Aquascaping: Underwater Gardening

       I have a new obsession. I have combed through hundred of pictures from contest sites, perused tags on tumblr, researched articles, and even dedicated hours to writing a blog post about a new type of craft: aquascaping. It is gorgeous, slightly surreal, and scientific, and it even sort-of satisfies my craving for both pets and travel by giving me fish and scenery. Now, I can't wait until I have the resources to grow my own underwater garden!

(continues below the cut: so many pretty pictures!)



       Aquascaping as an art began in the Netherlands in the 1930's, as soon as modern aquarium equipment became available, and clubs and contests brought together enthusiasts who arranged and pruned water-plants like the formal, terrestrial gardens of the time, carpeting the tank with collections of color. As different styles of aquascape began to develop, this original technique became known as "dutch style" and fell by the wayside, but it was the beginning of a gorgeous art.

       In the 1990's, Takashi Amano completely reinvented the aquascaping scene by writing several books and founding an aquarium design firm, Aqua Design Amano, to popularize a new style influenced by Japanese aesthetics: "nature style." In this discipline, a "hardscape" of rock and/or driftwood is first composed as a backbone for the floral arrangement, and emphasis is placed on proportion, balance, harmony and realism.

       "Iwagumi," is the most obvious sub-style of the nature style. It focuses on an uneven number of rocks, placed deliberately, and minimalist plant choices.

       "Wabi-kusa" composition places a cluster of plants and elements in one corner and then allows everything to grow naturally.

       Most nature style designs do not fall within these categories, however, but are simply carefully crafted arrangements of rock, wood, plants, and fish. (Click the images to get the full effect!)

       Of course, while "dutch style" and "nature style" aquascapes are the only two with formal titles, artists insist on coming up with new and interesting ways of artistically arranging water tanks. Surreal landscapes and arrangements without any plants at all can be found at conventions alongside iwagumi scenes, and paludariums, which live both above and below water, are also popular.

       There are also biotope designs, which focus on creating an authentic natural environment, but those have been around since the first scientist tried stuffing plants and animals in tanks, and is the oldest, original, form of aquascaping, so I don't consider them part of Amano's "nature style."

       [Note: you might notice that all of these are freshwater scenes. Salt-water tanks revolve around an entirely different system: that of a reef. The equipment and look of salt-water tanks is so different from that of fresh water that they are not particularly popular among hobbyists, but left to institutions like aquariums.]

       Personally, I am obsessed! I think it is because discovering aquascaping was like discovering a whole new form of craft. While I love all kinds of art, I have known that they exist for most of my life, but aquascaping is a revelation! As such, it will probably become suddenly less interesting after a week or so, but why not indulge it at the moment?

*All of these images are from the International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest, 2006-2011, except for the dutch style, Takashi Amano's portrait (thanks, Google!) and the last four, which are links to their sources.