Sunday 25 November 2012

Introduction

Hello, My name is Richard and I am from Ashford in Kent. 

The purpose of my blog will be to form a journal of my progress within a hobby of mine which I have been slowly learning and developing for years. This hobby is Aquascaping, this is set to me my first respectable effort.

For those of you who may not know, Aquascaping is the keeping of fish and aquatic plants in an aquarium, however, In contrast to your usual family tank containing sunken ships and plastic plants, there is a lot more attention to detail and artistic technique involved. The results are extremely rewarding!

There are many forms of Aquascape style. To name a few;


Nature
- Simplistic and Natural, a mix of wood, rock and plants to give an aquarium that appears that it has been cut straight from a natural watercourse
Dutch - Contains a dense collections of vibrant plants all planted in groups with no hardscape involved
Iwagumi - Rock formations are the main focus, with plants surrounding them. Iwagumi styles are often captured from rocky and grassy landscapes.
German - A mix of immersed and submersed plants 

I have opted for the Iwagumi Style which is simply stunning in most cases. An example of a very inspiring scape is that of George Farmer pictured below. A lot of work goes into creating an Aquascape and although I finally feel that I have enough knowledge to have a go, I am certainly not expecting an easy ride! If I can create an aquarium as beautiful as this example, I will be a very happy man!



Before I begin, I would like to thank everyone at the online UKAPS Forums for the invaluable advice and guidance that I have been given over the years.

I would also like to thank a few Aquascaping icons! There are many artists that have inspired me but George Farmer and James Starr-Marshall have to be two of the most influential. Watching these guys at work, both online and at various exhibitions has left me well and truly addicted to the hobby! Thanks Guys!

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