Aquascaping World Forum - Aquascape of the Month http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/ Aquascape of the Month (AOTM) en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:30:59 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/blueevolution/misc/rss.jpg Aquascaping World Forum - Aquascape of the Month http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/ <![CDATA[September 2010 Aquascape of the Month: "Sky Cliff"]]> http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascape-month/3472-september-2010-aquascape-month-sky-cliff.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:19:09 GMT *September 2010 Aquascape of the Month* *______________________________________________* *Sky Cliff* *by **Héctor Baca* _Image:...
September 2010 Aquascape of the Month
______________________________________________
Sky Cliff
by Héctor Baca



INTRODUCTION
Starting nearly three years ago (December 2007) I was captivated by aquascaping and planted aquariums. From that time, my taste and passion have increased for aquascaping. I deeply admire the details, the colors, and the beauty of the underwater landscapes.

To get to where I am today, I spent three years of intense research, trial and error, and learning from my experiences. My name is Héctor Baca and I am an aquascaper from Mexico. My profession is as a journalist and completing research is a necessity. I got entangled into planted tanks without realizing it. Little by little, the influence of its beauty and mystery grabbed me.

My first design was a complete failure, but it was essential for learning how to keep aquatic plants and to understand their nutrients, light, carbon dioxide and maintenance needs. In Mexico at that time, there are very few aquatic plant enthusiasts, and even fewer practicing aquascaping layouts. I had no other option than learn from the internet, where I found Takashi Amano’s Nature aquariums and slowly discovered other Japanese aquascapers such as Hinori Handa and Fumio Shiga. Later I found aquascapes from Cliff Hui and David Chow.

In six months I maintained, at last, an aquarium in optimum condition: free of algae. So I gave myself the task of starting work on the Achilles' heel: the design. Since then to date I have designed more than 20 aquariums. I currently only keep three aquariums, one of 90x45x45 cm, 60x30x36 cm and 45x29x31 cm. However, in the latest productions I have focused on the use of stones and the exploration of multiple visual planes.

During this time I've been surrounded by good friends to create a group of designers AD (AcuaDesigners), and we are about to launch a website www.acuadesigners.com, with the aim of disseminating and enhancing the aquascaping hobby in México and other Spanish speaking countries.

This year my aquascape has received the Members Choice Award from Aquatic Plant Central (APC), placed fourth in the Singapore AQ-ADA Aquascaping Contest 2010, and ranked #80 of 2010 aquascapes competition the International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest 2010.


From Dinosaurs to "Sky Cliff"

It is a curious thing, but my wife inspired this aquascape’s layout. We were watching the movie “Dinosaurs” and in the beginning of the tape there are wonderful cliffs and she said to me “Why don’t you design it?” My intitial reaction was a rejection. However, I gave myself the task of searching the web images of cliffs. After much searching, I found an image of a very green cliff. This gave rise to the title of this aquascape “Sky Cliff”.

For the development of any aquascaping design the first thing I perform is a sketch of what I intend to create. This gives me a good idea of what I need to do for the design and what materials (rocks and plants) I need for the design. More importantly, the sketch allows me to get more immerse into the idea and vision.


Foundation of Volcanic Stones

One of the biggest challenges was the selection of stones. Fortunately, fortunately part of Mexico City is located over a volcanic area. There are fields where I could find and select the perfect shaped stones. I had to find large rocks that could withstand all the visual weight and composition planned in the layout.

The aim of the aquarium was to create several levels, which contribute to stimulate the perspective, in order to obtain the effect of a cliff. I took into account the width, height and length of the aquarium, so that the design was, to put it in some way, in 3D.




Breaking the Mold: Designing a Fresh Aquascape

This aquascape was designed to break the mold of the typical planted aquarium layout. In order to do this, I had to figure out how to use current design ideas and take them to the next level. I took the basic principles of painting (proportion, balance, harmony, rhythm, and contrast) and applied it to the aquascape’s design.

The idea of Sky Cliff was to build great mountains, but problem was how to build them? Finally I decided that it was better to take two large stones and then start working visual layers, adding more stones, and creating areas of contrasts and depth.


Before undertaking this project I made a small cube Zempoala Cliff's that served as a basis, it taught me that a good way to gain height is to take a big component and then develop the whole hardscape.

To achieve height in this aquascape, I used gravel between the stones to keep the rocks in place for a solid foundation. The first layer of the aquarium consists of gravel topped off by planted aquarium substrate. The goal is to create a solid shape with a strong foundation from the beginning. Even before adding plants, the rock formation looked stunning and beautiful.


Plant Selection

Plant selection was one of the easier tasks. Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" is a generous and invasive plant that grows on the rocks without any problems. I used various mosses and hairgrass (Eleocharis parva) on and between rocks to provide a sense of remoteness along the Cliff.



GREATEST CHALLENGES

While selecting plants was the easiest task, the most complex part of this aquascape was the proper develop of the foreground of Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" and the moss growth on the stones. The main problem was that a light was insufficient to penetrate the deep water and shadows. To solve this, I used two 70 watt HQI for the steepest part of the design.

My other headache was cleaning the glass. The cliff layout takes a tremedous amount of space and limited my movement when I needed to wipe the glass. However, the final result was very satisfactory.


FINAL THOUGHTS & ADVICE

The most important thing in any life activity is to never losing our sense of wonder and enjoyment of nature. Before undertaking any project it is essential to look at as many aquariums to create an idea. All great things are learned, from the simplest to the most complex.

In the future, I am preparing two aquascapes and one Ryoboku. I hope to showcase them to the Aquascaping World in a nearly future.


Click here to view Tank Specifications
Click here to view Plant and Fauna List
]]> Aquascape of the Month Jur4ik http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascape-month/3472-september-2010-aquascape-month-sky-cliff.html