The skill of aquascaping allows one to arrange hardscape, or rocks and driftwood, and plants in a tank in a variety of imaginative and beautiful ways. The only restriction on how one may build a planted aquarium is their own creative ability. There are countless options available.
As a result of various layouts, several styles and methods emerged over time. In contemporary aquascaping, three main styles have emerged: Iwagumi, the Dutch Aquarium, and the Nature Aquarium style. Every style has its own distinct qualities and traits; the Nature Aquarium is one of them, utilising a range of sub-styles and themes.
1) The Nature Aquarium
i. Mountain Range Theme
The primary feature of this kind of nature aquarium is rocks, especially little ones. The arrangement of the hardscape is meant to resemble a natural mountain range. Occasionally, driftwood bits are put to the masonry to enhance its appearance.
ii. Rainforest Theme
The key component to setting up a rainforest scenario in your tank is driftwood. Amazing intricacies are created by painstakingly entwining straight or curved pieces of wood with plants. This area makes extensive use of aquatic moss in addition to other tiny to medium-sized plants including Cryptocoryne, Anubias, and Bucephalandra.
Large boulders are employed, but just as a foundation for the design. If you want to simulate a walk through a forest, little stones and pebbles are an excellent option.
The only noticeable empty space in a tank with this kind of nature aquarium theme is generally the end point. The aquascapers that work with this topic that are the most proficient are from Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia).
iii. Hillsides and Valleys Theme
Several rocks are used in this Nature Aquarium theme to simulate a valley environment inside the tank. Normally, the arrangement is extremely high on the left and right, convergent into a route close to the centre of the tank.
Numerous aquatic plant species, including as Rotala, HC Cuba, Staurogyne, Bucephalandra, Hygrophila, Grossostigma, Echinodorus, Alternanthera, and many more, may be found in the valley theme.
It’s commonly known that Brazilian aquascapers are experts at achieving this subject.
iv. Island Theme
There is a very even distribution of driftwood and pebbles to fit the island motif. The hardscape is arranged in a circular or triangular pattern by combining it with plants.
This arrangement has some vacant area surrounding it that is covered with sand. The image of a sandy beach in a tropical climate comes to mind.
Sub-Styles of Nature Aquarium
i. The Concave Shape
To provide the idea of wide space in the middle, the plants are positioned and lowered to a central low point in the final exhibit.
ii. The Convex Shaped Style
Because the plants are trimmed taller in the centre and lower on each side, this arrangement is sometimes referred to as an island. This is a very pleasing visual effect that may be achieved with rocks to create the appearance of a mountain range.
iii. The Triangle Shaped Aquascape
The arrangement of the plants produces visually balanced images as they progressively descend from a high point on one side of the aquarium to a low one on the other side.
2) Iwagumi Style
A Japanese-inspired Aquascaping
Among the most difficult aquascaping designs is the Iwagumi arrangement. Although it may seem easy to do, if you use only one or two kinds of slow-growing plants, you run the risk of having algae issues from the beginning. Created about 1985 by renowned aquarist Takashi Amano, this style of aquascape embodies not just a minimalist design but also the Japanese culture, spirituality, and appreciation of elegance and minimalism. Using Senmigawa stones, Amano constructed his first Iwagumi Aquascape in a 60 cm tank. Only Echinodorus tenellus was planted across the entire arrangement. A later addition to the tank was a group of Cardinal Tetras. This was a very common practice back then.
The word “Iwagumi” itself is derived from the Japanese word “rock formation,” and as such, it describes a design in which stones take centre stage. The aquascape’s “bony” structure is made of rocks. Three primary stones comprise the conventional geographic design: a huge headstone and two smaller ones. Getting such harmony and unity via simplicity is the hardest part of the Iwagumi aquascaping approach. The goal of Iwagumi is to arrange stones in a fluid, organic, and roomy manner rather than merely gathering a lot of them. in order for them to ultimately be connected to the rest of the scape as well as to one another.
3) The Dutch Aquarium
The earliest planted tank design is called a Dutch Aquarium Aquascape. It gained popularity in the Netherlands in the 1930s after the Dutch Society for Aquarists, or NBAT, was established.
Hardscape elements such as rocks and driftwood are not meant to be used in the Dutch Aquarium design. The development and arrangement of aquatic plants are the primary subjects of attention. Underwater gardens are often used as a comparison for Dutch landscaped aquariums. Dutch aquascapes, on the other hand, differ from the Nature style in that they are not intended to mimic a particular natural environment. The careful arrangement and positioning of the plants, which complement one another in form and colour, contribute to the aquarium’s deep perspective.
The most crucial need for aquascapers wishing to tackle the Dutch Aquarium style is having a thorough understanding of aquatic plants. Given that these are the primary elements utilised in Dutch aquascaping, it is critical to understand how to plant, group, and blend them to create an aesthetically acceptable final design.
The most exquisite Dutch planted aquariums are distinguished by their great density, intense contrast, and deft use of texture and colour.
All images featured in this web blog are sourced from the internet.
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