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Jul 01 2009

Chasing Rainbows by Andy Mack (True 'Naturalist' Aquatic Design)

The goal of the true ‘naturalist’ aquatic designer should be an interpretation of the natural environment, fashioned as much as possible by the forces of erosion, deposition and plant colonisation and as little as possible by the hand of man.

May 01 2009

Using Moss to Create Age

When exploring our Mother Earth, we often find that it is possible to find locations with a great sense of age. Usually, this age comes about by the flora that resides in that location. Take a moment to see how nature grows around the bones of the Earth, for example, trees growing around rocks and moss covering boulders. We can recreate this in our aquariums with a careful choice of plants and mosses.

I find that an aquarium without some kind of aged plant can look too young and immature, this is not always the case of course, but using moss can do so much for the aquarist.

Jun 01 2009

Minimalism within the planted tank

When presented with a fantastic catalogue of coloured pictures and photographs of plants it is easy to become carried away with the huge choice available and to end up with a somewhat cluttered look in the tank.

This may be very effective in a 'jungle' style aquascape but in many other styles, such as the simpler Iwagumi layout, a cleaner less cluttered style of planting works very well indeed.

Obviously certain plants gel well together, and different patterns, textures and colours may be represented in the aquarium just as they are in nature.

Apr 10 2010

Eleocharis parvula Planting Techniques

Eleocharis parvula is an extremely versatile and useful plant. It may be used to great affect by it self to form a grassy carpet and a very dense lawn like effect may be achieved in 6 – 8 weeks from planting.

It is also very useful when planted sparsely around the edges of rocks and other hardscape and produces a ‘softening’ effect when used in this way.

Jun 01 2010

An Introduction to Planted Aquariums

Man has been fascinated with fish for over 4,000-years: the ancient Sumerians were known to keep fish in artificial ponds as far back as 2,500BC and this has continued throughout history to the present day.

It was not until the 18th century that the importation of goldfish from the far east led to a demand for aquariums within Europe and as time has passed, better and more reliable materials have been developed that have seen the modern aquaria turn into a natural representation of the underwater world.

Jan 01 2009

Grading Gravels to Replicate Nature

Rivers transport materials including rocks and stones in the direction of flow. Due to size and shape variations there is a natural spreading effect as materials are deposited in the riverbed. Therefore by replicating this in an aquarium a highly natural looking result can be achieved. An effective use of this technique can be seen in our Altum Angel Display tank.

The photos show the gravel when it is wet, as it appears when submerged in an aquarium.

Aug 01 2009

Aquatic Layout Guide- Rules of Composition: The Golden Ratio, Creating Perspective and Layout Shapes

Aquascapes, like all art forms, have a plethora of rules of guidance and application. These rules exist to guide us towards success, and succeed in doing so. But remember, rules exist only to guide, and a skilled artist can actually enhance their work by bending or breaking the accepted rules if done so in just the right artistic manner.