| A biotope aquascape can be a very rewarding | | | | attempt to mimic a natural environment means |
| aquarium. A biotope attempts to replicate the | | | | controlling such factors as water temperature, |
| particular combination of plant and fish species | | | | natural species of plants and fish, the kind and |
| found at a specific geographical location in the | | | | hardness of the water, lighting conditions and any |
| world and the water conditions that can be found | | | | other species of native fish. |
| there. | | | | There are two reasons why you might find it |
| The biggest advantage of a biotope aquarium is | | | | useful to consider a biotope aquarium aquascape. |
| that the focus of the research before setting it | | | | The first reason is that the species contained |
| up is on the conditions of the water present at | | | | within the aquarium should have roughly similar |
| the location the biotope is trying to mimic. What | | | | needs, which makes balancing the different |
| this means for the hobbyist is that they do not | | | | aspects of aquarium life much easier for you. |
| need to do as extensive research into all the | | | | Secondly, the biotope can give you and outside |
| different species of plants and fish that they are | | | | observers an ideal of what the natural |
| trying to keep. Broadly speaking, the biggest single | | | | environment of the organisms within the aquarium |
| advantage of a biotope aquascape is that | | | | would look like. Some of the larger biotopes in the |
| everything kept within it should have similar | | | | world have been used as an attempt to better |
| needs, which makes maintenance and balancing | | | | understand and preserve parts of threatened |
| water chemistry much easier. | | | | environments. |
| The word biotope can be broken down into three | | | | A biotope can be very aesthetically pleasing and |
| parts and is originally derived from the German | | | | there are a variety of different natural |
| "Biotop". This itself came from the Greek word | | | | environments that you could attempt to replicate |
| bios, which means life or organism. Topos means | | | | with one. What you would choose to replicate in |
| place, which means the literal translation of | | | | your aquarium biotope will be dictated by your |
| biotope as, "an area where life lives". This | | | | level of experience and preference in plants and |
| particular kind of aquascaping is an attempt to | | | | fish. Expect some environments, such as marine |
| combine all aspects of the natural habitat of the | | | | or reef, to require considerably more work than |
| fish which live in that part of the world. An | | | | alternatives. |