home · Networks · Aquarium design in pseudo-sea style. "pseudo-sea" - a marine aquarium for beginners. “Pseudo-sea” with a special light bulb

Aquarium design in pseudo-sea style. "pseudo-sea" - a marine aquarium for beginners. “Pseudo-sea” with a special light bulb

Pseudo-sea aquariums are increasingly found in reception areas, offices, private homes and apartments. It is luxurious, beautiful and original. However, creating a believable seascape is not an easy task. There are many nuances to consider.

How to choose an aquarium

The aquarium must be large. Volume - from 150 liters, height - 50-60 cm. These indicators are fundamental. If the aquarium is small, then fatal fights between fish cannot be avoided. For a pseudo-sea aquarium, bottom fish species are optimal, which means that a “can” that is too high is useless. In addition, in a low aquarium it is easier to build coral slides and terraces. As for the shape of the tank, it can be anything. The pseudosea looks harmonious in a traditional rectangle, in a “delta”, and in a ball.

What you need to know about decor

Ideal as a soil marble chips white or beige. The amount of soil is calculated as follows: for 10 liters of water 1.5 kg of sand. The back wall is decorated using a plain or patterned film. Some people like blue or even black monochrome, while others like a colored seascape. The relief background with voluminous rocks and grottoes looks impressive. Uneven texture allows without special effort build a truly realistic composition.

When choosing stones, give preference to shell rock, granite, limestone and irregularly shaped sandstone. The stones must not contain metal veins or traces of rust. The surface must be uniform, without gaps or cracks. First rinse natural stones with water and then boil them.

If you decide to decorate your aquarium with driftwood, remember that some types of wood contain acids. Balsa wood is considered harmless bog oak, mangrove branches. Driftwood can turn the water amber. It will help to get rid of this Activated carbon, added to the filter.

Corals and shells are an integral component of a pseudo-sea style aquarium. Synthetic corals, contrary to popular belief, are quite suitable. They are environmentally friendly, durable, and cannot harm active fish or scratch the walls of the reservoir. It is better not to use souvenir corals coated with chemical compounds.

If there are real sea corals, they should be boiled and washed thoroughly under running water with a stiff brush. However, after the polyps are removed, the stones become fragile. To prevent this from happening, you can use another method of preparation, but it will require patience and time.

Dilute any bleach in water in a 1:1 ratio and treat the corals. Then leave them to soak in lightly salted water for 3 weeks. Change the water every 5 days. “Live” stones must be tested when immersed in an aquarium. Place them in a small container and observe. When black spots appear, white plaque And unpleasant odor repeat cleaning.

But you can’t boil shells. This way they will lose their pearlescent shine without a trace. To remove shellfish, you can place the shell in an anthill and then rinse it. The ants will do a great job - there will be no organic matter left in the shells.

A pseudo-sea aquarium with natural decor is difficult to maintain.

And you will have to choose only those fish that feel comfortable in hard water - leaching of calcium from shells and corals cannot be avoided. In this regard artificial scenery more comfortable. The wealth of shapes and shades will provide the opportunity to create an attractive landscape without limiting the flight of imagination. It is also important that synthetic decorative items are easy to maintain in their original condition - they can be washed, boiled without fear, they do not crumble and retain their rich color for a long time.

Do not clutter the composition with unnecessary details - this will only disturb the underwater inhabitants. When laying out stones, make sure that the load on the ground is even. Form terraces and do not forget about shelters - all kinds of “pockets” and grottoes in which the fish can rest. Live plants will not take root in a pseudosea aquarium. There's nothing wrong with that. You can get by with a couple of plastic copies different heights with small leaves.

Necessary equipment

The technical side should be given Special attention. Powerful filtration and aeration are important. A thermostat and a sterilizer will not be superfluous. “Cold” ones are preferred for lighting fluorescent lamps. Halogens make the underwater picture dynamic: the scenery becomes more prominent, the shadows of the fish become more distinct. Since there are no living plants, there is no need to turn on the light for more than 3-4 hours a day.

Fish in a marine aquarium

Avoid overcrowding the aquarium. Calculate the number of fish using the formula: 1 fish per 7 liters of water. The functions of cleaners can be performed by snails or ancitruses.

How to care for an aquarium

By by and large Caring for a pseudosea is not too different from caring for a regular aquarium. The soil is siphoned twice a month, water is changed weekly (10-20%), and once every 3 months the decorations are cleaned of algae and corals are bleached. It is advisable to bleach the soil in the front part of the tank once a month, bleaching the rest of the soil - once a year.

Don't overuse lighting. Less light means less organic matter. Only turn on the lamps when you are at home and watching the fish. The rest of the time there is no need for lighting.

DESIGN OF AN AQUARIUM IN THE “PSEUDO SEA” STYLE

(I will try to be as detailed as possible)

All lovers of underwater seascapes can recreate in their aquarium a piece of the sea with fresh water - “PSEUDO SEA”. IN Lately a very popular trend in aquarium design. Unlike a real and expensive marine aquarium, which, in addition to substantial material investments, also requires sufficient knowledge, experience and time for its maintenance and care, an aquarium in the “pseudo-sea” style is not so expensive, and in maintenance it is not much different from an ordinary freshwater one with plants , snags, etc., except for some nuances, which will be described below. In addition, a person far from aquarium hobby is unlikely to immediately distinguish it from a real marine aquarium. The “pseudo-sea” aquarium serves purely aesthetic purposes and therefore there is no need to recreate any aquatic organism, as is often done in ordinary freshwater aquariums. But this does not mean that you can populate it with anyone and put whatever you want when decorating)). At its core, a “pseudo-sea” aquarium is the same cichlid fish, only designed differently.

So you have decided to decorate an aquarium in the “pseudo-sea” style. What is needed for this?

Of course, the aquarium itself and preferably more, say 200 liters or more. The more, the better! You can do less, of course, even try at 20 liter aquarium, but I'll tell you why more. Because when decorating an aquarium in the “pseudo-sea” style, natural stones and corals (or rather their skeletons) are used; they are often not small in size, especially if you subsequently create terraces. Another reason is that an aquarium in the “pseudo-sea” style is populated with cichlids, because fish of this particular category have the greatest amount of color brightness and diversity, which is closest to the appearance of coral reef fish. And cichlids love space, plus many species are not small in size and are also territorial and they need enough space both for swimming and for shelter if necessary. Some are best kept in small schools of 4-6 fish. The design is usually done in white, blue and red colors.

As a background I use a plain film of light blue, dark blue or black. It is not recommended to use film with a ready-made composition in a marine style, because... this will distract from the composition you have created in the design of the aquarium and will also look too tacky. Installing a voluminous rocky background is encouraged.

The effect of glowing blue water is created by a Marine-Glo fluorescent lamp in combination with Power-Glo or Aqua-Glo. The Marine-Glo lamp is installed in the background, and the Power-Glo or Aqua-Glo in the foreground. It is quite possible to limit yourself to using a regular white spectrum fluorescent lamp in the foreground, for whom the purchase of two special lamps seems costly))

For example, this is what the lighting looks like with only one Marine-Glo lamp turned on.


Which in my opinion is not natural and everything is too blue.

And here it’s already combined – Marine-Glo + Power-Glo, which in my opinion is more natural.

White quartz with a fraction of 3-5mm is usually used as soil for the “pseudo-sea”. or coral chips, or white quartz sand, but not marble! Because due to the abundance of corals and shells, the water will already be quite hard,
alkaline. With a high content of calcium and magnesium salts.


Here in the photo: quartz sand and white quartz

Coral chips

You can make a mixture, say, add 10% black quartz to the entire volume of soil.

The natural stones used are mainly the so-called “Kenyan stone”, better known as Lochgestein or sandstone, and sometimes in combination. Stones should always be taken in irregular shapes, and the more elaborate the shape and the more irregularities and holes, the better. In the “pseudo-sea” there should not be stones of regular and especially round shape, especially pebbles. And also all the elements associated with a regular freshwater aquarium! These include rounded stones, any kind, especially driftwood!


"Kenyan stone" and sandstone

For additional decoration, you can use individual stones; quartzite (white or burgundy) is best; don’t get too carried away with burgundy)), 1 or 2 is enough to liven up the color scheme.

We take soil at the rate of 1 kg. per 1 liter of volume + 2-3 kg. For 200 l. the aquarium will be 22-23 kg. We build a composition from Kenyan stone or sandstone so that, if possible, the load on the bottom is uniform (after all, the weight of natural stones is decent), and collecting them in one pile or in one corner is very fraught with danger for the aquarium. You can also recreate “terraces” by placing more or less flat stones on others in height in a checkerboard pattern. At the same time checking the stability. The more stones of various sizes and shapes, the more opportunities you have for creativity. But this does not mean that you should fill the aquarium with stones!!! Everything should be in moderation! Otherwise, it may happen that the bottom glass will not withstand such a load! When creating a composition, it is very desirable to leave through holes in the stones for the free swimming of fish, various shelters and a kind of “pockets” and grottoes, secluded places so that the fish, if necessary, can hide and take cover from their pursuers.
Individual stones(quartzite) we place chaotically, but so as not to disturb the overall picture of the composition.

In general, you can choose two design paths - ascetic minimalism (less expensive), when only soil and 2-3 Kenyan stones are used for decoration and that’s it. And the fish they usually keep are representatives of the same species. Another way is a coral reef, when stones, corals and artificial plants are chosen for decoration (more on them below) and the population of such an aquarium is colorful and diverse - this method is expensive. It must be said that setting up an aquarium along the route of a coral reef is more labor-intensive, both in terms of subsequent maintenance (cleaning) and in terms of finances. And often even exceeds the cost of the aquarium along with the cabinet (as in my case)))

Well, actually the coral skeletons themselves. Natural roads, and artificial plastic ones, are usually all painted and the paint will peel off in some places over time. And it’s up to you to decide which ones to take.

Here are photos of some types of corals:


Open brainwort, Brainwort, Ballyanus or sea acorn, Acropora


Cat's Paw, Finger, Pocillopora, Fungia

Separately, I would like to say about the gorgonian - it does not look like coral, but it is also coral and more reminiscent of a fan-shaped branch of some plant))

For example, artificial corals

Red and Montipora

Now about the plants. Live plants in pseudo seawater aquarium They don’t imprison. They grow very poorly in hard, alkaline water, and cichlids, in turn, actively eat them and are not averse to digging up the soil. You can use artificial ones.
I think silk ones are the best option, they look the most natural. Plastic ones will also work. Very few plants are needed, mainly to enliven the design and hide equipment (filter, thermostat, hoses). All colors are suitable, except green and too unnaturally bright, I would recommend more natural colors, although let’s say one plant is blue, I don’t exclude it, as well as red)). 3-5 plants of different heights are enough.

Since we have an aquarium without living plants (although I once thought about planting live ones, but decided not to do it), good and most importantly round-the-clock aeration is necessary. Both external and internal can be used as a filter - at your discretion. It is advisable powerful - I usually calculate it this way: I multiply the volume of the aquarium by 7 - I get the filter power. For example, for 200 liters. aquarium – 200x7=1400 l.h. With such water pumping there must be a filter. Say a lot! But depending on the parameters declared by the manufacturer, the power of the filter and its efficiency will still be 40 percent lower. But in the aquarium, the water will always be clean and transparent.

You can also use artificial sea anemones for additional decoration; they are usually made of latex or silicone.

It is better to buy sea shells for decoration in such sets - it turns out cheaper

The best option is to choose the largest and most colorful, bizarrely shaped ones. Sinks serve not only for decoration, but we also use them to mask (cover) the weights of the artificial plants and sea anemone.

So we gradually approached the population of our pseudo-sea. As a rule, there are no snails in the pseudo-sea either, but if you really want to, you can try - it’s better to get one unusual shape, for example: devil's thorn snail or pagoda snail.

The absence of snails in the pseudo-sea, or rather, their function is performed by ancitruses, also, as bottom orderlies, you can populate a small school of fish from the Corydoras species. If a diverse population is planned, it is better to stock with teenagers, because the fish get used to each other better and when they grow up together, conflicts are unlikely or rare. Fish for the pseudo-sea are, as I wrote above, cichlids (mostly). As a rule, they are African - Malawian or representatives of other African lakes, less often Americans, although there are also mixed ones - where both Africa and America are present together.

Almost any aquarium made in the “pseudo-sea” style has these trinity)) It’s safe to say that not a single pseudo-sea aquarium can do without them. Below in the photo:


Labidochromis yellow (Labidochromis caeruleus var. "Yellow"), Red zebra (Pseudotropheus zebra.red), Pseudotropheus demasoni (pseudotropheus demasoni)

I offer a few more photographs of brightly colored cichlids as possible candidates for an aquarium in the “pseudo-sea” style:


Copadichromis Kadango (Copadichromis sp. "Kadango"), Jackson's Haplochromis (Sciaenochromis ahli) or cornflower blue Haplochromis, Julidochromis Regani, Julidochromis Marlieri (Julidochromis marlieri)


Nicaraguan Cichlazoma (Hypsophrys nicaraguensis), Cichlazoma eight-striped
(Cichlasoma octofasciatum) or biocelatum, also known as “bee”, Aulonocara sp. “multicolor”), Turquoise acara (Aequidens rivulatus)


Melanochromis Maingano, Golden Leopard (Cyrtocara venustus), Cichlasoma salvini, Thorichthys ellioti

There are many beautiful and colorful cichlids - in any case, the choice is yours.

In general, the maintenance of a “pseudo-sea” aquarium is no different from a regular one, except that it is periodically necessary to bleach natural corals (with the exception of gorgonians), Kenyan stone and the soil itself. For these purposes I use “Whiteness”. For 10-12 l. I pour out a quarter of the bottle into a bucket and immerse corals or stones or soil into it, the main thing is that the water completely covers them and leave it like that. Let's say I put it in the evening, and the next evening I took it out and washed it under running water (in the shower).

I do this:
Once a week water change - 10-20%
Once every two weeks, I siphon the soil with changing the water and cleaning the glass; if necessary, I bleach the corals (they become dirty most quickly) from algae and other “dirt”
Once a month, bleach the soil in the front of the aquarium
Whitening Kenyan stones every six months
Once a year, bleach the remaining soil.

You can do everything in parts and as you get dirty and a little at a time,
Each time it’s the same thing, it takes less time, and it’s easier.

In conclusion, a few photos in the “pseudo-sea” style





I wish you good luck, Alen Wild!

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Mesmerizing seascapes captivate the imagination of even the most discerning aquarium lovers. The marine aquarium hobby is currently experiencing a real boom, so it is not surprising that a more economical, but no less attractive twin style will appear. A style that reflects the beauty of a sea reef, with bright and beautiful fish, which is essentially a simplified copy of the “sea” from a biological point of view. We are talking about the "Pseudomore" style. In this design, as well as in the “sea” design, white stones, corals, and shells are used. The effect of glowing blue water is created by a Marine-Glo fluorescent lamp in combination with Power-Glo or Aqua-Glo. The selection of fish for such an aquarium is carried out taking into account their tolerance to fairly hard water. These include brightly colored African cichlids, rainbowfish, and viviparous cyprinids. Basic color scheme The “Pseudo-sea” style can be considered blue, white, gray, red. The most suitable rooms for placing an aquarium decorated in this style are a living room, an office, a children's room and even a bathroom decorated in the appropriate style.

© Elvira Stankevich , Head of Design and Service at Aquasalon Aqua Logo

What style of aquarium design should I choose for a room with unusual lines of furniture, a predominance of contrasting blue, gray and white tones?..

The answer suggests itself: the sea. But for beginners, mastering the intricacies of marine aquarium keeping is associated with certain difficulties and very significant material costs.

It’s a completely different matter if the entire design style is in the marine style, but the water in it is fresh, and the inhabitants, accordingly, are freshwater. But for us, a coral reef and a river (lake, swamp) are, first of all, different styles. Many go the most the simple way- decorate the typical freshwater aquarium corals or shells of exotic shapes and colors brought from the warm coast. But this option is not the best, because mixing diametrically opposed styles does not give a positive effect. It is absolutely unacceptable, in my opinion, to combine shells with green thickets and snags in one aquarium. Well, where do corals come from in a fresh body of water?! Or, on the contrary, in the sea - higher plants... I want to make a reservation right away - any aquarist can argue that Amazonian angelfish and South Asian gouramis can look just as ridiculous in the same body of water... But these are already features of the biotope, which has no relationship to style.

A layman cannot always distinguish sea fish from freshwater fish at first glance. For example, the “kings” of a pseudo-marine aquarium - cichlids from the African lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, Victoria - are not much inferior to the inhabitants of the coral reef in the brightness of their outfit. And most of the Australian rainbows would be hard to call faded. Therefore, in style, mood, and thematic content, a pseudo-sea aquarium absolutely copies the real sea, only it is undeniably simpler in design and content.

According to the type of perception, a pseudo-marine aquarium can be decided in different options. The picture can be very bright, contrasting, or vice versa, calm, cold. This is chosen depending on the interior in which the aquarium will be located, but in any case, the marine style is not suitable for every room. The sea can ideally fit into a bright nursery, a strict gray office or even a bathroom, but among the classic wooden furniture A tropical aquarium looks better in brown or dark green tones.

To create a pseudo-sea, aquariums of any shape and size are suitable - both unusual balls, arcs and prisms, as well as traditional rectangular ones, “panoramas” or “deltas”. There are no specific recommendations here, as pseudosea is surprisingly versatile and looks good in any form.

When decorating a marine aquarium, you can use the same materials as for a marine one. For example, to fill the soil they use natural marble chips, synthetic colored soils, etc. There are no restrictions on the size of the soil, since there will be no living plants in our aquarium. The most natural look is not very fine white marble chips, sprinkled in places with beige or gray soil. Despite the fact that the aquarium is bright and contrasting, the use of artificial soils of unnatural colors - blue, green, red - is not recommended. Still, we strive to create a picture close to natural environment. For registration use natural materials, including dead corals, porous calcareous rocks. It is better to purchase inanimate attributes of marine life in specialized aquarium stores, since only in this case can you be sure that the decoration has not been subjected to unwanted pre-sale preparation(like etching or varnishing). Such operations, harmless for souvenirs, can become dangerous when used in an aquarium, causing poisoning of fish. If you brought corals from the sea yourself, you need to carefully prepare them before placing them in the aquarium. The fastest and easiest way is boiling, although after this the corals become more fragile. After boiling, wash them with a brush under strong water pressure to remove any remaining soft polyps. A longer, but gentler method is treatment with a non-concentrated bleach solution and subsequent soaking for two to three weeks with constant water changes. Gorgonians should not be used as they will inevitably rot in fresh water. It is better not to boil shells, otherwise the mother-of-pearl will fade. To prevent any parts of the mollusk from remaining inside the shell, you can use this non-standard way: put them in an anthill for several hours, then wash them - and you can be sure that there is no organic matter left there. But it will not be possible to get rid of calcium leaching from corals, limestones and shells, so the water in an aquarium with such materials will inevitably be hard, and the inhabitants must be selected based on this characteristic.

Modern synthetic materials are inert to water, so the choice of fish for such an aquarium is more free, including apistograms from the soft waters of Brazil. In addition, the wide range of colors of modern artificial soils and aquarium decorations allows you to create a beautiful landscape using fish of almost any color.

To add picturesqueness and relief to the bottom surface, you can use various kinds of grottoes and terraces. Rocks in a pseudo-marine aquarium are desirable irregular shapes, unrounded, in harmony with the interweaving of coral branches. The same applies to terraces: it is not so much their height and number of floors that is important, but rather the attractiveness of the shape. However, this does not mean that you can without hesitation stuff everything that has a “non-standard” shape into a pseudo-marine aquarium. It is advisable to arrange the scenery in such a way that the basic laws of composition (asymmetry, compliance with the one-third rule, creating a visual center of the composition, etc.) are observed. Secondary elements of decoration should be subordinate to the main one, emphasizing its attractiveness and originality.

When choosing an option for arranging a reservoir, you should take into account that the vast majority of fish used in this style are mobile, quite large, requiring sufficient space for swimming, and you should not unnecessarily clutter the aquarium with decorations. In general, pseudo-marine aquariums are less loaded with decorations than tropical, “equator”, etc. In clutter of corals, stones, and synthetic plants, fish will become simply invisible.

The back wall of the aquarium is decorated with a background. In the simplest case, it is a one-color (blue, black, etc.) film, or a picture with a marine plot. The maximum attractiveness of the reservoir can be achieved with the help of relief backgrounds, specially designed for marine aquariums (keep in mind that such decoration is expensive).

The use of synthetic plants adds additional beauty to the aquarium. The Hagen Corporation produces plastic plants specifically for maritime decoration, imitating real algae (caulerpa), it is better to opt for them. Do not use artificial ambulia, ludwigia, broad-leaved echinodorus and cryptocorynes to design a pseudo-sea.

Now let's talk a little about technical support pseudo-seas. Basically, the requirements for it are determined by the fish contained in the reservoir, and some features of this type of aquarium design.

Malawians and rainbowfish love flow and fresh, warm water: they need a fairly powerful pump and a thermostat that allows them to maintain the water temperature at 25-27°C. Swordtails, platies and some other viviparous fish are more tolerant of water quality, but, nevertheless, it is impossible to do without good filtration in a “pseudo-sea” style aquarium. Firstly, the absence of living plants that utilize fish waste products does not contribute to the establishment of biological balance. Secondly, and this is perhaps more significant, when using natural limestones and corals, we have in the aquarium an abundance of rough, porous surfaces that serve as an ideal substrate for the settlement and development of a variety of algae. In order to prevent an algae outbreak, it is worth taking care of effective mechanical and chemical-biological filtration, at least using activated carbon in filters (in addition to foam rubber or sponge). Filter capacity is 1.5-2 volumes per hour.

As for light, the choice of lamps in a pseudo-marine aquarium is determined not by the needs of the plants, but only by decorative purposes. Fluorescent lamps of cold tones (domestic type LCB or imported ones like PowerGlo), the spectrum of which is shifted to the blue part of the spectrum, are more suitable here. The use of halogen lamps gives an interesting effect: the fact is that their powerful directional light forms distinct shadows of fish and decorations at the bottom of the aquarium, as a result the reservoir acquires greater visible relief and dynamism. Again, excess light should be avoided, which provokes the development of green algae, which is almost impossible to remove from natural corals and limestones.

It would be appropriate to note here that even with ideal filtration and optimally selected lighting, it is impossible to maintain the dazzling snow-whiteness of corals in an aquarium. I can only console you with the fact that even in the sea they are not completely white. You can subject them to periodic bleaching or boiling, although in this case over time they become completely unusable - they crack and crumble. Unfortunately, with all the abundance of ceramic products currently available in pet stores, there are no synthetic corals with smooth surface branches that are sufficiently similar to real ones.

Synthetic jewelry is simpler in this regard; its surface is smooth and can be easily cleaned of bacterial plaque and algae growth. In addition, they can withstand repeated boiling.

In principle, we have already talked about selecting fish for a marine aquarium. Let me remind you once again that if materials with calcareous inclusions were used in the arrangement, then preference should be given to species that love hard water: pseudotropheus, lamprologus, haplochromis and other Malawians, Tanganyikans, Victorians, as well as swordtails, mollies and other representatives of poeciliaceae. Their bright color contrasts perfectly with the gray corals and light background. If the color of the fish is not enough to form a bright picture, then the deficiency of colors is compensated by using more colorful decorations. For example, the Apistogramma mentioned above are not as bright as the cornflower haplochromis, but if they are planted in an aquarium with artificial white substrate, bright shells, blue or black backdrops and red plastic plants, the result will be a very picturesque picture. You can keep melanothenias - rainbow silversides, glasolepias - in a pseudo-marine aquarium. When using only synthetic decorations, the pseudo-sea can also contain some large cichlids, such as hybrid parrots or diamond cichlids, as they are quite bright and unpretentious.

Since the pseudosea aquarium is intended primarily for decorative rather than educational purposes, there is no need to reproduce the attributes of the biotope in detail. Let's say, if in an aquarium with Malawians we arrange a lot of shelters, the fish will feel more comfortable, but the decorative value of the reservoir will noticeably decrease, since some of the fish will definitely sit in them.

As for care, special requirements are again imposed on preventing the accumulation of organic matter in the water: no overfeeding, regular water changes of at least 10% per week while simultaneously cleaning the soil with a siphon. The light can be turned on literally for the time when you are at home and watching the fish. The shorter the lighting, the less corals and decorations become overgrown with lower algae. In addition, in such an aquarium, unlike an aquarium with live plants, you can use chemicals to combat algae (Algo-destrovel).

Content:

The pseudosea aquarium is an excellent alternative to troublesome and expensive nautical style. This piece of the deep sea, frozen in glass, uses ordinary fresh water, which simplifies and reduces the cost of maintaining an aquatic system several times.

When starting to create a pseudosea cichlid, you need to choose a suitable aquarium, take care of decorative design underwater space, prepare necessary equipment and choose the right fish. However, first things first.

Shape and dimensions of the aquarium

We start by choosing a suitable vessel for our underwater kingdom. Any aquarium is suitable for a pseudo-sea: round, oval, rectangular, trapezoidal, flat or volumetric. The main thing is that the height of the walls of the vessel does not exceed 50-60 cm. Firstly, such aquariums are intended for bottom fish that do not swim in upper layers water. Secondly, filling a tall aquarium with coral structures is very difficult.

ATTENTION: For pseudo-sea, vessels with a volume of 150 liters or more are usually used. In a small aquarium, after placing the soil and decorations, the fish will be cramped.

Decorative design

Once you have decided on the shape and size of the aquarium, you can begin decorating the interior space.

Background

To create an illusion total immersion to the underwater world, a decorative film of light blue, dark blue or black is glued to the back wall of the aquarium. Against this background, fish and corals look very harmonious. You can also use film depicting corals, underwater plants and inhabitants of the deep sea.

To ensure that the background sticks evenly, you need to:

  1. clean the rear from dirt outer wall aquarium;
  2. apply a little glycerin to the film and press it to the glass;
  3. remove air bubbles from under the film.

IMPORTANT: You can remove air bubbles from under the film using a regular ruler or other similar object. If this is not done, the bubbles will be clearly visible through the water column.

Priming

As soil for the pseudo-sea, you can use coarse single-color sand, coral chips, white quartz with 3-5 mm granules, or synthetically colored substances. For every 10 liters of aquarium volume, reserve 1 kg of soil, plus add 2-3 kg additionally for the entire volume of water.

IMPORTANT: Soil made from marble chips increases water hardness. In a pseudo-sea, the water will already be hard due to shells and corals, and the presence of marble chips will only aggravate the problem. Therefore, it is better not to use it.

Stones

Large, porous stones with jagged edges, such as Kenyan stone or sandstone, are suitable for a pseudosea aquarium. It is better to choose stones with holes different shapes and size. But it is better to avoid pebbles and stones of regular round shape, since they are more often found in fresh water bodies.

To prevent the bottom of the aquarium from bursting due to uneven loading, it should not be covered with stones. You can avoid using them altogether, since stones consisting of clay, lime and sand increase water hardness, and not all aquarium inhabitants like a hard environment. But without stones, it will be much more difficult to lay out coral slides.

Scenery

When decorating a pseudo-sea aquarium, use corals, shells, grottoes, colored rolled glass and others decorative elements. Don’t try to fill the entire bottom with decor; pick a few truly original items.

When placing decorations, remember simple rules building a composition. Place a large decorative element in the center, around which form hills and lowlands in a chaotic manner, and arrange small decorations. Place shells, grottoes, terraces and other secluded places for fish randomly and surround them with stones whose shape is far from ideal.

HELP: If you decide to place a shell brought from the sea into the aquarium, leave it for several days near the anthill. The ants will remove any remaining organic matter and clean the shell until it shines. All that remains is to rinse it under running water and pour boiling water over it.

Corals

The underwater space can be decorated using corals brought from the sea. But first they need to be processed:

  • Boil the corals and brush them thoroughly with a medium-hard brush. It's fast and effective method, but during boiling the corals become fragile.
  • Treat the corals with a gentle bleach, and then soak them in water for 2-3 weeks. The water in which corals are kept must be changed regularly. This method requires more time, but allows you to maintain a strong coral structure.

But it is better not to use decorative corals, because they are often varnished and impregnated with substances that are harmful to fish.

Plants

Live plants are not used in the pseudosea. Firstly, they do not tolerate alkaline water well. Secondly, cichlids are not averse to nibbling on their delicate green sprouts and digging in the soil. Therefore, it is better to use artificial plants made of silicone or plastic, which are harmless to the inhabitants of the aquarium and have high decorative properties. The presence of artificial plants will enliven the underwater kingdom and allow you to disguise the equipment for filtration and aeration of the reservoir. 3-5 plants of different heights are enough for a pond.

So, when decorating a pseudo-sea, you must first fill the aquarium with soil, then place corals, stones, grottoes, shells and other decorative elements. When the formation of the display is completed, the bottom and decorative elements should be covered with thin plastic film and carefully fill the vessel one third with water. After this, you need to remove the film and add water to the optimal level.

Equipment

For a pseudo-marine aquarium, you need to prepare a powerful filter, lighting fixtures, a heater, a thermometer to control the temperature and an aerator.

Filter

To prevent the beautiful seascape from being spoiled by green algae, artificial reservoir it is necessary to create a flow. To do this, you should use a powerful bottom filter with the functions of mechanical, chemical and biological water purification. The Professional 3 or Eheim filters are perfect for this role.

Lighting

In a pseudo-marine aquarium, lighting plays an important role. As a rule, the main lamp is installed closer to the front wall of the aquarium. This allows you to show the scenery in the most advantageous light.

For a pseudo-sea style aquarium, fluorescent, halogen and neon lamps with a cool bluish light are most suitable. Under neon lights, corals and other white decorative elements look even whiter. You can also purchase special lamps designed for marine aquariums. For a pseudo-sea, two such lamps located at the front wall are more than enough.

WARNING: If the lighting in the aquarium is too intense, green algae will appear in the water. To prevent this from happening, artificial lighting you need to turn it on only for 5-6 hours a day and siphon the substrate more intensively.

The most beautiful seascapes and the vibrant underwater world of the seas and oceans are always exciting; they attract special attention and encourage some aquarists to create marine artificial aquatic systems. However, a real marine aquarium is quite expensive, both in price and in terms of maintenance. That's why it was created in last years A special style of aquarium keeping - pseudo-sea - is gaining more and more popularity.

First of all, it should be noted that this does not mean just any individual aquariums, but a whole direction or style in aquarium keeping, the main feature of which is the creation of the illusion of a marine aquatic environment with its living inhabitants and corresponding decorations.

Why illusion? Yes, because instead of real salty sea water in such a system there is fresh water, and accordingly, the inhabitants of this aquadome are freshwater. But thanks to special techniques, it is possible to achieve such a strong match with the natural seascape that only specialists can calculate the illusion. An ordinary viewer is unlikely to distinguish a pseudo-marine aquarium from a real sea.

The pseudosea is free from all these conditions. This style allows you to create and diversify the interior contents of the aquarium according to your own imagination. But several general rules Designs for pseudo-sea aquatic systems, developed experimentally, are still available.

The pseudo-sea aquarium can be implemented in two versions: in cold colors or in a warm tropical style. The choice of one option or another directly depends on the situation and interior of the room.

The sea is well suited, for example, for a room where blue and red tones predominate. This could be a children's room, a living room uncluttered with furniture, or even a large bathroom. In a room furnished with massive brown (classic) furniture, a marine theme is unlikely to fit in.

If you need to create a pseudo-sea in the office, then you should not install it in the manager’s office: such a noticeable detail of the interior does not correspond business style and in some sense distracts visitors or subordinates. But in the reception area or in the general hall of the company, a seascape would be more appropriate, since it will create a favorable emotional background.

There are no special requirements for the shape of the pseudo-sea: it can be round or oval, rectangular or prism-shaped, flat or three-dimensional.

But experts advise choosing a larger jar capacity, from 100 liters and above. This is due to several circumstances.

  • Firstly, African cichlids are often placed in a pseudo-marine aquarium (due to their bright colors), they need own plot underwater territory.
  • And secondly, the seascape includes coral decorations, the size of which is far from small. However, in the aquarium industry there is experience in organizing a small-volume pseudo-sea aquarium.

Lighting Features

Unlike an ordinary aquarium, where lighting serves mainly for the life of plants, light in a pseudosea plays an exclusively decorative role.

They try to make the lighting system such that the interior decorations look from the most advantageous angle. This is why the main lamp is installed closer to the front glass panel.

There are no exact recommendations on the type of lamps; here each person chooses his own option, but in this specific case more suitable, giving cold light. As an option: imported lamps Power-Glo, Hagen LifeGlo, Sylvania Coralstar or Marine-Glo, which are intended for both the sea and ordinary aquariums.

Currently, there are special lamps on sale exclusively for marine aquariums with the appropriate radiation spectrum.

A pseudo-sea aquarium looks much more impressive when using halogen lamps that provide directional light. Some additionally install a neon lamp, when used, white decorative elements (corals, for example) visually become even whiter.

As a rule, two lamps located at front panel and above the center, it’s quite enough for a pseudo-sea.

Lighting should not be too intense to prevent the development of algae and overgrowing of the walls. Some experienced owners of such an aquarium generally advise turning on the light no longer than 5-6 hours a day.


Pseudo-sea: design

Perhaps this is the basis of aquariums of this type.

Background. The first thing you need to think about is the background with which the back wall is decorated (photo film, photo wallpaper). As a rule, it is chosen blue. Of course, there are various variations - sea ​​water with corals, sea fish, algae, scenes of underwater life, etc. Do not overload the background, because the main thing is the interior decoration in combination with the fish.

As a primer Most often, natural marble chips are used; there are options for using artificial colored soil (glass beads, for example).

But such a commercial substitute for natural soil has more disadvantages than advantages: most often it is toxic and does not perform the function of biofiltration of aquarium water, since bacteria do not settle in it.

So, experts advise: either marble chips, quartz or river sand.

Decorations pseudo-seas are most often large sea shells, corals (artificial), large stones, stone grottoes, caves, terraces. This does not mean, however, that the interior space needs to be cluttered. On the contrary, the overall composition should emphasize central element, around which the details are concentrated.

Plants. As a rule, pseudomarine aquariums do not have natural aquatic vegetation. Its decorative functions are performed by synthetic ones, which are now produced by many companies specializing in aquarium accessories. For example, the German company Hagen produces original plastic plants specifically for marine aquatic systems, as well as simulators of corals and shells made of synthetic material - stadont.

What kind of fish is best to get?

Most often in such cases, African cichlids are bred. A logical question: why these cichlids? The whole point is that natural environment The habitat of these fish is water with an alkaline pH balance, and in the pseudo-sea fish house a similar balance is created due to the limestone corals and shells located there.

Red silversides, mollies, and swordtails also feel quite good in such an aquatic environment. The beautiful Haplochromis cornflower will fit perfectly into a pseudomarine environment with black background and bright lighting.

Simply put, they breed fish that tolerate hard, slightly alkaline water well. Of course, the brighter the color of the living creature, the better.

The technical equipment of such a system is identical to a regular aquarium: aquafilter, aerator, thermometer, etc. auxiliary equipment. But it should be taken into account that natural vegetation does not participate in the processes occurring in the pseudosea. Therefore, it is necessary to install a powerful filter with all types and degrees of water purification - mechanical, biological, chemical.

The lack of natural vegetation can also negatively affect the condition of the soil, so this substrate is needed more often. Periodically, all decorative elements should be cleaned of the slightest hint of green algae.

We should also not forget about water changes. This operation should be carried out weekly, replacing 15-20% of the total volume.

An aquarium is a stationary thing; it will not run away anywhere. Therefore, there is no need to rush to shoot it, you should prepare carefully, carefully look at the pseudo-sea through the camera display.

First of all, it would be useful to clean the front wall of green algae and adhering organic particles. Thus, the cleanliness of the glass must be close to ideal, otherwise the picture will glare.

The same thing will happen if you take pictures with flash. It is better to shoot with the external lighting turned off or dimmed, making maximum use of the aquarium lighting. If there are light objects near the aquarium home interior, then it is advisable to drape them with some dark material.

The conclusion suggests itself: it is better to photograph a pseudo-marine aquarium in the dark. And indeed it is.

Of course, in terms of beauty and attractiveness, a pseudo-sea cannot be compared with a real marine reef aquarium. However, attempts to recreate a natural seascape can lead to brilliant results.