# Killies Import > Planted Tanks >  Sticks and Stones, and Aesthetics in Planted Tanks

## whuntley

Hi, 

Am I the only one to notice how different regions evolve different styles for decorating and planting their aquaria? 

The availability of lovely mosses and wood tends to make many oriental tanks very different from earlier American tanks that were developed more around rocks and bold specimen plants like swords and Anubias. 

Amano-san seems to follow a pattern of trying to imitate nature with heavy use of driftwood, moss and bunch plants. Only a few, well-placed rocks are to be found in his tanks. This has strongly influenced design in many parts of the world, but I tend to think of it as an essentially oriental style. 

The Dutch seem to go for more formal designs, but with an "overgrown" look dominating to the point that shapes and structure almost disappear. That, too has been imitated here. It has reached a highly structured form, since planted-tank judging and contests have been a part of the Dutch scene for so long. 

The Germans seem to go for little tanks with very little light, a wad of moss and bare bottoms or peat. It may harken back to their WWII days of being "kitchen breeders." :-) [I'm sure there are lovely display tanks in Germany. I have been too influenced by contact with mostly killy breeders.  ::smt021:  ]

As I get ready to set up some display tanks, I have been thinking about what I want. My first exposure to aquatic landscaping was about 50 years ago, and I was very taken with the rock walls, Anubias growing attached to them and strong vertical contrast with tall vals that reached and floated across the surface. They often had an off-center "centerpiece" of a large Amazon Sword, o/e. 

Those tanks had a lot of open space, as they were aimed at providing a setting for the fish, more than as an aquatic garden. I think that is what I wish to do. 

I have no real driftwood here, unless I buy the ultra-expensive fish store stuff or get it mail order with expensive shipping from FL. OTOH, I have an unlimited supply of mostly metamorphic rocks that are interesting, colorful, and free. I pick up a few from fist to coconut size on many of my hikes. Most are quite insoluble, and should be very safe in the aquarium. I do soak them in my outdoor green water tub to be sure no surface solubles are left. 

If I want to build a shale wall stack, I may soak those in pool acid to be sure they are feldspar o/e and contain no limestone. 

I don't want to go really high light or CO2 injection, at first. BTDTBTWW! 

LMK what you think and give me any hints or suggestions that may lead me down interesting paths. What do *you* like to see when you encounter a new and interesting tank? Fish, Plants, or a storybook scene with ceramic castles? Mermaid sculptures? [Flame shield just went up!]

Wright

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## Slaigar

I personally like the overgrown look of Dutch aquariums. The lush jungle-esque look has always had my attention. Just recently I got into nano tanks and I love them too. The more plants jammed into the small area, the better it is  :Very Happy:  ! As much as I like the Amano style, it does not fit me. I have too many species, but not enough in quantity! Because of lack of cash, I do not go for CO2(or Canister filters...), but I do have pretty good lights.

I am not too fond of stem plants. They can get tiresome to maintain, so I only keep a few. Though, I must say that there are some gorgeous stem plants species like _Pogostemon stellata_, the various _Limnophila species_ and _Ludwigia species_.

What I love too see in planted tanks are good backdrops, be they a wall of plants/moss or an airbrushed background. I just do not like seeing beyond aquarium.

Driftwood around here is expensive as well. Instead I use petrified wood which I bought cheaply at a rock convention. The ones I have look nothing like driftwood but resembles something more like a rocky cliffside.

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## checkerboard

I personally have tried various forms of aquascaping, Dutch, Amano, Taiwanese etc. Personally, I find that each has an appeal to different individuals.

while Amano emphasized on mimicking nature and simplicity, it sacrifices on several other factors that render it unsuitable or unappealing to others. for instance: simplicity results in lesser variety of plants in a tank, which many new, enthuasiatic planters may find difficulty adhering to this principle. Even I myself who have been in this hobby for around 7 years find it difficult to resist adding new variety of plants from the market.

also, some people equates nature to the "wild" look, which will put off people who likes their tanks to look like tidy gardens. This brings me to the point of the Dutch and Taiwanese scapes.

While these scapes tend to be vibrant in colours, neat and tidy, many find it a chore to maintain the sculptured looked of the garden. Hence, it puts off many busy people. Also, the scape tends to look very deliberate, plants are carefully placed for colour and leaf contrast, which is not "natural".

The purist will always also argue for Biotope tanks where the plants and critters should come from the same eco-system.

Singaporeans are blessed in the sense that we have easy access to rocks, driftwood and sticks and we can try put different scapes. I do not think that there is any prevalent style that we favor.

As I get more into the hobby, (and more busy with work), I find myself tending naturally to low maintenance "natural" scapes dare I say like those of Amano's where moss on wood, rocks, nanas and hairgrass are staples. But there remain a yearning in me that wants to re-play the challenges of keeping a Dutch aquarium.

This is really a hobby where each can have their own preferences and discuss about the different styles, which is why we are all here! :wink:
I am learning to appreciate different kind of scapes and really at the end of the day, it is what fits your requirement best, in terms of time and effort, the restrictions you face (eg. expensive wood). So maybe the regional design evolution can be down to restrictions faced in each region. maybe that is why singapore has not developed a distinctive style cause we are not "forced by circumstances". :wink:

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## FC

Yew Kiat,

You said it all. I am the busy (or lazy?) lately, so I thought I should go for low maintenance style. However, contradict to what I wanted, at times, I miss pruning the plants and those garden-like aquascape I used to have.

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## timebomb

Actually, there are only 2 types of aquascape - a nice one and a not so nice one  :Laughing: .

But seriously, it takes tremendous discipline to set up and maintain an Amano tank. I should know. I've been wanting to do it for years but never had the discipline to do it. The last time I came close to something like an Amano setup was when I had the Erect Moss with Hairgrass in my big tank. That looked good for a while until the BBA took over  :Sad:  

Madan who was here in Singapore then thought I had an award-winning tank but it couldn't last. I tried to get rid of the BBA by trimming the Hairgrass but it messed up everything instead. Here's a picture of the tank before it lost its glory.



Ever since I had the chiller, I've been thinking about doing a complete revamp to the aquascape in the tank. But I have difficulties making up my mind. I want something zen-like but I have so many different Mosses I don't know how I can showcase all of them without messing up the overall look. There's also the Downoi which is such a beautiful plant I must have it in my tank. And also the Narrow Leaf Java Ferns which look so nice. And I've been thinking about adding a Madagascar Lace since the temp is so low now. And the Nymphaea Red which I think will add a dash of colour. 

I thought about getting several pieces of small driftwoods and tie to each one a species of moss. I have about 8 species so it's going to be one crowded tank. Whatever it is, it's not going to look like an Amano tank for sure  :Laughing: 

Loh K L

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## Piscesgirl

KL -- that is (was) a very nice tank! Quite serene.


I can't say what tanks I prefer absolutely in terms of aesthetics -- they all have their beauty and place (the nicely done ones of any style). As a general rule, I like the colorful ones with well-placed red plants that are more bright -- but then again, a nice serene one like KL's is also very appealing. Plus, my tastes change over time.

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## TyroneGenade

Can't say I'm really picky. I like lots of plants and lots of small fish. I'm fond of crypts, hygrophylia, jave fern and moss. I never really have much luck with Amazons...

tt4n

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## ruyle

> I never really have much luck with Amazons...


Tyrone, I hope you take this as a constructive suggestion: perhaps you
need to date women that are shorter than you.  :Laughing:  Just teasing! :wink: 

KL, great looking tank! Can't wait to see your "cooler" choices in plants :wink:

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## tsunami

Ok, pictures are really necessary to illustrate all these styles.  :Very Happy:  

Dutch, the REAL Dutch tanks:



Amano:



Taiwan:


Biotope, don't forget:


Enjoy,

Carlos

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## TyroneGenade

Bluddy hell! That Taiwan tank is out of this world! It looks like a little garden in the back of some Zen Buddist's house.

Wow!!!

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