Losing touch with aquascaping styles?

[John N.]

Since Amano Nature's style has become the most well known style of aquascaping, most new and current aquascapers aspire to create a layout similar to his Nature style.

The "Dutch" style which dates back from the 1930s when electricity and planted aquariums first met is less often seen. Do you think too many aquascapers are abandoning traditional aquascaping styles like the dutch style?

-John N.

[trenac]

I think a lot of people want to be in the happening crowd, so they would choose what is popular. I also think the aquascape style you choose is influenced by the country you live in. I personally do not go for any certain style scape, but instead do what I feel at the time. If my scape resembles one of the current styles or does not, really doesn't matter to me.

[Roy Deki]

John,

I think the Dutch style scapes just aren't as popular here in the states. They are very beautiful in their own right, but I do prefer a mixture of Nature aquarium and Dutch style.

[John N.]

I wonder why US aquascapers have embraced the Japanese Style more so than the European methods. Marketing?

-John N.

[Hoppy]

Trena, HIGH FIVE!!
That is exactly how I see aquascaping too. For me, this is a hobby, intended to be enjoyed by me more than anything else. I have made half hearted attempts to copy some of the Japanese styles, but I don't enjoy doing that, so I quit. I just create what looks good to me as I go along, correct it when I want to, then enjoy the finished product until I feel a urge to change it again.

This is not meant to suggest that people who have other objectives, such as contest entries, are wrong. My way is just my way, and that way changes as I learn more and refine my objectives.

[goalcreas]

Marketing and all the COOL glass products that are a MUST have item.
I have found after using them, lily pipes are beautiful, but too much work to maintain. I have enough to do maintaining tanks, I don't want to have to maintain extra stuff.

Not that I don't clean my filter lines and intakes, but I don't have to make them SPOTLESS.

Same with the trimless tanks. I think they are nice looking, but too much work to keep clean and filled to the top all the time. And I don't find anything wrong with a nice matching tank and stand.

But it is also what people see. Newbies that first log onto the sites, looking for idea's and what they see are what it popular, so it is logical that they will try to re-create the tanks that are their favorite, maybe with different plants or a mirror image or switch it up somehow so they put their signature on the tank, but what else do they have to go by.

As far as styles, I agree with Roy, a healthy mix keeps it exciting.
I have never really done a dutch scape, I don't know that I have ever really followed guidelines other then what I am trying to accomplish and as and as Trenac says, "What I feel at the time".

I also think that many people may do that same thing, go by feel and try just to do something different, and it happens to look like they are doing a copy because it is VERY hard to actually be original all the time unless your last name is Deki

NO, kidding, not trying to take from the MANY others that have that sense of originality in every tank they create

But I may just try to do a DUTCH scape in a future tank and follow all the DUTCH guidelines just to get a taste of something new (or old, depends on how you look at it).
I am sure it will help me, and I will have another weapon in my arsenal and help me to develop a more rich style of my own.

[hooha]

Amano's books did wonders for marketing the Nature Aquarium style. Other than Iwagumi layouts, alot of the scapes these days look like a mix between dutch and 'amano' influences. I'm personally moving towards Dutch styles as my preference.

[Anti-Pjerrot]

Well - i think its more because of the diversity of NA oppose to the Dutch. IMO Dutch is nice, but all to similar. You can use so much more of yourself in NA and really use your creativity. In Dutch plants are in focus and i think its impossible to give it a personal touch. You can do so much more with NA.

Come to the NA side my son

[kakkoii]

I agree.

[Hoppy]

Originally Posted by goalcreas

Same with the trimless tanks. I think they are nice looking, but too much work to keep clean and filled to the top all the time. And I don't find anything wrong with a nice matching tank and stand.

You bring up something I didn't know: are trimless (rimless) tanks more work to keep clean? I didn't realize that. How are they more work? I only ask because I am secretly planning to get one in about a year or so, but I sure don't want to generate even more cleaning issues for myself.

[goalcreas]

The problem is just that the evaporation Shows and Shows and Shows.

You constantly have to fill and clean the top inch of the glass which gets white scum on it.

To many it is not a big deal and if you only have one tank, no problem, but it is EXTRA work.

Again, to many the benefits are far better then the extra work, but to me, maybe not.

They do look great when kept up, but they look extra bad when not.

If you have never had one, get one, everybody should at least try it.
It might not be a big deal to you.

[John N.]

I have a feeling many US people don't really know what encompasses a Dutch tank. As Anti-Pjerrjot mentioned, the Nature/Japanese Style is more open to interpretation and has more variety to it. The Dutch aquascaping style adheres to hard fast rules, that not only demand a large variety of perfectly trimmed plants, but require following defined artistic rules such as the rule of thirds, plant grouping focal points, and the depth perception by plants alone.

This is opposed to the Japanese style were the artistic focus is more about natural harmony within the aquascape. Hardscape (rocks and wood) are used to acheive eye movement instead of plants. In most cases, I would say this style is less demanding than European styles becauses the plant selection usually consists of more slower growing plants and a fewer number of species.

The point here is marketing the Japanese style is one component. But I think the overall ease of the Japanese style compared to others is an attractive quality to many aquascapers, especially here in the US.

-John N.

[Anti-Pjerrot]

Well put John.

[Pat7676]

Anyone have some examples of the Dutch tanks? I don't think i have seen any.

[goalcreas]

There are a couple of tanks posted in this thread as examples of Dutch.

what style of tank do you like? - Aquascaping - Aquatic Plant Central

[Pat7676]

Those are great looking. Seems more people would go with this style.

[John N.]

I'm surprised as well. Comparing the two, it would seem that the vibrant colors and clean lines from Dutch scapes would attract a large number of people to it. I wonder if Europeans are seeing an increase in (or a blend of) Nature Style aquascapes.

-John N.

[kakkoii]

I believe the reason that people are not going for dutch is because the NA style is " I N " . And as the style name states NA looks more natural.

I personally like the NA style, but all styles are about tied for me.