sick of aquascaping

[compulsion]

ive been trying all day to get my tank nice but it just seems to look crap every time, ive got plants and 3 large peices of bogwood
i had one at each end and one in the middle, it looks crap..

anyone got any tip on what i could do, i thought about stacking them but they wont go together well i can tell...

sucks.

[SCMurphy]

Try it with just two pieces if you can't find a composition that you like with three pieces. Relax, this is fun, its a hobby, it's something we enjoy doing. Remember, the look will change as the plants fill in, what looks like crap now could really look good in a month.

[Buck]

Here is what I would do...
Take a coin, flip it in the air... if its "heads", put all the wood on the left side of the tank... if its "tails", put all the wood on the right side of the tank. Here's the tricky part, if ya dont have a coin in your pocket , you are in the wrong hobby... :lol:

I wish I had a coin for every time I changed my tanks around, like Sean said, have fun with it and place the wood the best you can. Dont forget, you can also choose plants that will make the placement of the wood make sense. I always liked Val's to bring out a nice piece of wood.
Could you post a photo of the pieces here ? We got some dandy wood arrangers here...maybe they can come up with a suggestion.
Also, you could take a look at some photos in the gallery and elsewhere on the web, maybe something you see will strike an image into your mind that will work for you.

Good luck and remember, dont drive yourself crazy over it... you will just be moving it again soon enough if you are anything like me ... LOL ...

[Splash]

I don't know, Buck. If you are in this hobby, you might not have a coin left in your pocket!

Originally Posted by Buck

Here's the tricky part, if ya dont have a coin in your pocket , you are in the wrong hobby... :lol:

[mr hyde]

Wait until your in a creative mood, look at some planted aquarium books(nature aquarium world 1,2,&3) to get some good ideas. Go to a local lake or river and look for interesting pieces of driftwood, rocks to work with. Dont settle for only the materials you have on hand. Look at the AGA website, there are hundreds of amazing planted tanks to look at to get some good ideas. Mostly it's a personal thing, everyone has different tastes. Trial and error mostly

[R2thaSAR]

is driftwood expensive? what are its benefits? does it have to be cleaned any special way before being put into a tank?

[Yves514]

Like everyone said, take a break and come back to it later. I spent a weekend cleaning & setting up the foundation (substrate, rocks, wood) alone. If you're not in a mood, then no rush... Do it later.

And as they said, it will change like mad so don't stress over it too much. I knew jack about plants when I started this so I ended up moving most of my plants around during the first month until I had them at the right place based on the growth I was seeing from them and what I liked.

Cheers,

[Yves514]

Originally Posted by R2thaSAR

is driftwood expensive? what are its benefits? does it have to be cleaned any special way before being put into a tank?

Yes, driftwood is pricy. For benefits, not sure about the technical benefits other than I know plecos kinda need it. Other benefits include the fact it looks awesome in a tank especially if you are trying to create a natural environment. I didn't want any artificial things in my tank. (Like laser shows in miniature villages :roll: )

Yes, it needs to be soaked for at least a few days. When you buy it, it's dry so it will want to float. Also, rinsing, soaking will help you remove some of the brown stuff that discolours your tank water. I bought a version that is mounted on a slate of rock. That brand didn't discolour my water at all. But it was even more expensive.