AQUASCAPING
Learn from nature
If you experience or view any natural habitat whether it's your local river or the Amazon rainforest, each ecosystem has it's own unique balance. A methodical observation of nature, with its seasonal cycles, reveals organic aesthetics and harmony, which we can then recreate in a unique Aquascape.
LANDSCAPE OF STONE
Upon arrival of the dry season, the rivers are drastically lowered and the stones on the bottom of the rivers make an appearance. The view of stones is a perfect picture of nature aquarium.
LANDSCAPE OF DRIFTWOOD
Huge driftwood appeared from the bottom of a river. Tropical rainforest trees pushed down by the current and gradually decayed will eventually become driftwood with a lapse of time.
what is nature aquarium
Each nature aquarium is a unique work of art. The final look of the aquascape is based on the aquascapers perception of the original piece of nature scenery. First introduced by Takashi Amano, the nature aquarium embodies many of the same core principles as Japanese gardening techniques. The primary aim when crafting an aquascape in this style is to imitate a natural landscape as closely as possible. From mountain ranges to submerged driftwood, this design has endless potential for beauty and originality.
create nature
1. Source of layout inspiration
2. Spread substrate and arrange stone
3.Determin optimum combination and layout
4. Arrange driftwood and plant aquatic plants
5. Add water, CO² system, filtration and light
6.Completed
Aquascaping essentials
Lighting – One of the most important pieces of aquascaping equipment, with crucial influence upon the health and growth of the aquascape plants, the lighting is considered to be the functioning heart of an aquarium.
Water filters – As their name says it, the purpose of water filters is to remove excess food, the fish’s waste, dangerous chemicals and decaying organic matter within the aquarium. There are three basic methods you can filter water: mechanical, biological and chemical, and most water filters on the market involve a combination of two of them.
Carbon Dioxide – The CO² systems might be slightly costly, but they are essential for the growth of plants. No plant grows without carbon dioxide, period. Those who are truly passionate about aquascaping think for the long term and know that purchasing a good CO² system enables them to grow their plants to their full potential.
Liquid fertilizers – Think of fertilizers as of vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay hearty and strong. Depending on the lighting and CO² systems of the aquarium, there are two types of fertilizers you can use to keep it healthy: macronutrients and micronutrients. They both need to be dosed properly to create an appropriate aquatic environment.
Substrate – Aquascape plants feed not only through their leaves, they also feed through their roots, which makes a correct selection of aquascaping substrate very important. Depending on the plants you want to grow (small foreground, tall background etc) the right substrate will ensure their proper size, development and color.
Hardscape materials (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 represent in aquascaping. The plants are not enough to secure the aesthetic of an aquarium. You need to add rocks, wood, gravel 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.
AQUARIUM GALLERY
NATURE
Nature style was introduced and made popular by Takashi Amano. This style is representative ofa beautiful, natural landscape — hills, mountains, valleys, similar to when walking in nature. It is strongly influenced by the oriental style Japanese gardens.The final result should resemble the sensation of a peaceful, harmonic ecosystem. This style often employs stones and wood in order to create aquascapes as similar to nature as possible. This style is very flexible in regards to the size of the tank and the number of species planted.
DUTCH
The Dutch style of planting comes directly from the popular custom in Holland to create floral and plant arrangements. The idea is to arrange the plants in large beds, rows, and terraces to create a powerful contrast of colors and shapes that are visually appealing. A large aquarium is preferred to provide enough space to introduce an abundant quantity of varied species without the use of elements such as stones or wood.
IWAGUMI
This is one of the most popular aquascaping styles today. It was first made popular by the Father of Modern Aquascaping, Takashi Amano, and is characterized by a series of stones arranged according to the Golden Ratio, or Rule of Thirds. There should always be an odd number of stones to prevent the layout from ‘balancing’, since the human eye always tries to see a ‘split’ in balanced layouts. There are at least three stones: a larger ‘Father’ stone, and at least two secondary stones. There can be more, so long as the total number remains odd. These tanks may imitate a natural landscape, with a common theme of simplicity and open space. There are limited colors in plants & stone, and the number of varying flora and fauna is kept to a minimum to create minimalism.
JUNGLE
This style is somewhat self-explanatory. The goal is to emulate a jungle, whether that’s the Amazon, or some other location. They’re quite popular in larger tanks, where the full scale of the style can be effectively portrayed. The flexibility of the style resides in the fact the plants are allowed to grow until they reach the surface with the use of different species mingled together and utilizing any quantity of rocks or wood. The final result appears as part of an unexplored tropical forest, without the intervention of man. Carpet plants can be used, but in most of the cases, it is aesthetically pleasing if there are certain open areas.
BIOTOPE
This style seeks to perfectly emulate a natural environment, including water conditions, flora and fauna species, and even the hardscape of stone and/or driftwood. These can be quite beautiful, and are useful for some biologists to study environments that would otherwise be a challenge to study. Oddly enough, these tanks are usually somewhat easier to setup and maintain, since there isn’t any research needed to determine whether the flora and fauna you’re using are compatible—they exist side-by-side in the wild.
FINDING YOUR OWN STYLE
Of course, there are more aquascaping styles, and even more variances between each of these. it’s up to you to decide what type of tank you enjoy.
If you enjoy it, you’ll maintain it better and get more quality out of it, so choose what you’d like, and get started on your tank!
‘BALANCE OF NATURE’
A theory which states that healthy ecosystems are in equilibrium. A natural aquarium is nature in miniature; a micro-ecosystem where every organism, including plants, fish and micro-organisms, fulfils a vital role in creating that harmony and balance.
At the aquascaping you can enjoy the details of each aquarium and the balance between organisms. Small samples of nature in harmony that capture the essence of each ecosystem represented.