These splendid and enchanted-looking forests were actually underwater landscapes. Aquascaping is a serious art of designing underwater landscapes for fish tanks arranging aquatic plants, rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Some of these aquascapes can take months of preparation.
Those folks engaged in this kind of art then boasts their works by participating in some international aquascaping contests like Russia’s International Planted Aquarium Design Contest and the International Aquascaping Contest hosted by the Houston-based Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA).
While International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest (IAPLC) is the largest aquascaping competition in the world where hobbyists from all over the globe enter. Here are some of the entries:
#1. Charm of Light
By Timucin Sagel of Istanbul, Turkey. A 270-liter tank aged at 5 months.
#2. Forest Morning
By Pavel Bautin of Saint Petersburg, Russia. A 400-liter tank containing 8 types of plants which took 6 months to grow.
#3. Forgotten Forest
By Lukasz Kucharski of Lodz, Poland. A 400 liters tank which took 7 months to completely grow.
#4. Lair Forest
Tibor Szecsei of Nagykőrös, Hungary. A 117 liter tank containing as many as 16 different types of plants which took 7 months to grow.
#5. Looking Up
By Irina Kryshtopa of Alchevsk, Ukraine. A 4-month-old 250 liter tank with an underwater falls.
#6. Mountain Flowers
By Zhenzong Su of China. A 350 liter tank filled with colorful plants.
#7. Pandora
The Land Of Flying Sparks by Marko Velikonja of Slovenia. A 450 liter tank containing small islands made of lava stone and epoxy resin made to appear floating.
#8. Stairway to Heaven
By Timucin Sagel of Istanbul Turkey. A 270 liters tank designed to look like huge rocks on the hills.
#9. Stones Dance
By Alexander Moscalenko of Khartsyzk, Ukraine. A simple 160 liter tank which took 3 months to grow.
#10. The Arms of Naiad
By Laszlo Tart of Herend, Hungary. A 247 liter tank pictured after 1 year of plant growth.
#11. The Green Grand Canyon
By Igor Kapitan of Slovenija. A 63 liter tank designed to look like huge cliffs.
#12. The Mini Mountain Range
By Melinda Koncsik of Nagykőrös, Hungary. A 20 liter tank which took 3 months to completely grow.
#13. The Pillars of Earth
By Pasquale Buonpane of Italy. A 400 liters tank designed with pillars of rock fully grown with aquatic plants.
#14. Way to Heaven
By Dmitriy Parshin of Moscow, Russia. A 600 liter tank which took 9 months of preparation.
#15. Whisper of the Pines
By Serkan Çetinkol of Istanbul, Turkey. A 150 liter tank which took 4 months of growth.
#16. Wild West
By Stjepan Erdeljić of Djakovo, Croatia. A 160 liter tank grown with cactus-like aquatic plants and pictured after 4 months of growth.
The designers of these aquascapes must have endless patience considering the length of time it takes for plants to grow. You will not be able to comprehend the beauty of these underwater landscapes until the plants have fully grown.
