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How do you plan your Aquascapes

Hi all

I think about it for months, I draw some sketches, I do a cardboard model of the tank, I prepare a layout, I even take pictures .... and finally I change everything in the last minute

I think I have read a lot about layout aesthetics, but my problem is that I am not able to keep the layout for a lot of time. I love plants, and I always want to try something new... All my layouts begin with something clean and manicured, and end up with s jungly look.

My personal challenge is to plan a longterm layout but foreseeing its evolution, or at least planing how I want it to evolve.

Jordi
 
I think I've only ever had one hardscape I well and truly liked (plus continue to like without wanting to tinker), and that's in a little low tech tank. I did a mock up of that beforehand. Usually though, I'm a 'throw stuff in' and see it how it makes me feel kind of guy. Usually, I begin to dislike it after a while.

Any decent designs I have floating around up there are usually limited by hardscape choice. I've got some that I think I'd love, but massive sized pieces of lava rock are extremely hard to come by here, so it stays locked away.
 
Big clown said:
I like the box idea if you put the box on a board then you can move it
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Box on a board is a good idea. Although it's not in my pic, I had a big tape measure locked out at 45cm and stood on my board for a lot of the time I planned, which meant I could at least see the tank height while planning. Still no substrate that way, but it helps.
 
An opinion from a less creative person.... I care only about the fish. In my attempt to stress them as little as possible things always got out of hand regardless of initial planning, and everything I start ends up in a jungle as a result.... In the process I've noticed I am happier with an "ugly" tank I can't show to anybody but I can moan about long lived happy fish.

At the same time I am probably finding excuses for my lack of patience and inability to create a nice aqua-scape so I'd take my words above with a pinch of salt 🙂
 
before I made drawings, used boxes to place stones and/or wood, marked out the footprint of the tank on the floor and played around with hardscape material, but the last ones I did in my head. I had a basic idea of what I would like to achieve, try to find the hardscape material for it (mostly I get the the idea for a new layout from the hardscape material) and see what happens when I dump it all in my tank.
 
Hamza said:
Prior to anything, I sketch

View attachment 84515


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Impressive.. :thumbup: Do you hang them also above the finnished scape? I would.. You remind me of that famous Japanese artist from early 20th century, he did wildlife and fish.. What's his name again? I love drawings like that. Unfortunately i do not have to patience for it.. That's why it all stays in my mind and never gets to paper, i do picture thinking whatever i make. 🙂

Oh!? had to look it up in international terms that would be today "visuospatial memory"
Once was problem child.. :crazy::lol:
 
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I work it out on the floor first. I spend a couple evenings doing it. Here's one I did for my new 4ft, but have since pulled it down and done something else. It's so much easier doing it out of the tank first. When it comes time to putting it all in the tank I just copy my own photos.

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Hi All Thank you for all the feed back :thumbup:

Great to find out how other members plan there scapes. And I pick up a few tip too 😎

I love the members art work:clap: What a wonderful way of planing a scape. Its a shame that I am no good at drawing.
 
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