CHENNAI: Isn’t it fascinating to peep through the glass of an aquarium to catch a glimpse of the underwater world inside? Different shades and species of fish swim their way through miniature plants, decorative rocks, coral ornaments and tiny pebbles. As a child, Karthick JK had a similar feeling when he peeked into his fish tank for the first time.
Since that day in 2010, he started reading up on the various advancements and landscaping techniques in setting up fish tanks from the Internet. A concept that intrigued him the most was planted tanks and aquascaping.
Aquascaping is the art of arranging aquatic plants along with rocks, cave work stones or driftwood in an aesthetically pleasing way within an aquarium. Karthick talks about different aquascaping set-ups and ways to decorate a planted tank in his YouTube channel, run under his name, which has 6,000 subscribers. It hosts 60 five to 10-minute videos. Right from the choice of soil, to suitable plan varieties and LED lighting, he addresses various topics on underwater landscaping.
“I started uploading videos one and a half years back. I’d work on them after coming back from my job at midnight, for three hours a day. The first video was a basic one, on how to maintain a fish tank. Not many in the city are aware of the concept I’m doing. Along with the design, freshwater aquascaping requires specific methods to maintain healthy plants. It requires a proper lighting system. All this can be achieved with the limited sustainable . Instead, people have a common misconception that it’s a foreign concept and are sceptical about its feasibility,” said the MBA graduate. He works in a logistics company and is a part-time photographer.
Karthick has four tanks in his house. He will be renting out a space to accommodate them soon. “Aquarium products are expensive. Maintenance is a challenge. That’s the reason people usually give a pass on the thought of having aquariums at home. It takes roughly `15,000 for me to set up a planted tank. I don’t get anything out of it. Sometimes, people who watch my videos sponsor a meagre amount. Our city’s climate is not suitable for this art. I’m still looking for ways to keep these setups healthy,” said Karthick.
The local aquascaping community is not as active when compared to those in Bengaluru or Mumbai. Having a social media group could increase awareness. “There are competitions for aquascaping held in different parts of the world. I hope to find more like-minded people to share the knowledge I have. I’m also helping a few set up planted tanks at home and I’m open to taking workshops,” he said.
For details, visit his YouTube channel Karthick JK, or mail krthckj1990@gmail.com