Anyone Have Some Iwagumi Experience?

[drobbyb]

I have a 30 gallon long sitting with no substrate, stock or anything in it and I was looking at some really nice Iwagumi style tanks. I want to set this tank up in this style using 7 stones of different sizes. More than likely I will build a custom lighting system for this tank, advice would be appreciated here to ensure I get enough light to pull it off. Plant selection is still up in the air and recommendations are welcome.

Anyone have experience?

 

[ian]

When an Iwagumi is done properly they look amazing. I did couple a nanos a bit back, i would love to do a bigger tank, but it's difficult in a corner tank like i own. Heres a pics of my nanos

remember to have one rock as yor main feature and work that rock within the golden ratio and don't over do it with the numbe of plants.

heres a couple of good links to have a read of...

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/328059-basics-in-aquascaping/

and

http/www.aquajournal.net/na/iwagumi/introduction.html


ps, an important feature is (what i didn't do enough of) slope the substrate from high at the back to shallow at the front. This will give the tank a great sense of depth.

hope this helps, and remember to start a journal if you do decide to go ahead with this project.

ps a big school of Iriatherina werneri would look amazing in a Iwagumi.

 

[coldcazzie]

On the note of sloping substrate - one of the ripariums I was looking at the other day used progressively smaller pieces of polystyrene sheet to make like a pyramid, which was then covered in substrate, you could do that?

 

[ian]

yes you can, a few of the pros use that method, but personally, in a longer term scape, i'd suggest to slope the substrate as over time, if messed about with it may level out more so leaving polystyrene showing and its a pain sloping substrate under water.

 

[coldcazzie]

Yes I did wonder about that, especially as it was quite a high pyramid. I guess because it used the walstad method it worked ok: no flow to move substrate about.

 

[drobbyb]

Thanks for the great info! I really like the stones you have in those pictures, they give such good contrast. I was hoping to use some local stone but mostly there is salt and pepper granite around here and that would be too light in color to provide great contrast.