The term “layout material or hardscape” in the Nature Aquarium and in aquascaping describes all natural decorative materials like for example driftwood or rocks. As counterparts, aquatic plants, as they are basically the soft elements in an aquascape, are called “softscape”.
Is the Ease of Producing a Layout Different between Driftwood and Stone?
In a layout using driftwood, the shape of the driftwood can be seen when the composition has just been completed. However, the greater part of the wood will become invisible as the aquatics plants grow taller. As can be seen from this fact, the driftwood in many cases serves as the frame work of the layout. When selecting driftwood as layout material, you do not need to care about the entire shape of the wood as most of it will eventually be covered by the aquatic plants; instead, you should find one which has branch tips or other specific portions of your favorite shape. You may want to hide any unsightly portions of the driftwood with aquatic plants.
When producing a layout, we usually wonder whether to use driftwood or stone as layout material. These two types of materials have different roles in creating the layout appearance.
Among the layouts using stones the iwaugmi layout offers an appreciation of stone arrangement consisting of stones of various sizes placed in good balance. In most cases, short aquatic plants are mainly used for this type of layout to make the stone arrangement viewable. In the iwagumi layout, the stones are a key aspect of the layout and it is impossible t use tricks to cover any blemishes with aquatic plants. It is therefore necessary to thoroughly examine their entire shape and texture when selecting stones for iwagumi layout