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Re: criticism requested



Arthur wrote:
>Hats off to Glen for stepping up to the plate and
>asking for criticism.

I totally agree, Arthur.  What better way is there for us to grow our 
skills and learn new approaches to aquascaping?  I think everyone can 
benefit from this kind of activity.

OK, Glen, you asked for it! ;)  Keep in mind that I'm pretty much still a 
plant newbie, so my critiques will no doubt be limited and influenced by my 
inexperience.  Well, here goes...

"Through the Rushes" (Discus tank):

The plants look healthy (I saw pearling? oooh, nice), the water's clear, 
and algae is not readily visible, so the overall impression is good, but I 
was bothered by a few visual aspects of the design.  The Vals etc. in the 
background are a bit monotonous.  It'd be nice to have something to break 
up the vertical texture in a spot or two.  The lily looks smothered too.  I 
think the foreground looks a bit too much like a tossed salad, but I like 
the wavy variation in the lay of the substrate.  The addition of some rock 
and/or wood would really help this tank IMHO.  A beach area in the front 
could add interest as well.  The one thing that really ruins the fantasy of 
being in nature for me is the glaring white lettering on the submersible 
pump in the back.  I'd try to hide that somehow.

Now, on to "The Jungle" (Open tank):

Again the plants look healthy etc., so kudos there.  This tank is visually 
more interesting to me than the Discus one.  I enjoy chaotic "jungle" 
tanks, swords, and Rams, so this tank charmed me right off the bat.  It is 
a little claustrophobic, however, and I think the large swords are the 
culprit.  I'm not sure how to fix it, though, and I'm not even sure it 
needs much fixing.  I like this tank.  Nice pic of the Amano shrimp, 
BTW.  I enjoyed the pic with the Rams and their fry too.

Well done on both tanks, Glenn!  Thanks for the opportunity to see and 
think about your aquaria--it helps me too.  Hopefully, some of the 
heavyweights will chime in with some truly useful advice and we can all 
learn even more.

best regards,

Chuck Huffine
Knoxville, Tennessee  USA
mailto:grendel at usit_net