SUBSCRIBE NOW ON YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/AquascapingLab FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AquascapingLab.info TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AquascapingLab INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/aquascapinglab aquascaping techniques and construction rules illustrated and explained by Aquascaping Lab Tommaso Perini and Serena Sacchi, following the advice of expert Takashi Amano. BASIC RULES: - Perspective and height differences between the back and front of the tank are very important, so we will create the supports for stones or wood, using shims such as polystyrene, the filter floss, or porous gravel. The important is do not posizionate this shims near to the tank glass, would cause unsightly effects from the front and side views. - After choosing the point of view of the tank, you will begin to place the "hardscape" or the bony part, all that will remain unchanged. You build it of driftwood or stones, Usually a kind of V or triangle that will have as its apex in height, the farthest from the viewing point. Also you will install the water flow so that the flow from the highest point to the rear lower front point creating a vegetation movement. - Now we are going to fill the areas with fertilizer powder or fertilized soil, and cosmetic sand or inert gravel, always respecting the differences in height. Remember to use the fertilized part for planting, and cosmetics part for the lower visual points, also be careful to not create anaerobic zones dangerous for the bacteria, with too high layers of gravel aggregates, (max 2 cm). We recommend using porous stone, as a primer, for taller rear layers to create movement of water even in the substrate. - Add details, or aggregates of various sizes, like little stones or woods to be embedded in the rocks or put on driveways, to make it more natural and similar to the reality of nature. Pay attention to the shape and colors of them and make sure they are appropriate. - After the part of "Hardscape" begins the planting, exist "foreground" and "background" plants, depending on their conformation and specific characteristics. After entering a bit of water in the aquarium to facilitate your work, you plant them in the substrate, with the appropriate tools. The background plants are higher, tryi to follow the flow of water flow. The foreground plants are the lower and groundcovering, you plant in the front. There are other decorative plants that do not need the substrate and can be attached by wires that will be removed later, or trap in the furnishings as woods and stones. IWAGUMI: - The rocks must all be of the same type, color and design, but of different size to homogenize and make layout more natural. - The Main rock (the bigger), must be positioned at 2/3 of the length of the tank. The remaining rocks will be positioned scale trying to give the maximum depth and naturalness to the scene. - The rocks must be odd, to balance and give harmony to the layout. - Placing the rocks with their "pattern" in the same direction because although of different sizes will be linked together and accentuate the sense of water flow. - The substrate shall be distributed among the rocks trying to give depth to the layout, and having a thickness from 3-4 cm in the front and more of 10 cm to the bottom. - Recommended Plants for Iwagumi: Eleocharis vivipara or blyxa echinosperma, to the rear. Curly Riccia fluitans, Glossostigma elatinoides, Echinodorus tenellus and Eleocharis parvula for the foreground, around the stones. RYOBOKU: - Central: the wood are positioned inside the triangle with its apex pointing upwards, central composition to provide stability and balance to the layout. - Lateral: the wood are positioned in one of the two sides and oriented towards the center, lateral composition to give instability and dynamism to the layout. - "V": the wood are positioned at both sides leaving a central void space, the composition is V shape to give a lot of depth to the layout. Recommended Plants for Ryoboku: Microsorium, Anubias, Bolbitis, and various types of mosses.