Aquascaping and terrarium guides

MOKIZEN has 13 guides to aquascaping styles, terrariums and paludariums, and the fundamentals of a healthy tank — cycling, light and CO₂, and algae. Each is written from cited sources and links to the plants and 3D worlds it describes.

Aquascaping styles

• Blackwater aquarium: Rio Negro biotope guide — Build a blackwater biotope: what tints the water, target pH, soft-water prep, leaf litter and wood, fish that fit, and how to stop pH crashes.
• Dutch aquarium style: plant streets and rules — The Dutch planted aquarium: species-per-length rule, plant streets, terraces, red-plant limits, which plants to use and the weekly trimming it demands.
• Iwagumi aquascape: stones, plants and setup — How to build an Iwagumi: the stone roles, which rocks and carpet plants to use, step-by-step setup, trimming and the mistakes that cause algae.
• Jungle aquascape: plants, layering and setup — How to build a jungle aquascape: layering, bold plants on driftwood, low-tech vs CO₂ builds, setup steps, trimming and mistakes that turn wild into messy.
• Nature Aquarium style: layout rules and setup — Takashi Amano's Nature Aquarium explained: the three compositions, wood and stone, which plants to use, ADA's start-up routine and common mistakes.

Terrariums and paludariums

• Closed terrarium: how to build one that lasts — Build a closed terrarium that runs itself: layers, humidity-loving plants, reading condensation, how often to water and how to stop mould.
• Open terrarium: succulents and cacti in glass — How to plant an open succulent terrarium: the right container, a gritty mix, 6–8+ hours of light, soak-and-dry watering and the mistakes that rot roots.
• Paludarium: how to build a half-land, half-water tank — What a paludarium is, how to split land and water, which plants and animals fit, how to build the layers step by step, and how to stop mould and rot.
• Riparium: a riverbank tank with plants above the water — How a riparium works, which marginal plants grow with roots in the water, how to mount planters, what medium to use and the mistakes that cause rot.
• Wabi-kusa: how to make and grow an emersed plant ball — Wabi-kusa explained: what it is, which aquatic plants to use, how to make the soil ball, misting and light, and moving it into an aquarium.

Fundamentals

• Aquarium algae: identify the type and fix the cause — Identify green spot, hair, black beard, blue-green, brown and green-water algae, learn what causes each, and fix the cause so it does not come back.
• Balancing light, CO₂ and fertiliser in a planted tank — How much light, CO₂ and fertiliser a planted tank needs: light tiers, 10–30 mg/L CO₂, drop checker colours and a 6–10 h photoperiod without algae.
• How to cycle a new aquarium (nitrogen cycle) — Fishless cycling step by step: dose ammonia to 2–3 mg/L, test every few days, and know the tank is cycled when ammonia and nitrite hit zero in 24 h.

Explore living worlds · Species care guides · Aquascaping guides · What 591 real aquascapes use · Open the 3D editor