Critique needed: Iwagumi layout "Serenity"

[Shadow]

Hi All critique time

This is not my first try, actually it is my 3rd try on iwagumi layout. All off them are using HC as foreground and grown in emerse. 1st and 2nd try is actually the same layout just re-plant due to HC start to melt 3 days after I fill up the water. I was guessing probably due to CO2 level. It was office tank and CO2 tank was not allow to bring in to office

Anyway this is my 3rd try, I named it "Serenity". It s 2ftx1ftx1.2ft, 2x55W PL light, CO2 level have not measure it yet but it should be plenty (3 bps). I'm using pressurize CO2 tank and external reactor. EI fert dosing regime, ADA amazonia II, no base fert. HC was grown emerse and I just fill the tank with water yesterday. I hope that this time HC will not melt like the previous 2 attempts.

Those long plant behind is E.vivipara, it was a big mistake trying to grow them emerse. It grown but become a mesh with plantlet at its tip. I'm planning to add E.parvula in between the rock. My feeling said something is not right with the hard scape. For start, need more slope but too late, fixing it would be major redo. What I can do is to add E.parvula and hide those slope . Secondly, I think rock number 2 need to be slightly taller, rock number 5 need to be thinner and rock number 8 need to be bigger. What do you think?

Everyone are welcome to comment/critique, just go ahead and shoot

[dealt]

the rocks are fascinating! one thing i've noticed is that they're all pointing to the same direction. have you tried pointing rock no.2 to the right? i'm already satisfied with an all hc setup, i'm not really in favor of the e.vivipara in the background. but it's just my opinion. overall, it's already a very nice tank. keep it up!

[oblivion]

yeah rock 8 needs to be bigger a size or so i think
can rock 2 be moved higher up a bit? so as to create some sort of obvious height and slant
plus rock 5 slant downwards a little?

moving 2 & 5 would probably give you more of a "flow" from right to left in the hardscape

[blink_willie]

Maybe you could remove 4 and 8?Since they are small,I don't think they make more or less of a difference to the scape.As for the position of the other rocks,I would just leave it.Their current layout looks serene enough to me

Those background plants are actually E.vivipara?When I first saw them I went "Yikes,what plant is that?".Reminds me of tangled hair somehow.My view is if you replace it with 'normal' E.vivipara and allow it to grow in,it'll look perfect,gently swaying to the 'wind'.(actually,water current)

That's just my opinion.Good luck with your scape!

[Shadow]

the rocks are fascinating! one thing i've noticed is that they're all pointing to the same direction. have you tried pointing rock no.2 to the right? i'm already satisfied with an all hc setup, i'm not really in favor of the e.vivipara in the background. but it's just my opinion. overall, it's already a very nice tank. keep it up!

I have not try to put the rock on the left pointing to the right. Mainly because I can't find the right rock. The curent lock will not be able to pointing right because of the weight, it need support.

Thanks for the suggestion, wll try it out once I got the right rock.

[Shadow]

yeah rock 8 needs to be bigger a size or so i think
can rock 2 be moved higher up a bit? so as to create some sort of obvious height and slant
plus rock 5 slant downwards a little?

moving 2 & 5 would probably give you more of a "flow" from right to left in the hardscape

Move it higher up heh, might be possible if I have small rock to support it. I can put small roch under it. Will try it out. Thanks for the suggestion. However it is not possible to put rock 5 downwards, that rock is massive right inside the substrate

[Shadow]

Maybe you could remove 4 and 8?Since they are small,I don't think they make more or less of a difference to the scape.As for the position of the other rocks,I would just leave it.Their current layout looks serene enough to me

Those background plants are actually E.vivipara?When I first saw them I went "Yikes,what plant is that?".Reminds me of tangled hair somehow.My view is if you replace it with 'normal' E.vivipara and allow it to grow in,it'll look perfect,gently swaying to the 'wind'.(actually,water current)

That's just my opinion.Good luck with your scape!

Rock 4 is should be ok, 3 and 4 kind of look like a single rock. on the other hand rock 8 do like out of place because of its size in comparation of the other rock in the group.

E. vivipara always look like a messy tangle hair . The big mistake is trying to grow them emerse because all of plantlet grow from it tips and make it look worst. will try to trim and see how. Alternately just remove it and re-plant new one

[genes]

The rocks on both sides are too cluttered together.

[wenwei]

Nice set-up. cant wait for ur Hc to fill up the ground totally.

The rocks on the left have a pilling up effect and the rocks on the right are nice.

[Shadow]

good point I was thinking to add E.parvula in between that should fix the cluthered issue. If not then it would a bigger issue because no more space to move thus need to change the rock

[Shadow]

Nice set-up. cant wait for ur Hc to fill up the ground totally.

The rocks on the left have a pilling up effect and the rocks on the right are nice.

yup that exactly what I'm thinking, the left side is weird

[the_r0ck]

One thing I would do is to add an additional rock at the bottom and left of rock number 5 to help with the "base" of the main rock. It will extend more naturally. Among the rocks on the left they do look weird being piled up. None of them has the nice features as your main rock (no. 5), perhaps you can find 2 new pieces that can substitute for them. One bigger than No 2 and one about the size of No 3. Then use the bigger one to balance the right and the smaller one to balance the left. You will be left with a nice 5 pieces of rocks as well.

Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

[Jervis]

i find rock no. 1 and 2 leaning on each other (forming a tiny cave) a bit fussy.

[Shadow]

Based on everyone suggestion (left side look weird ), I change the rock on the left side. Removed rock 1 and 2 replace it with 1 bigger rock. I also add small supporting rock under rock no 5. I can't add bigger supporting rock because it will close the path way between the cliff. In my opinion, it is look better (at least to me ), it should be even better once I add E.parvula in between the rock. The water a bit cloudy due to mud, no choice that what happen if you rescape .

So does it really look better? o.. and I removed the E.vivipara

[Jervis]

I find it cleaner than previous version... now it depends on your plant to do the remaining magic. Yes, removing the Vivipara is a great idea... I will have to remove mine too

[blue33]

I just feel that all the rocks are hugging each other in 2 groups. Winter time? Oh yeah is winter time now.

[WiNd08]

i think if the slope on the back can reach around the height of 1/2 - 3/5 of the rock, it would look better? do you think so?

[oblivion]

i think you can add 1 more small longish rock to the left of rock 3

[Shadow]

i think if the slope on the back can reach around the height of 1/2 - 3/5 of the rock, it would look better? do you think so?

I think so too, but the HC has grown and it would be a pain to pluck it of and re-plant . So I probably go a head with curent slope. Once the HC at the back grow taller, instead of trim it, I just top up the soils . Hopefully it wont kill the HC

[Shadow]

Just added hairgrass in between rock. Sorry for the lousy HP camera, can't really see the detail but its free . My colleague Nokia hand phone camera is much better .

Now switch to auto mode, just wait until HC and hairgrass covering the whole tank.

By the way, I top up the soils behind area, now the different between front and back is around 1.5 inches. Same of the HC at the back is buried, only the tip seen. I can't really see it on photo though. Few more top up and I will get my target slope, 2 inches different.



Just added hairgrass in between rock. Sorry for the lousy HP camera, can't really see the detail but its free . My colleague Nokia hand phone camera is much better .

Now switch to auto mode, just wait until HC and hairgrass covering the whole tank.

By the way, I top up the soils behind area, now the different between front and back is around 1.5 inches. Same of the HC at the back is buried, only the tip seen. I can't really see it on photo though. Few more top up and I will reach my target slope, 2 inches different.



View from left


View from right