Pros and Cons: Iwagumi vs. Nature Aquarium

[zchauvin]

Just thought I'd share a few of my problems Ive found so far and hopefully some other people can comment- I hope this helps those new guys/girls make up there mind. Whenever I first got into planted tanks and this forum was after seeing a video of Amano's tanks online. I wanted to have that perfect looking NA that had the driftwood with all the bolbitus and Java ferns and moss. I loved the effect that the bright vibrant foreground gave with the contrast to shaded areas provided by the crypts. Time and time again even to this day I look at videos and how beautiful and perfect the tanks always look. Then I saw the iwagumis and thought... Ohh those look awesome too, but to simply. Well, heres my experience so that maybe you guys can relate lol. I went out and bought all the equipment and different soils and whatnot, put them into tank and set it all up perfect!! Filled it up with water and when I walked back 5 feet, I HATED what I saw. Over the next two weeks I bought more and more and more plants hoping that eventually the tank would look good. Once it finally got the point where I liked it, I saw another video and tried to implicate even more things into my tank which in turn made it worse and then being restarted again. So now I'm at the point where I have again purchased many different stems and will try to get this baby looking good, but at the same time I am contemplating tearing it all apart.. My aqua soil and power sand are mixed, my substrate line isn't perfect, my foreground... Well you get the point. Do not wind up like me people, Its a never ending process!!! Now someone kick me in the rear for being so ocd, but I'm thinking of planting everything and if it doesn't grow out rite, take it apart and go iwagumi.. What are you guys thoughts??

[tbarabash]

I think that you sound just like most of us....

Hard to give you some advice to make you not want to replicate all the tanks you find. You gotta deal with that in your own mind believing that your tank is good enough.

Personally I think iwagumi is kind of boring, it would be neat to set up but once it is, there's really nothing that changes. All you do is mow your lawn once every couple weeks.. there's really no dynamic changes with stem plants and possibilities for caves and cool looking driftwood.

[Dollface]

The same aesthetic and technical principles that apply to iwagumi tanks also apply to NA, or any other aquarium scape, only magnified. If you find yourself having trouble with other styles, you'll probably be even more frustrated with iwagumi.

[OiZO]

I have found iwagumi the hardest. You cannot hide anything every little bit of algae or any spot where plants are not doing well shows. I find that i spent more time grooming and maintaining it just to keep it looking good then any other planted style i have gone for. That said i find iwagumi more pleasing to the eye when you take the whole room as context.

[alfalfa]

Originally Posted by zchauvin

Now someone kick me in the rear for being so ocd, but I'm thinking of planting everything and if it doesn't grow out rite, take it apart and go iwagumi.. What are you guys thoughts??

I was in the same situation. Iwagumi can be much more frustrating. It was for me. The good news is it stopped the runaway OCD train and I've learned to be happy with what I have... for now.

[zchauvin]

Lol yeah, its just stems have to grow in and everything and it seems like forever. Idk how using just some rocks would make it hard?

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[kevmo911]

Originally Posted by zchauvin

Idk how using just some rocks would make it hard?

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You'd think so, wouldn't you

The problem is that there's nothing to hide anything. When you work with a minimalist scape, it's more clearly a work of art. And as such, it's more important to be perfect. You might be surprised to find that you have a much clearer perception of "right" versus "not right". And so do other people (if you value anybody else's opinions on your tank).

What you really want to avoid, a couple months down the road as everything fills in, is looking at your tank and realizing "hey, my tank is just some plants with rocks in."

You seem to be leaning that way, if only to satisfy your curiosity. Go for it! Just do yourself a favor and spend some extra time setting up the hardscape.

[zchauvin]

Lol yeah... And my biggest problem is I can't ever get driftwood to look right haha. Im so tired of it, blah but I will wait and let all my stems grow out and see what I think then more than likely well them all and buy rock haha

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[EnigmaticGuppy92]

i dont mind iwagumi but i dont think id do one myself to be honest i like the more rustic natural look myself i feel that it is more diverse

[neueklare_ein]

As a matter of fact, most people in the West do not understand Iwagumi. If one doesn't get the philosophy behind, it looks really horribly boring. But it's actually more than that...an iwagumi setup can be amazing, relaxing, insightful to some but stupid, dull, meaningless to others.

[Booger]

I just enjoy narcissistic pseudo poetry.

"I call this aquascape... *dramatic pause*... Nature's Gentle Hidden Mystery Farts. I came up with that while I was spooning my cat."

"You got all that from HC and a box of rocks from AFA?"

"It's obviously far beyond your realm of comprehension."

[Bahugo]

It took me several attempts using different driftwood, different rocks, different plants over several months with several good scapes (and some poor attempts) until being happy with my scape. I still always keep an eye out for wood while I am at the LFS's in case I see that "wow I can't live without that piece".

I say don't give up. I learn something from every good scape, and several things from bad scapes each time, it's a learning process.

I know there is a whole "philosophy" behind Iwagima scapes, but I just find 99% of them boring, comically copycatish, and repetitive. Am I saying I don't think they are nice? No there are some that are truly amazing, just not my cup of tea. Honestly, my biggest gripe with Iwagima scapes though, is that it looks the exact same (in 99% of scapes) without water, as it does with water. I could have an Iwagima scape in my emersed setup, why do I need it in my aquarium? Fish just look out of place 90% of the time because they are just swimming there in emptiness... My fish enjoy going in the plants.

[neueklare_ein]

Thanks for clarifying. But the highlighted part made me really think that you are despising the style. Don't you think so? I apologize if I am wrong.

But note that I am not the one saying that Americans are not up to standard in aquascaping. The one who is attacking me most seriously is. You might want to direct what you said to him.

I don't see anyone bringing Americans down really...(you seem really out of you mind, asking people to get out of this country just because they have a little complain on their scaping skills (no one actually said that but your imagination is beyond comparison))...patriot...

And if you like statistical logic that much, don't say 99% of them are boring. If you want to imply many just say many. You literally make 99% of those who do Iwagumi think that they are making something boring. "Common logic". Maybe 99% of them aren't my cup of tea sounds better?

Originally Posted by Bahugo

It took me several attempts using different driftwood, different rocks, different plants over several months with several good scapes (and some poor attempts) until being happy with my scape. I still always keep an eye out for wood while I am at the LFS's in case I see that "wow I can't live without that piece".

I say don't give up. I learn something from every good scape, and several things from bad scapes each time, it's a learning process.

I know there is a whole "philosophy" behind Iwagima scapes, but I just find 99% of them boring, comically copycatish, and repetitive. Am I saying I don't think they are nice? No there are some that are truly amazing, just not my cup of tea. Honestly, my biggest gripe with Iwagima scapes though, is that it looks the exact same (in 99% of scapes) without water, as it does with water. I could have an Iwagima scape in my emersed setup, why do I need it in my aquarium? Fish just look out of place 90% of the time because they are just swimming there in emptiness... My fish enjoy going in the plants.

[zchauvin]

Yeah, I really like some iwagumis but I love the nature aquariums. I have about 4-5 different stems coming in this week so ill plant them accordingly and see how it looks, hopefully after a few trims and ect it will be nice.

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[Dollface]

"It's just rocks, how hard can it be?"
"It's just rocks, it's so boring."
"It's just rocks, it all looks the same."

^ I hope nobody wonders why there's so few truly exceptional western iwagumi 'scapes.