Aquascape of the Month April 2008: "Cosmopolis"

April 2008 Aquascape of the Month
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Cosmopolis
by Sylvain van Waerebeke

INTRODUCTION[imgl=white]http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/../gallery/images/1/large/1_Sylvainsmall.jpg[/imgl]
My name is Sylvain van Waerebeke (Mellonman) and I am a Frenchman who is addicted to French planted tanks. Although I setup my first aquarium almost four years ago, I consider myself quite a newcomer to the aquascaping hobby. I got started in planted aquariums while I was searching the internet for information on how to care for aquatic plants. I came across some photos of planted tanks and immediately realized my attraction to aquariums was based on the aesthetical beauty these aquariums are capable of presenting. I knew I wanted to create an aquascape just like the ones that inspired me.

Since then, I have been learning from observing thousands of different planted tanks and mimicking some of their styles. I have practiced trimming techniques and improved my overall knowledge of growing aquatic plants. My aquascaping skills have grown a lot since I started four years ago.



AQUASCAPING STYLE AND VISION
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I can't even remember how I developed the original plan for this aquascape. There was no particular inspiration source for this scape, except some parts of other layouts I had seen before on the web. This tank was my first BIG planted tank (450L or 120 gal) which allowed me to use many different plant species. This is where I made the classical beginner mistake of choosing plants I liked and THEN trying to make an aquascape.

During this layout's life (14 months), it changed a lot (as you can see from the evolution pictures) and is not truly reflective of what I originally intended to design. [imgr="white"]http://www.aquascapingworld.com/gallery/images/1/2_Day_65small.jpg[/imgr]Sometimes the changes would come from me, my tastes, but sometimes they would come from the plants themselves (how they would grow, how they would match with each other, etc...). I always try to let the plants show me the way so to speak. If the colors, bushes and growth matches my tastes, then I usually let them do what they want within the aquascape. In a way the aquascape develops with a life of its own.

The title of the aquascape was something I never really thought of when I was planning and watching the scape develop. I only named it because I had to (for entering the Creative [imgr="white"]http://www.aquascapingworld.com/gallery/images/1/1_Day_105small.jpg[/imgr]Aquascape Union VIP Guest page and the AGA contest). Since I had no particular name coming into my mind when watching the tank, I named it "Cosmopolis" because of the many different origins of the inhabitants, which include South America, Asia and Africa.


AQUASCAPING METHOD AND TECHNIQUES

It might surprise you to know there are three big pieces of driftwood in this tank. You can see [imgr="white"]http://www.aquascapingworld.com/gallery/images/1/1_Day_160small.jpg[/imgr]them on the pictures of day one after planting, but in the final shot they become less visible with the plants grown in. If you look closely on the left side, you can still see one emerging branches from the plant thickets. This is how I imaged it would from the beginning. The center driftwood was visible at its base, where it formed a semicave with the left part of the layout (but it cannot be seen on the pictures) and the right piece has been totally consumed by plants.

I don't really like layouts with no hardscape. My hardscape was intended to become an accent piece to the overall scape, [imgr="white"]http://www.aquascapingworld.com/gallery/images/1/large/1_Day_330small.jpg[/imgr] but as you can see most of it is hidden. I considered this a failure for me and my aquascape. I'm still learning (and was even more at that time) how to make to balance the growth of plants and the accenting hardscape together.

I'm not really fond of clean and round bushes, which might again be surprising due to the "Dutch" look of the aquascape. In fact, this layout does not truly fit my tastes that much either. I prefer a more natural looking aquascape over a manicured “Dutch” aquascape. This is why my trimming technique consists of "selective pruning" which means I often cut stem by stem to give the bush a messy natural look. I also avoided trimming a whole plant group right at the same height which helped achieved the natural effect seen in the scape.
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Beyond choosing plants and hardscape, I am particularly interested in manipulating light to create colors and shadows in the planted tank. By creating contrasts between sunny places and shady ones, adding dark spots in a bright colored layout, etc. it makes the tank appear more natural.

I am also very focused on creating depth and making sure the layout has relief (ups and downs that can be created in a scape's height). Instead of focusing on aquascaping rules or even mathematical composition [imgr="white"]http://www.aquascapingworld.com/gallery/images/1/1_Cosmosmall.jpg[/imgr] guidelines, I always try go by a “gut feeling”. Even if it does not adhere to something like the “Golden Rule” if I feel like the layout has a sense of depth and height, I consider the aquascape successful.

PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES

The greatest challenge at the end of this layout's life was to synchronize each plant growth and trimming so that they all show their best at the same time. There was a time when I had a full Riccia carpet all over the tank ground. Keeping up with its rapid growth, and maintaining its appearance with the other stem plants was very difficult, so I eventually discarded this plant. Finally I must admit that there were some plant species I was not able to keep healthy and good looking so I had to replace them.

Click here to view Tank Specifications
Click here to view Fauna and Plant List

FINAL THOUGHTS AND THE FUTURE

In the beginning, this aquascape was supposed to be more "natural" than Dutch and in the end it turned out to be the exact opposite. This allowed me to learn a lot about these two styles of layouts and how to create them. After creating this aquascape, I think it is much more challenging and demanding to design and maintain a natural scape than a Dutch one.

For any new aquascapers, my advice would be:

• Use the internet as much as you can. It has an unlimited source of knowledge and advice that will help you grow plants, prune, and develop your aquascaping techniques.
• Keep a look out for different layouts and designs, not only for your viewing pleasure but also be mindful with a "designer" point of view. Try to understand how they are made, and discover what and how they used the plants, hardscape, and combination of plant species to achieve the overall scape.
• Lastly, practice and practice more. Watch the plants as they grow, and it may sounds funny, but they will tell you how to prune them and when to fertilize them. By watching them, you will see where they like to be planted and how well they look when paired with other plant species.

I think I will remain a planted tank addict for quite a long time. With about four years underneath my belt, this hobby is still a new passion for me. I will keep making planted tanks, always attempting to achieve layouts that make you go "WOW" at first sight. I'm also lately getting into another style of aquatic gardening; paludariums. I think it is a natural extension of aquascaping, with new challenges and concepts to explore.