Beginners Guide To The Golden Ratio In Aquarium Design?

[nry]

Hi all,

Newbie alert!

Like others here I am patiently waiting for my free AquaCube via a subscription to a well-known fishkeeping magazine

After finally getting back in to fishkeeping earlier this year, after a long long break, I am planning to set up the aquacube for entry into a few aquascaping competitions. I like my live plants but didn't really pick up on the full-blown aquascaping concept until shortly after my current tank was setup: having read a few articles about the golden ratio etc, has anyone got any pointers on how to apply it in aquascaping? Most articles have talked about photography, painting etc, and have not helped me work out well how it applies to aquarium design.

Obviously this will be my first attempt, but I have some fairly considered inspiration from my local coutryside, all I am working out now is how it can be worked into a 'good' end result

nry

 

[stang1]

 

[George Farmer]

Hi all,

Newbie alert!

Like others here I am patiently waiting for my free AquaCube via a subscription to a well-known fishkeeping magazine

After finally getting back in to fishkeeping earlier this year, after a long long break, I am planning to set up the aquacube for entry into a few aquascaping competitions. I like my live plants but didn't really pick up on the full-blown aquascaping concept until shortly after my current tank was setup: having read a few articles about the golden ratio etc, has anyone got any pointers on how to apply it in aquascaping? Most articles have talked about photography, painting etc, and have not helped me work out well how it applies to aquarium design.

Obviously this will be my first attempt, but I have some fairly considered inspiration from my local coutryside, all I am working out now is how it can be worked into a 'good' end result

nry

Welcome to TFF! It is great to hear of another potential aquascaping enthusiast.

As a subscriber to PFK you will soon see some articles on aquascaping and the use of the golden ratio. But for now here is a sneak preview -

The Golden Ratio

The golden ratio (also known as the golden section and optical center) is a very useful tool for the positioning our plants and hardscape. This ratio, 1:1.618 to be precise (to 3 decimal places) has been around for many years and was first used in design by the ancient architect Vitruvius. He stated “For a space divided into equal parts to be agreeable and aesthetic, between the smallest and largest parts there must be the same relationship as between this larger part and the whole spaceâ€￾. Or to put it more simply, the small is to the large as the large is to the whole. We can use this ratio to our advantage when positioning our focal point, especially if we have no natural talent for design (like me!)

For many aquascapers the use of the golden ratio may already come naturally. Imagine an empty aquarium containing just gravel and a single piece of wood or a rock. Think about where you would place the object. Hopefully you wouldn’t place it slap bang in the center. You should place it slightly left or right as this would provide a greater sense of aesthetic appeal.

Using the Golden ratio to position focal points

A technique to using the golden ratio when positioning our potential focal points is to take our aquarium’s length and height and multiply them both by 0.618. Do this from left to right, right to left, top to bottom and bottom to top. Draw a line across each measurement and you will end up with a grid with four intersections; these are our possible focal points. (see diagram)

For example take a 90x45x45cm aquarium.

90cm x 0.618 = 55.6cm from left to right and right to left
45cm x 0.618 = 27.8cm from top to bottom and bottom to top



Not only do the intersection points show us where we can place our focal point but the horizontal and vertical lines can also be used. Either side of the lines can be used to position our positive or negative spaces. The horizontal lines can be used to create a horizon i.e. where the top of the plant line or substrate meets the open water column.

Strictly adhering to the golden ratio is not essential, it is only a guide. Many aquascapers deliberately place their focal points off the optical center as it can create a feeling of tension and interest to the layout. As with anything in life you will become better the more you practice and hopefully after some experience it should become second nature (no pun intended!) where to position the focal points.

 

[nry]

Ahh, it was the calculation bit I couldn't suss out! Makes a bit more sense now, cheers! Hadn't thought of how substrate fits into it all either, I think I may now understand the reasons behind the high substrate levels at the back of a small 18" (?) aquarium you posted about either here or elsewhere?

I've read your recent PFK articles with loads of enthusiasm, I can't say I yet go for the EI method in my current tank (under-lit, poor CO2 provision but doing well enough for now!) but I am wondering about it for the aquacube, if nothing else I am curious about it and would like to discover more.

I don't plan to rush into the layout/design of the aquacube when it finally arrives (I have an e-mail saying I will get one ) though I think I may have too many points of inspiration. Every time I drive past a view or interesting feature I want to stop and take photo's, if I did that I'd either have loads of photo's or way too many tanks!

 

[nry]

How does the substrate fit into the whole ratio? Is it generally that the ratio is done for the actual tank height ignoring the substrate depth at the front of the tank?

 

[George Farmer]

Don't get too caught up in the numbers. They are useful for a guide. You should notice if the aquascape looks in balance or not and be able to move things about accordingly.

 

[nry]

Fair enough

 

[anodized]

this sounds a lot like the rule of thirds, used a lot in photography.

 

[George Farmer]

this sounds a lot like the rule of thirds, used a lot in photography.