Time after time, I hear folks state they've been in the hobby for an X number of years, but still have no idea how to aquascape. I have to admit I am one of those folks who can't seem to aquascape well. Were did I fail?
Maybe as aquascapers or planted aquarium growers, we tend to compare ourselves a little too much to others, and our aquascapes better than we think they are. For those of us who aren't born with the sixth sense of artistic ability, will our aquascapes be artistically defined in terms of "rules-of thirds"? Will the scapes fit some arbitrary designing rule of concave, triangular, or peak shapes? Probably not, but the final aquascape does fit on an achievement board if the plants are healthy, tank is algae free in my book. So maybe my aquascape all that bad after all.
On the other hand, there are "new to the hobby" folks who within their first year seem to grasp growing aquatic plants in a way where the aquascape obviously took a lot a talent and skill. Are people just born with a natural artistic aquascaping ability?
I think we tend to fail as aquascapers because
- We lack of a realist vision or goal in the initial stages of the scape
- Underestimate the time/maintenance it takes to make a masterpiece
- No solid understanding of lighting, CO2 and fertilizing balance that plagues our aquatic plants
- Algae forces us to give up
I'm not so certain that you have to be born with talent to create an Amano Masterpiece. What are your thoughts? Why do we tend to fail as Aquascapers?
-John N.