Low tech aquascaping is probably the oldest type of aquascaping. Long before all the high tech gadgets we have today, hobbyists managed to not only keep plants but to keep them in beautiful arrangements we now call aquascapes.
In episode 31, Jurijs and I break down low tech aquascaping and tell you how to set up your very own. Have a listen!
What is low tech aquascaping?
Pebble Beach by Oliver Knott
Most people associate low tech aquascaping with easy to maintain aquariums. Oliver Knott’s Pebble Beach pictured on the left is one example of an easy to maintain aquascape. It has a haunting beauty to it even though it doesn’t have any plants. Instead, Oliver used his skills to perspective and dynamic lines to convey interest.
A low tech aquascape can also be heavy maintenance but have little or no technology. Think of a fertile substrate aquarium that requires water changes for filtration and nutrient management.
In this episode, we discuss how we would go about setting up a low tech aquascape.
Topics discussed
- Defining a low tech aquascape
- Lighting, filtration, substrate
- Plants that work for low tech aquascapes
Shrimp Scape by Jurijs
Image credit: The aquarium in the featured image above is courtesy of Nathan Bokhara (akwaskape on Instagram)
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3 Comments on “Low Tech Aquascaping: What you need to know”
How low tech is a low tech?
Since you’ve mention from the absence of gadgetries to be practice on today’s generation of aquascaping, is what really pulled me in to this hobby. Putting in a discipline of the old school of setting up a system with less and less maintenance as much as possible is a defining statement in a busy world of hobbyist. The thought that studies have been made and was well explained is what really made this possible. Using an aerator, light and substrate is as minimal that I have attempted to set my Iwagumi aquascape. Have I succeeded? The tank is now 8 mos. old and still doing fine. Please see photos linked on my Fb page. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=294938504047393&set=a.294896600718250.1073741827.100005937378418&type=1
You should get rid of that caned intro, that gets played each time, it got old really fast.
I’ve been doing “low tech” without knowing it, (I didn’t have a lot of money to burn). Have you ever tried doing a full blown Low Tech tank, to see what happens? What you’ve described as Los tech sounds like high tech to me, but just with the knobs turned down a bit. My two cents…
Opps!, sorry for the snarky comment above, I should re read my posts before I post. Overall the episodes are vary good. I’ve seen some YouTube where get carried away with themselves. ScapeFu is antidote for that.