The coolest Aqua Forest aquarium with healthy plants and happy fish

Aquascaping styles

Dutch style aquascapes

The Dutch aquarium follows an orderly, often symmetrical arrangement, in which multiple types of plants having diverse leaf colors, sizes and textures are displayed much as terrestrial plants are shown in a flower garden. This style was developed in the Netherlands starting in the 1930’s, as freshwater aquarium equipment became commercially available. It emphasizes plants located on terraces of different heights, and frequently omits rocks and driftwood. Linear rows of plants running left-to-right are referred to as “Dutch streets.” Tall growing plants that cover the back glass originally served the purpose of hiding bulky equipment in the tank.

Nature style aquascapes

A contrasting approach is the nature or Japanese style, introduced in the 1990’s by Takashi Amano. Amano’s three-volume series, Nature Aquarium World, sparked a wave of interest in aquarium gardening, and he has been regarded as quite possibly the most influential aquascaper in the world. Amano’s compositions draw on Japanese gardening techniques that attempt to mimic natural landscapes by the asymmetrical arrangement of masses of relatively few species of plants, and carefully selected stones or driftwood. The objective is to evoke a landscape in miniature, rather than a colorful garden. This style draws particularly from the Japanese aesthetic concepts of Wabi-sabi, which focuses on transience and minimalism, and Iwagumi, which governs rock placement. Plants with small leaves are usually emphasized, with more limited colors than in the Dutch style, and fish or freshwater shrimp are usually selected to complement the plants and control algae.

Biotopes

The styles above often combine plant and animal species based on the desired visual impact, without regard to geographic origin. Biotope aquascapes are designed instead to replicate exactly a particular aquatic habitat at a particular geographic location, and not necessarily to provide a garden-like display. Plants and fish need not be present, but if they are, they as well as any gravel and hardscape must match what would be found in nature in the habitat being represented.

Paludariums

In a paludarium, part of the aquarium is underwater, and part is above water. This allows plants to grow emersed, with their roots underwater but their tops in the air, as well as completely submersed.

Saltwater reefs

Dutch and nature style aquascapes are traditionally freshwater systems. In contrast, relatively few ornamental plants can be grown in a saltwater aquarium. Saltwater aquascaping typically centers on mimicking a reef. An arrangement of live rock forms the main structure of this aquascape, and it is populated by corals and other marine invertebrates as well as coralline algae, which together serve much the same aesthetic role as freshwater plants.

Forex Update :-
Pound at 5-month low against US Dollar

The pound is currently headed for a third straight weekly decline against the greenback, as comments from the Bank of England undermine the UK currency.

Duncan Higgins, Senior Analyst at Caxton FX says: "It's all the more surprising that Cable is currently at its lowest point since May because the dollar has been comparatively weak recently. Positive economic data from around the world has supported a strong rise in risk appetite in the market, which has taken its toll on haven currencies.

"In particular, the higher-yielding Aussie and kiwi dollar has risen sharply and the Euro too has been trading at year highs. Demand for the pound however has been severely shaken in the wake of leading Bank of England officials announcing their support of a weak pound. Cable has fallen in value by 6.5%, from highs of near $1.70, in early August to current trading levels of below $1.59."

Later today, US non-farm payrolls data will be released, which is set to add further pressure to the struggling pound. A forecast survey earlier in the week predicted only a slight decrease in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, and more recent speculation has suggested that the overall jobless rate in the US could rise to a 26-year high of 9.8%. Amid concern that the dollar is too weak at the moment, this data is likely to lead the pound even lower over the short term, with the price possibly heading down towards 1.57 next week.