Why do we tend to fail as Aquascapers?

[John N.]

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.

[George Farmer]

Great topic, John!

First we must define 'failure'. Comparing ourselves to the like Amano and co., then maybe most of us are failures...

I don't consider myself as a failure, even though my aquascapes aren't great. I am generally happy knowing that I can grow most plants well with no algae issues. And with practice my aquascaping ability will improve, I hope.
I think, like most things in life, it's a combination of factors. I agree with John's reasoning and also...

Some folk are more artistic, others more scientific. There are obviouly balances of everything in-between. I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Some have labelled me a 'scientist', others an 'artist'. I'm neither really, probably like many growers/aquascapers.

Perhaps the more artistic-bias find it hard to figure out proper setting up with the right lighting, dosing etc. appropriate for the plant choice. Perhaps they think 'too much' about the final product - the finished aquascape, and in the meantime the 'neglect' of the plants' health leads ultimately to doom.

Maybe the 'scientists' aren't really fussed about the final product in terms of aesthetics, but pay more attention to the biochemical etc. processes involved with growing healthy plants?

Some folk are more impatient than others. Patience is essential in this hobby I feel. I get impatient sometimes and it has been known for me to tear down the odd 'scape when just one plant fails. I guess some may argue that's perfectionism. I doubt it, for me, at least.

I also don't think it's necessary to be a 'born' talent to be a success. Some will take longer, some much longer, to be a "successful" aquascaper. After four years in the hobby I think I'm slowly getting there, but still have a long long way to go. I'd love to get placed top 100 ADA, just for self-satisfaction (I'm probably too competitive). I know I'll never likely get there, but it's sure fun trying!

Finally, to be frank, I think there's little excuse to 'fail' these days. There's all the info and equipment now available to enable people to grow anything with relative ease. I guess for the newcomer, the hardest part is choosing what methods and plants to use. Then there's the required patience. The actual aquascaping side gets easier with practice and the ablilty to visualize the end product, easier.

As they say, that's my two pence/cents.

Cheers.

[Chadly]

John, I tend to agree with your 4 reasons for "failure". Some of us expect to put our tanks together and have everything fall into place like puzzle pieces. Well, like any artistic ability, vision is 95% of the law. And the rest comes is the skill it takes to properly care for your aquarium. I think most of us can work hard enough to build up a skill level high enough to dabble into the rest of the 95%. Say you put together your scape based on what someone else has already done artistically. To be honest, you aren't really creating anything new, a "copy" if you will. But if you decide to break the mold and create something different, that is where you fail, fail, and fail again - according to you. There are critics for everything you do who roundabout tell you you've failed. Therefore (in your eyes) you've failed. In my tanks, I dont' use most of what others have already done, rather my scapes fall into my own vision of what I think can possibly work together. I can't think I'm failing because my experience level and ideas don't compare to those who've "succeed" - according to the standard. I get a lot of praises from laymen, and sometimes I feel I dont' live up to the popular or more "net" established aquarists. I'm no newbie but I'm in no way at the level of some. I accept that and don't work beyond my means. Keeping myself humble if you will. So if you ask yourself where you are and what you are trying to accomplish and strive for that, then you may never fail. So start building your puzzle.

-chad

[defdac]

I tend to fail with not being able to throw away plants. I collect the hard ones I like and then when I'm scaping I must use them all, which obviously get's in the way of my vision of the scape.

This in turn is due to the fact that I'm a bit cheap when it comes to buying things and that CO2-equipment is, well not expensive, but certainly not cheap either.

I live with my girlfriend in a really small apartment which also is a big factor.

So I've always only had one single aquarium and I feel that really limits me.

[trenac]

I feel I fail as a aquascaper because I don't want to take the time to prune the plants into perfect shapes/heights as needed to make a pleasing scape. My mission now is to find plants that do not need a lot of attention that grow in a natural pleasing way where no to little pruning is needed.

I also think presentation of the tank is important in having others see it as a winner. I find myself struggling with the perfect angle, lighting, camera settings etc to use when taking pictures. I feel that my scapes look much better in person then they do in the photos I take.

I do feel you need some artistic ability to create a eye pleasing scape, just like you do to create a piece of artwork. Some natural ability comes into play, however what you are not born with can be learned (to a certain extent) with lots of practice. I know over the years I have became a better aquascaper with practice & a little natural artistic ability.

It's a must to pre-plan your scape either in your head and/or on paper. This along with doing some research & fimiliarizing yourself with the plants shape, size, textures & placement, will help you create an eye catching scape. A lot of people tend not to do these two things which is a cause for failure.

[kakkoii]

I agree with everyone that posted here.

however I cannot call myself a failure, yet.

[Pat7676]

I fail because i just want results right away. Then like you said above i look at other scapes on these fourmz and im like mine will never get that way.

[Freemann]

I fail because there is no chance I will spend the amount of time that is required to make a tank look like a well arranged vase while keeping all this difficult plants happy (if I loose some here in Greece it will take me ages to find them again). Currently my 108 gal tank houses 48 species. At the same time I think nature takes care by each self to make everything look quite nice while it is growing unattended and randomly.

[Hoppy]

I have always enjoyed looking at a tank with healthy growing plants in it, so that is my primary goal at all times. Failure to me means I haven't been able to achieve healthy growing plants. The actual aquascape is another thing entirely. I am finding it very hard to figure out how too achieve the balance and overall look that I would describe as an "aquascape". I think my major difficulty and the cause of that particular "failure" is that I have a hard time first understanding the principles behind what looks good, and then I have a hard time deviating from the "rules" once I think I understand them. But, I have always found I am a better engineer than artist.

[John N.]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

I think my major difficulty and the cause of that particular "failure" is that I have a hard time first understanding the principles behind what looks good, and then I have a hard time deviating from the "rules" once I think I understand them.

This made me think. How do we know what looks good in an aquacape? Can't we look at some of the well done masterpieces and say that's what I want to achieve and work backwards from there?

Most folks may not "fail" in aquascaping. I think their photos are not always representative of what they've accomplished. I've been to the ADA dedicated fish stores here, and compared to what they show on their online site, the tank always looks much better in person.

Maybe we fail as photographers?

-John N.

[defdac]

Originally Posted by John N.

Can't we look at some of the well done masterpieces and say that's what I want to achieve and work backwards from there?

Yes, that is I think mostly the way I personally work. I see beutiful scapes here and there that I would like to have in my livingroom - with some changes. Sometimes there are details in certain scapes I like but I want to be done in a special way, combined with other plants etc.

Maybe we fail as photographers?

.. and the work needed to be done before photographing. I'm not that allergic to some visible equipment as long it is clean and algaefree. But badly scrubbed aquarium sides and equipment, visible water line or other things that makes it obvious the photographer do not actually look at the tank when photographing is a little bit annoying.

You clean your car before photographing it when putting it out for sale. You dress up, shave and clean before an interview or a date etc.

The next step would be using fans for ripple effects, remove all equipment, scaring fish to the right position/schooling, even out the front substrate line, polishing the water surface and water itself setup several flashes with soft boxes, get an aquarium stand with plenty of space in the back for back lighting effects and finally bundling all the photos from the photo shoot in a professional photo book with a bundled CD with video photage accompanied with soothing music.......

[kakkoii]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

I have always enjoyed looking at a tank with healthy growing plants in it, so that is my primary goal at all times. Failure to me means I haven't been able to achieve healthy growing plants. The actual aquascape is another thing entirely. I am finding it very hard to figure out how too achieve the balance and overall look that I would describe as an "aquascape". I think my major difficulty and the cause of that particular "failure" is that I have a hard time first understanding the principles behind what looks good, and then I have a hard time deviating from the "rules" once I think I understand them. But, I have always found I am a better engineer than artist.

Took the words right from the very tip of my tongue.

[intermediate_noob]

This is a difficult concept to convey, but I feel that I am not even ready to fail because I do not know enough. I put a lot of plants into my tank to see what they will ultimately look like when healthy. This is the hardest part for me being new: I have no idea what the plants will ultimately look like. This becomes increasingly difficult because I think I am doing something wrong and they do not look like they do in the picture in this book or on the internet.

The bottom line is that being new I find that I need to experiment with what plants will look like to really understand enough to build a good looking aquascape. Why do I fail? Jeez, if I could only be cool enough to fail.

[Freemann]

Keeping a tank with well placed plants and achieving a balance specially with stems most of the time means taking photographs of a tank just after a general trim and replant of some of your best tops in specific places.
A tank in it's natural evolution where you keep groups of plants, scissor trimmed just to keep them in check and not replanting everytime is a completely different matter, plants grow unchecked of placement and human concepts. Stems will creep all over and the plants will fight for space and light and not well placed looks. What we see in the photos most of the time bears no reseblance to the everyday looks of the tank. Now slow growth tanks with ferns, anubias and such, are much better behaved aquascaped wise on an everyday basis
Thus most of the time the pictures we see of manicured tanks are somehow like a virtuallity.
Failure sometimes can be equated to be prepared with lots of hard work and the need of someone to "advertise" himself to others.

[Morten]

First of all, a great topic with lot of interesting viewpoint.

There are no such thing as failure. Its a learnig process.
It’s a given that you need some equipmen, but in my opinion there are several way to achieve your goal in this hobby.

Some of them i think, is that you are willing to learn. Learn and read, listen to people with experience. (They have probably ”at some time” had the same problem as you)
I also feel that some patient with your scaping is of importance. Some of the great Aquascape we can see on the net did not growth over night.

And remember, learning is a never ending process.

[chillaquaplants]

I don't call it failing, I call it learning! Some people have a gift for this just like there were kids in school that just seemed to know everything from day one. Others of us have to use the trial and error method.

[naman]

...

[DiogoHCMatias]

I think we fail when we are impatient to see work done...
The patience is the most important aquascaper gift!

[echofish]

The only way to" fail" is to not try at all. You can always be sure of one thing. There is always someone ahead of you and there is always someone behind you. Don't be so hard on your dame selves. Think back to your first goldfish bowl and how far you have come from there. And how amazing you are that you get to keep a little creature in your house. You feed him and keep him in healthy green surroundings. He doesn't really care if there's a bit of hair algae around from time to time. There's only practice and learn/ trial and error. That's it. which is good because there would be nothing for us to aspire to if not. Believe me even if you won first place you would still look at your piece and think, I should have just done this different. Thats what makes us better and better. (when kept in proper perspective) And ugly words like fail or failure are kept at bay. Have fun and if nothing else appreciate your passion. I know I sound like some kind of yoda but I am posting this anyway.

[dirrtybirdy]

For me I think failing is giving up.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your scape is your art piece. Who is to say your scape is ugly? If you think your tank is right then your tank is right.

I also think that there are alot of factors to make your tank successful.

healthy livestock, healthy plants also factor in.

An unhealthy tank doesnt mean you are failing, but to me means you gotta get up your ass and fix it. Just like every art piece, it take a lot of work to get it the way you want.