# Overgrown jungle aquascapes are the best looking.



## ichy (Apr 6, 2015)

I'm with ya, to each their own,
but my intent is to not recreate a terrestrial landscape underwater.

We had guests last night and one commented how my tank looks so natural, right out of a lake...BINGO!!


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## Dingleberry (Jul 26, 2014)

Also with you. Densley planted overgrown tanks look more real. Not a huge Dutch scape fan or a fan of the scapes that recreate trees, mountains etc.

My 46 is meant to look like an overgrown Asian streambed with river rocks and roots









My 29 is meant to be a South American ram habitat ( still growing in)


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## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

I like... _overgrown_ aquascapes as well. I want to create a natural ecosystem for my fish to live in, not some modern human looking neighborhood.

Bump:


Dingleberry said:


> Also with you. Densley planted overgrown tanks look more real. Not a huge Dutch scape fan or a fan of the scapes that recreate trees, mountains etc.
> 
> My 46 is meant to look like an overgrown Asian streambed with river rocks and roots
> 
> My 29 is meant to be a South American ram habitat ( still growing in)


I love the tannin stained water!


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## s_s (Feb 15, 2012)

"Jungle scapes" are just as "unrealistic". Anything that looks largely green is. 

Rivers, streams and ponds mostly consist of rocks, maybe some floating plants, a few inches of deteriorating leaves and probably some sticks and limbs if trees are nearby. 

Most of the plants in the hobby are semi-aquatic and don't even grow underwater in natural conditions. 

The "biotope look" (which I'm using the same way Amano would say "nature aquarium") isn't really all that popular among Anglophones, which is one of the reason aquarists from Central America, South America and SE Asia seem to dominate the biotope category of AGA each year (another being they tend to pull all needed items out of nearby habitats).

Anyways, my point is that even "jungle style" tanks are still *a fashion* where we're trying to create a hyper-natural look and feel that is visually appealing to us humans.


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## Hooked on fish (Dec 15, 2015)

I am just glad that what I used to call "low maintenance" and "easy to work with" now has a trendy name like "jungle aquascaping" LOL


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Since I have became a plant collector. :laugh2:

6 tanks all jungled out, and not really concerned about it.
Chaotic organizational skills!


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## Dingleberry (Jul 26, 2014)

s_s said:


> "Jungle scapes" are just as "unrealistic". Anything that looks largely green is.
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I d have to respectfully disagree. I grew up with a large farm pond that grew so full of plants ( looked like hornwort) that there was no visible bottom. It was extremely green and lush. Fish loved it too! Awesome for the young sunfish and bass.


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## d33pVI (Oct 28, 2015)

I agree to an extent. The overused "path through the woods" scape, or those resembling a scene from "The Sound of Music" can be a bit hokey. HC carpeted Iwagumis are pretty, but I would think it to be tedious and boring to keep and maintain. ADA style nature scapes are so reliant on large amounts of hardscape that are difficult for the average hobbyist to procure. I am a big fan of a well designed and maintained Dutch scape, though. Shame they are falling out of style.

Edit: I would add, though, that nano tank scaping is a great place to experiment with different styles you wouldn't necessarily want to dive into in a larger tank. There really isn't a "best" style. Do what works for your needs, and don't be afraid to try something new once in a while.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Dingleberry said:


> Also with you. Densley planted overgrown tanks look more real. Not a huge Dutch scape fan or a fan of the scapes that recreate trees, mountains etc.
> 
> My 46 is meant to look like an overgrown Asian streambed with river rocks and roots


I agree. Also awesome looking 46 gallon! Love it


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Some people have planted tanks for their own enjoyment at home, some people have planted tanks for the int3rnetz. :grin2:

Seriously though, it's all personal preference like everything else in life. I dress like a bum, other wear designer threads. We all put value in different things, that's what makes the world entertaining and interesting.

The only trend I dislike is forced perspective landscapes. If something only looks proper from one view (photograph) I think it's a bit of a waste. We have three dimensions in our aquariums, we should maximize the views.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

prototyp3 said:


> The only trend I dislike is forced perspective landscapes. If something only looks proper from one view (photograph) I think it's a bit of a waste. We have three dimensions in our aquariums, we should maximize the views.


I take pictures from the top, sides and backs of my aquariums. I like the view from different angles too. I even have pictures of the back of my children's heads, and pull them out of my wallet for people to look at....'and this is my daughter, my sons, etc...' I love to see the look on peoples' faces when I show them that way. I'm seriously unconventional, and it scares most away. The people that enjoy the pictures and laugh are the people I enjoy. The ones that don't like 'different', are quickly weeded out by my showing pictures of their backs. I think the same works with planted tanks. If you can't see everything as beautiful in it's own way, then you are dull and fixated. When I'm told my tanks are not 'pretty', I know what kind of person I am talking to.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Overgrown natural jungle is fine as long as you keep a clear spot carved out for the Sponge Bob house!


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## Fornstar (Feb 9, 2012)

I like the "Overgrown Jungle" look. Here's mine.









The plant on the left will be coming out as soon as I find the perfect piece of driftwood. Until then its about to get a major trim this afternoon.

While I do like the jungle look I am trying my hand at a high tech Iwugami like tank.

Matt


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

d33pVI said:


> I would add, though, that nano tank scaping is a great place to experiment with different styles you wouldn't necessarily want to dive into in a larger tank. There really isn't a "best" style. Do what works for your needs, and don't be afraid to try something new once in a while.


Agreed. I have fallen in love with nano tanks. I can try things I'd never do with a big tank. And if it doesn't work, it's easy to rip it apart and try again. 

I have three, and just ordered 2 more now that Truaqua is back in stock. 

As for aquascapes...I like all types, really. It's nice to see a variety. The only thing I dislike is when the aquascape doesn't suit the fish. I love the look of an iwagumi, but a really stark one with fish that prefer dimmer lighting or being under plants always makes me feel sorry for the fish (which are inevitably hugging the bottom for what little cover they can get).


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

I like a strong hardscape but it doesn't have to be made of Japanese stone and fancy bits of wood. If there is a backbone then plants have a logical spot to grow. Ferns and moss on wood/rocks. Stems in the back. Crown plants between stones and so on. Really important to me is how comfortable fish are in the tank. I love seeing plecos working on wood and rocks rather than the tank sides. I love seeing fish spawning in dense plants and watching them swim through foliage and wood arches. Love watching fish appear and disappear.

So I prefer the stone/wood scapes done by ADA, not the extreme contest winner types although they sure are fun to see in photos. Completely carpeted tanks with no tall stuff aren't for me at all. Dutch tanks force fish to swim in the open and look like flower stands half the time. Most landscape tanks look great until you notice that there are fish rather than deer in there. Shocking looking to me. Real jungle tanks don't offer enough of a focus for me and there usually isn't enough negative space so the tank looks right to me. At least my jungle tanks were like that. The nice tanks posted here are fine by me.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

Fornstar said:


> I like the "Overgrown Jungle" look. Here's mine.
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Very beautiful. I've always thought about doing a single plant, covering the tank, like grasses...nothing but grasses. Maybe some twigs...yea.

Bump:


Kathyy said:


> Most landscape tanks look great until you notice that there are fish rather than deer in there..


LOLOLOL!!!! So funny.


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## Animanganime (Sep 28, 2012)

So do you guys think something like this would be too artificial looking or not?


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## jmeeter (Nov 22, 2015)

As @ichy said, to each their own... But I have always preferred 100% natural looking tanks. When designing my tank I wanted it to look like I put on goggles and stuck my head underwater in a lake or stream.


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## Mark Fisher (Dec 29, 2011)

This is underwater footage of the San Marcos River in Texas. I've snorkeled it many times, and it is beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmkmsnLoO2Y


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## Hooked on fish (Dec 15, 2015)

Ah man, San Marcos River!

I loved that place.
I never snorkeled there but I did go tubing a few times.

BTW I had a tank that looked a bit like that once.... (overgrown plants, algae, no discernible pattern)
Wife said I either cleaned or she was dumping it.

So, yeah.... It was changed.


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## jmeeter (Nov 22, 2015)

WOW, hard to believe that the San Marcos River is freshwater... Water is crystal clear and flora looks very tropical!


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## thegirlundertherainbow (Aug 12, 2004)

Agreed. Plus to me the more plants the healthier for any inhabitants as well. I mean so long as the plants don't crowd each other out. And def to each their own.. This is my "getting back into the hobby after about 10 yrs out" tank.. that I'd put a LOT of time into and went small so I could put more time into it (wheN I got out I had a 125gal 6ft tank and that was a ton of work)


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