Meet the Aquascapers, Marc West of MW Scapes

In October 2022 we were lucky to have Marc and Scott in store creating a fabulous Aquascape display in our Aquael Ultrascape 90, in store. Marc is returning to the store in January 2023 to create another scape. Here is a little about Marc and how he got started in the hobby.

When did you start keeping fish and why?

I started keeping fish by accident when I was 6, after catching a duck on 'Hook A Duck' which I was always rubbish at as a kid. Small goldfish called (Harry) which I had for around 2 years. At this point I started getting interested in fish in general and was eager to learn more, going to my local library looking at books.

What made you start Aquascaping?

It all started I would say 5 years ago, when I inherited a large tank with accessories. Blue gravel, shipwrecks, plane and silk plants. But I created something I liked with what I had. It was then I sat back and thought of nature in general and thought I could create something I've seen in the wild. A few years past learning more and more about fish health and their natural environments. I started doing more research on live plants and looking at nature scenes. Then......Lockdown hit!!! Which was a horrible time but at the same time I had more time on my hands to really put what I've learnt to test. In the first lockdown I made my first proper 'Aquascape' you would say. This then opened my eyes even more and MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) kicked in.

Favourite fish?

Without a shadow of a doubt its Betta Fish (Shock I know )

I've been keeping Bettas for some time now, in variety of different forms. I currently have three male bettas and also a wild pair of Betta Hendra. Among other Nano fish.

Favourite scape?

This is a hard one as there are so many inspiration scapes out there from the pros to amatuers. But I'm gonna choose one closer to home. Dan's (Earls Scapes) Aquaone planted tank as really impressed me and I've enjoying watching the journey of the tank maturing.

Favourite product?

There are so many products I use as a go to on a regular basis. To name a few NT Labs Test kit, 2 hr Aquarist APT 3 (Fertiliser) and NT Labs food. I couldn't choose one favourite product as I use multiple favourites every day.

Thank you so much Marc for Scaping in our store, we really appreciate it. Looking forward to more collaborations in the future.

If you would like to find out more about Marcs scapes you can find him over on Instagram MW_scapes