Aquascaping an Aquarium

If you are fascinated with the idea of having an aquarium, aquascaping will enthrall you too. Aquascaping is an art in which landscapes are made underwater in an aquarium. A tank which consists of exotic looking and beautiful landscapes grabs the attention of people easily. It not only makes the aquarium look extraordinarily amazing but enhance the aesthetics of it manifolds as well.

Aquascaping might feel little difficult for the beginners, but once you are accustomed to the dos and don’ts, it will become easy for you to convert your normal aquarium into a unique one. All that you need is to pay attention on the basics and little details to learn aquascaping.

In this article, we will discuss the tips and tricks that will help you decorating your aquarium. So, first of all, we will give heed to the fundamental components which are required while aquascaping.

 

Lighting of the aquarium

Lighting an aquarium is essential not only for aquascaping but for various other reasons. It is necessary for an apt growth aquarium plants as well as fish. The perfect lighting conditions enhance the vigor of aquarium creatures and the aquatic plants.

Although in natural conditions sun is the source of light, in artificial ones you need to provide bright lights to compensate for the brightness of the sun.  The market is flooded with various sources of lights for the aquarium among which LED lights are considered the best so far. Whether we talk about its brightness or energy consumption, it excels in both the fields.

If you are a new aquarist or aquascaper, LED lights will fulfill your needs. You don’t need to spend too much on it. A basic budget LED will do the needful.

 

Substrate for the aquarium

After the light, substrate is the second most important requirement for an aquarium. It is essential not only for aquascaping but also for planting the aquarium plants. Moreover, it promotes the production of bacteria which is a must in an aquarium for sustainability of every creature.

In the natural conditions, plants receive essential nutrients from the substrate which consists of soil and sand. Therefore when you plant an aquatic plant in an artificial condition that is in an aquarium, it becomes necessary to add substrate there as well. It helps them get the desired nutrients and fulfill their demand.

It is important that your substrate is of high quality. It will not only last for longer but also supplement the essential nutrients to the plants for their proper growth and development. Superior quality substrates last throughout the life of an aquarium.

 

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is another highly essential component for the growth of aquarium plants. Since aquatic plants are autotrops and prepare food by their own, CO2 becomes a vital requirement for them. There are carbon dioxide systems for the aquarium with the help of which the required level of CO2 can be supplied.

Pressurized CO2 bottles can be used for the purpose.  Other than this, if you have a small tank, carbon dioxide tabs will do the needful. Moreover, DIY CO2 and CO2 generated by electric current also contribute to the same. It helps plants to achieve the right growth. However, at the same time, it is essential to keep an eye on the CO2 system installed in the aquarium. Excessive CO2 could harm the health of fish.

 

Fish

Fish are the heart and soul of an aquarium. Without fish, the entire setup will merely look a tank of water. Being the chief component of the aquarium that also displays life, fish need special heed. Colorful fish that have avid swimming habits and breed on a regular basis makes a perfect choice. Colorful swimmers attract viewers a lot. If you have a small tank, getting fish that are small in size will make your tank look bigger than its original size.

 

Plants

No matter which aquarium plant you use, it will add to the natural look of the aquarium. You may use plants of different colors for increasing the aesthetic look. Plants with different shades of green along with plants of red and orange color leaves make an excellent choice for aquascaping. Along with color, you must also give importance to the height of different aquatic plants.

If the plants have big and large leaves, they may hide the other beautiful aspects of the aquarium. Likewise, plants with dense growth do the same. Therefore small plants with medium size or thin leaves seem a better option to consider.

 

Hardscaping

Hardscaping refers to replicating your aquarium with the natural sea. If there is no hardscaping in the aquarium, it will comprise only plants and fish. For this purpose, there will be a need for a variety of colorful wood and rocks. Those that are naturally colored make an excellent choice for aquascaping.

While selecting rocks, it is essential to confirm that it doesn’t react with water. Cleaning and washing them properly before introducing into the tank and getting rid of chemicals is also necessary. In spite of washing some rocks still leech tannins into the aquarium. Although tannins are not damaging to fish or plants, they create a hindrance in the aesthetic of the aquarium.

Driftwood makes a great choice as it replicates the natural sea ambiance perfectly. However, at the same time driftwood leeches tannins which eventually stop after some time. If you keep changing the water of the tank after regular intervals, it will become clear.

 

How To Aquascape

Once you have collected the fundamental essentialities of aquascaping, the next step is to know how to set everything. You have to use your imagination, ideas, and thoughts as for how to make your tank look visually alluring. You may also take ideas from the internet to enhance the aesthetic value of your aquarium.

You may do many hit and trails with the rocks and woods before introducing the live creatures.

While many of you may think that symmetrical designs will appeal more, this is not the case with aquascaping. It has been seen that there is no symmetry in natural and enthralling aquascape. We do aquascape to mimic nature. If you observe the natural sea and its ambiance, there will be no symmetry to be found.  The most apt focal point of the aquarium is found at 1:1.62 making it look equal from all the sides.

 

Conclusion:

Aquscaping is an art- attaining the result of which might take a long time. People who are new into it need to spend a lot of time and efforts working on it to make it visually appealing. It is not possible to attain the exact design that once impressed you on the internet. So do not get frustrated soon.

Make sure you have highlighted all the spaces in a unique way. A little patience and lots of hits and trails will eventually help you get a great aquascape.