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.

Mysterious by humans for centuries

Many of us go for a walk in the mountains to find solitude. But as the following pictures show, it could be a bit creepy – the mountain itself might be watching. Mountain faces are not only beautiful, but have been regarded as something mysterious by humans for centuries. As a result, there are many legends entwined around them.

One such popular legend is that of Lover’s Rock in Antequera in Andalusia, Spain. The hillock resembles a face lying down and is said to be that of an Indian warrior. According to the legend, the mountain witnessed the tragic love affair between a young Christian man from Antequera and a young woman from Africa. Because of their different religions, society did not tolerate their love. With troops on their heels, the couple is said to have fled to the mountain where they threw themselves off in a loving embrace rather than spend a lifetime without each other.

Image: Mountainus7

This is Mount Yiouktas in Heraklion, Crete. The Greek head of the gods, Zeus, is supposed to have been born on Crete and as legend has it, also died there, leaving his profile imprinted on the mountain as a mythical tomb.

Image: Pavaan Solanki

This astonishingly real looking mountain face is located in Junagadh in Gujarat, India. The mountain is also known as Girnar Hill and is here seen from Bhavnath Temple. The photographer cheated a bit by turning the picture by 90 degrees, but the result is stunning. The five peaks of the mountain range are each adorned by intricately carved stone temples. As a pilgrimage, Hindus and Jains climb from peak to peak (around 8,000 steps). Legend has it that climbing Girnar barefoot will earn the pilgrim a place in heaven.
Image: Christopher Fay

Now, leaving the legends, this awesome mountain face includes a whole mountain range and numerous fir trees. Unfortunately, Florida-based photographer Christopher Fay did not include any information about the location. Maybe someone will recognize it. What does the face remind you of, is it more Yoda or Gremlins?

Image: Manos2036

This is another mountain showing a face in profile, also on Crete. It looks similar to Picture 2 but look at that nose and the elegant forehead! Crete seems laden with legends, but we knew that already from reading Greek mythology.

Image: Daoi

Here, the snow on this mountain in Iceland contributes in forming a rather grumpy looking face. No wonder mountaineers talk about the ‘north face’ of a mountain.

Image: Shea Photography

The guard of this mountain seems to have been immortalized as a face jutting out of the mountain. No wonder it was popularly known as the ‘Old Man of the Mountain’. This rock face could be found in Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire until May 2003. Then, after hanging around for 12,000 years, the whole face fell off, just like that.

Image: Kostas Pagiamtzis

This rock face in Kings Canyon National Park in California does not look that extraordinary but if you look really closely, on top of the green moustache, huge nose and sleeping eyes, there seems to be a third eye, making him a cyclops!

Image: Rudolf Henning

In this picture of Lookout Mountain in Rock City, GA, the top of the mountain seems to be the headgear for the face underneath. Gives the term stone faced a whole new meaning.

Image: kthschsslr

This mountain top in Estes Park, Colorado does not only have a face, but doesn’t the top part going to the right look like a howling bear? Or maybe one starts seeing hidden faces and animals everywhere after looking at too many rock faces…

Forex Update :-
US Dollar Forecast for Recovery Will be Put to the Test

The US Dollar finished the week higher against the Euro and other key counterparts, but a sharply disappointing Nonfarm Payrolls report nearly derailed the nascent Greenback recovery through Friday’s close. The trade-weighted US Dollar Index hit fresh monthly highs near 77.50 just ahead of the release. Immediate declines in the US S&P 500 initially sent the dollar higher, but markets clearly expressed their displeasure with the worse-than-expected payrolls release and sold USD through in subsequent trading. Sudden USD losses complicate our otherwise bullish near-term Dollar forecast, but we continue to forecast further Greenback recovery through near-term trade. Comparatively limited event risk in the days ahead has left volatility expectations lower, but flare-ups in financial market tensions could nonetheless force major moves across USD currency pairs.

Earlier in the week we argued that the US Dollar set an important bottom against the Euro on fairly clear sentiment extremes. US CFTC Commitment of Traders data shows that Non-Commercial traders—a group mostly comprised of hedge funds and other large speculators—remained the most net-long the Euro/US Dollar since it traded near 1.6000 in early 2008. Though sentiment can and does remain extreme for extended periods of time, early signs of EURUSD reversal support our calls for a broader US Dollar reversal. Strong correlations between the US Dollar and key risky asset classes nonetheless leave the currency at the throes of the recent upheaval in the S&P 500. It will subsequently be critical to watch for any signs that the recent equity market tumble is the start of a larger decline.

US Dollar traders should almost certainly keep an eye out for abrupt shifts in risk sentiment, but a relatively empty US economic calendar leaves limited scope for major day-to-day shifts. The notable exception is Monday’s US ISM Non-Manufacturing report, which will shed further light on the state of the domestic services industry. According to 2008 estimates, the Services industry accounts for nearly 80 percent of US GDP. Suffice it to say, any noteworthy surprises in the highly-anticipated report could force major moves in the US Dollar and broader financial markets. Indeed, the ISM Non-Manufacturing survey tends to be one of the most market-moving events on release.