Ok, guys. I need your help! I have never seen a planted SW tank be ToM anywhere and I think it is long overdue! Have you ever seen one on RC or Reefs.org or Plantedtank.net? It is time!

 But, it can't be my tank 'cause it is sooooo not ToM!

Yet!!! Can you guys help me make it strong? Granted, this pic bites but you can see the jist of it? I need a pointer or two?

 I'm thinking I want a path of aragonite up the middle trailing behind a focal point to add a bit o' depth? Is that too over done? Does it actually decrease the boxed in feel the tank has?

 And, how would this hint o' purple be for a foreground plant on the right? If I use a tiny textured plant on one side and a large textured plant on the other, does it throw off the balance?

Nope can't ignore it

That's beautiful!!!

Thanks, guys!

 Now, help me be the first planted ToM on RC? I really need it to be hot before a I start my campaign of having one ToM be not a tank full o' sps!

Where IS that girl!

Ok ...I vote Suzy totm. Compitition on the way>>>> Wait until you see the new seahorse tank I built...definately will be planted with the expensive really hard to get oooooooooooolitic sand. Here is my nano, more to follow. Suzy you are the goddess of the algea's. Look at what you started a whole new world of reef thinking.

Angel wrote:  Wow, Takashi Amano (mentioned in article Shane linked above) is the author of the book I'm sending to Suzy.

That's cool

 I have to try for RC. We've already done here...

 Was a different tank, though!

 Connie, I wonder if i already have perused the book you have? Is it asking too much to have you bring it if I might have already seen it?

 I am actually kinda leaning away from the Amano style....I feel a bit more Dutch?

 Brian, I have seen that link, thank you though! I am actually thinking seagrass sorta sucks! Grows so freakin' slow that hair algae grows on it...but, some types do flower!

 So, any more suggestions aquascaping wise? In FW planteds, they "say" that too much red is overdone, but in SW, there are so many more reds to pick from. Do you think I could go the other way and use the greens as an accent? If the right third is completely red, with focal points of red on the left, would that be too much red?

I haven't gotten tired of looking at red - though I know how difficult it is to grow so there is that appreciation. 

You're welcome to puruse the book ... if you are more dutch I understand.

When you are landscaping a yard, you start with a focal point first.  Then you work from there.  If you put something on one side of the focal point, you place the same thing on the other side - for balance. 

The best way to determine how balanced your 'picture' is, is to step back, cover one eye, and make the other eye go out of focus.  That way, all you will see is colors and chunks of images.  When I do that with your photo, what shows up is the big green chunk of plants in the back/middle, the red on the right and the empty sandbed in front.  If the bright green clump of plants in the middle were on the far right instead, they would balance with the same plants on the far left.   Adding another red plants on the left would not only add more color but  give more balance to the already existing red on the right.  Finally, I would consider putting something in the middle, like an interesting rock to take away from the sandbed. 

Just some ideas from a gardener.

Hmmm, I was actually planning on taking the lime green stuff left! Dang! I keep getting this backwards!

 Ok, so picture this in your mind: The lime green extending over to the left, but towards the back. (Lighter in back to add depth?). A darker green in the front of the left with a focal point of blue shrooms there.

 Considering the thirds concept, that is the 2/3 side. So, it will be basically larger. To balance the "largeness" of the left, the right will have more reds. The purple foreground plant can eventually cover the entire substrate, and I might be able to find another larger purple to evolve into the red behind it (blue ochtodes?).

 In the middle (I am trying not to put too much eye catching in the middle, draws off the thirds thing!), the path will extend behind a short wall of focal points, using a very light lime green chaeto species mixed with a dark red. The sun polyps will also hang out in this right third, with one behind the path drawing the eye inward...

For the record, this entire discussion is disapointing to me.

Adam

Adam, why? Is this exploiting my algae? Your opinion is very valuable to me...

Adam Blundell wrote: For the record, this entire discussion is disapointing to me. Adam

How do you think the fish are going to feel.

Suzy- do you love your algae?
Of course you do, everyone loves algae.

So love it for being algae and stop trying to make your tank beautiful.  Before you know it you'll be adding ricordia and acans because reef central says it will make your tank pretty.
Don't make your tank pretty.... it is annoying to people (like me) who want to see people with a genuine interest in their tanks and not the decorative piece of art they paid to have set up in their dental office.

Adam

Suzy-
I already love your tank.  No recommended changes.

Adam

 ...but ricordia is beautiful ... and why would this be in the middle of my living room if it wan't pretty.  It can be both, right?  Sorry Adam I'll bet this is annoying.

Personally, I think there ought to be an algea forumn area here!

Suzie, do you use CO2 with your algeas? I run a very simply DIY CO2 with my planted tank and the speaker last evening mentioned how much CO2 they go through. 

�I have to try for RC. We've already done here...

There's nothing wrong with having your tank look the best it can look, if that's the way you want it to be.  As long as everything is healthy and you are providing everything a safe environment to live in.  I know that Suzy did not get into this hobby so she could have a piece of art in her house, but there is nothing wrong with being artistic in how she arranges her corals or algae - it doesn't mean she is doing some kind of injustice to the hobby.  I certainly look at the whole picture when I place a new coral in my tank.

But then I know that there are some people, who will remain nameless, that just stick stuff in their tanks, whereever they can find a spot (however small that spot is).  But no one ever gets to see those tanks because they keep them hidden in their basements.   I guess it really comes down to a matter of opinion. 

(BTW Suzy, I liked your decorating ideas.  I want to come see it when it's done.)