Aquascape

Drifting

600 × 75 × 60 cm

A six-metre river running quietly through the middle of the home, parting the entry walkway from the theatre; giving a school of altum angels all the room they need to drift.

Altum Angelfish

A tall, wild-type angel (Pterophyllum altum) that drifts in groups through the open water, the reason the build is called Drifting.

FishAltum angels, congo tetras, corydoras and otocinclus

Lighting4 × WeekAqua P-series

Filtration4 × Oase Biomaster 850

BuildAbout a month, wood sourced direct from suppliers to run the full length

UpkeepWeekly maintenance visits

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The brief

Working with what was there

Drifting was built into an existing structure: a tank already set into the wall, with the width, the plumbing positions and the hardware the client had inherited. The job was to make a six-metre planted river work inside those limits rather than start again. Four canisters is modest flow for a tank this long, the width is narrower than we would draw, and the pipework sits where it sits. We cleared the old scape, sourced the wood direct so the pieces could run the length in one gesture, and planted for the light the space actually has.

Three things that made it hard

Sun. The tank runs beside a walkway with a full-height window, so one side lives in daylight and the other in shade. Light and planting were set to the bright side's algae pressure, not the dim side's comfort.
Flow. Six metres on four canisters means water distribution has to be designed, not assumed: intake and return positions chosen for the whole length, and planting that does not strangle the current.
Access. It can only be reached from one side. On a six-metre tank, cleaning the far glass is a tool problem as much as a routine one.