Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. Aquascape designs include a number of distinct styles, including the garden-like Dutch style and the Japanese-inspired nature style. Typically, an aquascape houses fish as well as plants, although it is possible to create an aquascape with plants only, or with rockwork or other hardscape and no plants.
58 gallon (220 litre) freshwater aquascape
Dutch style aquascape
A nature style aquascape, suggesting mountains
Iwagumi style aquascape, with the Oyaishi stone at the right
An aquarium is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquatic reptiles, such as turtles, and aquatic plants. The term aquarium, coined by English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse, combines the Latin root aqua, meaning 'water', with the suffix -arium, meaning 'a place for relating to'.
The underwater tunnel in the London aquarium
A freshwater aquarium with plants and various tropical fish
Cat and fishbowl, after Isoda Koryusai. Original c. 1775.
Goldfish in a glass: portrait of Therese Krones, 1824