Aquascaping : definition and creation of a planted aquarium

 

Aquascaping

Aquascaping is to recreate a landscape with plants in an aquarium. Terrestrial or aquatic, with or without mineral elements, with or without fish: what will be your composition?

Aquascaping: a plant scene in an aquarium

Aquascaping consists in recreating a miniature landscape under water, in an aquarium, using aquatic plants and inert decorative elements such as wood, rocks, sand... An aquascape is thus a planted aquarium. The aquatic scene thus recreated can reproduce a terrestrial or underwater landscape.

 

Most aquariums that feature aquatic plants are aquascaping without knowing it! The fish can be part of the scene (bringing an offbeat aspect, especially when the aquarium reproduces a terrestrial landscape... or even a desert!), but their presence is not mandatory. You can do aquascaping with only plants.

The key word in aquascaping is: natural. Even if there are several schools and several techniques in aquascaping, the only constraint is that the composed scene looks natural (as it is the case for an English or Japanese garden: the garden, created from scratch and carefully maintained, looks spontaneous). The resulting mini-landscape should not give the impression that man has intervened.

 

How to do aquascaping?

Basic equipment

To start with aquascaping, you first need an aquarium equipped with a pump (read: Which pump for my aquarium?) and a filter, which allow to clean and oxygenate the water. The aquarium should not be too large: 150 liters maximum. Beyond that, the plants are difficult to maintain, and it is complicated to keep a coherent landscape.

 

The aquarium will have to be illuminated: plan a powerful lighting, so that the plants installed on the ground benefit from a sufficient light intensity (by crossing the water layer, the light intensity decreases quickly between the surface and the bottom of the aquarium).

 

Choose freshwater plants (and fish): saltwater aquascaping is much more difficult, as the development of plants and corals is more complicated to control.

 

Defining a style

·         Japanese style: it faithfully reproduces a terrestrial landscape. To achieve the formation of trees, plants are fixed on wooden elements, using nylon thread almost invisible (Amano technique developed by the Japanese Takashi Amano). A variant, the iwagumi, uses a lot of rocks: the landscape is then predominantly mineral.

·         Dutch style: it reproduces an aquatic landscape, as found in classic aquariums.

·         Natural jungle style : the landscape is more loaded, dense and provided, and uses a lot of plants and hardscape (=inert decoration : wood, rocks, roots, pebbles, sand...).

Draw the plan of your aquascape

Compose the decor of your aquarium, following these tips:

 

•          Define a focal point: this is the main element of the aquarium, the centerpiece of the composition, the one that will attract the eye. It can be a large rock, small pebbles representing a river, an imposing plant or a plant with red foliage, a plastic decor element (small village, characters...);

•          Create layers: plan high elements (large plant, rock), low elements (grassy plants, sand), intermediate elements;

•          Vary the textures and shapes of foliage, keeping in mind that thin, cut foliage tends to make the space feel larger than it really is; plants with large, full leaves have the opposite effect;

•          Use plants with stems to draw lines that will structure the composition, and bring verticality;
•          Play with group effects: install several plants of the same species, in groups, instead of scattering them in the aquarium;

•          Don't multiply too many species and shapes of foliage, otherwise your miniature landscape can quickly become "cluttered" and lack readability. Also, use red foliage sparingly (one red plant is usually enough).

Plants and their placement

To anchor plants with roots and rhizomes, you will need to provide a soil with a suitable substrate: ask your aquarium store for advice on the choice of culture medium to be installed at the bottom of the aquarium. Cover the substrate with sand or fine gravel.

 Here are some easy aquatic plants to start in aquascaping :

 

•          Shinnersia rivularis or Mexican oak leaf: pretty variegated leaves in certain varieties; to install in background

•          Vallisneria gigantea : long and flexible ribboned leaves which evoke those of the grasses and form a curtain which comes to caress the surface

•          Vallisneria spiralis : long ribboned and spiral leaves

•          Vallisneria rubra : red foliage

•          Microsorum pteropus or Java fern: aquatic fern

•          Vesicularia dubyana or Java moss : long stems with tiny sessile leaves

•          Riccia fluitans : floating plant in a cushion, with very fine, thread-like leaves, but which can be fixed to a support and thus precious in aquascaping to shape false trees or to dress inert supports.

•          Lilaeopsis carolinensis (and other species) : grassy plant that imitates grass

•          Hemianthus callitrichoides: dwarf, tapering plant with tiny leaves

•          Pogostemon helferi: low plant forming a rosette of leaves with wavy edges

•          Eleocharis acicularis : low plant very similar to grass

•          Echinodorus : plants forming a tuft of whole and lengthened leaves, evoking the plantain