What is aquascaping? Technically it’s an underwater garden, and for the most part, it’s a habitat too, although some just like the underwater planting aesthetic even without inhabitants.
But truly, it has developed into its own art form. A beguiling mix of underwater green thumb wizardry and creating the ideal habitat for your fish or invertebrate community.
It takes skill to create a pleasing layout that keeps true to the principles of the type of aquascape you are aiming to achieve. As a beginner, it’s best to stick to those principles and get the basics right before attempting anything too complicated.
There are a lot of variables and parameters to get right for the aquascape you choose in terms of lighting, filtration, and supporting plant growth and maintenance. Some people spend a long time, months even, planning their layout and researching for maximum results.
On top of that, your fish and other critters should not be an afterthought either! It’s important to ensure that the scape you create is suitable for the fish in terms of parameters, habitat needs, water flow, and aeration.
We will look at what those key principles are to keep in mind, reveal types of aquascapes that are the most popular and popular plant choices, and where they work best.
Ready, set, scape!
Key Principles For Aquascaping
Since this became a popular hobby, experience has yielded some distinct principles that are not only crucial for your setup looking aesthetically fabulous but for the health of everyone involved in that little kingdom.
Simplicity
Throwing the kitchen sink into a tank might sound exciting, but the reality is that it will just look like a hot mess even before things start to grow out of control.
Aquascaping is about looking like nature intended, either literally or miniaturized in form. And it really must be habitable with room for the living things to thrive. Crowding the space with an abundance of decor, too many plants will just look cluttered. Your eye won’t know where to look!
Asymmetry
This is all about scale and a huge part of the planning involved with your layout. Size and proportion play a huge role in the overall feel of your setup.
Note that we are using the term asymmetry here; we are not advocating that the layout be symmetrical! Anything too even looks forced, so you will want focal points to be off-center or in corners which creates areas of tension (dense) with areas that are open and spacious.
Avoiding the use of large, leafy plants will help as they can disrupt the balance and harmony of the scale. Of course, this all depends on the size of the tank involved. Large leaves would look out of place with small fish but work with larger species in much more spacious tanks.
Diversity
The goal is to make a realistic replica of a real habitat, and variety is a part of that as long as it works within context. This is not the time for cheesy battery-operated decor that moves with divers popping up from a flapping treasure chest!
Patience
They say it is a virtue. When it comes to aquascaping, this could not be more true. Persistence will pay off as you figure out what works and what doesn’t over time. Be prepared to redesign more than a few times until you find your underwater garden groove.
Aquascaping Styles: Choosing Your Look
If you’re starting out, it’s best not to attempt to just freestyle or wing it. There are some proven structural design basics that work and are pretty timeless, even though some will go in and out of fashion as things tend to do.
This is the lowdown on the most popular styles in aquascaping today, so take a look and decide on what speaks to you the most.
Jungle Aquascaping
Possibly one of the easiest types to reproduce for a beginner, jungle aquascapes are by definition on the more chaotic side. Plants can include some larger leafy types, and much of the open swimming in the middle layer of the water column is filled with plant life.
This is quite dense, and plants are not restricted to the perimeter regions of the tank. Plants are allowed to pop up in the middle more haphazardly than in other layouts.
It should resemble organized chaos, though, not total chaos. By keeping species grouped together along with regular pruning, you can create balance by interspersing with driftwood pieces and rock formations. This will help break up the plant monotony.
Floating plants can also be used to create a type of ‘jungle canopy’ vibe. What you need to take the most care of here is the allowance for adequate lighting levels.
If you have minimal fish in your population, you may need to supplement CO2 to ensure your plants have enough in order to grow.
Jungle aquascapes are good for smaller fish species who will be less troubled by smaller areas for open swimming, so choose a smaller fish that isn’t too into schooling or fast active swimming.
Dutch Aquascaping
Easily one of the most popular styles, the Dutch style is the one that most closely resembles a traditionally planted outdoor garden on land.
It is less natural-looking but looks manicured and more precise in the way that gardeners landscape to great effect outdoors for the home and commercial spaces.
Plants play the focal point here, and they are arranged to be aesthetically pleasing in a more formal way. Contrasting colors and shaping are important; the more contrast, the better to show off the textures and make the tones stand out.
Other decor matters much less in this layout, as plants are the star of the show. You should aim for 70% substrate coverage by plant life in this style. It matters not if you have larger fish or active open water swimming species; the substrate below should have dwarf, stumpy, or carpet-type plants covering the base.
The Dutch style is the highest maintenance type of aquascaping, and as such, often earns bragging rights in the hobby for the fanciest designs. Proprietors are rightly proud of their elaborate and labor-intensive creations.
Be prepared to invest a lot of time and energy into pruning, adequate fertilization, and regular water testing.
This aquascape is ideally suited to a substantial fish population since fish waste helps the plants grow, but avoid fish that will uproot or eat all of your hard-won plantings! Some good fish for this type of setup include Corydoras, Discus, and Tetras of various types.
Amano Aquascaping
This relatively contemporary style of aquascaping arrived in the ’90s, but not because of some surge in the popularity of Amano Shrimp. No, it was Japanese aquarium designer Takashi Amano who invented this Japanese style that would go on to conquer the world.
Its style guidelines include asymmetry, imperfections, and an abidingly natural aesthetic. While considered minimalist, it certainly isn’t devoid of lush planting.
Some designs aim for an almost bonsai-like simplicity or a drastically built-up substrate onto one pane of glass to mimic a riverbank. Creatives sometimes design rock canyons, waterfalls, and an overall terrestrial look using mosses and lichen.
Smaller fish types add to the scale and keep the bioload low, so they aren’t actually very high maintenance. Tetras and Rasboras are ideal inhabitants for Amano scapes.
Iwagumi Aquascaping
This is a version of Amano, but the emphasis is on rock formations and substrate. Special attention is paid to the placement of large ‘anchor rocks’ which are universally off-center.
Smaller stones then get naturally scattered nearby alongside shorter plant types that won’t overgrow the rocky formations. This is minimalism that is lower key and lower maintenance.
Often the rocks are given a scale of grandeur when accompanied by tiny fish, even in massive tanks. The proportions allow for much more in the way of tank inhabitants, but the sparseness of the animal life in the tank gives this design a unique aesthetic.
Biotope Aquascaping
This type of aquascape replicates the plant and animal life environment with the choices used in the setup.
It should employ complementary plant and animal species that would occur naturally in the wild. This type of design can be utilized for Jungle, Dutch, and Amano styles but having the complementary plant and animal pairings gives it a Biotope designation.
It’s about creating accuracy along what nature intended for the species and is more attuned to the needs of the animal inhabitants than actual design.
Choosing Plants for your Aquascape
Since plants are the main feature for most aquascape setups, your choice of species is incredibly important and relevant. You will need to do your homework, and you can never do too much research when it comes to planning.
Things that you will need to consider include things:
- Plant Demands: how much CO2 and lighting do your species need? How much pruning is required, or are they better left alone? Best to find species with similar demand levels, or else you will end up with a few diva species in the aquascape.
- Tank Placement: Taller and larger leafy species should be placed either to the sides or rear of the tank to prevent obscuring the rest of the tank. Foreground plants should be dwarf or shorter in stature.
- Aquascape Style: Jungle setups favor broader leaf plants, Iwagumi favors carpet or short stem plants. Stay true to the design aesthetic for maximum impact.
- Tank Size: Consider size at full maturity when it comes to choosing plants for your tank. Forget Amazon Swords if you’re only going to be aquascaping a 5 or 10-gallon tank. Be sure to utilize that research when it comes to purchasing plants at your stockist, as most are immature.
Choosing Substrate
The most popular substrate for aquascapes is fluorite. It can be expensive, but it is the richest in nutrients that your plant and animal life require. It is easily the best for plant growth too.
Gravel is another option, but perhaps better suited to Iwagumi rocky type layouts as it isn’t going to help you with any plant growth. If you do plan on including some dwarf plants, you will need to mix the clay with at least 50% soil.
Clay is also used but can make your water cloudy, not exactly ideal for something that is meant to be admired! Gravel needs to top the clay to prevent cloudiness and is usually only used by experienced aquarists.
Soil can be used with a peat moss mixture, but it must be a low-phosphate source.
Choosing Hardscape Materials
These additions to your setup will create drama and accentuate your chosen plant and animal life.
- Driftwood: Can be arranged horizontally or vertically for a more modern approach. Always rinse thoroughly to prevent contamination. Avoid sharp edges or points to prevent harming your fish.
- Rocks: Works harmoniously alongside driftwood but must also be fully rinsed to prevent contamination. Choose tonal shades like grey, off-white, and black. Avoid red and white rocks, which will look jarring or garnish for what is meant to be a natural setting.
Is aquascaping on your radar for a future project? If you have already dabbled in the aquarist hobby and successfully maintained a tank community, it might be the ideal choice to take things to the next level without worrying about housing increasingly difficult species.
There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than a beautifully aquascaped tank, which can house easy-to-care-for fish to keep things simple.
The efforts afforded your plantings can make your tank just as dramatic, if not more, than a tank that has a fancy or extra-large fish that is hard work and can be all-consuming time-wise.
Try your hand at aquascaping in a smaller tank, and we’re sure you’ll be bitten by the bug in no time!
