Meet the Aquascapers, Scott from Fish Tank Adventure
Updated: Nov 21, 2023
Scott recently attended our store with Marc West in October 2022, working together they created an amazing Jungle style scape in an Aquael Ultrascape 90.
When did you start Aquascaping?
I first started keeping fish about 6 years ago, however, the first time around I didn't really do my research and it soon turned into a nightmare. Then during lockdown, I started watching MD Fishtanks which got me interested in the aquascaping side of things and the layers involved in making a successful scape. I waited many months before getting a tank and even then I made mistakes. Aquascaping is a journey of passion and one that I am truly enjoying.
Why did you start Aquascaping?
Starting Aquascaping and fish keeping came from my passion for understanding nature. There is something truly magical about creating a habitat where you can see animals thrive. Nature is the inspiration around a lot of my scapes. A natural scape, gives natural behaviour. An important element for my aqauscaping journey was escapism. I started during lockdown and working as a front-line worker it allowed me to refocus the mind and focus on something small that required detail. This was an excellent distraction from a hectic work life.
And a big bonus is the family got to enjoy it too.
Favourite Fish? My favourite fish is the pearl gourami, very much over looked but for their size they give an amazing show and I've found them to be a peaceful contribution to a community tank. I have recently been getting a soft spot for bettas and I'm interested in seeing how I can do more scapes around their natural habitat in the future.
Scaping Inspiration I have been lucky enough to meet many aquascapers on Instagram that assisted in my hobby developing to where it is. I tend to take bits I see and use it to develop my own knowledge and my personal style is very much a jungle/natural theme. I'm a big fan of an ecosystem and enjoy having shrimp, snails and fish living together to keep the tank stable. If I was to give myself advice when I first started I would have said to get a medium sized tank say 60-90 litres as they are a good size that don't break the bank. Now I know more I'm enjoying my smaller tanks more and will likely be expanding these in the future
When it comes to fish, yes it's cool to have an awesome-looking fish but I enjoy the time researching to ensure I can give them the best home I can. I have many dream fish I'd like to keep but can't because of the conditions they need or character etc so it's important to put the welfare of the fish first over my own.
Want to find out more about Scott's Fish keeping adventure? You can follow him over on Instagram >> Fish Tank Adventure