Biotope & Wild Style Aquascaping: Embracing Nature in Your Aquarium Aquascaping is more than just arranging plants and rocks—it's about recreating the essence of nature underwater. Two increasingly popular approaches are biotope and wild style aquascapes. While both embrace natural aesthetics, each offers a unique take on authenticity, creativity, and ecosystem replication. What Is a Biotope Aquascape? A biotope aquarium is designed to replicate a specific natural habitat as accurately as possible. This includes: Native flora and fauna from a defined geographic location (e.g. Amazon Basin, Southeast Asia, African Rift Lakes) Appropriate water parameters (pH, hardness, temperature) Matching substrate, hardscape,...

What Is Aquascaping?  Aquascaping is the art of arranging aquatic plants, rocks, driftwood, and other elements in an aesthetically pleasing way inside an aquarium. Often compared to underwater gardening, aquascaping combines nature, design, and creativity to transform fish tanks into living works of art. Aquascaping involves crafting underwater landscapes by using design principles like balance, contrast, and focal points. It often resembles terrestrial scenes like forests, mountains, or minimalist Zen gardens—only submerged. Who Discovered Aquascaping? Aquascaping as we know it today was popularised in the 1990s by Takashi Amano, a Japanese photographer, aquarist, and nature lover. He introduced the Nature...

Eleocharis Plant Guide for Aquascaping – Care & Layout Tips Eleocharis, is a beloved species in the aquascaping world. Its fine, grassy texture brings a sense of lush, natural realism to planted tanks. But not all Eleocharis species are exactly the same, each has its own look, growth habit, and care requirements. In this post, we’ll cover the five popular Eleocharis species, pusilla mini, parvula, acicularis, montevidensis, and vivipara—and explore which aquascape styles they suit best, their care needs, whether they require trimming, and how to keep them clean and healthy. ADA Gallery photo taken by Horizon aquatics  1. Eleocharis...

Aquascaping in Small Spaces: Nano Tanks That Make a Big Impact You don’t need a massive tank to create a beautiful aquascape. In fact, some of the most striking aquatic layouts are designed in compact spaces. Nano tanks , typically under 60 litres, offer a perfect canvas for creativity, whether you’re a beginner dipping your toes into planted tanks or an experienced aquascaper craving another aquascape, low maintenance project. Why Choose a Nano Tank? Nano aquariums are ideal for those with limited space, time, or budget. They’re perfect for desktops, shelves, kitchen worktops or apartment living, and can still deliver all the...

How to Create a Stunning Dutch Aquascape: Plant Choices, Layout Tips, and Rare Species The Dutch aquascape style is one of the oldest and most striking forms of planted aquariums, known for its lush, colourful, garden-like appearance. Unlike nature-style aquascapes that mimic landscapes, the Dutch style focuses on dense plant growth, vibrant colour contrasts, and structured "streets" or rows of plants.If you've ever dreamed of creating a vivid underwater garden, a Dutch aquascape is a fantastic choice — and it’s easier than you think with the right guidance! In this blog, we’ll walk you through the basics of setting up...

Mastering the Art of Iwagumi An Iwagumi is an exquisite and meticulously crafted arrangement of stones that originates from Japan, reflecting the principles of Zen aesthetics in Aquascaping. This style is defined by its minimalist approach, where the focus is solely on stones as hardscape Materials, creating a serene and captivating underwater landscape. In an Iwagumi aquascape, a single type and colour of stone is chosen, which adds to the visual harmony and emphasises the natural beauty of the materials. Arranged according to key principles of balance, simplicity, and proportion, the layout typically incorporates an asymmetrical design that evokes the...

Budget Friendly Aquascaping - How to Make Things more Cost Effective  If you're looking to dive into aquascaping for the first time but are concerned about costs, we've got you covered! Here are some practical tips to help you create a beautiful aquarium without breaking the bank. Choosing Your Aquarium Size Matters! Opt for a smaller aquarium to reduce costs on equipment and materials. Larger tanks require more expensive equipment such as larger heaters and filtration and materials like wood, rocks, soil, and plants.   All-in-One Aquariums Some options are good quality, but many come with subpar equipment. We recommend...

Setting up an Aquascape - Start to Finish This comprehensive blog is designed to equip you with all the information necessary to confidently establish your first successful aquarium. We will cover all the essential considerations, provide expert tips, tricks, and discuss the pros and cons, ensuring that you feel confident to create and maintain your aquascape. Before you start, there are a few things to consider when setting up your aquarium, if you have already selected your 'aquarium hardware' you might want to skip this first part. Selecting your Aquarium Choosing an aquarium can be overwhelming due to the wide range...