Josh Sim - World Champion Aquascape

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Josh Sim - World Champion Aquascape

We were thrilled to welcome a IAPLC Champion Josh Sim, to Horizon Aquatics for a special live aquascaping event in our gallery. Bringing together enthusiasts and artists alike, the session celebrated aquascaping passion, mastery, and the art of nature-inspired design.

The Aquascape

During the event, Josh crafted a stunning aquascape, his current style is to keep things looking like underwater nature rather than creating a landscape.

Drawing inspiration from his travels and a profound connection to water’s calming presence, Josh’s layout features elegant plant arrangements and dynamic hardscape elements that capture both motion and tranquility.

Equipment Breakdown

For those inspired to recreate a similar aquascape at home, here's a breakdown of the equipment used during the workshop:

Aquarium & Cabinet

ADA 120p (120x50x50) £799

ADA Garden mat (120x50) £44.99

Aquarium cabinet 120 Grey (120x50x80cm) £609

Lighting

ADA Solar RGB – New Solar RGB 2 is now available and fully controllable £949 each (we use x2 for a 120cm aquarium)

Light can be hung from the ceiling but there are optional extras for lighting arms

Filtration

OASE Biomaster Thermo 600 – Reliable and efficient filtration with integrated heater £314.99 (we use x2 for a 120cm aquarium)
Biomedia 4litres £36.99 (2 buckets needed for 2 filters)

Glass Ware

Horizon Aquatics lily outflow 17mm £24.99 x2
Horizon Aquatics Glass skimmer pipe 17mm £32.99 x1
Horizon Aquatic Glass inflow pipe 17mm £22.99 x1
Clear hose 16/22mm £12.99 x2

CO₂ System

CO₂ Art Regulator with added accessories

Drop checker
in tank diffuser
non return valve
1.5kg co2 bottle

Prices for Co2 systems start from £210 there are many different options to choose from on this size we also actually recommend upgrading to the Co2 Art Pro Elite Regulator as you can run multiple diffusers from one bottle. this would be a additional £120 making the starting price of a Co2 system £330

Full cost of equipment is £4,396.89 Plus £120 if upgrading Co2 regulator as mentioned above.
Prices mentioned on this blog are posted on 07/08/2025 and could increase over time, please only use prices as a rough guideline, see website for exact current prices.

Hardscape & Planting

Substrate & Hardscape:

ADA Amazonia Soil – Nutrient-rich base for optimal plant growth.
AF Lava Soil - For underneath soil to allow water movement & good bacteria
Horn Wood - bold dark wood, easy to glue together to make good structures
Black Sky Stone – Rounded river stones
ADA Mekong Sand - Now discontinued next closest available is ADA La plata sand or Horizon Pearl Sand.