Frustrations in Aquascaping: Is it Worth it?

[John N.]

Please discuss and comment on Donald Lee's Frustration in Aquascaping: Is it Worth it?



-John N.

[John N.]

Aquascaping and having a Planted Aquarium is absolutely worth it!

Besides the benefits listed in the article, I think the joy of having something that is relatively "rare" in the world is something to be cherished. Reef aquariums also get all the public glory. One day, maybe the public perception of aquariums will change and maybe planted aquariums will become more popular.

-John N.

[StanChung]

Originally Posted by John N.

Aquascaping and having a Planted Aquarium is absolutely worth it!

maybe planted aquariums will become more popular.

-John N.

I'm certain of it! All it takes is a couple of animated planted tank films like 'finding nemo'. Quite a few films have planted tanks in them nowadays. Use to be marine tanks like in Deuce Bigalow. LOL.

On a more serious note.
Reefing is destroying the reefs faster than it can recover as such I would never recommend it as a hobby. Global warming is bad enough as it is without more reefers. -

I recommend scuba diving/snorkeling yes-take only pictures/videos.

Sorry reefers but a visit to a real reef is much better than anything you can create at home without causing a serious environment impact.

If you're a bad reefer and you'd be constantly having new 'victims'.
If you're a good one, you'd be making more people want to who will continue the cycle. No win situation for the over collected reefs in this region.

Sorry for rant.

[Chadly]

There's certainly a "hump" to get over and that "hump" doesn't have to be financial. I think that there are different levels of planted tank enthusiasts with different levels of frustrations. There is a lot of understanding and research to be done in order to be successful in this hobby. Certainly all the information is out there, but understanding and using it is the key. I've seen some try and try and try, but never get off the ground. I've seen some do well almost instantly, call it beginners' luck. I really think not. The individual person can make or break themselves in this hobby. Once you get over the "hump" then you can be successful and strive to break newer boundaries.

[dougz]

Being in the frozen north of Canada I love having a lush underwater garden all year!!

It IS frustrating..

Especially the algae issues I've been having..

But it's well worth it, and I certainly appreciate the positive role the plants play (net O2 production, algae control, biological filtration)..

[chillaquaplants]

Frustrations? Well, I've certainly had mine. I started by just throwing a whole bunch of plants in a tank, not much scaping, but certainly learning. I think you need to understand your limits based on available equipment. Once you know what you can grow, it is a matter of putting it together in an aesthetically pleasing manner. As I look around different forums, I am always reminded that we can do creative things both on a budget and in terms of simplicity. Most scapes that I am in awe of only use a few species of plants, just well placed and trimmed. Imagination plays an important role in scaping in my opinion. It has taken me a while to get to the point I'm at with scaping and I still think I have more to learn. I continue browsing the web looking at different scapes and keep on trying. I think the most important question to ask is "Does it look good to me?"

[JEK]

Originally Posted by StanChung

I'm certain of it! All it takes is a couple of animated planted tank films like 'finding nemo'. Quite a few films have planted tanks in them nowadays. Use to be marine tanks like in Deuce Bigalow. LOL.

On a more serious note.
Reefing is destroying the reefs faster than it can recover as such I would never recommend it as a hobby. Global warming is bad enough as it is without more reefers. -

I recommend scuba diving/snorkeling yes-take only pictures/videos.

Sorry reefers but a visit to a real reef is much better than anything you can create at home without causing a serious environment impact.

If you're a bad reefer and you'd be constantly having new 'victims'.
If you're a good one, you'd be making more people want to who will continue the cycle. No win situation for the over collected reefs in this region.

Sorry for rant.

If you use artificial grown live rock, tank bred fish and corals that aren´t wildcaught it doesn´t destroy anything.
Btw the the sunscreen from divers destroy the reefs.

And of course a planted aquascape is worth the trouble! I would´nt be fun if it was´nt difficult!