Custom Saltwater Aquariums: Aquascaping

The Chinese emperor, Hungwu set up a company that is credited with building the very first aquariums, in 1369 The aquariums Hungwu business design was a little more then porcelain tubs that were then used to house Goldfish. As the years went by, these tubs began declining in size until they bore a strong similarity with the aquariums we know today. Nearly five hundred years later, in 1841, a tropical aquarium was introduced to the world. At the time of its introduction, the toy fish and a few aquatic plants were the only inhabitants.

Today the creation and maintenance of aquariums is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, second only to stamp collecting. It is believed that over sixty million people maintain aquariums in their homes. It is estimated that forty percent of the sixty million are thought to have at least two active tanks.

As individuals become familiar with their aquariums they start too far with aquascaping.

Aquascaping is the process of using driftwood, plants and stones in a pleasant way to customize an individuals saltwater tank.

The first thing to remember when aquascaping your aquarium is that the design you choose must compliment the needs of the fish living in the tank. Before you start, spend some time researching the natural habitat your fish inhabit. You want to design a tank that duplicates their natural environment.

Use of live plants in your aquascaping project will add another dimension to your tank. There is something about the way they live plants floating in the water, which is both soothing and glamorous. On the other side of the fish, especially herbivorous fish that eat the ocean plants can be hard to live plants. If you suspect that a living plant will not survive in your custom saltwater aquarium select the artificial variety. There are more lifelike artificial plants available.

The use of driftwood has become very popular in custom saltwater aquariums. The price of driftwood, it can be very expensive, often causes aquarium owners to head to the beach. If you can find a nice piece of driftwood on the beach not put it in your largest aquarium. First, to put it in your quarantine tank and keep it there for at least two weeks, or until the PH levels in water to match them in your main tank. Be sure to thoroughly clean your driftwood. You may have to use stones to anchor the driftwood to the bottom of your tank.

There are a few things you should consider when you add stone to your aquascaping project. Avoid rocks that have sharp edges and points, fish can slice open their tender underbelly is on the rocks. If you are stacking a group of rocks together to make a cave using an aquarium safe silicon to glue the rocks together, this will prevent rocks to collapse and crush the fish that makes its own cave. Avoid soft rocks, they break down into the water.

Once you've finished customizing your saltwater aquarium, you can enter them in a aquascaping contest.

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