Dutch Aquarium

4. Dutch Aquarium

The Dutch aquarium is one of the styles of tank layout. This technique involves creating something akin to an underwater garden, where the main focus is on live plants, and the fish are merely an addition.

4.1. A Short History of the Dutch Style

This is one of the oldest styles of aquarium decoration and originated in the Netherlands, where in 1930, the Dutch Aquarists Association was established. Its main goal was to promote aquaristics through appropriate publications. As a result, the first plant-oriented tanks were created, and this technique became more widely spread. The rapid popularity of this type of tank led to the publication of a bulletin with strict guidelines necessary to create a Dutch aquarium in 1956. In 1964, the first contest for the most beautiful Dutch aquarium was held. Nowadays, the tradition of contests is still practiced within NBAT (Nederlandse Bond Aqua Terra) - an organization that brings together about 110 aquarium associations in the country. The contest is multi-stage and includes the following categories: freshwater (community aquarium, planted aquarium with animals, species aquarium), seawater (community aquarium, species aquarium), terrarium (community and species), and pond (community, plant-animal, species).

4.2. Technical Requirements for Dutch Tanks

Typical Dutch aquariums are characterized by being tightly enclosed with a wooden cabinet so that only the front glass is visible (this additionally emphasizes the depth). All technical elements are hidden - located in the cabinet below, enclosed from the top (e.g., lighting) or cleverly concealed within the tank.

Concerning technical devices and equipment, the following are commonly used:

• filter - most often these are canister filters or sumps; the inflow and outflow from the filter should be invisible,
• heater - any type of heater we use should be out of sight,
• lighting - fluorescent T8 or T5 bulbs are usually used,
• additional CO2 fertilization,
• aquarium - here, primarily the length is important, not height; standard size is considered to be tanks with dimensions of 200x50x50,
• background - the rear and side walls should be lined/covered from the inside with a uniform, natural background, preferably in brown or black (Juwel backgrounds or natural cork work well), the background also plays an additional role - to facilitate the arrangement of plants by attaching them to the background,
• substrate - the substrate most often consists of sand or fine gravel, under which additional fertilization is used (clay, laterite, garden soil or appropriate mixtures), the substrate must be in a natural, subdued color and the layer at the front glass should not be too thick.

4.3. Main Guidelines for Dutch Aquarium Layout

The main assumptions of a Dutch-style aquarium layout are diversity, contrast in texture, structure, height of plants, color of their leaves with the use of perspective, several planes, symmetry, highlighting the greatest depth possible. In other words, everything should harmoniously complement each other and match. The arrangement depends on the author's imagination; however, it is subject to strict rules.

Firstly:

the number of plant species. It is assumed that for every 10cm of tank length, we should plant only one, specific species. Thus, a 150cm long tank should not contain more than 15 plant species. At the same time, it is important to remember that plants are grouped (planted in groups), and individual species may be introduced only in one place in our tank. The exception is mosses (e.g., java moss) and feather leaf fern, used to fill in any gaps or cover the decorative elements used. It is also important that groups of individual species are not too close to each other (do not overlap each other). An ideal situation is to have gaps between them the width of a finger.

Secondly:

In general planning of composition and layout, we use the rule of thirds. This rule is widely used in the world of art, e.g., painting, architecture, photography and even cinematography. It involves dividing the image into 3 equal parts vertically and horizontally - we then have two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. These lines intersect at four points called "focus points" or so-called "strong points of the image." The observer's gaze stops at these points first - and this is a natural, almost unconditional phenomenon. In the case of arranging a Dutch aquarium, however, we use only 2 such points and to enhance the depth effect of the image these will be: the most protruding point at the front and the most protruding point at the back, placed diagonally. In other words, the rule of thirds is applied in three dimensions. These points should contain the strongest elements of the composition, such as eye-catching plants (large, spreading species), red plants, an additional decorative element in the form of a root or stone protruding from under mosses and ferns or the end of a created alley with plants. Thanks to this, we obtain an image with high aesthetic values and harmonious consistency.

Thirdly:

Variability. We never place two similar species of plants next to each other. Species must differ in color, leaf shape and texture, and height. It is not permissible to plant next to each other, for example, a plant with orange or brown leaves and a plant with red leaves. Placing, for example, two fine-leaved species next to each other is also not allowed. The difference in height should be significant - not 1-2cm.

Fourthly:

Bringing out the depth of the image and perspective. There are several tricks used for this purpose. One of them is creating from plants something in the form of an alley (often called "Leyden alley") - wide at the front and narrowing to the back. Good effects are achieved when the alley is not straight but bends arcuately and its end hides/disappears behind a group of plants. It is also important to consider a slight increase in the height of the plants (the alley cannot stretch out flat). Another way to bring out depth is to leave a little space between the individual groups of plants, especially in the background, so that the background is visible. Also, placing plants in the front corners of the tank, which grow to the surface and slightly bend over it, increases the depth of the image. We then deal with a specific curtain surrounding our aquarium. The use of an additional decorative element (root, stone or rock) is also a good solution. However, the number of these elements is limited to a minimum, which in practice means that it may appear in the arrangement only once and must not dominate. Such an element should always be covered with moss or ferns. In Dutch aquariums, terraces are also used. However, in this case, we do not use a substrate that gradually increases its thickness towards the back. Here, terraces are usually arranged with pieces of wood to which individual plant species are attached, in such a way that the "bearer material" is not visible.

Fifthly:

Fish. It should be remembered that fish are only an addition, a complement. Therefore, we select them in such a way that they do not attract all the attention. They should not dominate. Depending on the size of the aquarium, we choose only one species of fish swimming in the entire water column, in a group of at least 12 pieces (the larger the school, the better) or fish swimming in three water zones: in the upper parts, in the open space, and at the bottom (here, too, these should be schooling species). You can also add shrimp, an algae eater, or dwarf cichlids. However, the aquarium should not give the impression of being overcrowded and emphasis should be placed on the compatibility of species.

4.4. Plants Used in Dutch Aquariums Layout

In Dutch aquariums, about 80% of the substrate area should be planted. The most common plant species used for these types of arrangements are stem plants. Alleys are usually created from low species, with a subtle color. They include: low varieties of temple plant (Hygrophila Corymbosa), water wisteria (Hygrophila Difformis), cardinal plant (Lobelia Cardinalis), lizard tail (Saururus Cernuus), pygmy chain sword (Echinodorus tenellus), Staurogyne Repens. Species that look good in the foreground are: wendt's crypt (Cryptocoryne Wendtii), beckett's crypt (Cryptocoryne Beckettii), walker's crypt (Cryptocoryne Walkerii), Cryptocoryne Lucens, Cryptocoryne Lutea, star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia), water star (Pogostemon Helferi), Pogostemon Erectus. The middle plane is well arranged using: alternanthera reineckii, copperleaf (Ammannia Senegalensis), ammannia gracilis, dwarf rotala (Rotala Rotundifolia), ludwigia arcuata, ludwigia glandulosa, ludwigia brevipes. While species attracting attention include: limnophila water (Limnophila Aquatica), temple plant (Hygrophila Corymbosa), amazon sword (Echinodorus Amazonicus), Egyptian lotus (Nymphaea Lotus), twisted vallisneria (Aponogeton Rigidifolius), and boivinianus (Aponogeton Boivinianus). However, it should be remembered that we should choose only one attention-grabbing species in the entire layout, and "red" plants are used very sparingly.

When designing an underwater garden in the Dutch style, it is important to remember that a good layout provides the opportunity to admire it from different perspectives, from different angles (from the left or right side, from the front). It is also important to keep in mind that the whole must be in good condition, properly trimmed, neat and organized, and creating and maintaining such a style is not an easy and quick task.