Foreground accent question

[Bunbuku]

Looking over Amano's Nature Aquarium books this weekend, I noticed that he often likes to pair Riccia and E. parvula as foreground accents. It made me wonder whether there are general guides for such types of pairings to achieve the most best results.

What accent plants would go well with a nice low carpet of HC, glosso, microswords etc. ?
Would you want to use midground plants with a same or different leaf shape or color shade than your foreground carpet?

I will inquire to see if my LFS has an aquatic plant sommlier !

[Rastaman]

You can use wide range of foreground plants to fulfill desirable layout.
For achieved better depth, plants with similar leaf shape, but different size, can be used for this porpouse. For instance, Glosso and HC - HC planted beyond Glosso visualy apear like Glosso afar; e.g. - layout of Hironori Handa (5th place on IAPLC 2004) Zoom
If you wish to emphasize relief surface, or want to create illusion of shade (form an idea of morning or afternoon, as this is inposible to do with aquarium lighting placed upright above the tank) plants with different colour can help to create such an illusion; e.g. layout of Hironori Handa (5th place on IAPLC 2007) Zoom
Vesicularia sp. perform as shade, till yellowish Utricularia reticulata (graminifolia?) presenting sunbathed parts. There is allso Riccia and hairgras between Glosso which helps to create a soft impression.
Hope this helps

[Bunbuku]

Originally Posted by Rastaman

You can use wide range of foreground plants to fulfill desirable layout.
For achieved better depth, plants with similar leaf shape, but different size, can be used for this porpouse. For instance, Glosso and HC - HC planted beyond Glosso visualy apear like Glosso afar; e.g. - layout of Hironori Handa (5th place on IAPLC 2004) Zoom
If you wish to emphasize relief surface, or want to create illusion of shade (form an idea of morning or afternoon, as this is inposible to do with aquarium lighting placed upright above the tank) plants with different colour can help to create such an illusion; e.g. layout of Hironori Handa (5th place on IAPLC 2007) Zoom
Vesicularia sp. perform as shade, till yellowish Utricularia reticulata (graminifolia?) presenting sunbathed parts. There is allso Riccia and hairgras between Glosso which helps to create a soft impression.
Hope this helps

Thanks Rastaman!
Those are very informative examples. I particularly like Handa's entry which greatly appeals to my aesthetic sense. It seems that I learn not only to see the aquascape in the present and the future as the scape fills in. To do the latter I have to learn about the growth behavior and characteristics of the plants I choose.

Hey, I noticed this 'scape http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/47053-mountainscape.html resemble's Handa's layout