10 reasons to start aquascaping
Because it is easier than everyone thinks.
Since a decade or so the Nature Style of aquarium decorating, or aquascaping, is a growing niche among aquarium owners. Takashi Amano is the founding father of the Nature Aquaria. He started way back in the eighties and gradually evolved his style to aquascapes that resemble little landscapes.
Surfing the internet you can find some of the most beautiful aquariums. Most people who see these aquaria and think it is just too hard to make and maintain it.
Just follow these rules and explore the world of aquascaping.
1. Good aquascaping starts with good hardware, lighting, filtration and CO2 are key aspects and have to be sufficient. Most of the standard aquaria you can buy at your local fish store have one or two lights. This is just not enough!
2. Don’t get discouraged by failure. Because Nature Aquaria have a rather delicate balance it can easily result in an explosion of Algae. Don’t throw a stone through you window right away, learn from your mistakes. Reflect on what you did and measure your waterparameters and search for your mistake. Remember, even the best aquascapers have a failure once in a while.
3. Simple rules make aquascaping simple. Measure your nitrate/phosphate levels weekly and learn what your aquarium uses and needs.
4. Take a look at what other people do, get your inspiration out of their aquaria
5. Go into the wild, landscapes are a good source for inspiration. And, if you can, also take a look under water.
6. A fresh aquarium contains fresh water. This means that water changes have to be done on a regular basis like once or twice a week. Make sure you measure the hardness of the water. A KH above 4 is too high. Why? The dissolved CO2 levels in harder water are lower, and that is just what your plants don’t need.
7. Your plants talk to you. Look at your aquariumplants too see if they are happy.
8. A common misconception is that Nature aquaria need a lot of maintenance. I have four aquaria and I need about 1,5 hour a week to take care of all four. It is efficiency and discipline that are the key. Think about what you do and let the logic work.
9. Aquascaping and photography have many things alike. Rules like the golden cut are also used by aquascapers to get a better effect. Make a 1/3 2/3 balance in your aquarium. You can also learn a lot from Japanese gardening
10. These are modern times. On the internet you can learn at a speed which used to take someone years. Register on special aquascaping or aquarium plant forums on the internet. Here you meet a lot of experts who can help you with your layout or problems.