STEPS TO CREATE A COMPLETE AQUASCAPE
“An aquascape with lush plants and lively fish is not as complicated as you think. Here, the website introduces you to the method to complete a simple aquascape.”
1- Determine the size of the tank and then find a suitable location for it (avoid places like bedrooms or under electronic devices). Using a wooden cabinet or metal rack to place the aquarium is currently the optimal method. After placing the tank stand, you should adjust it to ensure the tank is balanced so that the water level is even later on.
2- Lay down a thin rubber mat or thin foam (depending on individual conditions). The purpose is to ensure the glass tank is stable and does not break the bottom when filling with water later.
3- Place the glass tank and readjust the stand.
4- Prepare a layout for your tank in advance, then sketch the main areas of the tank that you envision in your mind. In aquascaping, a ratio of 2/3 is considered a golden ratio for a balanced setup.
Depending on the layout you are aiming for, you can divide the layout using cardboard as shown in the picture.
5- Next, add substrate to the tank as shown in the picture. The cardboard pieces are now used to separate the different areas of soil.
Spread the substrate evenly according to the layout, then gently remove the cardboard pieces (pull lightly to avoid disturbing the layout).
6- Arrange the rocks: place larger stones in the front and adjust them to face the front of the tank. Next, place smaller stones to fill in the gaps in the layout to prevent the overall design from looking too barren.
- Continue adding soil or small stone fragments to fill in the empty spaces in the tank’s layout.
7- Take a little selfie post the picture on FB to relax, take a break, and chat a bit before continuing with the next tiring step in setting up the aquascape.
8- Planting: This is an important part of shaping the tank. The plants you buy from aquascaping shops can be planted densely or sparsely depending on individual conditions, but I recommend trimming them into smaller parts to ensure the plants grow evenly and beautifully later, avoiding too many empty spaces or too few plants.
9- Final step: after planting, start filling the tank with water. Note that the water should flow gently because the plants have just been planted and their roots are still very weak; rushing to fill the tank with strong water can uproot the plants, causing them to float to the surface. If you have planted foreground plants, you should place a plastic sheet under the water outlet to allow the water to flow evenly and minimize uprooting the newly planted plants.
After filling the tank, proceed to install CO2, filtration, and lighting for the plants.
After a few hours of filtration, the tank will gradually clear up. At this point, you should add a few shrimp to help clean up any leftover debris from setting up the tank.
WISH YOU SUCCESS!
(Source of images: ADA sir amano)
Tag: Aqua Plants Hub
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