1) A tank containing only "foreground plants", with perhaps some driftwood/rocks to break it up. This would leave a large amount of swimming space up top for the bows. One could choose to have very few species of plants for a uniform look (and maybe have rocks or height variations to give it some flavor), or could try to have an assortment of plants, blending colors/textures etc. If you go the assortment route, your're assured of having height variations to break things up. Making a tank containing only
horter plants look good would be an interesting challenge.
2) for a larger tank, you could use taller plants to break up the space into partitions. Many tank designs hint at the partition look; it might be interesting to make the partitions strongly defined using tall plants (maybe stem plants would be good for this).
Anyway, those are my Friday ideas.
-- Stephen
John Caddy wrote:
> Hi John,
> I didn't mean to suggest that you needed instruction in aquascaping,
> and I certainly don't think anyone needs a paint-by-numbers manual. I
> guess what I did mean is simply this: fish often perceive a taller
> plant as a barrier, where our eyes do not, and stay out of certain
> zones of the tank. "Middle-ground" plants are often too tall (even
> though they may create a beautiful aquacape), and can discourage
> active swimmers like rainbows. FWIW, I like to plant tall only in
> back and on the sides, and fill the rest with so-called foreground
> plants. The key is to find a balance that you personally enjoy.
>
> John Caddy
> Self Expressing Earth (SEE) <http://cgee.hamline.edu/see>
> Center for Global Environmental Education
> Hamline University