Yes, of course, the phrase “dry aquarium” (some aquarists use the expression “dry aqua”) causes a condescending smile, since it is absolutely illogical. “Aquarium” in translation means water in a limited space with an artificial environment, but in our case we are talking about a container without water. But this is how aquarists dubbed it, and we will not deviate from tradition.
This term appeared quite recently, and it means any variety of decorative compositions, one way or another related to sea and river themes, and placed in a transparent vessel. Note that florariums (containers with live plants) can also be conditionally included in this category.
A dry aquarium is an ideal solution for those who, for some reason, cannot afford a regular aquatic aquarium, but want to add originality to their interior. Such a decorative element can be safely installed even in a child’s room, without worrying about the child’s allergic reaction to fish food.
Advantages of a dry aquarium:
- light weight, thanks to which such a container can be built into any niche and placed on ordinary furniture;
- ease of maintenance: does not require cleaning, cleaning, water replacement, etc.;
- mobility of the composition: you can change the interior design at will at any time, removing and adding decorative elements, changing the soil, without spending a lot of time on it;
- visual effectiveness: by choosing different lighting options, you can create a wide variety of visual effects without changing anything in the design;
- practicality;
- safety.
Rich assortment
Today, few people are interested in models that can be moved from place to place. Anyone who is seriously interested in the underwater world prefers to buy large tanks. Manufacturers please them and offer a wide range of different designs. It has corner models. They are ideal for small spaces. The L-shaped tank can fit on a bedside table in the hallway or on a table in the living room. If you need to perfectly fit an aquarium into the kitchen interior, a corner model is best suited. Choose a bowl with convex glass; the artificial pond will appear more voluminous. At the same time, it will not take up much space on the worktop.
Kitchen with a huge aquarium Source wpten.ru
Built-in models. They have a large weight load, so their base is always flat and wide. For such a tank, the location is determined in advance, even at the stage of planning the living space. It can only be placed on a solid brick base. Or on a plasterboard structure, the base of which is formed from a welded steel frame. The design of a living room with an aquarium is effective when its bowl is built into the interior wall. Its back part may be closed. But if you open it, you will be able to decorate two rooms at once with one artificial pond. When choosing this installation option, it is important to foresee in advance the location of the equipment and all necessary communications needed to service the water tank.
Partition models. Always made to order. Used for zoning space, creating a separate living space. This setup can work as one large night light. Its choice becomes justified when it is necessary to separate the living room from the bedroom or from the kitchen without constructing a permanent wall.
Beautiful partition between the living room and kitchen Source aqua-arxi.ru
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in garden furniture
Unusual aquariums
Designers' thoughts sometimes fly ahead of their imagination. Trying to surprise their customers, some of them come up with interiors in which you can see an aquarium built into the kitchen worktop or acting as a kitchen apron. There are products of round, square, and complex square shapes. Even a standard corner aquarium in the interior, in which complex lighting is built in or unusual decorative elements are inserted, looks more impressive and unusual.
An aquarium in the shape of a painting will definitely attract the attention of guests. It is very difficult to install, but the result is worth it. The living landscape behind the glass, which is constantly changing, evokes peace. Such decor can cause certain difficulties in care. But with the right approach, it’s not difficult to foresee everything.
Unusual painting on the wall Source more72.com
Furniture manufacturers are ready to offer finished products with built-in aquariums. Most often they play the role of facades. It is possible to replace the column supporting the upper vault of the hall with an aquarium. Water is poured into them using pipes hidden in the floor. Cleaning is done through a hatch hidden somewhere on the side.
Screen aquariums built into ceiling structures are available for sale. They can only be installed in large spacious rooms, where it is possible to assemble and secure a strong steel frame. Such a reservoir can simultaneously serve as a lighting device, which will constantly emit soft diffused light.
Aquarium in the form of a supporting column Source nemo.by
Dry aquariums built-in and free-standing
So, there are two types of dry aquariums: built-in and remote.
The built-in container is a structure made of profile, glass and finishing materials. Such an aquarium can be mounted in a cabinet niche, under the stairs, in a countertop, wall niche, etc.
A remote aquarium is a self-contained structure in the form of an ordinary glass container filled with decorations inside. In this case, the container can have any size (from small to huge, covering the entire wall) and shape (angular, round, oval, cylindrical, rectangular, etc.).
Just like a regular aquarium, a dry aquarium can be installed in the wall to be exposed to light, so that it can be admired from several rooms at once.
Watch an interesting video on the topic:
The fish have been gone for a long time, and the aquarium is gathering dust on the balcony? Or another situation - a once excellent aquarium has become leaky, it is about to collapse under the pressure of water. You've already bought a new one, but you don't want to part with the old one either. No need! Believe me, it will still serve you by decorating your home. How? In the form of a decorative stand for flowers, a table lamp or books. An aquarium can become a very necessary thing if you use a little imagination.
Floor-mounted dry aquariums
Today, glass dry water tanks mounted into the floor have become very popular, representing a win-win and impressive design solution. You can see similar decorations not only in entertainment and shopping centers, restaurants, office buildings, but also in private interiors.
A floor-mounted dry aquarium is a beautifully designed recess in the floor, covered with triplex (three-layer glass that can withstand the load of several people). A distinctive feature of this material is that it is almost impossible to break (at most it forms a network of cracks, like on car glass).
And under glass, a wide variety of compositions are already created: sand dunes, an imitation of a sandy beach with footprints, miniature rock gardens or a bonsai-style garden decorated with artificial plants, a section of the sea using silicone fish, etc.
At home, such a floor can be installed in almost any room - hallway, bedroom, nursery, dining room, living room and even in the bathroom. Without a doubt, such original installations will attract attention and make a lasting impression on everyone around.
The meeting of two elements: fire and water
The imagination of designers knows no bounds. It would seem that there is enough space in the house to install an aquarium. But they suggested a fireplace. Why? It turns out that the combination of imitation fire on logs and the beautiful water world becomes extremely effective. Those who decide to combine an aquarium with a fireplace will have a lot of work ahead of them.
Chic aquarium around the fireplace in the living room
It will be easier to combine an aquarium with a fireplace if the latter is an imitation and not a real hearth
The process will turn out to be quite labor-intensive; you need to correlate the electrics of the fireplace and the aquarium so that they do not intersect, and try to ensure that in the event of a leak, a short circuit does not occur. But when all the issues are resolved and the two elements - fire and water - are on the same plane, the impression will be amazing. Now you can not only admire the dance of the flame, but also watch the movement of beautiful fish and vibrant flora.
Variety of compositions inside a dry aquarium
One of the ways to design a dry aqua is a sand bottom, for the formation of which you can use sand of different colors, combining different fractions, which creates a stunning visual effect.
So, in one corner or on the sides you can fill the bottom with fine sand, and pour coarse sand in the center, thereby creating an island of your own. Also, a relief bottom can be made using polyurethane foam, which, after drying, is painted in accordance with the author's idea.
In combination with a sandy bottom, processed and prepared driftwood, stones of various sizes, corals, shells and mollusk shells, starfish, all kinds of turrets, and ships are used as additional decorative elements. To get a brighter visual effect, all these elements can be coated with acrylic varnish.
Plus, a wide range of various imitations of living decorations (algae, frogs, shrimp, fish, crayfish, etc., made of plastic), allows you to use them to create a dry pseudo-sea.
Craving for nature in the home interior
A person living in a concrete city misses living grass, birds and animals living in the wild. That is why many people try to recreate some kind of living area in their living space. Some plant winter gardens, others have pets. Still others buy an aquarium and devote all their free time to caring for the fish. Psychologists are confident that watching them evokes positive emotions in any of us and improves our overall psychological state.
Today you can create a real underwater kingdom in your hallway, kitchen or living room. There is everything for this: containers of any size, shape, objects that help shape mountain landscapes, compositions of flooded ancient cities, artificial ruins, sunken ships. The marine fauna is diverse; species are sold that are specially bred for cultivation in artificial reservoirs. Complete information on their contents has been collected and provided. By studying it, you can discover many new and useful things.
Aquarium with a seascape in an apartment Source nemo.by/wp-content
In order for an aquarium to fit successfully into a residential interior, you should find a place for it in advance, think through the lighting, and decide on the size of the bowl and its shape. There are many subtleties in designing such a zone. Let's talk about them further.
Dry aquarium lighting
Selection and installation of light sources is a very important point in the design of dry aqua. Many aquarists even successfully experiment with color filters, thereby achieving the most unexpected backlight variations. As for experienced aquarists, they prefer LED lighting, arguing that only with its help can they create the illusion of a real underwater kingdom. Up to simulating the effect of the presence of water in an aquarium. For these purposes, light sources are installed in decorative elements located on the bottom.
Creation date: 08/29/2016
Back wall decoration
When decorating the back wall of the aquarium, the desired background is provided, which can significantly change the entire design idea. The simplest option is to stick a film of a dark shade or with a certain pattern on the outside of the glass. Sets of various films for aquariums can be purchased ready-made.
The stone background looks harmonious in the aquarium
Photo background perfectly complements the aquarium design
Near the back wall, you can provide a floral arrangement of fairly tall and dense algae.
If the wall is clearly visible due to the lack of vegetation inside the aquarium, then you can create a relief-type background. In this case, foam or fiberglass is glued to the back wall from the inside. Good silicone glue can be used to attach ceramics or stones of various shapes and colors. The surface finish with moss looks good.
Other decoration elements
The details for decoration are models of ancient buildings, castles, caves or natural materials.
Coconut
After purchasing a fresh coconut, remove the milk and pulp from it. The shell is used in the aquarium as a shelter for fish. But first it is boiled for 5-7 minutes. After drying, they make a house for the inhabitants of the reservoir. The villi on the peel are not removed; the fish gnaw them off themselves.
Ceramic products
Clay pots are often used for decoration. It is not recommended to buy Chinese products, they emit harmful substances. A substrate for the reproduction of individuals is created from ceramic jugs and cups. The edges of objects must be smooth and round so that the fish do not get hurt.
You can buy a grotto made of plastic, plastic, or make it yourself from stones. The fish love to hide there. The stones are glued together randomly, and sometimes a hole is simply made in a large cobblestone. They use driftwood to burn a hole into, glass bottles, and clay for modeling.
Plants
Natural plants revitalize the water container and release oxygen. They are classified into several types:
- Rooting in the ground, for example - Arrowhead, Hygrophila, Capsula, Tradescantia, Vallisneria.
Vallisneria
- The herbs in the water fill it with oxygen, and fish (Moss, Anubias, Bucephalander) hide in them.
Moss
- Plants with large leaves floating on the surface serve as spawning grounds (Eichornia, Wolfia, Duckweed, Limnobium). They protect the pond from excess sunlight.
Wolfia
- Groundcovers create a green carpet on the bottom (Glossostigma, Sitnyag).
Plants are selected depending on the type of fish. For example, Ferns and Arrow Leaf are suitable for Cichlids. Elodea for Gourami, Catfish - representatives with a good root system - Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus.
