Hot aqua gardens
Friday, 05 April 2013
Pioneer
Perhaps you've been thinking of fitting a decorative fountain near the entrance of your house or creating a backyard habitat with a pond. Prerna Sharma finds out ways to enhance the beauty of your surroundings
Water gardens transform an outdoor living space into a beautiful paradise where you can relax, unwind and enjoy quality time with family and friends. Water features become the focal point of any garden with their melodious tunes (in the case of say, fountains) or ability to attract a variety of birds and butterflies. Whether you have an expansive lawn or small balcony, you’ll find one to suit your lifestyle and budget. Aquascaping can turn your tank into a work of art.
From corporate buildings to private bungalows, people are interested in making their gardens and interiors look beautiful. What about artificial lakes and ponds to the entrance of one’s house or an aquarium with plants and pebbles?
What is aquascaping?
Two type of water bodies are in demand and can be created. One is artificial. It involves fountains and artificial plants with artificial animals in the water for the look of a real pond or aquarium. Another is the life-bearing water body with aquatic plants and animals — mostly fish and tortoise. Kapil Kaushal, owner of Arcane Motif, an aquascape custom design company, explained the concept of life-bearing aquasccpe, saying, “With so much of pollution around the city, people want positive environs. That is why a water-feature or water-oriented aquarium is becoming a new trend.”
He added, “Our clientele usually involves corporate offices, malls and residence with enormous garden space. Recently we got a few farm house ordering acquascapes on the terrace. Price ranges depend on need and size of aquascape.”
Sebastian John, manager, Amity Aquatech Private Limited shared, “Water bodies can be created in different varieties. Fountainscapes, eco-system ponds, koi ponds. They are soothing and are an all-natural, low-maintenance, piece of paradise. But every element needed for a natural pond should be there — from water filter to the control of PH in water.”
Filter perfect
Sebastian explained that planted aquariums are, “as much art, as they are a science.”
And there is always something new to learn. But attention should be paid while designing.
When setting up a new tank, clients have the same desire to create a living image of a reef, or other biotope that is best suited inhabitants they wish to contain.
“One can create it by adding sand, stack rock, etc...but the main factors should be the animals and aquatic plants that people use. Aquatic plants come with a benefit, that they filter the water. Not many know that they can be healthy for fish as well,” informed Kapil.
A circulation system is important for plants and animals, because it keeps the water moving and provides required oxygen levels for healthy fish and plants. “We can create it with assistance from engineers or buy it from the market,” said Sebastian.
A proper filtration system provides a surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonise and remove excess nutrients from water that are unhealthy for fish. Kapil said, “A mechanical filter will not only pre-filter the water, but scan rubbish from its surface.”
He continued, “Fish are an integral part of any ecosystem. But they are often seen as creating a maintenance nightmare. If someone keeps real plants, they should choose fish that don’t eat the plants, like rainbow fish, tetra fish and angel fish. Goldfish can never be kept with aquatic plants.”
Many enthusiasts steer away from rocks and gravel over maintenance problems again. But Poonam Jain, owner of Swastic Fish And Gift Gallery, clarified, “Rocks and gravel make your pond look natural and protect pond liners from UV light degradation. They also offer tremendous surface area for bacteria to break down excess nutrients in water. With care, you can make an aquascape beautiful.”
Plant life
“Very few keeps real plants in acquascapes because of high cost. They are not available in India, and most are imported from Germany and China. They can be anywhere between Rs100-10,000 per stem. One can invest in aquatic plants like amazon, varieties of lilies, cobamba, bacopa sutera and more, keeping in mind what species of animals are in your water body. Their adaptation to nature should match,” said Kapil.
A source from Fish Lovers Company told us, “A proper carbon di-oxide injection should be inserted in aquascape to check if fishes are comfortable with the plants. If not, fertilisers should be immediately poured inside.”
The trend of Koi aquariums is visible even in public places like airports and architectural places. Kapil, who designs them ended, “These are used for Koi fish. They can be designed specifically to promote health and growth. These are beautiful and can be designed between the range of thousands to lakhs, depending on customers.”