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George's TMC Signature

Thanks again, guys. A big update coming very soon... 🙂

mikeappleby said:
12 for me. Would be good to know what camera / lens / settings you have for these shots - so crisp. Am really struggling to get anything that sharp even with a Canon 60D and half decent lens (50mm, 1.4).
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Hi Mike,

I have a 50D and I'm using a 24-105L for these. Tank lighting, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO 400, handheld (I'm being lazy at this stage). These are cropped, re-sized and sharpened (unsharp mask) a little in CS3.

Your 50mm should be sharper than my 24-105 so I'm guessing the 'crispness' you're seeing here is due to the unsharp mask.

ghostsword said:
Number 12.. great rocks..

Number 14 cuts on the main rock is distracting.. 🙁
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Yeah, I know what you mean mate, but I quite like the strong features myself. 🙂
 
Hi guys,

So over the last few days I've probably set up more rock layouts than I've done since I started aquascaping 10 years ago!

What's really interesting is that just the smallest of tweaks to the main stone make such a huge impact on the whole layout and balance.

And then there's the lighting.

By just moving the lights an inch forward or backward; the shadows cast also have a big impact.

And then it will look different again when underwater.

And then there's the planting to consider.

So basically I'm trying hard not to get too fixated on the 'perfect' layout, because what's 'perfect' now, will very likely look quite different later on.

Anyway, enough rambling.

Here's some different shots to hopefully give you a further appreciation of the rocks. They should look even better once wet, but that's not going to happen for a while yet - I'm having far too much fun!

8386890752_7e58f5d040_o.jpg
close1 by George Farmer, on Flickr

8385803847_c20e1d372b_o.jpg
close2 by George Farmer, on Flickr

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close3 by George Farmer, on Flickr

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insitu1 by George Farmer, on Flickr

Thanks so much for all the feedback so far. 🙂
 
Looks great George! I see your "final" layout got some adjustments compared to the 11 up to 14 tries. In my opinion for the better, particulary since you are now using the best looking sides of the rocks in the most harmonious layout. The rock in the backright looks the best in this way, the only small issue I have with that is that because of it's beauty it tends to draw a bit too much of attention now. But than again, with your planting skills you might be able to adjust this in the total picture.
 
Marco Aukes said:
Looks great George! I see your "final" layout got some adjustments compared to the 11 up to 14 tries. In my opinion for the better, particulary since you are now using the best looking sides of the rocks in the most harmonious layout. The rock in the backright looks the best in this way, the only small issue I have with that is that because of it's beauty it tends to draw a bit too much of attention now. But than again, with your planting skills you might be able to adjust this in the total picture.
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Very observant, Marco. I am impressed! 😉

I consider the back right stone an essential component to add some tension to the overall layout. Like you say, planting will soften it somewhat. 🙂
 
Hi all,

This is my favourite layout so far. I think it's the strongest and most balanced. As always, your feedback most welcome! 🙂

8389676602_dd09c75897_o.jpg
iwagumi16 by George Farmer, on Flickr

It's tough to get an appreciation of the overall depth when viewing FTS-only, so here a few more angles, including an overhead. You can see there's some nice areas between the stones for taller grasses.

8388588879_411e9dcd10_o.jpg
16 left by George Farmer, on Flickr

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16 right by George Farmer, on Flickr

8388588647_d0c7683b55_o.jpg
overhead by George Farmer, on Flickr

Next I bring out the Manzanita Wood! 🙂
 
I am in love with that scape lol And now you mention manzi..........Cant wait!!!

With the other angles showing the depth you can really see the potential for plants, once planted with the right things it will really show up the depth of the tank. I have seen some really small nano's that planted with the right things look 10x there size so can only imagine what this is going to turn out like!
 
You should rename this thread to dry hardscaping and then start another journal when you finally choose one to go with! Loving the thread though 🙂 latest scape looking very strong!
 
I know this might be pedantic, but I think you are asking for it 😉

The layout is very nice, but perhaps it lacks a little "tension" (as seen from the frontal view). The problem (if you could call it that) is that the three main stones are too symmetric in their relationships. Stones 2 and 3 (those in front of the large stone) are rather similar in size and placed in nearly identical ways in relation to the background stone. In this way the three stones almost form a pyramid, with only the small right side stone creating some deviation. On the other hand, these quarrels might be purely theoretical, because I agree that the layout "works". And perhaps the lack of tension I mention is precisely what makes it do so. Solutions? Perhaps replacing stone 2 or 3 with one that is slightly smaller or differently shaped; or adjust distances and height a little bit. At this stage half an inch can make a big difference (in planning my current scape I played around with rocks a bit before settling on the present layout; drove me absolutely nuts 🙂).

Thomas
 
Thank you, all. 🙂

Thomas - thank you so much for the feedback. Your observation is correct regarding the lack of tension and I have made a couple of changes to experiment with this. I'll post a pic later and look forward to hearing what you think about the change.

Gareth - great to see you posting on UKAPS again mate, and thanks for putting the effort into this particular post. I am honoured! 🙂

Danny said:
What filtration are you planning on using?
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Fluval G3. I love these filters - so easy to maintain. I'll also be using gUSH glassware inlet/outlet (12mm), inline heater and inline CO2.

Once I've decided on the final hardscape layout I'll create a thorough post on installing the hardware.

I'm a bit OCD when it comes to a tidy cabinet, so I'm looking forward to making it look as neat as possible. 🙂

Today I'm hoping to come up with a couple of decent Manzanita Wood layouts, possibly in combination with some ADA Yamaya Stone.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated, of course! 🙂
 
jack-rythm said:
George what rock is that?
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Hi Jack, it's Petrified Wood, supplied by Unipac.

I believe UKAPS Sponsors, Aqua Essentials and The Green Machine sell it.

For the record the Mini Landscape Rock used earlier in this thread was supplied by Aqua Essentials back in 2007 when I set up an Iwagumi for then PFK Technical Writer, Jeremy Gay (now Editor). I've lost count of the aquascapes I've used that batch in! 🙂

Image courtesy of Practical Fishkeeping
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