Best Aquascaping Styles for Beginners

Aquascaping is an art that combines gardening and aquarium keeping, allowing for the creation of stunning underwater landscapes in a tank. Although it may initially seem intimidating, some styles are ideal for beginners, offering a more accessible way to start in this fascinating world. This article will explore the best aquascaping styles for beginners, providing useful tips and highlighting their main features.

What is Aquascaping?

Aquascaping involves the design and aesthetic arrangement of plants, rocks, driftwood, and other elements within an aquarium, creating a visually appealing and balanced environment. This art seeks visual beauty and the well-being of the organisms living in the aquarium. Fish, shrimp, and other living beings benefit from a well-designed environment, as it promotes their physical and mental health.

Key Factors to Consider Before Starting

Before diving into the world of aquascaping, it’s important to consider a few key factors:

1. What is the Tank size?

 For beginners, it’s recommended to start with an aquarium between 20 and 40 liters. This size is manageable for learning but also offers enough space to experiment with various styles.

2. How much lightning is Required for Plant Growth?

Aquatic plants depend on light for photosynthesis. It’s essential to choose a lighting system that suits the type of plants you plan to include in your aquascape.

3. What are essential Substrates?

The substrate is the material in which the aquatic plants are planted. Some types of substrates contain nutrients that promote plant growth, which is crucial for a successful aquascape.

4. Aquarium Filtration and maintenance

A good filtration system is essential to keep the water clean and ensure a healthy environment for the organisms. Regular maintenance, such as partial water changes, is also key to maintaining ecosystem stability.

1. Natural Style Aquarium

The natural style is one of the most popular and accessible for beginners. It was created by the famous Japanese aquascaper Takashi Amano, who drew inspiration from terrestrial landscapes to design aquariums. This style aims to replicate a natural underwater environment, mimicking forests, hills, valleys, or rivers.

Key Elements of Natural Aquascaping

Rocks and Driftwood

These are the main elements of this style. They are used to create structures that mimic natural formations. Rocks are arranged to resemble mountains or hills, while driftwood is used to represent fallen trees or roots.

Varied Plants

Different types of aquatic plants are used to create a sense of depth and naturalness. Taller plants are placed in the background, and smaller plants in the foreground to give a sense of perspective.

Movement

Although it’s a static environment, the aim is to create a sense of movement through the arrangement of plants and hardscape elements (rocks and driftwood).

This style is ideal for beginners, as it allows for a lot of creative freedom in arranging the elements and doesn’t require advanced knowledge of specific plants or fish.

2. Dutch Style Aquarium 

The Dutch style focuses primarily on the use of aquatic plants, creating an aquarium that resembles a submerged garden. It is a colorful and vibrant style that dates back to the 1930s in the Netherlands. Although it may seem more complicated, some beginners find it motivating to work with the wide variety of available plants.

Key Elements Of Dutch Style Aquascaping 

Groups of plants

Plants are grouped by species and colors to create an attractive visual pattern. Elements like rocks or driftwood are not used, as the plants take center stage.

Layers and terraces

A sense of depth is created by placing taller plants in the back and shorter ones in the front.

Plant maintenance

The Dutch style requires regular pruning to maintain the shape and structure of the aquarium. Although this may seem daunting, many beginners find satisfaction in watching the plants thrive over time.

This style is great for those who are interested in botany and enjoy the work of aquatic gardening. While it may require more attention to maintenance, the visual rewards are stunning.

3. Iwagumi Style Aquarium

The Iwagumi style is minimalist and focuses primarily on rock arrangement. Originating in Japan, the term "Iwagumi" refers to "rock formation," and in this style, rocks are the main focus of the design.

Key Elements Of Iwagumi Style Aquascaping

Odd number of rocks placement

Traditionally, three, five, or seven rocks are used to maintain aesthetic balance. The largest rock, called "Oyaishi," is placed as the centerpiece, while the smaller rocks complement the arrangement.

Few plants

In contrast to the Dutch style, Iwagumi uses very few plant species, usually opting for low-growing plants like Hemianthus callitrichoides or Eleocharis acicularis.

Open spaces

The use of negative space is crucial in this style. The focus is on simplicity and harmony between the elements.

Although Iwagumi may seem simpler due to its minimalism, it requires a bit more skill in arranging the rocks and maintaining the plants. However, for beginners who enjoy aesthetics and minimalism, this style can be an excellent starting point.

4. Biotope Style

The biotope style aims to faithfully replicate a specific natural environment, both in terms of fauna and flora. This style is ideal for beginners who want to recreate a natural habitat in their aquarium, such as an Amazon river or an African lake.

Key Features of Biotope Aquascaping

Recreation of the habitat

A biotope (e.g., a specific river or lake) is chosen, and the goal is to faithfully recreate that environment. This includes selecting plant and fish species native to that region.

Ecosystem focus

More than just a visual design, this style focuses on creating a functional and healthy environment for the organisms.

Less emphasis on aesthetics

While the final result can be beautiful, the priority is biological accuracy over aesthetic appearance.

The biotope style is perfect for beginners who are interested in ecology and want to learn more about different aquatic environments. No prior experience in design is necessary, as the key is research on the environment you wish to replicate.

Conclusion

Aquascaping offers a wide variety of styles for those who wish to start. From the creative freedom of the natural style to the precision of the biotope style, there’s an option for every type of beginner. It’s important to remember that, like any art form, aquascaping requires patience and practice.