The nature style aquascape is a new kind of aquascaping by comparison to some of the older styles, such as the Dutch style, which has become popular since the 1990s. It’s creation can be traced to a Japanese man, Takashi Amano, who has become regarded as possibly the most influential aquascaper in the world.
Perhaps the biggest attraction to this kind of aquascaping is that the focus can be said to be regarded to be far more minimalistic than that other others styles. Taking Dutch as a comparison, plants are often arranged in a way that hides aquarium equipment and often involves many different and contrasting species. On the other hand, the natural style aquascape is an attempt to mimic natural landscapes, often using only a few species of plants. This in particularly is especially helpful to the less confident or experienced hobbyists.
Natural aquascaping is governed by a handful of principles in its mimicry of natural environments. Asymmetrical arrangements of plants are accompanied by carefully placed rocks, stones or driftwood. The Iwagumi system sets a series of rules which govern rock placement, where the main stone of the aquarium is located to the left or right of the aquarium’s center. Plants with small leaves are often prominently displayed in this kind of tank and Java Moss, which is a good addition due to its ease of growth, is quite common. Freshwater shrimp and fish are frequently used to contrast the hardscape and to control algae.
Relative to other styles of Aquascaping, the natural style is far simpler to achieve aesthetically pleasing results. One positive effect of this is that it allows people who are not very confident or experienced with growing plants to experiment and gain experience. Research into any combination of plants and fish used in any aquascape should be thorough to prevent problems down the road and maximise the results from the aquarium. Ideally, all organisms kept in the aquarium will have the same needs where lighting, nutrients, heating and other aspects of water chemistry is concerned.
If you are new to aquascaping or simply wish to try another style of aquascaping, the natural style is a good choice. It offers a simple yet powerful way of presenting an aquarium which may allow you to gain the growing experience to move onto other kinds of aquascaping. You will find the natural style particularly pleasing if you wish to prominently display a rocky background to your planted tank.
