Aquascape : Choose your own styles

I'll tell you the secret of aquascape. Actually, the key in aquascaping is knowledge/ information on how to do it right and a lot of practices. What other people called art is actually aquarium plants that arrange themselves in such ways from time to time.

So, aquascape is all about aquarium plants, topics of selecting, planting, pruning and caring freshwater aquarium plants will be discussed in our next articles.

Now about aquascape styles. There are no limitations on how to arrange your aquarium plants, there's only one rule : your fish tank plants, fishes and other aquatic creatures should be thrive & healthy. Some hobbyists prefer an underwater forest arrangement- just like natural rivers or lakes habitats, the others prefer a garden arrangement in their planted aquariums- by grouping aquarium plants next to another, some like a plain foreground/ using ground-cover aquarium plants only- just like grass, another hobbyists like freshwater aquarium plants that stick to driftwoods or rocks, etc.

So, you can create your own styles, creativity will come by itself after you had enough knowledges on aquascaping practices. But generally aquascape styles can be divided into several categories such as:

Garden style / European style / Dutch style

This style groups freshwater aquarium plants based on their heights / sizes, leaf colors or textures and arrange them in a symmetrical way- just like a terrestrial flower garden. Tall growing plants will be put at the back as backgrounds, shorter ones will be placed based on their heights, with groundcover plants at the front or just use plain-sand/ gravels.

Oriental style / Natural style / Japanese style

Japanese style was introduced by Takashi Amano in the early 1990's. This style usually puts stones or woods as a vocal point with an asymetrical arrangement of limited variations on freshwater aquarium plants.

Minimalism is the key of this style, short stemmed plants or foreground aquarium plants are usually used by this style. Amano also usually keeps Amano shrimp in his designs to control algae population.

Biotopes / Replication style

This style tries to 100% replicate particular aquatic habitat at any locations, sometimes with no aquarium plants at all but any gravel, woods and hardscape should match the original habitat. 

Paludariums / Open aquarium

I recommend this style for aquascape hobbyists. This style uses an aquarium with no hood, allowing freshwater aquarium plants to grow emersed (above water) and sometimes can produce flowers. This style develops rapidly since extensive use of metal halide as an aquarium lighting. This style also has many benefits such as easier maintenance and good gas exchange.

What style do you like? Whatever style that you choose, first you should have enough readings before you start your aquascape project. Then prepare anything that you need and start to practice. Your ability will develop along with your increasing flying hours. Just read our aquascape supplies article as your guide in choosing fish supplies, also read our next useful articles in Aquascape's Digest.