The art of aquascaping is something you can learn from the Mother Nature’s abundant resources that are spread deep under the seas and the oceans. You just create a replica of the same within the limited space of your aquarium. You need natural materials like the driftwood, rocks, soil and sand, and the plants with and without roots. You can also create caves, and the rock designs resembling the gardens, forests, the Wild West, dancing stones, the underwater canyon, and many other structures you can imagine.

Aquascaping Styles

Most of the aquascaping designers refer to the conventional Dutch style, Japanese style, and the natural style. You can choose from any of them, depending on your choice. But the fact is you need not be limited to only such styles. There are many more innovative styles from Russia, Istanbul, Ukraine, Slovenia, Turkey, and Italy. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open to learn from them adopt them into your own aquarium.

Walstad Style

The Walstad Style of aquascaping is stated to be outdated by many of the experts. But if you take a look at some of the stunning features, it will be very difficult to forget them. By placing the hardscape and the plant species in permutation and combination, you can create the second version of the natural style.

Features

The Walstad Style of aquascaping uses potting soil. You can mix it with the composted bark, pumice, coconut-coir, and the other types of additives to enrich its fertility. You may also add perlite for increasing the aeration. Now, this soil can support the wide range of plant species from the seabed for many years.

The other feature of Walstad Style is its low maintenance. There are no rotting plants, decaying soil, and unstable foundation layers. You just have to change the water once in a few weeks to keep the plants fresh and lively.

Plant Species

The most recommended plants for the Walstad Style of aquascaping are the floating plants, stem plants, moss, and the rhizome plants. You can preferably choose Rotala Indica, java moss, Amazon sword and the other deep sea plants. It is because they don’t depend on fertilizers to survive and grow. The Mexican pottery clay mix to the soil acts as the nutrient supplement for the plants.

Sand Type

Using the black-diamond-blasting sand is one method of preserving the aquascaping soil. It will also ensure the proper aeration and avoidance of non-aeration blocks which can destroy the plant species.

Fish Species

You can come across many aquascaping reviews, which downplay the importance of the fish species in the water. But what is the fun in having a great looking Walstad Style of aquascaping unless you have some moving species in it? Danio-species is one of the most favorites for the Walstad Style of aquascaping. They are highly sociable and have community living characteristics. They live in perfect coordination with the catfish, Piecos, schooling fish, and the live bearers.

Aquascaping Construction  

Wash the sand thoroughly and mix it with the soil to prepare the topsoil. Spread it evenly along the length and the width of the aquarium. Pour some water and wait for the layer to solidify. Adding the aquarium bubbler to the soil can be used for protein skimming. You can choose the Lime-wood, bass-wood, or the other compatible types to ensure maximum aeration. The bubblers can also help keeping the water still without any rapid movements.

You can add many layers of the sand and soil combination similar to the first layer. There should be sufficient gap between the bubblers (at least 3 to 4 inches). Make sure the soil layers are not too densely packed. At the same time, there should be no loose gaps between the soil molecules. The recommended minimum layer thickness is one inch.

The Walstad Style of aquascaping hardly has any place for the rocks and stones of bigger size. Instead you can spread the small pebble stones over the soil layer. Of course you have to do it after the plant species have been successfully. Of course there are no hard rules for this. You also use the rocks to design caves and the canyons. After installing the plants you can install the final layer of the sand and the soil. Finally, you can lay the pebble stones.

Aquarium Design

You can design the Walstad Style of aquascaping in any of your desired patterns. One of the recommended patterns is the zigzag or the crisscross method. Use the water sprite and frog bit as the main floating plants. The dwarf sag, grass leaves arrowhead, and the Amazon sword plants can provide stability to the floating plants. Also, they grow faster compared to the other species you can find. The Rotala-Rotundifolia is one of the best known stem plants you can use for the aquascaping.

Taiwanese Style

The primary elements of the style and the design are stated to come from the Dutch and the Japanese models. But the Taiwanese style creates more depth and includes several levels of the design and construction.

Features

The Taiwanese style uses rocks from the deep seas or the rivers. Coarse rocks, limestone, Diorite, basalt, granite, and the other types of river rocks are the recommended ones. They create a balanced and realistic scenario for your aquarium.

Taiwanese Aquascaping needs more maintenance compared to the other models. It is due to the nature of plants, soil, and the other species you implant in the aquarium. Proper guidance and experience can make you an expert in the maintenance procedures.

Soil Type

Use the small sized gravel with the combination of clay soil. The ratio can be 1:1 or 1:2 depending on the type of plants you wish to have in the aquarium. Your goal is to remove the possibility of carbon-dioxide depositions on the soil and increase the air flow. Adding the air stones can help in the free flow of air. You use the artificial devices at the aquarium corners for the removal of carbon-dioxide.

There is another option for the utilization of the carbon-dioxide generated by the soil and the gravel layer. You can use it to nurture the growth of the Saurus-cernuus as explained in the next section.

Laterite is the other type of soil you can add to the bottom layers of the aquarium along with the gravel. Make sure they form a medium density layer to hold the plant species firmly.

Plant Species

Saurus-cernuus is one of the types of plants you can have for the Taiwanese Aquascaping. It is moderate in hardness. It has a stem based structure and it can survive and grow in the aquarium at a considerably faster rate. For this you need to inject the carbon-dioxide at a steady pace. It is a task which will take some effort on your part. But your effort will be worthwhile as it creates the best growth prospects.

The other type of plant species recommended for the Taiwanese Aquascaping is the Cardinalis Lobelia. It is a fresh water plant which has medium to light hardness. It is also a stem based plant which grows moderately within the aquarium. You need to feed the plant with large quantity of nitrate, ammonium, and the phosphate to ensure sustained growth.

The cryptocorynes aquarium plants are the other types of species recommended for the Taiwanese Aquascaping. They can grow at a faster pace compared to the other types of plants. Add the java Moss, giant hydro and the floating plants like the water sprite and frog bit. By interlaying the various types of plants with each other, it is possible to create a thick layer of plants in combination.

Fish Species

Schooling fish is one of the recommended species you can add to the Taiwanese Aquascaping. You can add the other fish like the Congo Tetras, Angel fish, and the other compatible size fish. Keep their numbers within the minimum levels in the initial stages. They can breed and expand in the long term. But you have to control their population within the manageable range. Though there are no exact number counts, it is better to avoid overcrowding of the aquarium tank. Preferably the ratio between the plant and the fish species should be 10:1. Or5:1. 

Adding the fish species serves as another point of advantage. Fish species generate sufficient carbon-dioxide for the plants. At the same time, the plants can generate the much needed oxygen supplies for the fish.

Aquascaping Construction  

The construction of the Taiwanese Aquascaping should be as natural as possible. You can take the example from the underwater landscape conditions in the Taiwanese shallow sea waters. There the density of the rocks and plants will be concentrated at random locations, while they are scarcely spread across the large areas. You can follow the similar construction patterns.

Add a few toy ships after wrecking them! You can also install a few diver toys floating round the wrecked ships to create a natural feeling. The size of the rocks you choose should be preferably less than or equal to the 30% height of the aquarium. Spread the plants evenly around the rocky structures. But they should not cover the rocks completely.

Aquarium Design

The design layout of the Taiwanese Aquascaping can be random and meaningless. But the more complex you make it; the tougher it will be for you to maintain. So, you must have some elements of order at some points to ease the maintenance procedures.

Maintenance

Replace the water once in two or three months. Remove the weeds and replace the dead or dying plants. Add the air stones to eliminate the negative effects of adding fertilizers for the plans and feeding the fish with the proteins and nutrients. Once you take care of the proper maintenance, the lifespan of the Taiwanese Aquascaping aquarium will naturally extend for many years.

Aquascaping Plans

The size of the aquarium tank determines the volume of plant species and the number of fish species you can afford to have. The first thing you have to consider is the minimum size of the aquarium tank. It is not possible to have beautiful landscapes with extended rocky structures, canyons, forests and caves within a table top aquarium. So, you will need the aquarium with a minimum length of 30” to 40” and a width of the same size or half of it. The height is a factor which depends on the height of plants and rocks you install. The minimum water capacity of the tank should be 50 liters or more.

Install the aquarium at a location in your home, where plenty of natural light is available during the daytime. Having the artificial aquarium grade lighting is good during the night. The aquarium should get exposed to the sunlight for a minimum of 2 to 4 hours during the early morning hours. It is the only way in which you can preserve the healthy conditions of the plants for a long time.

Aquascaping Lighting

The artificial aquarium grade lights you use depend on the types of plants and fish species. You can use the stronger version of the lighting, if there is absolutely no option for the natural lighting and the sunlight exposure. The mineral and the nutrient ingredients you add to the soil and the gravel layer makes a big difference to the growth rate and the freshness of the plants.

Aquascaping Aquarium Shape

The most commonly recommended shape for the aquascaping aquarium shapes are square, rectangle and spherical. You can also opt for the other shapes, but you have to ensure large volume of space at the center of the aquarium. Only then you can think of positioning the large volume of the rocks, plants and the design structures to enhance the aquarium’s aesthetic features.

Innovation

You don’t need to limit your plant and fish species selection to the range you read here or elsewhere. You can think of your own species and design patterns based on the selection of the water type (sweet or salt water aquascaping can be equally beautiful).

Passing Thoughts

You may create the Aquascaping of any style depending on your creativity and the space availability. Just make sure of adding every element that makes it complete and makes you contented. Don’t try to please too many people around you, while deciding on the final design. If a specific model appeals to you, it will naturally be acceptable to everyone, but may take time.

• Scalability: Create an Aquascaping design to which you can add new objects, make changes in the existing structure, and remove older elements. This approach keeps the entire architecture dynamic and flexible. You can also emulate some of the distinct features from the award winning Aquascaping designs from the online information sources. Explore the underwater photographs from around the world. Use multiple permutations and combinations. Consult your friends and family members.  Try out every possible design on paper before taking a final decision.  
• Continuity:  Many of the Aquascaping designers say natural style has no order. But it is not so. Observe carefully and you shall realize the wonderful order and continuity in nature. For example, you can think of using the rocks, soil, stones, plant, fish, aquarium shells, and the other species from a specific region.  It could be from the nearest lake, river, or the beach in your neighborhood. If affordable, you can buy the collections from counties like Mauritius, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Hawaii, and elsewhere.