The Art of Aquascaping

Aquascaping originated in the early 20th century, rooted in the Japanese art of gardening and landscape painting, which emphasised harmony, balance, and natural beauty. The practice was further refined in the 1970s by Takashi Amano, a Japanese photographer and aquarist, who introduced the concept of the "Nature Aquarium." Amano’s approach involved creating underwater landscapes inspired by natural scenes such as mountains, forests, and rivers, combining aquatic plants, rocks, and driftwood to mimic terrestrial environments. This fusion of artistic vision and biological understanding elevated aquascaping into a recognised art form and hobby, blending aesthetics with aquatic ecology.