Types Of Aquascaping

Aquascaping
Aquascaping is an art form that entails arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cave work or driftwood in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium. Typically, an aquascape includes fish as well as plants, although it is possible to create an aquascape with plants only, or even with rockwork or other hardscape and no plant. Although an aquascaper's primary aim is to create an artful underwater landscape, he or she is also necessarily concerned with the technical aspects of aquatic plant maintenance. Filtration, carbon dioxide supply at levels sufficient to support photosynthesis underwater, substrate and fertilization, lighting and algae control are among the many factors that must be balanced in the closed system of an aquarium tank to ensure the success of an aquascape.

Dutch Style Aquascapes




The Dutch aquarium follows an orderly, often symmetrical arrangement, in which different types of plants having diverse leaf colors, sizes and textures are displayed much as terrestrial plants are shown in a flower garden. This style was developed in the Netherlands in the 1930's, as freshwater aquarium equipment became commercially available. It emphasizes plants located on terraces of different heights, and frequently omits rocks and driftwood. Linear rows of plants running left-to-right are referred to as "Dutch streets." Tall growing plants that cover the back glass originally served the purpose of hiding bulky equipment in the tank.

Nature Style Aquascapes
A contrasting approach is the nature or Japanese style, introduced in the 1990's by Takashi Amano. His three-volume series, Nature Aquarium World, sparked a wave of interest in aquarium gardening, and Amano has been regarded as the most influential aquascaper in the world. Amano's compositions draw on Japanese gardening techniques that attempt to mimic natural landscapes by the asymmetrical arrangement of masses of relatively few species of plants, and carefully selected stones or driftwood. The objective is to evoke a landscape in miniature, rather than a colorful garden. This style draws particularly from the Japanese aesthetic concepts of Wabi-sabi, which focus on transience and minimalism, and Iwagumi, which governs rock placement. Plants with small leaves are usually emphasized, with more limited colors than in the Dutch style, and fish or freshwater shrimp are usually selected to complement the plants and control algae.




Biotopes
The styles mentioned above often combine plant and animal species based on the desired visual impact, without regard to geographic origin. Biotope aquascapes are designed to replicate or simulate a natural habitat, with the fish, plants, and furnishings all representative of a particular place in nature, and not necessarily to provide a garden-like display. Plants and fish need not be present, but if they are, they as well as any gravel and hardscape must match what would be found in nature in the habitat being represented.Because only species that are found together in nature are allowed in a true biotope aquarium, these tanks are more challenging and less common than the other themes.


Paludariums

In a paludarium, part of the aquarium is underwater, and part is above water. This allows plants to grow immersed, with their roots underwater but their tops in the air, as well as completely submersed. These setups are ideal for brackish water or amphibian setups.



Saltwater reefs

Dutch and nature style aquascapes are traditionally freshwater systems. In contrast ,relatively few ornamental plants can be grown in a saltwater aquarium. Saltwater aquascaping typically centers on mimicking a reef. An arrangement of live rocks forms the main structure of this aquascape, and it is populated by corals and other marine invertebrates as well as coralline algae, which together serve to offer much the same aesthetic role as freshwater plants.