Aquascaping, in other words, is creating an underwater landscape in a glass tank. You can create many natural scenarios, such as mountains, jungles, deserts, and Aquascaping waterfalls, making it a unique visual treat.
The prime objective of an Aquascaping glass tank is to look aesthetically delightful. You must closely monitor each of the components, from the size of the glass tank to the selection of rocks and plants.
Aquascaping
There are many factors to recognise before jump-starting into Aquascaping a glass tank. The most important is to plan the project to the minutest detail and should be patient while progressing one step at a time.
What are the types of plants which are commonly used in an Aquascaping tank?
Some of the main plants used in the Aquascaping tank are Anubias, Bucephalandra, Microsorum fern, and brown-leaved Cryptocoryne.
What types of fishes and creatures are suitable for an Aquascaping Tank?
Here are some examples of small fishes and creatures suited for a typical aquascaping tank, such as Neon tetra, cardinal tetra, black neon tetra, (Pygmy) Corydoras, pearl gouramis, harlequin rasboras, dwarf chain loaches, crystal red shrimp, blue tiger shrimp, Apple & mystery snail, etc.
Different Types of Aquascaping Rocks Commonly Used Today
Ohoko rocks, Ryuoh rocks, Elephant skin rocks, Black pagoda stones, Manten rocks, Koke Rocks, and Unzan rocks are some of them.
One of the most important characteristics of an aquascaping tank is maintaining the aspect ratio or the harmonious balance between the hardscaping and plants.
People often prefer to add aquatic plants to soften the visual impact of the stones. Planting high and low-growing plants in your aquascape tank between rocks can boost the natural effect of your design. One can carefully plant a plant using long tongs or squeezers to effortlessly push the roots of the plants into the substrate.
What are the different substrate types used in an Aquascaping tank?
The substrate is the soil media in which the plant grows. As a substrate one can opt to use clay, gravel, sand, aqua soil and many others as per requirement. A good example is the use of Crushed Coral or crushed limestone for aquascaping tanks with African cichlids.
The substrate has a great impact on your tank, short and long-term alike. It affects the growth of your plants, and fishes, and can change the water chemistry. The overall design of your aquascape depends on the type of substrate one has chosen to use.
How often should you maintain your aquascape?
Creating an aquascape may take many hours initially. Once the aqua garden starts to flourish, it only requires general maintenance. Plants and grass are trimming and pruning just like any garden. A partial water change is also advised depending on your aquascape. Weekly maintenance of 30 minutes to one hour should be sufficient to keep the aquascape in optimum condition.
What are the steps involved in making an aquascape tank?
The principal steps in making any aquascape tank are preparing the glass tank and adding sub-substrate or additives. The next step is the addition of the main substrate. After hardscaping, sometimes we add more substrate to create valleys and contours in the aquascape.
Then planting is done very carefully using long squeezers as discussed earlier, and then slowly water can be filled up to the brim of the tank.