Re: Rocks and stones

[Thomas Barr <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

I think the rocks are better suited for smaller tanks and driftwood is
better suited for larger tank as general practical matter in design.

Smaller pieces of wood are hard to find with substantial character as are
very large pieces of rock that are suitable.

Yes, you can scale up pieces but weight is an issue. A piece of stone that
matches the cypress knees I have would weigh about 200lbs, and be very
difficult to remove and clean off the algae.

Wood is light weight and is easier for plants to attach onto. Attached
plantings are seemingly better in my view for the larger tank over 2ft long
etc. 

LFS and other places folks collect rocks/wood etc often have smaller rocks
than wood. 

Trees are only so small, rocks? They can be any size.

I think for giving the illusion of a large area in a small space, rocks are
better. 

A large rock in a small tank is dramatic. Even considering such a scaled up
version in a larger tank is a tad scary. 200lb rocks are seldom carried by
the LFS and finding a piece of petrified wood that size is not impossible if
you come to the plant fest this Aug but most LFS cannot and do not carry
such rocks.  

Yea, I have both wood and rock to suit either sized tank. I have a 100lb
slab of Petrified wood, more driftwood than I really should, and many other
pieces of rock. 

It seems in many cases to my own eye, that many smaller pieces of rock or
wood, appears more appealing than one big piece.

So I went with the one large single rock piece for the tank design in a 20
gallon:)
It all depends on the rock/wood piece in question I suppose.

I may add to the single piece but I like the look and feel. Wood was just
too much for the design, it confused the look.

Amano's approach uses the rocks to shore up the wood design which is
virtually always branchy smaller pieces which are much easier to find and
set up for a design rather than the one dramatic single piece of wood.
But the rocks always go along/around the base of the wood generally.

Rocks + wood as design components, rather than the shoring up technique
seems too complicated.

My own tank with all the wood and rock I have did not look as good once the
plants were growing. I have since added a few pieces of rock back in and am
happy with it. But this tank would not word well if it were smaller.

Regards, 
Tom Barr