Center the wood or not?

[Fishstery]

As I'm waiting for plants from @Burr740 with plans to plant and get co2 dialed in this weekend, I'm feeling conflicted about the stump placement. I started out with the vision of having the wood off center to the right side of the tank, with the stump angled slightly outward. I changed my mind when filling the tank but I'm going back and forth again. I really don't want to stir up the soil trying to move the wood since it's drilled down to a piece of slate, but if I'm going to dig it out and bury it again, obviously now is the time.

For reference, the left side panel is fully exposed and the first thing you see when entering my living room, I'd like that side of the tank to have some nice views. The right side is butted up against a built-in wall shelf, so less is visible from the side. I'm thinking of either sticking with the center concept, or moving the intake forward next to the outflow, and moving the wood more to the right side. The 3rd picture is a reference drawing for when I go to plant the tank.

Background plants:
Bacopa Colorata
N. Taiwan Lily
N. Peru Lily
Rotala 'Blood Red'
Limnophila Belem
Persicaria 'Sao Paulo'

Midground plants:
Clinopodium Brownei
Limnophila Rugosa
Rotala Ramosior 'Florida'
Rotala Mini Butterfly 'Type 4'
Bacopa Salzmannii 'Purple'
Ludwigia Ovalis 'Pink'

Foreground plants:
Ranunculus Inundatus
AR Reineckii 'Mini'
Staurogyne Repens
Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini'

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Saw this on reddit! I'd DEFINITELY recommend off-centering it. It ends up far more appealing to the eye IMO.




All of these are offset, either by a little or by a lot.


Check out this video for a super offset piece:


It could still be absolutely beautiful if it were centered, but it has so much more appeal to the human eye to not be centered, not to mention a more natural feel, too!

 

[Art]

Always off center on the third line to make a dynamic composition. If you center, it must be intensional with the "tension" being created on purpose. This is very difficult.

I wrote about this back in the day: Analysis of 2010 Iron Aquascaper aquariums - ScapeFu

 

[Fishstery]

Saw this on reddit! I'd DEFINITELY recommend off-centering it. It ends up far more appealing to the eye IMO.
View attachment 13745
View attachment 13746
View attachment 13747
View attachment 13748
All of these are offset, either by a little or by a lot.


Check out this video for a super offset piece:
View attachment 13744

It could still be absolutely beautiful if it were centered, but it has so much more appeal to the human eye to not be centered, not to mention a more natural feel, too!

I was hoping you'd reply! Thank you for the input

 

[Fishstery]

Always off center on the third line to make a dynamic composition. If you center, it must be intensional with the "tension" being created on purpose. This is very difficult.

I wrote about this back in the day: Analysis of 2010 Iron Aquascaper aquariums - ScapeFu

Thank you so much for taking the time to give your input! Off to the right it is. I have a school of 20 Cenepa Pencilfish going in here so it should be quite a show when they shoal in the open swimming space. I'm going for a nature/garden style hybrid since my heart just couldn't decide between the two.

 

[Art]

Please start a journal so we can follow along with you.

 

[Fishstery]

Please start a journal so we can follow along with you.

I plan on doing that this weekend when I get it planted its been a long time since I've had a more "difficult" high tech, so I'm sure I'll need more input along the way as I dial everything in. I took a ton of PAR readings with the different light settings on the Week Aqua T90s since I can't find anyone who has any umol data on them yet, I'll be typing up something quick with that information in a standalone post later on.

 

[techman81]

Sounds like you're set, but I would agree with the other advice, off-center looks best. From AI (or if you've studied the words of Amano san):

Takashi Amano, the pioneer of the Nature Aquarium style, typically favored asymmetry to emulate the natural, unrefined beauty of the wild, but he used intentional, subtle symmetry to evoke specific, sacred, or serene emotions in certain layouts.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

It doesn’t have to be adjusted that much to make it off center. Enough to notice will accomplish the “look” and pleasing to the eye factor.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

I've gotta say, that is an amazing piece of wood. Even if you someday take the tank down, you should keep it. Scrub it, powerwash it, whatever. You might regret not keeping it one day.

Or sell it to me if you ever get bored of it

 

[techman81]

I've gotta say, that is an amazing piece of wood. Even if you someday take the tank down, you should keep it. Scrub it, powerwash it, whatever. You might regret not keeping it one day.

Or sell it to me if you ever get bored of it

I've got a big gnarly stump you'd love. It's been waiting for the right tank for quite a few months. I got it together with a 55 gallon tank I bought at an LFS for a discount price I negotiated. It might go in the new Waterbox 4820.

 

[Fishstery]

I've gotta say, that is an amazing piece of wood. Even if you someday take the tank down, you should keep it. Scrub it, powerwash it, whatever. You might regret not keeping it one day.

Or sell it to me if you ever get bored of it

I scoured the internet for months trying to find this exact piece. It's even more beautiful than what you're able to see from the photo. The hole in the lower left leg actually goes straight through to the top of the wood, and should be a delightful little tunnel for the shrimp and pygmy cories I'm eventually going to put in there once the tank stabilizes and I have the plants where I want growth wise. I actually bought a second piece from the seller that is the exact same look, just scaled down to a mini version.

The wood is actually Eastern Red Cedar, typically a big no-no for aquarium use. However the seller is an old timer who knows exactly where and when the tree was cut, according to him the tree was cut in 1965 when his family's land in Tennessee was being cleared for a reservoir. It was then fully sumberged for well over three decades and then dried back out for quite some time before it was sold to me. The oil and tar is long gone from it, so I'm not concerned. Tom Barr I believe is one of the few people who will actually tell you not to be afraid of Cedar if you know for sure it has been properly aged. Everyone else clutches their pearls when you mention having cedar in a tank!

 

[Burr740]

Great piece of wood, and yes definitely off center

 

[TRyan]

I like your plan to move it to the right a bit. It's going to look great! That's an awesome piece with some cool history. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.