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What is Aquascaping anyway?

BruceF

Member
Joined
19 Feb 2014
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Location
Colorado
I wanted to see If I could start a discussion about where we might be headed. The Nature Aquarium has been dominate for quite some time now. I am a big fan of that so I don’t mean this to be a criticism. It represents a very Japanese way of seeing or understanding nature. In contrast we have the Dutch aesthetic which to me at least is more a still life or perhaps a perennial border display. Again I don’t mean that to be a criticism. I keep perennial borders in my own garden. I am simply trying to find some definition.


Neither of these is terribly natural in the sense of what we might call a biotope. Each is an attempt at a representation of nature in what we might refer to as an idealized way. It isn’t infrequent to see the Nature Aquarium representing landscapes where fish seem to fly in the air for example. I have no real objection to that I simply suggest that it is not ‘natural’ in any sense of the word. It actually seems odd to object to the introduction manmade objects into this landscape though I can understand why many people would object. I remember many years ago an aquarium that used trash in a very effective way. Oliver Knott seems to like to introduce things.



So part of what I am asking is there something I am missing here? What is next? I see more people using mixed plantings in what might be called in some circles at least the Wabi Kusa method. How is that different from what is commonly disparaged as the ‘jungle look’? Are we moving toward a more open style in contrast to say the Dutch rules? Are twigs and moss enough?

I won’t pretend to know these answers. I am not even sure if I have right questions at this point. I am just curious what people think these days.
 
I think that this hobby will only evolve once hard scape materials become more widely available. People, including my self, are limited to the type of scape they can create because of what they have access to.

You'll never get away from the 'nature aquarium' though, the whole reason people are in this hobby is because they want a piece of nature in their living room.

People will copy ideas and try to scape something that they are amazed by, which is absolutely fine, and it will be a long time before people are bored of Amano's tanks.

I think the next step will include lots of new technology. There's tanks now that come connected to a smart phone app, and it's as easy as opening the app on your phone, selecting the animal you want to look after, and the tank will adjust the climate accordingly. These tanks can support not only fish, but lizards/frogs etc as well. Won't be long before it's more mainstream.
 
Well you could see those diorama scapes from a flooded landscape perspective, then it would be just as natural as any other scape. It's just representing a froozen moment in time. It's what also happens in nature, in dry season a landscape realy doesn't resamble anything aquatic, the moment it floods in the rainy season it is suddenly submersed but still looking somewhat the same as it did when it was not flooded. And where ever the water goes the fish follow.

Tho to a certain extend i agree with the fact that a diorama from a mountain meadow with a sandy path up hill not realy is a long term suitable environment for a school of cardinal tetras flying around as little birds. But if the tank is placed in a relative quite corner of the room where nothing much happens in front of the tank, i guess they don't realy mind it.

It's a matter of taste a matter of trend and a matter of artistic expression..

What is next?? Surrealism.. :woot: Salvador Dali scape.. :cool:
 
Hi All, Aquascaping and Wabi-Kusa Too me Is just bringing a little piece of nature into your home :D

As to Hardscape materials becoming more widely available. Take a look around the forest and local streams there's plenty there and its free another plus is you also get
inspirational ideas at the same time as hunting bits and bobs :woot::cool:

When we go on walks the Grandson will look and see beauty in a stone or a piece of old wood:cool: Its fantastic to see someone so young enjoy such simple things in life. My Dad showed me the wonders of nature. Now I am proud to pass that knowledge on :)
 

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I'm inclined to think like Roy nowadays, although it took some prodding.

When I was younger, even though I loved nature aquariums, I always felt they were too utopian. As I developed interests in trail running and hiking, I began to see nature aquariums in a different way. I appreciated them as simply bringing a part of the landscape indoors and combining them with fish or shrimp or snails. I might see a mossy rock or tree stump covered in 10-15 different mosses and lichens and think, you know what, you could do that with a bit of fissidens, pelia, and so on.

Since I was first exposed to his work, I've loved Jean-Jacques Rousseau. There is something nice about clinging to a little piece of nature (aquarium, wabi, house plant, etc) and having it easily accessible in our homes. We don't all have the chance to get back into nature on a daily basis.
 
As is well known, I think, I've been doing "nature"-scaping in a zoo for many years. This tougt me to NOT do true, realistic sceneries of nature biotope (which, for the record, I can replicate perfectly), since audience would complain that it looked messy, unappealing and "not natural"............
What I DID learn to create, was simply a way of gardening, trying to compress the prettiest, most idyllic, ever-so-rare, sceneries that are shown in most movies (be it "science" or "edu-tainment") that people watch on television. This does not at all represent typical biotope - but it satisfies the wast majority in what they THINK is natural. Most cultures have had this desire, to compose pleasant "nature"scapes of some sort, and the fashion in this have been changing now and again (yep; I've been stydying a bit of gardening history, too :rolleyes:).
- I really see no difference in aqua-scaping.............
That said; there IS some indications, that more realistic bio-tope aquaria are in progress !!
 
As is well known, I think, I've been doing "nature"-scaping in a zoo for many years.
I didn't know.. :) i thought you where a Tropica employee.. :) But that's a awsome cool job Mick, i would love to take a tour and see it all... I can imagine what you say about audience in th elarge picture and it works a bit the same way as playing music in a shopping mal.. Never thought of it before but what you do is a kind of Muzak Scaping.

trying to compress the prettiest, most idyllic, ever-so-rare, sceneries
I can get the point that this get's out of hand in realy big scapes and that's indeed not how mother nature does her job.. But in a way little scapes still can be very real biotopic and natural in nano style wich resambles, lets say 40 x 40 x40 cm patch of nature.. And that's the little intrecate detail we all can see in nature on an everyday basis. At least i do every time when i take a walk.. And when i was a kid i very often went to the near by perfectly clear pools with my floating matras and scubadiving mask and peddle around looking under water. Did this where ever i saw the chance of doing it, from small clear pools to big lakes when on vacation. I realy have seen little patches of natural biotop which looked like a scenery of a fairytale i just wanted to pic up take home and put in a tank.
 
I might see a mossy rock or tree stump covered in 10-15 different mosses
Where I live I almost never see things like this. We just don't usually get enough rain for that.

since audience would complain that it looked messy, unappealing and "not natural"............

Definitely one of the challenges. I often think that a single species of plant might represent a biotope better and still be more 'natural'. I suppose the problem is that it becomes hard to find the animals especially in a zoological setting.

that's indeed not how mother nature does her job.
As a friend of mine likes to say: If nature is so great why exactly are we gardening?
 
As a friend of mine likes to say: If nature is so great why exactly are we gardening?

That's a good question :) Why exactly are we gardening?

Long time ago i spend many days at some man made pools in my neighbourhood that became very natural self sustaining biotoops over time.. One was a ditch around an old castle ruine with a rather large swamp land behind it and the other was a clay pit from an old brickwork factory.. They both where crystal clear with loads of plantmass, schools of minows, carps and meter long pikes, name it it was there to be found.. For me that was a fairytale, all kids were playing socker and i was there, usualy alone, sucking up nature, searching salamders, beatles, waterspiders, catching sticklebacks with my net. Taking it home to my steel rim garden tank. And take it back to the pool in the fall.
There was nothing more beautifull i came home 4 times a week soaked in mud like a swamp monster.

And all of a sudden the town authorities found it unappealing and got the greatest idea and diceded that it should be a park.. They pumped it empty dug it out, distroyed everything, shiped the fish off in containers to other waters.. Made paved sidewalks and nice tidy straight wooden border along the waterline and put an anglers association on the terrain deciding which fish should be in there. Anglers hate waterplants.. And now everybody is proud, happy and enjoying the park, feeding the ducks with their dogs and prams. Water is muddy brown and 80% of the original wildlife is gone.

All this is 30 years ago and i still feel kinda sad when i think about it.. I do not know why..Nobody does for real i guess.. People like to distroy and feel proud about it.
 
Hi A couple of photos of things that have inspire me when looking for Wabi-Kusa ideas :) Some grass on an old tree stump by a stream and a plant growing in an old apple tree.
 

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As is well known, I think, I've been doing "nature"-scaping in a zoo for many years. This tougt me to NOT do true, realistic sceneries of nature biotope (which, for the record, I can replicate perfectly), since audience would complain that it looked messy, unappealing and "not natural"............
What I DID learn to create, was simply a way of gardening, trying to compress the prettiest, most idyllic, ever-so-rare, sceneries that are shown in most movies (be it "science" or "edu-tainment") that people watch on television. This does not at all represent typical biotope - but it satisfies the wast majority in what they THINK is natural. Most cultures have had this desire, to compose pleasant "nature"scapes of some sort, and the fashion in this have been changing now and again (yep; I've been stydying a bit of gardening history, too :rolleyes:).
- I really see no difference in aqua-scaping.............
That said; there IS some indications, that more realistic bio-tope aquaria are in progress !!
Completely agree, especially what is mentioned regarding "the nature" people want to see in a glass cube. The manicured compositions we create in our tanks (golden rule, combination of colors, focal points, etc.) are very far from what can be seen in nature. Have you ever dived in a river? Low number of species, not in its best shape, not arranged to be beautiful... This is why I personally don't like the name of Nature/Natural Aquarium, as it brings to confusion. There's nothing bad, but let's recognize it. It's a canvas in which we try to paint a beautiful -but unreal- piece of nature. Nature Aquarium is a brand IMO highly influenced by Amano in its most modern sense. It brings to your mind, not only a nice composition of plants, but also a whole aquarium new look: rimless tanks, glassware, etc

Jordi
 
Sorry, Marcel - I expressed myself a bit unclear...........I USED to do "habitats" and surroundings in 3 huge domes (Asia, Southamerica and Africa) for a zoo, for many years.
You are right about my current position ;):lol: .
 
Ok Mick, no problem, could be you had 2 jobs, many do.. I bet you learned a lot about creating natural sceneries :)

(golden rule, combination of colors, focal points, etc.)
I guess this is more a technique all about working in a frame in nature it is just a point in space and time, it could be anywhere but if you want to frame that into a picture, photo or canvas then you choose positions or sceneries which comply to these rules to make it look appealing to the eye. Our tanks are also just a frame around a picture capturing a little piece of nature. :)

But at one thing you are right, most of us and i do to, it is rather a rarety to find 8 different plant species and 3 or more different kind of fish at the same time at the same place on 2 square feet in perfect order in nature. The ones who do it with just 2 plant spieces and maybe 2 fish spieces are closest to the real thing.
 
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Wow lucky you:woot: :cool: Any photos

Of course! Technically I don't think it should be classified as a rainforest (it's a mixture of rainforest like elements and typical Australian eucalyptus and sandstone forests), but the state government has it listed as one. Fortunately this land will never be developed on due to its significant Aboriginal history. There are lots of small schooling fish, although not really too sure what they are without catching them. I've seen some bullrout (freshwater stone fish) too. There's plenty of lizards, snakes, echidnas, birds, brush turkeys and the occasional platypus and swamp wallaby. Supposedly there are koalas too, but I've never seen any.

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