In this video I recreate the Spirit Oasis from Avatar: The Last Airbender as an aquascape. I’ve always loved the scene with the moon and ocean spirits swimming in their pond, so I wanted to take that idea and turn it into a small display tank for the store.
I show the full process — building the island, creating the raised viewing pond, adding the moss, planting the base, and setting up the filter, heater, and lights. It’s not an exact replica of the show, but I feel like the layout and the idea came through really nicely.
I’m planning to add a small black female betta to represent the Ocean Spirit. The tank is now set up out on the shop floor and looks great.
In this video:
Building the Spirit Oasis Aquascape (Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Avatar: The Last Airbender has always been one of my favourite shows. Its world feels alive. I love the spiritual depth, the character growth, and the traditional martial arts. But there’s one scene that has always stayed with me.
In Season 1, there are two koi—Tui and La, the moon and ocean spirits—swimming together in a serene pond at the centre of a frozen island. I’ve always thought this was such a beautiful image. Peaceful, symbolic, a bit mysterious.
So, I wanted to recreate this idea in aquascape form: an island in the middle of the tank with a raised pond where the fish can swim up.
This is The Spirit Oasis.
Hardscape Build
The scene in Avatar is set in the Northern Water Tribe, where everything is carved from ice. So for the scape, I went with grey fossil wood stone — the white and grey tones look the closest to actual icebergs.
To make the circular viewing platform (the pond), I got creative. I cut a ring out of an old pot-plant carrier and glued tiny pieces of stone around it using toilet paper as a binder and a liquid aquascaping glue. It formed a perfect little circle… but also left me with a whole lot of black plastic I then had to hide.
I wasn’t entirely sure what my final plan was. I thought maybe I needed a bigger outer ring and to connect everything with soil. But instead of getting stuck in the details, I decided to work from the ground up and let the design evolve naturally.
Setting the Foundation
I added WEO Heaven Sand and began shaping the island.
Large, awkward stones are hard to position, so I glued smaller, flatter stones underneath them to create little “feet.” This gave the big stones stability and let them stand on their own.
Once I had a structure, I placed the circular stone form on top… and it did not vibe. Every position required another whole layer of small stones just to hide the plastic, and I was running out of space.
So I ditched the entire idea and just accepted my fate: I’d have to build the whole top section freehand and pray it looked like a circle in the end.
Building the Raised Pond
Using smaller rocks, I created a barrier across the front and back and crafted a rough circular shape in the middle — this became the pond.
Next, I needed something to hold the aquasoil on either side of the pond. I ended up using small mesh net bags, and they worked way better than expected. I cut them up, tucked them into gaps, filled them with soil, trimmed the excess, and locked everything in place using plenty of liquid glue.
The netting sits partially in the water, perfect for moss that needs to stay moist and eventually grow over the structure.
Planting the Scape
Now that the hardscape was finally done… I needed moss.
I could have used aquarium moss, but I wanted that instant, fluffy, terrestrial finish. So naturally, I went hunting in the car park.
The driveway had nothing, but out the back—where the staff park—I hit the moss jackpot. Premium, aged, car-park moss. I grabbed just enough, headed back to the studio, and cleaned it.
Once cut to size and laid over the soil, the effect was instant.
The island came to life.
Adding Aquatic Plants
In the actual Spirit Oasis, I imagine there’d be no plants growing out of the iceberg walls… but leaving the bottom of my tank bare would look sad, and algae would have a field day.
So I added:
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Dwarf Hairgrass tissue culture around the base
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A thicker sand bed (I realised quickly I didn’t have enough; otherwise the plants would float like tiny dead bodies)
Once replanted, it looked much better.
I moved the tank onto the shop floor display, added crushed stone for texture, and filled the tank.
And yes — the pond actually worked. The water settled perfectly at the right height. Small victories.
To soften the hard lines and fill awkward bottom corners, I added Mini Vallisneria. Its long, flowy leaves matched the vibe perfectly.
Terrestrial Plants
In the real Spirit Oasis scene, there are shrubs and plants behind the wooden archway. To echo this, I grabbed some terrestrial plants from the shop, washed the soil from their roots, and wedged them between the rock and glass. They’ll thrive there and help keep the water crystal-clear.
Tech Setup
I installed the smallest filter and heater we had in stock.
For lighting, I originally wanted DOOA’s new WRGB lights, but the terrestrial plants needed more height. So… I stole the light from the tank next door and found a replacement for that one. Problem solved.
Final Look
Even though you wouldn’t look at this tank and instantly think, “Ah yes, the Northern Water Tribe,” I still think the layout nails the spirit of the scene.
The raised island, the viewing pond, the tiny icy oasis — but aquarium-friendly.
For a resident, I’m thinking a small female betta. A black one, as a subtle nod to the Ocean Spirit after the Moon Spirit gets absolutely yeet-ed in Season 1. She can vibe in her sacred little pond and judge customers as they walk past.
The moss looks ridiculously good — suspiciously good — as if I knew exactly what I was doing (which we both know is a lie). But hey… I’ll take the win.
It might not scream Avatar at first glance, but it carries the same energy:
a tiny, mossy Spirit Oasis right in the shop.
Thanks for watching.
