When transitioning from regular fish-keeper to aquascaper, there are some things to keep in mind. Aquascaping is an art in itself and it goes beyond just keeping an aquarium at home.
While starting out with aquascaping, beginners tend to get overwhelmed with the extra planted aquarium information they have to go through. So we’ve put together a simple and easy guide into understanding Aquascaping.
Aquascape or Aquascaping derive From the English word “landscape“, is the art of creating or set up the aquarium with suggestive and scenic scenery or recreation of existing biotopes in nature. To create a “funcioning” aquarium, biologically (well-initiated nitrogen cycle) but also visually and aesthetics, there are some basic rules that if properly performed, they will give you good results and save you from alot of hard work or unnecessary expenses. Following the advice of one of the top experts in Aquascaping, the famous Takashi Amano (1954 – 2015),
Aquascaping is the art of arranging aquatic plants and other materials in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium. Aquascaping is a form of underwater gardening that has been practiced for over a century. It is a hobby that can be done by anyone with access to an aquarium and some basic knowledge of aquatic plants.
The aquascape style is determined by the type of substrate, the type of plants used, rocks and the type of lighting used.
Aquariums with live plants are a lot of fun, but what if you want to take your underwater gardening to the next level? If you’re looking for cool aquascape ideas then you’ve come to the right place! There’s more to aquascaping than just adding some plants to an existing fish tank. Did you know that an aquascaped tank might not even contain any fish? Read on to learn about the different types of aquascaping styles and to help you find the rite aquarium design and fish tank ideas for you.
Many folks get into aquarium keeping because they want beautiful community tanks filled with fish and other aquatic species. But for some aquarists, fish are practically an afterthought. When you get into aquascaping, your focus shifts from the animals to the plants and other visual elements in your tank.
Aquariums are a great way to bring the beauty of the ocean into your home. They can be a calming addition to any room and provide hours of entertainment for both adults and children. However, before you buy an aquarium, it is important to plan out how you want it to look.
There are many different factors that go into planning an aquarium layout. The size of the tank, the type of fish you want, and where in your home you want it all factor in. This article will cover some basic tips for planning your aquarium layout so that you can get started on designing your new aquatic habitat!
What is Aquascaping?
Learning aquascaping is not difficult. Like any other passion, it takes time, dedication and extensive research. We’ll try to depict the basic knowledge related to aquascaping, from establishing the simple principles and rules of visual construction and setup, to introducing the essentials of building an aquascape aquarium.
We’ll develop on the best known types of planted tanks and, of course, offer valuable tips and suggestions regarding aquascaping composition and layout.
The craft of aquascaping has become increasingly popular in recent years. A comprehensive definition of the term describes aquascaping as underwater gardening.
It involves techniques of setting up, decorating and arranging a set of natural elements such as: aquatic plants, stones, driftwood and substrates. These elements are combined in such a way that it becomes aesthetically pleasing to human perception.
Yet, differentiating from basic gardening, aquascaping involves a much longer and possibly more difficult path of development. Let’s face it, passionate aquarists know that fishkeeping is more than just growing fish.
Aquariums these days do not only display one’s interest in beautiful and fascinating species of aquatic organisms. It easily transitioned into an art form.
Once aquariums have become part of our homes, they turn into our pride and they emerge in our daily conversations. They fulfil our hidden dreams by enabling us to parade our creativity, imagination and artistic endeavours.
Besides the growing aspect of aquatic horticulture, involving the physiology, pruning, ecology and aquarium maintenance, aquascaping also implies aspects regarding design and layout. These extend beyond the boundaries of the aquarium itself.
It’s not an easy task to obtain the perfect aquascape aquarium, but once you have decided to get into it, aquascaping can be fun, very challenging and most of all rewarding.
Basic Aquascaping Principles
The whole aquascaping process may seem difficult to accomplish in the beginning. But it’s not as hard as it looks if you follow a simple set of principles.
Like in the case of any creative development, aquascaping commits greatly to a reliable knowledge resource and relies heavily on your imagination.
Obtaining the perfect balance between efficiently used scientific principles and creativity is possibly the hardest to achieve. Here’s a couple of principles one has to take into account before even thinking of learning Aquascaping:
Simplicity
Aquascaping is all about taste and usually, less elements is more. Very often people are tempted to incorporate as many types of plants as possible, thinking that this would ensure a great visual variety, but most of the times the result is the opposite.
Variety
Keeping it simple does not mean using one type of plant only. Even if your intention is to create a theme, you don’t want your aquascape to look boring. Remember, imagination plays a key role in aquascaping!
Proportion
It’s very important to give a sense of harmony to your tank, so try to have as much open space as filled space. Avoid using only large leaf plants because they take from the proportion and depth of your aquascape.
Persistence
Aquascaping can become frustrating, be sure of that! So be ready to deconstruct and reconstruct if there’s something you don’t like about your aquascape. The more you experiment, the better you will get at it.
Hardscape materials
Aquarium Driftwood and Rocks
You know how you say about a person that she’s beautiful because she has an amazing bone structure? This is what ornaments, like rocks and driftwood represent in aquascaping.
The plants are not enough to secure the aesthetic of an aquarium. You need to add rocks, wood, gravel, cosmetic sand etc., make them look as unique as possible, and arrange them in an unusual yet attractive way.
Hardscape materials are the essential elements which ensure the design and layout part of the entire aquascaping process.
Freshwater Tropical Fish Acceptable for Your Aquascaping
The Freshwater angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) and Discus fish (Symphysodon) are great choices for large planted aquariums of 250 liters and more.
Go for small schooling type of fish, like Least rasbora, Strawberry rasbora or Mosquito rasbora, all three from the Boraras genus. Very small tropical fish which are perfect for nano aquascaping setups.
Other freshwater tropical fish that go well with planted aquariums and are heavily used in aquascaping today include the following:
Cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
They are a small freshwater fish that are highly popular in the aquarium trade due to their stunning bright blue and red coloration.
Cardinal tetras are native to the Amazon River basin in South America, specifically in the rivers of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. They are found in slow-moving rivers and streams that are heavily shaded by the surrounding vegetation. In the wild, they feed on small insects and crustaceans.
Due to their striking coloration, Cardinal tetras are highly sought after by aquarium hobbyists. However, they are also sensitive to water conditions and require pristine water quality to thrive in captivity.
, very popular tropical fish from the characin family
Rummy-nose tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus),
Rummy-nose tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus). They are a small freshwater fish that are commonly kept in aquariums. Rummy-nose tetras have a bright red nose and a silver body. The red coloration on their nose is very distinct and makes them easily recognizable. a cute tetra fish which grows up to 5 cm in length.
Rummy-nose tetras are native to South America, specifically the Amazon River basin in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. They are found in slow-moving streams and flooded forests. In the wild, they feed on small invertebrates and zooplankton. They are popular in the aquarium trade due to their attractive coloration and peaceful temperament.
Green neon tetra (Paracheirodon simulans),
with it’s gorgeous blue color that creates a great contrast with the green of the plantsThree-lined pencilfish (Nannostomus trifas
Ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae), a small fish belonging to the Hyphessobrycon genus
Regarding tropical fish, surely you know by now which species are more suited for your future aquascapes. Small little tetra fish or american or african cichlids?.
Cichlids will disturb your hardscape and quickly unroot or even eat your aquatic plants as soon as you introduce them into your planted aquarium. So I’d suggest using rocks if you was going to have a cichlid tank
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