Popular Article www.vigyanvarta.com Vol-1 Issue-8 Akshitha and Girwani (2020) Aquascaping: An Incredible Art Under Water S. Akshitha1* and A. Girwani2 1Post Graduate Student (Floriculture and Landscape Architecture), College of Horticulture, SKLTSHU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500030, India. 2Professor (Floriculture and Landscape Architecture), College of Horticulture, SKLTSHU, Mojerla Corresponding Author S. Akshitha Email: [email protected] OPEN ACCESS Keywords Aquascaping, Plants, Water. How to cite this article: Akshitha, S. and Girwani A. 2020. Aquascaping: An Incredible Art Under Water. Vigyan Varta 1(8): 59-62. ABSTRACT Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants as well as rocks, stones and driftwood in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium. Thіѕ аrt allows you tо create waterfalls, dеѕеrtѕ, junglеѕ, аnd mоuntаіnѕ undеrwаtеr. It rеԛuіrеѕ a lоt оf patience and ѕkіll, but іt саn bе оnе of thе most rewarding hobbies if persued. It is a well-known fact that involving yourself in nаturе can have brіllіаnt еffесtѕ оn уоur mental hеаlth аnd well-being. However, with many of uѕ having buѕу lіvеѕ аnd lеѕѕ tіmе tо ѕреnd іn the garden tending to plants, we must find thе alternatives to іntrоduсe more nature tо оur lіfе wіthоut much еffоrt. Onе оf thе best and lеаѕt tіmе-соnѕumіng wауѕ to do thіѕ іѕ аԛuаѕсаріng- “gаrdеnіng іn a fіѕh tаnk”. There are different styles of aquascaping such as Dutch style, Japanese style, Natural style, Iwagumi style, Jungle style, Biotype style and Paludarium. Although the primary aim of aquascaping is to create an artful water landscape, the technical aspects are also to be taken into consideration. These include the substrate, quality of water, plants, fish and aquascape ornaments as well as proper maintenance of aquascape. In the closed system of an aquarium tank many factors are needed to be balanced for ensuring the success of an aquascape. INTRODUCTION manner within an aquarium. (Martin et al., 2013). In other words it is landscaping under quascaping is the craft of water. An aquascape is an ecosystem in which arranging aquatic plants, as well as every living and nonliving items contributes not A rocks, stones, cave-work, only to the overall beauty of the aquarium, but or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing also the chemical and biological balance that 59 | P a g e Popular Article www.vigyanvarta.com Vol-1 Issue-8 Akshitha and Girwani (2020) allow the plants and animals to live. Robertwarington build the first aquarium. His theory was, by building a glass structure filled with sand on the bottom, snails, and plants that can provide oxygen. In the early 1900’s Mr.Takashiamano pioneered the “New aquarium” style these aquariums were achieved by supplying them with nutrient rich substrates, high levels of CO2 and the lighting that was perfectly suited to plant growth. With the advent of electricity the planted tank hobby really took off when the Dutch style aquarium Iwagumi style was born in 1930’s. This heralded a new beginning for aquaria and a totally new look, with living plants started to change into more of an art form. Principles of aquascaping: Aquascaping like all art forms, have picture of rules of guidance and application. These rules are meant to create an aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing aquascape. Some of the common rules followed in aquascape are the golden rule it is the number obtained by Dutch style dividing a line into two parts. In both art and mathematics as well as in nature, golden ratio is strictly followed to create a focal point. Rule of thirds, focal point and foreground, middle round and background are the principles usually followed. By this we can make viewers experience more interesting, captivating, relaxing and pleasing. Styles of aquascaping: Aquascaping styles are constantly developing Natural style and the designs are not only incredibly beautiful to look at, but are also a form of intellectual art combining the imagination and the ideas of their authors and the ability to create a viable biological system. There are several distinct styles of aquascaping such as Dutch style, Japanese style, natural style, iwagumi style, jungle style, biotype style and paludarium. Of all these styles iwagumi style is one of the most popular aquascaping styles today. Jungle style 60 | P a g e Popular Article www.vigyanvarta.com Vol-1 Issue-8 Akshitha and Girwani (2020) fulfil their demand. It is important that your substrate is of high quality. It will not only last for longer but also supplement the essential nutrients to the plants for their proper growth and development. Superior quality substrates last throughout the life of an aquarium. There are different types of substrates used in aquascaping such as gravel and sand, crushed coral, limestone and marble, Peat, laterite and Soil. Among these the most commonly used Biotope style organic substrates is gravel and sand, as they give a natural feel. Plants: No matter which aquarium plant you use, it will add to the natural look of the aquarium. You may use plants of different colours for increasing the aesthetic look. Plants with different shades of green along with plants of red and orange colour leaves make an excellent choice for aquascaping. Along with colour, you Paludariums must also give importance to the height of different aquatic plants. If the plants have big Components of Aquascaping: and large leaves, they may hide the other Water: beautiful aspects of the aquarium. Likewise, plants with dense growth do the same. Water is one of the most essential components Therefore small plants with medium size or thin of aquascaping. For the success of aquascape, leaves seem a better option to consider. Plants first develop a good environment in an are selected based on Plant characteristics, aquarium to have a healthy life. Quality of compatibility and visual effects. In aquascape water is determined by water temperature, plants require optimum conditions for aeration, water chemistry and nitrogenous physiological activities and overall growth. waste products. Carbon dioxide is another highly essential component for the growth of aquarium plants. Substrates: Since aquatic plants are autotrophs and prepare food by their own, CO2 becomes a vital Substrate is the second most important requirement for them. (Dulger and Hussner, requirement for an aquarium. It is essential not 2017). There are carbon dioxide systems for the only for aquascaping but also for planting the aquarium with the help of which the required aquarium plants. (Khairnar and Kaur, 2018). level of CO2 can be supplied. Moreover, it promotes the production of bacteria which is a must in an aquarium for Fish: sustainability of every creature. In the natural conditions, plants receive essential nutrients Fish are the heart and soul of an aquarium. from the substrate which consists of soil and Without fish, the entire setup will merely look sand. Therefore when you plant an aquatic plant a tank of water. Being the chief component of in an artificial condition that is in an aquarium, the aquarium that also displays life, fish need it becomes necessary to add substrate there as special heed. Colourful fish that have avid well. It helps them get the desired nutrients and swimming habits and breed on a regular basis 61 | P a g e Popular Article www.vigyanvarta.com Vol-1 Issue-8 Akshitha and Girwani (2020) makes a perfect choice. Colourful swimmers due to growing demand in the internal market. attract viewers a lot. If you have a small tank, Aquascaping is one of the novel landscape getting fish that are small in size will make your concepts they are used to improve aesthetic tank look bigger than its original size. view of surroundings and relieve stress. Success and visually aquascape is a result of Hardscaping: appropriate selection of plants, fish and other components in aesthetic manner. There is a vast Hardscaping refers to replicating your scope for entrepreneurship development in aquarium with the natural sea. If there is no aquascaping in India. Therefore, incorporation hardscaping in the aquarium, it will comprise of aquascape along with land scape components only plants and fish. For this purpose, there will enhance beauty as well as the life of an be a need for a variety of colourful wood and environment. rocks. Those that are naturally coloured make an excellent choice for aquascaping. While REFERENCES selecting rocks, it is essential to confirm that it doesn’t react with water. Cleaning and washing Martin, M. 2013. Aquascaping: Aquarium them properly before introducing into the tank landscaping like a pro. Ubiquitous and getting rid of chemicals is also necessary. publishing, USA. 129P. In spite of washing some rocks still leech tannins into the aquarium. Although tannins are Khairnar, S.O. and Kaur, V.I. 2018. not damaging to fish or plants, they create a Quantitative and qualitative differences hindrance in the aesthetic of the aquarium. in morphological traits of freshwater Driftwood makes a great choice as it replicates ornamental aquatic plant water the natural sea ambiance perfectly. wisteria, Hygrophila difformis under different organic substrate. Journal of CONCLUSION: Entomology and Zoology Studies. 6(1): 1664-1667. It can be concluded that aquascaping is gaining importance in current scenario of urbanization Dulger, E. and Hussner, A. 2017. Differences in as it mitigates the negative effects of modern the growth and physiological response cities on health. In India, aquascape related of eight Myriophyllum species to industry is still in infancy. There is need to carbon dioxide depletion. Aquatic boost the aquascaping related industry in India Botany. 139: 25-31. 62 | P a g e .