page_title: Aquascaping
section_title: Public aquariums
hierarchical_section_title: Aquascaping / Public aquariums
caption_attribution_description: English: Symphysodon tank with tetras Français&#160;: Discus (Symphysodon) à l'aquarium de la Porte dorée à Paris
context_page_description: Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. Aquascape designs include a number of distinct styles, including the garden-like Dutch style and the Japanese-inspired nature style. Typically, an aquascape houses fish as well as plants, although it is possible to create an aquascape with plants only, or with rockwork or other hardscape and no plants.
  Many aquarists believe that the art of aquascaping began in the 1930s in the Netherlands following the introduction of the Dutch style aquascaping techniques. With the increasing availability of mass-produced freshwater fish keeping products and popularity of fish keeping following the First World War, many artists began exploring the new possibilities of creating an aquarium that didn’t have fish as the main attraction.
  Although the primary aim of aquascaping is to create an artful underwater landscape, the technical aspects of tank maintenance and the growth requirements of aquatic plants are also taken into consideration.
context_section_description: Large public aquariums sometimes use aquascaping as part of their displays. As early as the 1920s, the New York Aquarium included a moray eel display tank that was decorated with calcareous tufa rock, arranged to resemble a coral reef, and supporting some stony corals and sea fans. Because they typically present wildlife from a particular habitat, modern day displays are often created to be biologically accurate biotopes.
caption: Discus and cardinal tetras in an Amazon River basin display at the Palais de la Porte Dorée aquarium in Paris
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