What is an Aquascape and Why is it Important?

Executive Summary by: George Cuthbert

Aquascape: Consider the landscape. A picture painted in a frame, with mountains, rivers, trees and grass. In today’s world of aquarium management, the aquascape has become a popular way to bring a truer picture of sea life into the home or office.

aquascaping

Gone are the artificial plants and fake diving bells and sunken chests. Today, the saltwater aquarist – otherwise known as a marine or reef aquarist- strives to recreate the environment of the exotic fish and indigenous creatures of the sea.

Plants, coral, invertebrate life – like shrimp, crabs, and snails – all live together in a carefully controlled environment that mimics the ocean floor as closely as possible.

Taking a page from the science museums and city aquariums, the hobbyist now has the tools, equipment and supplies to build his or her own version of the giant fish tank at the Boston Aquarium, or the beautiful Reef Tanks in Australia.

Because we have the chance to watch the miracle of natural growth and the cycle of life, as if we were living under the sea with the ancestors and family of those beautiful fish in the aquarium.

An aquascape is perhaps only a virtual picture of the sea.

Aquascape Marine Aquarium

Executive Summary by: Peter Barry Cunningham

One of the most popular methods of primary filtration is live rock. Picturing and then implementing a rock structure is a step which is quite often neglected.

Due to this the most common rock structure seen in marine aquariums is that of a wall of rock upon which corals are placed. Unfortunately this type of structure, although easy to implement in a marine aquarium does not emulate a rock structure as it can be found in nature.

At the time when you are in a position to aquascape your marine aquarium you can either rest your base rock directly onto the floor itself, build feet out of underwater epoxy to raise the rock off the floor or build a structure to raise the rock off the floor.

You can utilize the rock which does not have as much coralline algae on it as the base rock and use the more attractive coralline covered rock as the show rock or if you decided to you could purchase rock which is names as base rock.

Attaching rocks together can be accomplished using various methods. Learning to aquascape your marine aquarium is not just restricted to rocks though. Your rock structure should allow for places where these corals can be placed or attached therefore you should also build your rock structure around what you hope to keep in your aquarium.

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