For people who don’t want to settle for a conventional aquarium, there is a plethora of custom aquarium styles that range from complex and artsy, to stylish and elegant. If you are the type who loves gardening and aquatic life, then aquascaping is for you. Aquascaping is the art of arranging plant life, rocks, stones or anything that you can use for the décor of your custom aquarium. There are many styles you can go for. We’ll highlight the 10 best styles for the perfect custom aquarium.
Dutch Style
The Dutch style is all about lavishly using large plants of different types, colors, and length. For this style, you should try to reimagine what a rainforest would look like if it were underwater. You can opt for multiple types of plant life and can arrange them closely together and at different heights and lengths. You can experiment with the colors, contrast, and the decorations within, but try to avoid the typical stones, wood, and rock decorations for this style.
Japanese style
These aquariums put a heavy emphasis on the natural “outdoor” feel of the decorations. The Japanese style aquarium takes inspiration from the mountains where you have open skies, elevated trails, and lush foliage. You can let your imagination run wild, literally, for this one. You should aim to mimic the wild nature and replicate the calmness that comes with it.
Nature Aquarium
This custom aquarium décor also resembles nature where you can employ the use of mountain-like structures with a heavy use of wood, stones, and heavy rocks. You will need to be smart with the space if you want to create the maximum impact. This means using trees, hills, and trails. It is important that you leave a good space for water above your decorations to mimic the open sky. You can also paint in birds as seen from a distance on the back of your aquarium for the complete look.
Iwagumi style
If you want an aquarium that represents more than just its apparent decorations, you should go for this style because it is especially designed to convey a deeper meaning. Mostly, rocks are used for this style and are placed in a way that represents an abstract meaning. Every position, size, and type of rock used in this style has meaning. For example, there are three rock types that are the most famous for this arrangement: Oyaishi, the largest one, Soeishi, and Fukuishi. You must follow the 3:2 ratio to create the perfect Iwagumi style custom aquarium.
Jungle type
The perfect type for people who adore the lush green forests and floral arrangements. This type focuses on dense plant use. The plants must be a dark bright green color and closely placed in bunches to mimic the jungle. You can also use plants with a variety of either thick or thin branches to achieve the final look.
Biotopes
The biotope style dispenses with the typical garden-like aquascaping and opts for a more ecological approach. To achieve this style, you should mimic the ocean bed. A variety of rocks should be laid down on top of each other. You can also skip the green flora and go for organisms in your arrangement that naturally co-exist in nature to create a beautiful self-contained ecosystem that you can even study.
Paludariums
If you plan on having amphibians in your custom aquarium, you should check out Paludariums. These imitate the environment of riverbanks where you can find a purposeful mix of wood, stone, and algae. This type of aquarium brings together a very natural feel by subtly combining land and water.
Saltwater Aquariums
This type of aquarium demands a large tank that can host many fish. You can use this style if your custom aquarium can fit rock arrangements, corals, and your typical marine faunae. You can decide on going for a fish-only tank to a mixture of fish and reef. Please make sure your aquarium can accommodate all the arrangements for this style first as it tends to be the most expensive of all aquarium types. Some excellent examples of custom aquariums can be found on this custom aquarium builder website, Titan Aquatic Exhibits.
Walstad Aquarium
A Walstad aquarium requires the use of foil to grow plants. This style puts more emphasis on building a harmonious ecosystem rather than a full-blown decorated aquarium. This is purely a tank that satisfies your green thumb.
Taiwanese Aquarium
The focal point of this aquarium is the use of terraces and beautiful gardens with an urban or cottage look. This style usually mimics a populated landscape where you can put in a small, cozy brick house in the middle or far left of the aquarium. The key is to blend all the natural decorations with the structures and figurines in your tank.
