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Have you ever seen a beautifully planted aquarium? I'm talking about a planted tank filled with lush green plants, gorgeous rocks, and twisted branches, and it looks almost like... as if a piece of nature has been captured into a fish tank... Aquascaping can mean a variety of different things to many people. Most of the time, aquascaping is compared to underwater gardening. It's a process in which an aquarist designs and creates their aquarium into almost a living and breathing piece of art. There are many "rules" people like to follow and guidelines. But simply put... Aquascaping is where you arrange and design the look and feel of your aquarium by placing substrate, hardscape (stones and driftwood), and plants around till you create a look and feel that you are happy with. It can get as complicated and advanced as you want, or it can be as simple as a rock and a few plants in your aquarium. But there are a few benefits to aquascaping your aquarium, and I'll discuss them below. But first, let's talk about the point of aquascaping your aquarium... What's The Point Of Aquascaping Your Aquarium You obviously know that one of the biggest reasons people aquascape their aquarium is to create an amazing-looking tank, but this isn't the only reason why you should aquascape. Aquascaping your aquarium creates a beautiful and well-balanced ecosystem for your fish and other livestock in the tank. It gives them a better environment to live and thrive in. It also creates many health benefits for the inhabitants of your aquarium. There are many reasons people get into aquascaping... They might want a creative outlet for themselves, maybe they want a better environment for their fish to live in, or maybe it's a combination of them both... Let's talk a little bit deeper about the benefits of aquascaping a planted freshwater tank. Are There Any Benefits To Aquascaping An Aquarium You bet there are many benefits you get to enjoy when aquascaping a planted tank... Some might say aquascaping is just the design of any fish tank. But I'd like to argue that a true aquascape utilizes living plants, aquatic soils, livestock, and a thought-out hardscape. And when you use all these ingredients together. You and your aquarium will be able to benefit from it! Let's talk about these benefits you'll get to enjoy... Therapeutic And Relaxing One of the best benefits is for the actual aquarist of the aquarium. There is something satisfying about building out an amazing-looking aquascape that you've pictured in your mind into the real world. It's something that takes time to create. You need to allow plants to grow, be patient, and tend to this "underwater garden" in order to enjoy the fruits of your labor. And I think this is one of the reasons why this hobby is so great. And once you're done. It's relaxing to just look at and admire your hard work, like having a living art piece in your own living room that you get to enjoy on a daily basis. Better Environment For Your Fish A planted tank not only gives your fish live plants to swim around and through. But it gives the other inhabitants in your tank places to explore and hide. This can give them a richer quality of life and a happy place to spend the rest of their days in. Not only that, but it'll help increase the quality of your water... This is why the next benefit is... Creating A Balanced Ecosystem An aquarium is essentially a controlled ecosystem. And this ecosystem is entirely controlled and designed by you, the aquarist. And when you're creating an aquascape with live plants, driftwood, rocks, aqua soil, and more. You're creating a better ecosystem for everything living in your tank. Live plants can help filter your water of harmful nutrients and provide oxygen to your inhabitants. Driftwood can create biofilm for your shrimp, snails, or fish to feed on. The waste of your fish gets broken down and used as food by your plants. This list can go on and on... But I hope you get the idea. Everything in your tank works together and creates a better-balanced ecosystem. Final Thoughts On The Purpose Of Aquascaping Your Planted Tank People not into this hobby might think there is no point in aquascaping an aquarium with live plants, driftwood, rocks, and aqua soil. They're the types of people who think an aquarium is just a tank of water with a few fish. But when you get further into the hobby. You start to understand that building an aquarium is building your own ecosystem. You start researching how to build a better fish tank. Then you might come across someone with an amazing-looking tank... A tank that is so amazing you might think that they've captured a piece of nature right in a small container in their living room. You start to see a whole new world when it comes to aquariums. You learn about aquascaping and how people intentionally create these pieces of art. Not just that, but you learn that planted aquariums are actually better and create a healthier environment for your fish. Now you slowly start to realize that... There might not be a point for others to aquascape an aquarium. But it's different for you... You start to realize the point of aquascaping an aquarium... You start to enjoy looking at other people's works of art. Suddenly, you look at aquariums in a new light. You start looking at the fish you keep a little closer. You want to see them enjoying their environment. Then you look forward to seeing your plants grow lush and beautiful colors. You find yourself mesmerized by your tank and all it has to offer. Then you realize that this bug has hit you... Welcome to the world of aquascaping and freshwater planted tanks.

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