Homemade aquariums – available to everyone: a do-it-yourself aquarium at home: how to make glass, how to glue, video

Reliable and beautiful aquarium at home with your own hands

An aquarium in its traditional form seems to be a simple construction until you calculate how much force will press on the glass. Nevertheless, everyone can make an aquarium with their own hands. In addition, this will allow you to create not the usual rectangular container, but a more complex one that meets the wishes of the owner. To do this, it is enough to know some of the nuances and follow the algorithm exactly. An aquarium is made from glass cuts, which are connected by means of one or another adhesive composition. When choosing materials and decorative elements, you should always remember that they will come into contact with water and may be harmful to fish and plants..

Preparation for work

The question of how to make an aquarium at home is best considered later, as aquarists face other challenges first. These include buying everything necessary for the operation, choosing the best materials for creating a house for fish, as well as determining its optimal shape and size..

The most common forms

Aquariums are:

rectangular;
round;
angular;
panoramic.

A round aquarium is very aesthetic and will fit well into the interior, but without special equipment and glassblowing skills at home, it will hardly be possible to make it. Corner and panoramic aquariums in the manufacture require considerable experience in the creation of frame elements and work with glass. Therefore, if you are not a pro at all, but decided to make your first aquarium, it is best to start with the simplest rectangular.

Decide how you want your aquarium to look in the end. Size is an important parameter. It is better to start your way in the aquarium hobby with a small specimen, 40 liters. Even if something goes wrong, you can always quickly fix the situation by rebuilding the aquarium again.

Stages

When making an aquarium yourself, adhere to the basic rules:

Selection of tested glass.
Choosing a Safe Sealant.
Remember to degrease surfaces.
In the place where the future tank will be collected, put an unnecessary carpet or something similar..
Apply the sealant in an even, even layer..
Cut off excess glue with a knife.
Do not touch and rearrange the container for 24 hours after gluing.
Glue the stiffeners and screeds every other day.
After complete drying, fill the container with water..

Aquarium shapes

Before designing, the shape of the container is selected.

Each of these shapes is suitable for its interior. These shapes are workable when making an aquarium at home. The only exception is the round shape. To make it yourself, you will need the work of a glass blower..

Glass

Before you understand the direct manufacturing process, you need to decide what will be needed for this in terms of materials and tools. The question of which glass to choose will be very important. Not everyone is suitable for creating an aquarium. Usually its varieties are designated by the letter M with some kind of number..

It would be best to use the M1 grade for this. It is the highest, which means that it will really make a reliable homemade aquarium..

In most cases, it is better to use glass of at least M3 category. Anything below will no longer fit due to low strength characteristics..

It is best not to reinvent the wheel, and to create an aquarium, usually take showcase glass..

Silicate or plexiglass is also suitable..

Before purchasing, you must carefully inspect that it is solid, not bent, and there are no inclusions, cracks and scratches on it. If there are any stains on it, then polishing can remove them..

The second important factor in the selection will be thickness. To select the glass of the required thickness, the characteristics of the future tank should be taken into account. The volume of the aquarium can be calculated using the following formula: V = LxAxH, where L – length, H – height, A – width, V – volume.

Each parameter makes it possible to determine the parameters of the future aquarium. The calculations are simple, after which the required glass thickness is calculated. But usually the standards in this matter are something like this:

a container up to 20 liters must have glass with a thickness of 3 mm;
up to 30 liters – 4 mm;
up to 80 liters – 5 mm;
up to 150 liters – 6 mm;
up to 200 liters – 7-8 mm;
up to 300 liters – about 10 mm.

An important point will be the so-called stiffeners. These are special glass strips up to 5 centimeters wide. Thanks to them, the container is resistant to water pressure. They should be used at any volume of the aquarium in order to give it additional strength..

But, in general, these ribs are a prerequisite if the length of the tank is more than 50 centimeters..

In addition, they allow you to use a cover slip from above, and thanks to them, it will be much easier to transport the tank..

Another important aspect is that when the aquarium is more than one and a half meters long, there should be not only stiffeners, but also special ties, which also increases the reliability of the aquarium..

Another important point that will affect the selection of glass is the shape of the aquarium. She may be:

rectangular;
round;
panoramic;
square.

Everything here will depend on the wishes of the person..

And in principle, at home, you can make a container of any shape, except for a round one. Such a container with a convex side can only be made by a glass blower..

The color of the glass can make a difference, too. But the commonly considered categories of containers are made of transparent or green glass..

Once the glass has been selected, it must be cut correctly. Here we will immediately say that it is not worth doing this on your own for the following reasons:

high labor intensity of the process;
an experienced glazier has special equipment for high-quality cutting of glass.

At least these two reasons indicate that it is better to seek professional help..

Glass cutting

Cutting determines the stability and tightness of the future structure. Don’t cut it yourself. Better buy already cut.

Why is it better to buy cut glass:

Cutting is a difficult and time-consuming process.
Special equipment is required for high-quality cutting.
More economical.

Glass walls

The first stage involves working with glass. The point is that it is necessary to create the structure itself. This will require:

lay some unnecessary carpet or a large piece of fabric on the surface in order to protect the floor from damage;
we make special corner supports for glass with our own hands, they should be parallel to each other and be located vertically;
now we glue the surface along the seam with a special masking tape;
it is necessary to apply a sealant to the glass sections;
now glass is lowered onto the glue;
the resulting structure is turned over, and we apply glue to the sections;
again we glue the surface with masking tape, after which we spread the glue and press the glass;
now we attach another side wall of the aquarium;
we form transverse and longitudinal ties, after which we close the surface with adhesive tape;
it remains to wait for the surface to dry.

After drying has occurred, it is required to glue the stiffeners as carefully as possible. To do this, you need to put the tank on its side, and then glue the rib with an adhesive.

The quality of adhesion will depend on the thoroughness of spreading the long side of the additional structure..

For the glue to dry, you will need to wait a day or two. After that, the blade is taken and the excess glue that is on the seams is carefully cut off. From the inside, this need not be done if a colorless and safe sealant was used. After that, you can peel off the masking tapes..

Sealant

For gluing, you need silicone glue. The glue must be completely silicone and must be approved for glueing fish containers. Adhesives are commercially available to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. This glue is not suitable. It is hazardous to fish health.

Before work, decide on the color of the silicone glue:

Black. Suitable for large containers. A black sealant delineates the boundaries of the container. But with careless work and the use of black glue, chips and irregularities will be visible.
White. Used in combination with the interior.
Colorless. A universal and most common sealant. When using it, irregularities are invisible when inaccurate gluing.

Use a glue gun when working with sealant.

Holes

It would seem that you can already start filling the tank with water. But no, before that, you need to make special technological holes so that you can pass hoses from various filters, wires, place some aquarium accessories, and so on..

It is best to think over their location against the background of the creation of the tank diagram, in order to be sure that they will not interfere with anyone, and that, in general, they can be located in a specific place.

If the aquarium is made of thin glass, then you can usually use a wood drill that can easily make small holes in this type of glass. Usually they are done on the sides of the lid on the side of the container..

If the lid fits very tightly to the glass sheet, then several holes can be made on the other side, which will allow for better ventilation of the container..

Another option that craftsmen make is that the neck of glass bottles is carefully cut off, after which it is inserted with the edge of the neck outward. Subsequently, it is carefully fixed around the circumference with silicone. Then on such adapters of a home-made type, you can simply attach hoses of external life support devices.

Lid

Another element that a good aquarium should have is a lid. According to some, a fish tank can do without it. But actually it is not. The lid protects the tank from the ingress of various debris and dirt from the external environment into the water. In addition, its presence will not allow the fish to jump out and die. It should be lightweight, easy to remove and made of moisture resistant materials. In the overwhelming majority of cases, lighting is attached to it..

If you decide to make a cover, it is better to make it from plastic or organic glass..

Sometimes silicate-type glass or PVC is used to create it. The choice of material will depend on the size of the aquarium and the weight of the material itself..

But let’s look at the whole process using the example of using plastic. To create a lid, you can take plastic with a thickness of about 3 millimeters. It would seem that you can, in general, not suffer, but simply put a plastic sheet on the walls of the tank. But then the access of air to fish will be cut off, which threatens them with death. Therefore, you should additionally make such sides for yourself, which will allow you to raise the cover to a small height..

If there is a container with a large volume and physical dimensions, then the lid will be long. Then, to increase its strength, you can make special plastic stiffeners for it..

The strips of plastic should be fixed to each other with an appropriate adhesive.

And if the dimensions of the cover are large, then it is better to strengthen its corners using a metal corner.

Aluminum strips can be attached to the surface from the inside of the lid. This will strengthen it and prepare a place for fixing the lighting equipment..

By the way, the process will not be complete if you do not consider attaching the lid to the aquarium itself and installing lighting equipment on it. Once the lid has been made and the glue is completely dry, you can start fixing it to the aquarium. For this, small canopies should be used. Another interesting option for this is the use of a cable duct. Its width will depend on the thickness of the plastic and glass. Loops are attached at the back. The option of how to fix them is up to you: you can either bolt them or just glue them..

To make the lid conveniently open, it will not be superfluous to make a cutout in front of it.

It is through it that it will be possible to fill the fish with food, which will eliminate the need to constantly open and close the lid..

If we talk about lighting, then you should choose it very carefully..

In no case can you do without it, because if the fish can somehow still live without artificial light, then plants will need it vital for growth..

And its absence will cause the multiplication of various parasites and bacteria. The color scheme should be chosen at will, but the luminous coefficient of illumination should not be lower than 60 Ra. And the larger the size and volume of the aquarium, the higher this figure should be. Usually there should be two lamps, and they should be of a fluorescent type, because they do not heat up at all during operation, which means they cannot become a source of an increase in the temperature of the water. And the very fastening of the lamps to the cover usually takes place with a pair of bolts on both sides. This will attach both the first and the second lamp..

Thus, we were able to make not only the lid, but also fix it on the aquarium and carry out the installation of lighting equipment..

Flowing

If any part of the aquarium leaks, you should not immediately disassemble and redo it. It is often enough to correct small design errors..

Leaking corner

Treat the damaged corner from the inside with silicone glue.

If the flow continues, cut and remove the two mating walls forming an angle. Remove silicone with a knife, degrease the cleaned surface. Cover the walls with silicone glue, attach back.

Leaking seam

If the seam of the structure is leaking with a knife, remove the problematic spot of the seam. Cover the inside with silicone glue.

If this is not enough to stop the flow, then cut out two walls, re-seal with a copious amount of glue.

Small bubbles

If small bubbles form from a small gap, no action should be taken. This is acceptable if no leakage is observed.

If leaking in a problem area, replace the silicone glue to prevent future damage to the integrity of the container.

Video about making an aquarium with your own hands

Installation and arrangement

If there are no ideas for the arrangement, then you can spy on the network a photo of a do-it-yourself aquarium. In general, a home aquarium is a great way to color your life, as well as find solace in this..

After the structure has dried, it is necessary to conduct a couple of tests in order to ensure the integrity and tightness of the aquarium. Fill the aquarium with water in a place where you don’t have to worry about flooding, such as in the bathroom.

Leave the tank like this for a few days. If the “prank succeeded” and the structure is sealed, it can be installed in the intended place.

Line the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles or decorative stones, add algae to the aquarium, having previously selected them for the type of fish that will live in this aquarium. Also, an aerator is needed to saturate the water with oxygen, as well as an ultraviolet lamp..

By the way, such an aquarium made by itself is suitable not only for fish, it can be used for keeping red-eared turtles.

When to start the aquarium

Once the sealant is completely dry, do not rush to install your homemade aquariums in a permanent place. It is necessary to carry out tests. This is best done in the bathroom:

put two even supports (boards) on top of the bathroom;
put the manufactured tank on the stands;
fill with water to the required level;
leave the aquarium in this position for a day, or even better for a few days.

If tests have shown that the design is reliable, the water is drained, the aquarium is installed in a permanent place..

Service

The whole process of caring for the aquarium and its inhabitants boils down to the following:

Functional check of all pumps and filters.
Cleaning the filters as they become dirty.
The walls can be cleaned with two brushes with built-in magnets. They are simply installed on opposite sides of the glass and move in parallel.
In order to determine whether it is necessary to clean the bottom, you need to move the stick along the ground. If air bubbles rise, then there is a need to take action. For this, special mud dispensers are used. You can make it yourself. You will need a plastic bottle, silicone hose, and two syringes. We make a sleeve from one syringe, cutting off all unnecessary parts. In the second, we cut off the finger stops, and cut a 5 mm hole at the point where the needle is connected. We connect them together so that the sleeve is at the bottom. We connect the bottle and syringes with a hose. The process boils down to the fact that the syringes are immersed in the ground, and with the help of a bottle pressure is created, which raises all the sludge. Then it’s up to the pump and filter. In some cases, a complete water change may be required. During this period, you will have to take care of temporary housing for fish..

As you can see, if you approach the issue reasonably and do not spare money for basic materials, then the aquarium can be assembled at home with the most positive result. Now you can try making semicircular or cone-shaped aquariums.

Specialist recommendations

Use quality products that are safe for fish.
It is easier to maintain the balance of substances and gases in a large container than in a small one..
There must be no air bubbles in the sealant.
Treat all surfaces with acetone or alcohol to keep grease free.

Each aquarist, if desired, make an aquarium with his own hands. The main thing is to observe safety measures and tightness of the structure..

And finally, a few recommendations that will help novice aquarists make an aquarium, spending a minimum of time..

The first extremely important point, about which little has been said, is that only special sealants should be used without antibacterial properties. The fact is that there are many sealants on the market, but only a small part can provide high-quality sealing of the space between two parts of the glass. The reason for this is the slippery surface of the material itself..

In addition, such formulations often have antibacterial properties. In no case should they be used when creating an aquarium, as they will cause the death of all living things in the tank..

The second tip is that it is much easier to maintain the balance of gases and nutrients in the water in a container of large size and volume..

Therefore, a novice aquarist should think twice and find an opportunity to make a choice not in favor of a small aquarium, but in favor of a larger one..

Despite its large size, it will be much easier to care for fish in such a container than if you buy some kind of 30-liter or 50-liter aquarium..

Another important tip is that when a sealant is applied, there should be no air bubbles in it. The fact is that these voids can then cause leaks, because it is clear that due to constant exposure to water, sooner or later, the properties of the sealant will deteriorate and such a bubble in the future may just become the place where the aquarium will leak. And it can be very difficult to liquidate it later, to the point that the tank made with your own hands will simply become unusable..

Another tip, which will also be important when creating an aquarium on your own – when working with various surfaces, you should treat them with alcohol or, in extreme cases, acetone..

That is, you need to degrease the surfaces so that they can be comfortably glued to each other, and their tightness was, indeed, maximum.

In general, making an aquarium with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. The only thing to remember is that you must strictly adhere to all the rules and norms for creating such a container so that it turns out to be really strong, airtight and lasts a long time..

Decorating a decorated background

A well-chosen background design visually enlarges the space. If cichlids, goldfish do not get along with living plants, use mock-ups, decorative films and stick them on the outside of the back wall.

Before attaching the finished film, the surface is washed and wiped dry, disinfected. Moisturize a little and apply the material tightly, removing liquid and air from under it.

A homemade background made from a sheet of polystyrene is often used. It is simple to make it: a piece is cut to the size of the wall and fired to make bulges (you can cut it with a knife). This side is covered with cement, plaster, alabaster. After drying, cover with gray or gold paint, fasten with adhesive tape to the back wall inside the container.

Make the background yourself from polyurethane foam. Apply a layer of foam on a polyethylene sheet with a spatula. To make it heavier, stones and sand are poured. After drying, a second, relief layer is formed. Then epoxy resin mixed with acrylic paints is applied. The structure is attached with glue to the wall.

Substrate and natural stones for the aquarium

When choosing a soil, you yourself need to pay attention to its composition, color, particle size. You can buy ready-made in the store. For example, for gourami, scalar you need river pebbles, granite chips, coarse sand. On sale you can find multi-colored soil – blue, green, red. Slides, rocks, caves, grottoes are created from fillers..

The stones are taken artificial and natural, without limestone in the composition. The most suitable are basalt, granite, pebbles, quartz. Marble, tuff, sandstone release calcium salts, which makes the water hard. The material is first washed, cleaned of dirt, boiled for 10-15 minutes to destroy bacteria and microorganisms.

Granite, gneiss, quartz, sandstone and other types of stones are suitable for stone decoration. Before placement, they are cleaned with a brush and poured over with boiling water. The presence of alkali in the composition is unacceptable. This will disrupt the comfortable conditions of the aquatic environment and lead to the death of the inhabitants..

Decor for the aquarium in the kitchen

Stone aquarium decor

Homemade aquarium decor

Aquarium decor yellow

It will be more effective if you put small stones in groups than several massive cobblestones. When keeping shrimp, it is better to take lumpy sandstone. For cichlids, castles and caves are built from flat stones, laying them out in the form of bricks. To prevent such structures from collapsing under the pressure of especially active fish, the stones are glued together with silicone.

Stony sculptures

Fabulous aquarium decor

Aquarium decor plastic

Decor for aquarium in a vase

Constructions made of small stones look exquisite in combination with sandy waterfalls.

Models of stones and pearls

Artificial imitation of some aquarium decor (stones, pearls, shells, grottoes, chests) involves the use of synthetic resinous compounds and gypsum. Therefore, they require pretreatment with an antiseptic..

Decor for aquarium with plants

Decorative shell for aquarium

Aquarium decor filter

Decor for aquarium flowers

The finished structures are attached to the bottom with silicone glue. This will serve as the basis for future composition. In the future, the space is filled with vegetation and aquatic inhabitants are released..

Other decoration elements

Details for decoration are models of ancient buildings, castles, caves or natural materials.

Wooden driftwood

An integral part of the decoration will be driftwood, which will not be difficult to collect on the banks of reservoirs. Wood is ideal (for example, willow, elm, alder). It is important that she is dead. Before laying it in the pool, boil it in a saline solution, then soak it in clean water for at least 2-3 days.

Aquarium decor arrangement

Backlit aquarium decor

Decorative lighting for the aquarium

Aquarium decor white

If it is not possible to do this on your own, then you can purchase ready-made decor at the pet store. Such driftwood does not need long-term preparation, it is enough to hold them in water for 24 hours.

Driftwood jewelry

Aquarium decor with branches

Aquarium decor ceramic

Table aquarium decor

Pick up the same type of driftwood, preferably similar in size. Additionally, they are decorated with moss, fern, anubias. To do this, you need to fix the plants with wire or plastic clothespins. After a few weeks, they grow firmly..

Plants aquarium decor

Decor for aquarium with stones

Decorative corals for aquarium

Decor for aquarium from a jar

This decor is functional for zoning an aquarium and creating hiding places for fish. In addition, driftwood releases substances that increase acidity into the water. This has a beneficial effect on some animals, especially snails and shellfish. For aggressive cichlids, they build a whole labyrinth of long and curved branches. Thus, they create safe and secure hidden corners in which they can hide..

Decorative bridge for aquarium

Decorative aquarium lighting

Decor for aquarium with starfish

Decor for aquarium arch

Arrangement of the waterfall

An underwater waterfall will help make a picturesque and unusual home reservoir. Install it inside an artificial reservoir. They buy it in a specialized store and collect it, it can be in the form of a sphinx, a tower, a rock. Experienced aquarists make the waterfall themselves. Fine white sand acts as falling water. Special design lifts it with a compressor and lowers it to the bottom.

Coconut as a decorative element

An amazing and non-standard decoration will be a chopped coconut at the bottom. Making it is elementary. You need to purchase fresh palm fruit. The juice is drunk from the inside and the white pulp is eaten, and the rest is used for its intended purpose. Just to get started, you need to make an effort, since cutting a coconut is not so easy.

Decor for the aquarium in the hallway

Aquarium decor pink

The shells are boiled in water for at least 7-8 minutes. Next, they wield a jigsaw, cutting out the notches and holes on the sides of the round halves. They put the coconut masterpiece on the bottom, which looks like cups. Within a month, the rough walls will become perfectly glossy..

Coconut house, where it is convenient to hide in case of danger

Aquarium decor brown

Shelters made of pipes and ceramics

The remaining sections of plumbing polymer pipes on the farm can be used in the production of tunnels for fish. To do this, select pieces with a diameter of up to 10 cm. Fasten them together in any available way. They give an arbitrary shape due to thermal action.

Japanese-style aquarium decor

Marine aquarium decor

Scattered notches are made on the walls so that the cement coating is firmly fixed after drying. For beauty, small stones, pebbles, fragments of ceramics are pressed into the cement. Several of these cylinders are laid in a row at the bottom of the aquarium..

Family-type “dormitory”

Decor for aquarium castle

Clay pots are often used for decoration. It is not advised to take Chinese products, they emit harmful substances. From ceramic jugs, cups create a substrate for breeding individuals. The edges of objects must be smooth and round so that the fish do not get hurt.

Universal mainsail

Another not new, but simple version of the fish shelter that fits into any style of the aquarium is the universal grotto. To make it you will need:

expanded clay;
gypsum;
water;
river sand;
polyethylene film.

Aquarium decor clown fish

Aquarium decor mushrooms

Sequencing:

Mix sand with gypsum in a ratio of 1: 3.
Expanded clay chips and water are added. Mix thoroughly.
Spread cellophane on the table, where the resulting mixture is spread.
The required blanks are made: a base with side walls (2 pcs), a flattened part (in the form of an oval, rectangle or circle).
Cover the figures with cellophane and wait for complete drying.
A fresh solution is prepared using the same technology. They fasten a flat component with a columnar base. A second blank with sidewalls is glued on top, but upside down. This is how we get a structure in several tiers..

The craft is immersed in water for 7-8 days so that alkali comes out of the composition.

Natural aquarium decor

Aquarium decor with small fish

Plants

Natural plants revitalize the water tank and release oxygen. They are classified into several types:

Rooting in the ground, for example – Arrowhead, Gigrofila, Kubyshka, Tradescantia, Vallisneria.

Vallisneria

The grasses in the water fill it with oxygen, fish hide in them (Moss, Anubias, Bucephalandr).

Moss

Plants with large leaves floating on the surface serve as spawning grounds (Eichornia, Wolfia, Ryaska, Limnobium). They protect the pond from excess sunlight..

Wolfia

Ground covers create a green carpet at the bottom (Glossostigma, Sitnyag).

Plants are selected depending on the type of fish. For example, Ferns, Arrowhead are suitable for Cichlids. Elodeya for Gourami, Somikam – representatives with a good root system – Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus.

Aquarium lighting

It plays a significant role in the design of the aquarium space. The main light flux is directed from above, which is important for plant growth, and additional illumination is organized on the sides and behind. Colored illumination looks beautiful.

Decor for a large aquarium

Column aquarium decor

Professionals recommend correlating the degree of illumination with the amount of water: 1 W is required for 1 liter. So, for 50 liters, a lamp with a power of about 50 watts is needed. For a comfortable existence of the water world, daylight hours should last from 12 to 16 hours.

Illumination that favorably emphasizes every detail of the composition

Decor for aquarium driftwood

DIY decorative crafts are especially valuable. All the uniqueness of the underwater world can be shown in full glory, using the imagination and talents of the author. Such things look more spectacular, attract attention with their eccentricity. Aquamir seems natural, mysterious and intriguing.

Decorating marine and reef aquariums

For a sea reservoir, shells, corals, reef fragments, artificial shells, and dummies of sea animals are used. Colors – light blue, blue, red, white. Add some plants and soil.

Reefs are the most expensive reservoir compositions. They are based on a natural coral reef. Organisms create a picture of the oceanic underwater world, these are shrimps, crayfish, molluscs, starfish, fish. Lighting depends on the type of coral. To create salt water, buy special ready-made salt.

Lights, filters, pumps, heaters are controlled by automatic timers.

Original ideas

There are a lot of design ideas: bright toys at the bottom, tunnels made of stones and algae. The castle looks interesting in the aquarium. In the center, they place an imitation of an island, a large snag, or prepare crafts with their own hands. Less commonly, dry bamboo is used as decoration..

The Taiwanese style looks like a living landscape. There are tall plants, figurines, stones. Japanese offers a specific shape, size, number of items. They use stones, wood, Javanese moss, sand as a symbol of the sky. Beautiful illumination serves as an additional decoration.

The famous aquascape designer – photo artist from Japan Takashi Amano in his ideas for the aquarium uses exclusively natural materials and living plants, microorganisms, fish.

The aquarist is able to make a jungle, a winding path, a fallen tree, the shore of a wild lake, a stream in an artificial reservoir. There are multilayer soil, stones, driftwood, plants. Few or very small fish.

Fashion in aquarium design

There are trendy trends in aquarium design, and among them are several that have become classics of aquarium design. The cultural traditions of Japan, Holland and the New World are surprisingly embodied in unexpectedly spectacular water landscapes. Looking at these works, you understand that it is impossible to repeat such beauty, but, looking closely, you discover techniques, details, patterns that help a beginner in designing an aquarium with his own hands to create his first masterpiece.

Japanese-style aquarium decoration

For aquarium design, even a special term has appeared – aquascape. So, we learn from the classics and design an aquarium with our own hands, from which both friends and the inhabitants of the underwater kingdom will take their breath away.

Dutch landscape in the aquarium

Deep perspective and naive realism of the landscape migrated from the canvases of old Dutch artists to the world of aquaristics.

To create perspective, a Dutch aquarium uses a large number of different scale plants, contrasting in color and having different sizes of stems and leaves. Tall, lush plants with threadlike or very small leaves are placed in the background. Stem shoots with larger foliage – on average. The lowest algae bushes and those that mimic grass are in the front. Due to this technique, the feeling of a deep multi-tiered landscape is created..

Dutch style aquarium

Light and dark green, brown, yellowish and red algae are used for planting. On average, each plant has 10 cm2 of the bottom – this is a dense planting, but it leaves the plants the opportunity to develop well and form in the aquarium the bountiful green landscape for which the Netherlands is famous. And passing small, but bright fish, give it the sharpness of surrealism.

A large number of brightly colored small fish are a hallmark of the Dutch style.

Lighting achieve the effect of oblique sun rays, highlighting a piece of green thickets. A Dutch aquarium needs constant maintenance:

carbon dioxide supply;
fertilization of the soil;
pruning overgrown algae;
careful selection and regulation of the number of inhabitants.

Such an aquarium is certainly suitable for a classic interior with a modern twist, with elements of modernist chic. It will also be good in an eco-style atmosphere with a touch of romance of wanderings..

Dutch aquarium in the interior

Collection style – chaos of chaos

Apparently out of sympathy for newcomers, for whom decorating an aquarium in the Dutch style with their own hands is an impossible task, the masters of aquascape canonized the so-called collection style. Its principle boils down to the following – if you use all available types of algae (15 and more), then over time they grow, crowding each other, and create the effect of a neglected English garden. In practice, this happens, provided that the aquarium is large enough, from 50 liters. So that the underwater landscape is not dull, they combine tall and undersized species, contrasting colors.

Collection style aquarium

This uncomplicated design is surprisingly versatile – it fits perfectly into ethnic style, and into a classic, Mediterranean, Scandinavian interior..

The collector aquarium will fit into any interior style

Pseudo-natural 3D landscapes

The pseudo-natural style implies the recreation of picturesque terrestrial landscapes under water. To do this, when decorating an aquarium, artificial decorations are used that imitate mountains, gorges, rivers, and architectural objects. The task of the creator of the installation is to achieve the impression of reality and at the same time the fantasticness of the “picture”.

Landscape style aquarium

There are special pumps for playing waterfalls under water – they do not blow out water, but fine white sand, which, flowing along the slope of the stone, gives the impression of falling jets. For the classics, modernist style or ardeco, the pseudo-natural design of the aquarium may turn out to be alien, but pop art, naive country, safari, marine design of an apartment will easily accept such an intricate aquascape.

Imitation of a waterfall in an aquarium

Japanese-style underwater rock garden

There are interiors in which the aquarium is stubbornly discordant with the overall design. These include industrial loft and high-tech, as well as sophisticated Japanese style. It is from Japan that the amazing principles of aqua design come from, drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of Iwagumi – the art of creating empty spaces filled with philosophy..

Aquarium in a laconic Japanese style

With stingy but expressive means, using soil, sand, carpet algae and a few stones, you can turn a Japanese aquarium into a universe. A flock of small fish seems to be flying somewhere in infinity, over a desert planet.

Scenic Japanese style aquarium

Stones play a major role in a Japanese aquarium. There can be three or four of them – one large (main), one or two additional and one very small, “sacrificial”. Do-it-yourself design of such an aquarium will help models of stones, designed specifically for Japanese compositions..

Arrangement of a Japanese aquarium

In continuation of the Japanese minimalist tradition, aquascape lovers began to create rocky compositions free from canons with islands of undersized carpet algae. Discreet, elegant design also suitable for small fish aquariums.

The fairytale world of Disney’s Mermaid

The vibrant world of animation from the Disney films about Nemo and the Mermaid has enriched the aquarium hobby with new ideas. It has become fashionable to copy scenes from cartoons, where the inhabitants become living characters of a fairy tale. It is difficult to think of a better design for an aquarium for a children’s room..

Finding Nemo aquarium

On sale are grottoes, shells, corals, castles and sunken treasures made of synthetic materials. Neon colors and bizarre outlines of the underwater world are complemented by rare blotches of algae. For this style, you need to select the most intricate shells, vivid species of fish and crabs..

Bright aquarium for a children’s room