Setting up a new aquarium brings most people a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. But how do you ensure that your aquarium is aesthetically appealing? This article will tell you more about aquascaping aquariums.
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What Are Aquascaping Aquariums
Aquascaping is the art of setting up aquarium plants, stones, rocks, gravel, driftwood, substrate, and other elements to create an attractive tank design. Aquascaping tanks are delightful to look at and are rewarding when you invest time and the right materials into their appearance.
Whether you are an experienced aquarium enthusiast or a beginner, aquascaping an aquarium is an exciting hobby that requires certain knowledge and skills. Aquascaping for beginners is pretty simple if you have a passion and aquarium landscape ideas.
Aquascaping requires knowledge in arranging aquascaping plants, hardscape substrates, and materials to create the landscape aquarium you have always dreamt of.
Aquarium hobbyists spend a significant amount of time drawing up aquascaping designs before starting the actual aquascaping process. Furthermore, they must consider algae growth, appropriate fish and plant species, and hardscape as they design aquascaping tanks.
There are several aquascaping designs: Nature Aquascaping, Dutch-style Aquascaping, Iwagumi Aquascaping, and Jungle Aquascaping. Depending on your knowledge, experience, and preference, a specific style may be better.
What Is Needed For Aquascaping Aquariums?
There are several aspects to consider when building aquascaping aquariums. Aquascaping supplies include hardscape materials, lighting, carbon dioxide, water filters, substrate, and fertilizers. These are just some of the requirements that go into building aquascaping aquariums.
Here are some of the basic aquascape supplies:
Lighting
It comes as no surprise that lighting is crucial for the growth and health of aquarium plants. Lighting is the heart of aquascaping aquariums, and you should invest in proper lighting to ensure your plants grow and thrive.
In addition, proper lighting enhances the aesthetics of your aquarium. Some of the most common lighting for aquascaping tanks are LEDs and fluorescent hoods.
Filtration
There are three main types of water filters to choose from, mechanical, chemical, and biological. Filtration removes excess fish food, decaying matter, fish waste, and toxic chemicals from your aquascape fish tank.
Combining different filtration mechanisms is more effective in treating water. It leads to healthier and cleaner water for your fish and plants.
Hardscapes
Incorporating driftwood, stones, rocks, neon corals, and shrimp caves are essential when creating a hardscape aquarium. Hardscapes are the bones of an aquascape layout.
Aquarium hobbyists challenge their aquascaping ideas with different hardscape decorations. Hardscapes also provide additional places for fish and shrimp to hide.
A seiryu rock is a great hardscape because it offers longevity. Alternatively, you can opt for a dragon stone aquascape if you want an aged look.
Softscapes
Softscapes are essentially the plants that you incorporate into your aquarium. A Monte Carlo aquascape provides wonderful carpeting for your aquarium. However, you can also introduce other aquarium plants.
Substrates and Gravel
Aquascaping plants absorb nutrients not only through leaves but also through roots. Therefore, they need a medium through which they can grow their roots.
Choosing the right substrate or gravel for your plants is essential. The suitable substrate will ensure that your aquarium plants develop proportionately depending on their size.
Freshwater Aquascape Vs. Saltwater Aquascape Aquariums
Deciding between freshwater and saltwater aquascapes is a critical decision when you want to plunge into the exclusive world of aquascaping aquariums. Though both types are stunning pieces, they have benefits and challenges.
When choosing your preferred ecosystem, aesthetics is not the lonely aspect to consider. Maintainance and costs are critical factors as well. But how do the two differ?
Freshwater Aquascape Aquariums
A freshwater aquascape aquarium is an excellent place to start if you love to keep fish. These aquariums are natural and colorful. They provide stunning aesthetics while requiring low operational costs and less demanding maintenance. Freshwater inhabitants are much hardy and less expensive. If you are looking to experiment with bonsai aquascaping, freshwater is the way to go.
The drawbacks of freshwater aquariums are that you will require additional carbon dioxide, lighting, and fertilizers, which can skyrocket the costs.
Saltwater Aquascape Aquariums
A saltwater aquascape, particularly a reef tank aquascape, is a wonderful recreation of the ocean. Saltwater inhabitants are vibrantly colored compared to their freshwater counterparts. Saltwater aquariums also have reef fauna, fascinating corals, and live rocks.
The critical challenge of a saltwater aquascape is that it is more expensive and requires additional maintenance work. Furthermore, saltwater creatures are more delicate if something occurs in their aquarium environment.
Best Aquascaping Aquariums For Home
Choosing the right aquascaping aquarium can be challenging, especially if you are new to aquariums. However, we have made it simple by listing the best aquascaping aquariums and tools.
Tetra LED Cube Shaped 3 Gallon Mini Aquascapring Aquarium
This mini aquascape kit is a three-gallon, cube-shaped aquarium kit. It is perfect for goldfish, guppies, betta fish, or other small tropical fish.
The kit comes with a Tetra Whisper air pump-driven power filter. The filter keeps the water clean, providing a healthy environment for your fish. Stylish LED lights highlight the aquarium, which features an attractive pedestal base.
This cube-shaped aquarium measures 10 inches in length, 10 inches in width, and 10 inches in depth. It has a clear canopy with a hole for convenient feeding.
Penn-Plax Water-World 10 Gallon Aquascape Aquarium
This Penn-Plax aquarium features a frameless tank made of finely constructed bent glass. It has two curved corners for unobstructed views. It is perfect for small areas, such as a desk, a dresser, or an old file cabinet.
This 10-gallon aquarium comes with a fully submersible internal filter that can filter water at 70 gallons per hour. It includes an internal bio-sponge and a refillable carbon cartridge.
The kit comes with a glass tank, glass lid, filter, silver LED light, a mat, and clear mounting clips. It is ideal for beginning aquarium hobbyists.
Liveek Aquarium Aquascape Tools Kit
Liveek aquascaping tools kit contains four tools, namely, curved scissors, straight tweezers, curved tweezers, and a sand spatula. All the tools are made of high-quality stainless steel that is anti-corrosion and anti-rust. The latest spray paint technology makes these tools anti-fade and durable.
These aquascaping aquarium tools are suitable for small or thin aquarium plants. They are more convenient on the hands and don’t hurt the plants’ cross-section.
The tools will help you trim aquascaping plants, furnish the aquarium landscape with sand or cornerstone, and remove dirty items from the aquarium.
Lifegard Aquatics 24 Gallon Aquascape Aquarium Kit
This aquarium kit lets you enjoy a clear view of your fish and creates a healthy environment for them. It comes with a polished rimless glass aquarium, a multi-chamber filter with a pump, a heater, LED light, and an algae scrubber.
The filter provides a healthy environment for freshwater and saltwater fish while the pump seamlessly circulates water. The aquarium is equipped with bottom plug drainage that offers great water flow and simplifies maintenance.
Hagen HG 15 Gallon Aquascape Aquarium
The Hagen HG is a freshwater aquascape kit that incorporates multistage filtration and brilliant illumination. It has a contemporary design and convenient aquarium features.
Your aquarium will stand out with LEDs shimmering over .your plants and fish. You can choose from an endless color blend selection and special effects, all controlled by remote control.
A powerful three-stage filtration incorporating mechanical, chemical, and biological media ensures superior water quality.
Aquascaping aquariums provide an appealing visual effect in any space. There are different types of aquascaping styles. Though aquascaping is a hobby that requires time, skills, and experience, you can quickly get started with an aquarium kit.