, although option 4 could work if you play more with the right stone - don't be afraid to angle is to the right too.

Also, push the stones right into the substrate and, like Mark said, brush some sand around the base of the stones to give the impression the stone has come through the ground and has been like it for years and years. Right now they look a little set on top of the land... I know this is only a play scape atm, but still... every little helpsâ„¢


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

will do, will do.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I have tried the paintbrush technique..







ps. the rock choice for these pictures isnt necesarily the one i will go with, just  the one that was already in there.


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## JamesM (7 Nov 2009)

Makes hell of a difference though, eh? 8)


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I agree, it does make it look better, what do you rekon to the scape, I quite like this:










I cant believe the poor quality of my pictures  It looks much better in real life.


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## JamesM (7 Nov 2009)

Pics are fine bud, and yeah, that works for me 8)


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I've just tweaked it a little more, something im sure i will continue to do in the future when scaping inside the tank etc..
Need to look at planting now, i kinda want something different than the usual HC foreground, thanks for your help


Adam


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## JamesM (7 Nov 2009)

Yeah, don't rush it bud... Samc suggested moss earlier, and I'd agree... maybe a gravel foreground, moss in the cracks and stems of your choice for the background... so many options available


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> so many options available



Yeah, spose thats the beauty of it  
you will have to wait and see


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## Nelson (7 Nov 2009)

love the last ones  .great stones as well.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

thanks dude


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## amy4342 (7 Nov 2009)

Looks awesome, all choices look good to me. I think this will be stunning when it's done.


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## Steve Smith (7 Nov 2009)

Those last few shots are great Ad.  I'd be a little concerned the rocks ar the front might get lost in any foreground plant, if you're going down that route, but it looks fantastic


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

I think im going with a half open fore, with sand/fine gravel and then close to the "second rock back" as it were 2-3 species of moss for in the rocks too, and then a grassy type plant here and there, and some rotala in the rear.
thanks


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## John Starkey (7 Nov 2009)

HI ad,i really like the rock layout,but i would try it in the tank if i were you,that way you will get a better sense of scale,
good luck, john.


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## AdAndrews (7 Nov 2009)

Ok, thanks for the advice, will do.


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