What is' aquascaping? = Aquatic landscape water landscape.
The technique to create aquariums pleasing to the eye because they recreate natural landscapes in the tank. The idea is to decorate the inside of the aquarium so that it is pleasing to the eye and not just a mess of fish and plants, as can be healthy. It means creating BEAUTIFUL aquariums, that strike the eye and can eventually become an item of furniture in any home, medical office, hotel or restaurant, where the fish live well and healthy.
I can not write a manual about it, because frankly I know too little, and I have little practice, however, some element I think I can give, as a starting point to explore or just to watch your aquarium, freshwater Salara, with eyes different.

Once, many years ago, there was talk of Dutch aquariums, that is chock-full of plants, often harbored even large fish (angelfish or discus, for example). They were very nice compared to the average of the aquarium that could be seen in magazines and shops in the street, rich in all shades of green, but today those pictures seem chaotic, too stressful for the eyes too full of different elements, plants, logs , rocks, fish. Today we seek, or at least some people try to create landscapes that make sense, respecting the proportions of nature, what we see in the most beautiful nature photos and the best documentaries.

Dutch Aquarium:

Natural aquarium:

And many more can be found, for example, inside the gallery of the famous AGA contest ( photo 2007, medium-sized aquariums )

Indeed, we can use the parts that used in any aquarium, that is, plants, driftwood, rocks or stones to create the landscape scale, that is, landscapes that are harmonious and proportionate. As a standard will imagine that the aquarium is positioned with the front glass in front of the observer, ie the glass longer. Aquariums with function of partitions or "peninsula", ie with 2 or 3 sides perfectly visible, are particularly difficult to "draw "and then decorate. You will find difficulty with layout tropical freshwater aquariums, marine aquariums as well, with more than one side offered as the main view to the observer.
Should be avoided absolutely positioned items of furniture in an unsafe manner, which can slip or fall over each other, materials or adhesives or dyes that can intoxicate fish. In short, the aesthetic function should NEVER endanger the lives of the inhabitants of the aquarium.

1. Imagination is the key to everything. Only by imagining a natural environment or watching from life or photograph a natural environment, we think of our layout in the aquarium. We must think of the elements that we use, we have or we can arrange easily and then "knead" to adapt the environment to recreate. It is said that it should be identical, we will also make one small part, but the important thing is that the design, make that, the "sense" the total is the same.
2. Proportions: Use objects, plants, fish and invertebrates that are "in proportion" to each other.
   This point is perhaps more difficult, but also very important. If you ever wondered why many of the finest aquariums you have ever seen in photos on the Internet that the fish are almost always small and in the bunch ... Proportions are the answer. In fact, a small fish makes everything look bigger: a rock like a mountain, a tree trunk, a root of a hill, so it's a little plant grass or thick brush.
   So also in the choice of plants, noting the size of the leaves. Better to have very small leaves near big as those of Echonodorus sheet, rather than 5 plants with leaves of all sizes.
3. Depth: because spaces filled and empty spaces, colors, lines and curves help to create different depths. The actual depth of the aquarium remains the same ... but is perceived in different ways.
   Can be used some or even all the elements listed below
   1. Background: Use a color that hides the rear glass of the aquarium and uniforms. Usually used black, blue and light blue, and even white, you can also find in the market of plastic gradient, for example, that go from deep blue at the bottom, the light blue at the top. This gradient increases the sense of depth and the similarity in the colors of the sky.
   2. forward tilt of the substrate (the bottom, fertile or less), that is to always have a higher background behind and lower in the front, preferably with non-uniform height from left to right, that is, which has the gradients, although mentioned. We can go from a minimum of 10 and 5 cm behind the front, stands with up to 30-40 cm in height back, if for example we have an aquarium at least 50 cm deep.
      The higher we can keep the bottom ... basically, the higher the sense of depth.
   3. diagonal curve, created with rocks (much better if all of the same type), with rocks, plants, or with empty spaces where you can see only the sandy substrate or of a light color, which detaches from the rest of the environment. The lines invite the eye to follow them ... is inevitable.
4. Points of interest
   1. Better to create only one, so that the gaze dwell there, without wandering everywhere, on many items.
      Even an aquarium with 5 rocks and an expanse of low plants, such as a lawn, can not distribute the attention of all five stones. These must have a "sense", an order, a hierarchy, a single point of attraction for the eye.
   2. red plants
      They are a powerful attraction for the eye, the most widely used and easier to maintain in the aquarium are probably: Alternanthera Reineckii, Rotala wallichii and the arcuate Ludwigia.
   3. rocks strange, colorful, isolated from the rest of the furniture

How many aquariums would put you in a photo gallery of Takashi Amano?
Tens?
Only ten?
Perhaps the hundreds I could get there ...
Because I'm lazy ... but I prefer to show only my personal, subjective, particular, limited selection of photos of aquariums in the "master", known worldwide for its "natural aquarium" by the timeless beauty, fashion and sometimes without with little respect for the fish that live there ... let's face it!

And do not let a weekend without meditating somewhere in your home or distortion of the "glass walls", I present a nice zip file containing some PDF files full of pictures, details, descriptions, step-by-step: they are setting up an aquarium according to ADA , then the second Master of natur-aquariums Takashi Amano.

Funny video with the animation of the first weeks of life of a small freshwater aquarium. It's not my aquarium, explain quickly ... unfortunately with a child of 2.5 years in a tray so light would fly home to the ground within 3 days of onset in the living room!

There being no fish aquarium is less than usual, but is in fact a micro tank and planted with some elements of aquascaping, ie research of the natural landscape in the aquarium.

Small, cute, simple, affordable, short to see!