The simplicity of Aquascaping — Basics and Requirements
Aquascaping is the art of building landscapes in an aquarium. Different to the classical fish tank the focus in aquascaping is more on arranging stones and wood (called “hardscape”) and the plants (called “softscape”). The idea is to rebuild a small scene out of the real world — like a single tree on a clearing of a forest — but in a tiny format and under water using stones, wood, moss and aquatic plants. What makes aquascaping quite popular nowadays is the fact that you can start with relatively small and simple setups that do not need a lot of time to build and to maintain but are very decorative and interesting to look at. It is a small piece of nature that has its own ecosystem. If you have some animals living in it — for example prawns or snails — you will be surprised how much is happening. But also simple plant aquascapes — for example in the Japanese Iwagumi style that is inspired by the famous zen stone gardens — can be interesting to build and to observe.
There are lots of resources and communities around aquascaping on the web. In this article I want to give you a short and simple introduction to the basic components and requirements to get you started on the topic so you can decide for yourself whether you want to start building your first “scape”. Because aquascaping definitely requires some effort and knowledge.
What you should know
If you are a friend of simplicity there are some things that you should know before deciding to build your own aquascape.
It requires time and commitment
You will have to invest some time (around one hour per week) for cleaning and maintaining your aquascape and the components. If you don’t invest that time, your aquascape will soon taken over by algae and your plants and animals will suffer and might even die. So be sure to commit to that one hour per week. You will have to clean the aquarium, clean the components and cut back the plants whenever necessary. Since the aquarium is a closed environment without fresh water supply, you have to do a water change once every week to reduce chemicals that are produced by animals and dead plant parts. It is recommended to remove around 50% of the water and replace it with fresh water on room temperature level.
It requires a long term spot
Also you have to keep in mind that even a small aquarium filled with 30 liters of water plus additional hardscape has quite some weight. So once you have built it, it will be not easy to move. So choose a good spot beforehand and if you are planning to move, you should probably wait so that you don’t have to go through the challenging process of moving an aquascape.
It requires patience
One last thing you should be aware of is that aquascaping requires a lot of patience. Especially directly after setting up your aquascape, it takes weeks or months until the plants are growing nicely, the initial algae phase you usually go through is over and you can really start to enjoy what you have built. It takes time for environmental changes — for example the change of light levels or water supplements — to take effect. And it takes time and a lot of trial and error until you are happy with the result. Being a very impatient person that is usually struggeling to keep the focus on a single task for a longer time, aquascaping taught me the hard way to keep trying, to go all the way and not be dragged down by setbacks. Because after all I was feeling somehow responsible for that tiny piece of nature and what was happening to it. In hindsight, aquascaping made me a lot more patient. Being rewarded with the amazing results of the effort of months, having learned so much and having created something that I will hopefully enjoy for a long time taught me a life lesson: That commitment and patience can create something great.
The Components
Enough talking about the challenges — what do you actually need to build a small and simple aquascape?
The tank
You will need the aquarium itself. Nano aquariums (around 30 liters and less) are getting quite popular because they don’t take up too much space and are easy to maintain. What you should be aware of is that the smaller the aquarium, the higher the risk that changes in the environment — like temperature and water quality — will take effect on your aquascape. Bigger aquariums are more stable because changes in the environment have a smaller effect. I have a 30x30x30cm cube and a 30x60x20cm tank. Both are running quite stable, but in the summer they need some good cooling with a small fan and I have to add some water daily to compensate the water evaporation. You should always put a soft mat under the aquarium to release tension in the glass and to avoid damage by uneven surfaces.
The water filter
It will filter small particles out of the water. Also some bacteria will live in the filter material that have an important role regarding the water quality. There are different types of filters: Internal filters that are installed directly into the aquarium. They are probably the easiest solution but are taking up quite some space and are not looking very nice in an aquascape environment. External filter have inlets and outlets in the aquarium and will normally stand somewhere near on or under the table. They are the type of choice for bigger aquariums and will keep out of sight whereas the inlets and outlets are often nice to look at and bring some movement into the water which is a healthy addition. The compromise between these two filter types is the hang on filter which I am using for my aquariums. They hang on one of the sides of the aquarium walls, most likely hidden on the back side. They have a small tube into the water and an outlet above the water level. They do not need much space and are perfectly fine for aquariums up to 60 liters. They also add some movement to the water surface which will remove unwanted particles and bacteria here.
The light
The next component is the light source. It is important for the plants to grow and get a nice and healthy color. LED lights are the most common choice today since they are flexible, long living and energy saving. There are many different types that are installed directly on the aquarium or hanging above it. You should connect the lights to a timer clock to simulate a day/night cycle. A common rule is to have 6–8 hours of direct light per day. Too much light can damage your plants and also lead to the growth of algae that don’t look nice in the aquarium. Not enough light and your plants won’t grow and loose color. You have to find the right amount by trying different settings since the amount of light needed is depending heavily on the amount and type of plants in the aquarium.
The CO2
The CO2 system is not absolutely necessary, especially if you only have a few simple plants in your aquarium. But it will help you to achieve much better colors and healthier plants. I would absolutely recommend it. CO2 is needed by the plants to breathe. There are always small amounts of CO2 in the water that comes from the surrounding environment. Additional CO2 is provided in gas bottles. The bottles are connected to CO2 diffusors in the aquarium below the water level that will distribute the gas in tiny bubbles so it can be absorbed by the water. There are special CO2 systems for nano aquariums that have a tiny bottle that has to be changed roughly every month depending on the size of the aquarium. If you use an external water filter, you can also infuse the CO2 directly into the water flow as seen in the image below which will make the diffusor in the aquarium obsolete. If you have bigger or multiple tanks you might want to install a refillable CO2 bottle which is much bigger and heavier and has to be refilled at a local provider. The CO2 system should also have an overnight shutdown installed since the CO2 can only be consumed by the plants when the LED light is switched on.
The water
No aquascape without water. If you are creating a sweetwater aquascape, you can usually use normal tap water as long as it doesn’t contain any chemicals like chlorine — which would be deadly for animals. Also avoid any kind of metal in your water or later in your tank. You should ask your local water provider when you are not sure about the water quality. There are water supplements that remove chlorine and other unwanted components from your water. When adding water to an aquarium with plants or animals, you should assure that it has the required temperature. Advanced aquascapers are often creating their own aquarium water using osmosis systems.
Other components that you will/might need
- Aquascaping tool set (scissors, tweezers, etc.)
- CO2 indicator (usually a bulb filled with an indicator liquid installed in or on the tank)
- Thermometer (plants and animals usually prefer a certain temperature)
- Soil/Ground (the base ground for plants)
- Hardscape (Stones, Wood, etc.)
- Softscape (Ground plants, background plants, etc.)
- Water supplements (optional, depending on the type of plants)
If you are thinking about having animals living in your aquarium (for example snails, prawns or small fish) you should definitely wait for at least one or two month after the complete setup of your aquascape until it runs stable so the animals don’t have to adapt to the many changes that are always happening in the initial phase.
This should get you started. I will write further articles on how to plan, build and maintain your aquascape in the future. If you have any questions feel free to contact me or leave a comment.
— Kai
What are your thoughts or experiences on aquascaping? Please leave a comment if you have more input on the topic or get in touch with me if you have tips, methods and recommendations for bringing simplicity into your everyday life!
