No, these aren’t incredibly peaceful photos of forests from around the world…
They’re aquariums. “Aquascaping” is the art of decorating aquariums through adding rocks and growing plant life. It may sound boring, but the results are so good, it’s impossible to tell they are underwater.
These photos were taken from the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC). This is a contest where people compete to design the best aquarium, literally taking months to grow the beautiful aquascapes. They’re amazing.
Whisper of the Pines: designed by Serkan Çetinkol of Istanbul, Turkey. This 150 liter tank is pictured after 4 months of growth.
IAPLC
Forest Morning: designed by Pavel Bautin of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The 400 liter tank is pictured after 6 months of growth. There are 8 types of plants.
IAPLC
Way to Heaven: designed by Dmitriy Parshin of Moscow, Russia. This 600 liter is pictured after 9 months of growth.
IAPLC
Forgotten Forest: designed by Łukasz Kucharski of Lodz, Poland. This 400 liter tank is pictured after 7 months of growth.
IAPLC
Charm of Light: designed by Timucin Sagel of Istanbul, Turkey. This 270 liter tank is pictured at 5 months of growth.
IAPLC
The Mini Mountain Range: designed by Melinda Koncsik of Nagykőrös, Hungary. This 20 liter tank is pictured at 3 months of growth.
IAPLC
Looking Up: designed by Irina Kryshtopa of Alchevsk, Ukraine. This 250 liter tank is pictured at 4 months of growth.
IAPLC
Lair Forest: designed by Tibor Szecsei of Nagykőrös, Hungary. This 117 liter tank is pictured at 7 months of growth. There are 16 different plant types.
IAPLC
Wild West: designed by Stjepan Erdeljić of Djakovo, Croatia. This 160 liter tank is pictured at 5 months of growth.
IAPLC
Stones Dance: designed by Alexander Moscalenko of Khartsyzk, Ukraine. This 160 liter tank is pictured at 3 months of growth.
IAPLC
The Arms of Naiad: designed by Laszlo Tart of Herend, Hungary. This 247 liter tank is pictured at 1 year of growth.
IAPLC
The Green Grand Canyon: designed by Igor Kapitan of Slovenija. This is a 63 liter tank.
IAPLC
Pandora (the land of flying sparks): designed by Marko Velikonja of Slovenia. This 450 liter tank contains small floating islands made of lava stone and epoxy resin.
IAPLC
Stairway to Heaven: designed by Timucin Sagel of Istanbul Turkey. This is a 270 liter tank.
IAPLC
The Pillars of the Earth: designed by Pasquale Buonpane of Italy. This is a 400 liter tank.
IAPLC
Mountain Flowers: designed by Zhenzong Su of China. This is 350 liter tank.
IAPLC
Via Colossal
These aquariums are more impressive than most backyards. Aquarium designers must understand biology, design and photography. Not only that, but they must exercise extreme patience, as most of these aquariums to months to grow.
Share their incredible work with others.
