Pencil and paper work great when trying to visualise the design of your next aquascape. Most aquascapers plan their Nature Aquarium before even getting their hands wet. Mountains, rainforests, lush green hillsides, valleys and even beaches are re-imagined inside the Nature Aquarium.Įlements of Japanese gardening are generally used when building a Nature aquarium, such as the implementation of the Golden ratio.Įven though the general appearance of the Nature style aquascape makes it seem unplanned, quite random and without design, the truth is accomplishing this type of layout requires a lot of complex work. Rocks and driftwood are mixed with aquatic plants in order to create an underwater replica of a particular terrestrial landscape.

This aquascaping style is characterized by attention to the alignment and grouping of hardscape. The basic Nature style design concepts were introduced by Japanese aquarist Takashi Amano back in the 90s and have become widely popular over the years, influencing the future of young aquascapers. The Nature Aquarium is most definitely the style dominating the world of aquascaping these days. Key aspects of Dutch Aquarium judging contest scoring.Recommended fish for the Dutch Aquarium.Creating an Iwagumi scape with the Dry Start Method.Complications and pains of the Iwagumi Aquascape.Recommended plants for the Iwagumi aquarium.Iwagumi – A Japanese-inspired Aquascaping style

Each style having unique features and characteristics, with one of them – the Nature Aquarium, employing a variety of themes and sub-styles. Three major styles emerged in modern aquascaping: Nature Aquarium style, Iwagumi and the Dutch Aquarium. With time, different types of layouts gave birth to a variety of styles and approaches. There are endless possibilities regarding how one can design a planted aquarium, the only limit being each person’s creative potential. The art of aquascaping opens up a world full of creative and artistic arrangements of plants and hardscape (rocks and driftwood) within a tank.

Modern fish tank art