The 'art' of
fishkeeping is in turning your tank from a glass box with water and fish into
an attractive feature which you and your fish can enjoy.
I've covered different biotopes like river tanks,
planted tanks etc. elsewhere in the site, here I'll give you a few ideas on how
to produce attractive biotopes.
Golden Mean | Diagonals | Triangles | Corners
The golden mean is
an art classic. If you divide a line so that the proportion of the smaller part
to the larger is 1:1.68 then the proportion of the larger part to the whole
will also be 1:1.68. Get out your calculators! In actual fact all this works
out at between 1/3 and 3/5. These points on the line are the main focus points
and are the ideal place to put your main decor items like rock, wood or that
really impressive plant. This off-centre placement is much more pleasing to the
eye and much more natural looking. The Mona Lisa's face and the wagon in
Constable's Haywain sit on the golden mean - if it works for them...
Diagonals
Diagonal
lines give a picture or a tank flow and direction. They lead the eye from the
back to the front and from top to bottom. Where the diagonals cross the golden
mean gives a useful guide for the height of the focus points in your tank.
Triangles make very
effective arrangements in a picture or an aquarium. They balance a composition
and help to contain the picture. They also help convey a feeling of
perspective. When a tank is filled with water it will appear foreshortened i.e.
less deep, so using the decor to introduce an exaggerated perspective will help
to reduce this effect.
Two
obvious points in an empty aquarium are the back corners. Due to the effects of
perspective, they will always be visible through the front of the tank and the
foreshortening caused by the water only emphasises this. Building the decor in
a diagonal from one corner can produce a very pleasing aquascape.
Now to start
applying all this. In planted aquariums place focal points of wood or rock in
the tank. Wood and stone, being natural materials , do not come in convenient
sized or shaped pieces. You will need to look through what is available to find
your ideal shape and size. It is often easier to select several smaller pieces
and build up the appropriate focal point.
Start planting
around this focus. Start with smaller plants at the front of the aquarium. Use
the areas defined by your wood or rock to group plants together. Groups of
single species look best together, rather than mixtures of different plants
scattered around.