5. Natural Aquarium
A natural-style aquarium is an arrangement directly inspired by nature, an idealistic capture of all its beauty. The father of this style is Takashi Amano, who, in 1980, first presented a tank kept in that spirit, and to this day is an expert in the field. He actually applied a view of the world and aesthetics captured from Japanese culture and art in his projects, summarised in the two words: "wabi sabi". This trend of philosophy mixed with modern style is predominant in natural aquariums.
5.1. Technical Requirements
Unlike Dutch aquariums, here the tank should be fully open - not enclosed and should be made of opti white glass (with reduced iron content). In this case, too, the main emphasis is on the length of the aquarium, rather than its height.
In this style, all aquarium devices should be cleverly camouflaged - both in the aquarium itself and outside of it. The background should be white, blue, or white-blue, placed behind the aquarium. As for the substrate, white, gray, brown, or bluish-black sand or fine gravel of a uniform color - usually brown - is used. An additional fertilization in the form of clay, laterite, garden soil, or suitable mixtures is also used under the substrate.
5.2. Main Principles for Arranging a Natural Aquarium
A natural aquarium is a miniature and idealized piece of natural ecosystem captured within a glass tank. Here, nature itself provides inspiration, but the arrangement is not meant to replicate it, and the layout follows certain rules.
- Firstly:
- capture the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi. This philosophy can be summarised with words such as: harmony, simplicity, minimalism, modesty, asceticism, asymmetry, irregularity, roughness, coarseness, elegance. The composition is dominated primarily by decorative elements in the form of roots, rocks, and stones. Plants and fish are only complements, but they also must be thoughtfully chosen to complete the whole. Our aquarium should give the impression of a painting or a landscape photograph. As for the use of stones, rocks, or roots, it is important that they are natural. Rocks imitating mountains and elevations should be hard, metamorphic or volcanic, with sharp, jagged edges (sharp stone and the soft water surrounding it - complement each other perfectly). The stones, however, should be smooth and rounded. These elements must be placed in the aquarium stably, in such a way that they present the best appearance from every side, and the texture of the rocks (their individual layers) should run in one direction. When arranging their placement, we do not follow symmetry or a straight line. The wabi sabi technique says that rocky/stone compositions should consist of 2, 3, 5, or 7 elements. Three elements are most often used. And here we have several layouts to choose from: a tall vertical rock and two smaller ones, a tall vertical rock with two slanted ones, a tall vertical rock with two laid horizontally, or one tall rock, one horizontal, one slanted. All these rocks should differ in size, shape, and color (only slightly, avoiding rocks in bright, contrasting colors - they distract and scatter the viewer's attention). The entire layout should be balanced - we avoid the dominance of just one element. Sometimes the placement of individual boulders or stones is additionally used.
- Secondly:
- application of the rule of thirds. The rule is to divide the image into three equal parts vertically and horizontally - we then have two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. These lines intersect at four points, called "focal points" or so-called "strong points of the image." This is where the viewer's gaze naturally rests first - an unconditional phenomenon. Similar to the arrangement of Dutch tanks, this principle is also used here. The difference, however, is that only 1 point and 1 main element are utilized.
- Thirdly:
- developing depth and perspective. To enhance the depth of the image, the arrangement is usually enclosed in one of the three substrate shapes. The first is concave - it resembles a basin or valley, with sides piled high and a low center. The second is convex - it resembles a hill, with sides piled low and a high center. The third is in the shape of a right triangle - it resembles the slope of a hill, where the substrate's height decreases or increases in a terraced manner, from one end to the other. Of course, the substrate is not evenly piled. Various terraces are used - both those made from the substrate and those arranged on decorative elements (roots or stones covered with plants, mosses, etc.). In the first case, we will have the impression of observing undulating valleys/hills; in the second, cliffs and precipices. Sometimes to strengthen the effect of perspective, a large element is placed in the foreground, while smaller ones, seemingly much further away, are placed in the background. An alley or path can also be created using the substrate. We should not be afraid to place our decorative elements horizontally or slantedly, thus creating right angles.
- Fourthly:
- fish and plants. Remember that they complement our arrangement. In the case of fish, we choose one schooling species (minimum 15-20 individuals). As for plants - we use only green species. It should be remembered that plants are not the main theme, so their quantity is limited to a few species. Here, unlike the Dutch style, the same species can be used in different parts of the tank. Predominantly low plants are used, but this is not a rule. The rule is that they should be carefully pruned and shaped in such a way as to allow the creation of additional shadows and reflections from the water's surface. If, however, we decide to prune the plants into a specific shape, it is usually in the shape of a ball or wave. These shapes, however, should be natural and should create smooth transitions between the individual elements of our aquarium decor.
The entire natural-style arrangement aims to present the viewer with a decor that is fully balanced between its individual components: layout, plants, and fish. Such an aquarium should primarily soothe the soul and relax the mind of the viewer, while simultaneously surprising and continuously attracting the gaze.
English
Spain
Deutsch