The nostalgic layout

Originating from my memories as a child, this aquascape resembles a pond bank. When we are children, we are said to be at our most creative, therefore I thought taking a childhood memory and using it towards an aquascape would be a fascinating idea.

Whilst I was young, I spent much of my free time in the woods with friends and nearby was a loch (body of water in Scotland). This creation is in the memory of my happy childhood spent near the loch.

The hardscape concept started with a wooden bank surrounded with round stones and pebbles. The wood stretches out into the water and has earmarks of how tree roots may look at the edge of water in nature. The structure holds back a steep mound of aquasoil that almost reached the top of this shallow tank. Zip tied and stuffed with filter wool, the wooden structure was used to keep the aquasoil from emerging into the front portion of the tank.

The emersed section included many different pond marginal plants that aren’t often seen in the aquarium hobby and are more likely found in your back garden pond. The submerged section (underwater) is an area I played with colour, texture, and leaf shapes. There are many dark green tones, but I have purposely added areas of bright green and red to draw the viewers eye in. This aquascape was in my living room at a time where I had just started working from home. I often gazed over in the tank’s direction and felt a true sense of relaxation from nature. No other tank I have owned has provided me with such a sense of nature. This is my favourite creation to date.

NATHAN HILL: Jordan, how would you define your relationship with aquaria — as an aquascaper, fishkeeper, aquarist or something else?

JORDAN STIRRAT: I am a passionate aquascaper. The distinction between what I do versus a fishkeeping hobbyist is that while they focus on the livestock in the aquarium I am focused on creating a piece of art and the aquarium is my canvas.

NH: How did you encounter the hobby?

JS: One day I just decided to go to my local pet store and pick up an aquarium. There was no real thought to it, but I didn’t encounter the aquascaping side of the hobby until after looking on social media and discovering beautiful works of art underwater. I immediately knew that was the direction I wanted to take my hobby.

NH: How does the concept of a ‘scape come together for you? Do you see something in nature that inspires you? Are your creations internal within your mind?

JS: All of the above. Sometimes I sketch layouts out and plan their every detail. Sometimes after collecting a unique piece of hardscape, I will base the layout around this. Sometimes I see something in nature that I would like to emulate.

NH: How long does it take from conception until you are happy with a final, planted layout?

JS: Generally, I create a hardscape layout in less than thirty minutes, but I will leave the hardscape for a few days or a couple weeks without planting or adding water.

I will often walk by the tank and make small adjustments or totally create a new layout. You have to be sure that you want to live with what you have created, so its best to take time over this part of the creation process.

NH: How many tanks do you run at once, and how much time do they take to maintain?

JS: No more than three tanks at once. I only spend one or two hours a week on maintenance.

The submerged section (underwater) is an area I played with colour, texture, and leaf shapes

NH: How long will you typically keep an aquascape running for until breaking it back down?

JS: I have kept an aquascape running for three months all the way to ten months.

NH: How much does aquascaping call upon other interests you have?

JS: Aquascaping led me to starting my photography hobby. I now love landscape and nature photography as it goes hand in hand with aquascaping. Aquascaping serves as an outlet for my creativity.

NH: What’s the importance of community to your aquascaping? Are you more private or more public in your approach to the hobby?

JS: A huge part of the hobby for me is sharing my knowledge and meeting new friends. I can see benefits to both private and public but I would consider my approach more public due to social media.

NH: What’s the worst failure you’ve had in ‘scaping and what did you learn from that?

JS: I wouldn’t say I have had any major disasters. When something goes wrong its an opportunity to learn. I learn something new almost everyday and that just shows you how many failures I have had!

NH: Who are your primary influences in the scene?

JS: I try to be as unique as possible and create things that satisfy me. I sometimes see aspects of other peoples’ work that I appreciate but don’t often take inspiration or copy them. I will say that if you do take inspiration from others that’s great thing but its just not how my mind gets creative. I try to one up myself every time I create something new.

NH: What’s your go-to brand?

JS: Any brand that is quality and has great customer service.

NH: What are the yardsticks by which you measure if a tank you’ve set up is beautiful or not?

JS: It’s a feeling, if I resonate with the aquascape or if I don’t.

NH: Subjective I know, but what’s the ultimate goal of aquascaping?

JS: To enjoy the journey wherever it takes me.