Aquascape Requirements:

These utilize minimal CO2, less fertilizer supplementation and low wattage lighting.
Lower lighting setups can be just as stunning but are limited to a smaller variety of
plants. These usually include ferns, moss, crypts and anubias.

1. Lighting

 Metal Halides are very bright ranging from 100-400 watts. Due to halides
being a single source of light they can give a shimmering effect in the aquarium
which is sometimes desirable. The downside to metal halides is they become very
hot while in use and need to be hung or placed above the tank.
 They use more energy for the same ouput when compared to newer
technologies such as T5s and LEDs. Newer clip on style halides are easier to attach
and they are a good choice for smaller deeper aquariums. Since the introduction of
LED technology metal halide lighting is slowly being phased out due to it being less
economical.
o Advantages- Very bright and useful for deep tanks. Can give desirable
shimmering effect simulating nature.
o Disadvantages- Very hot and can increase tank temperature.
Inefficient and wastes power compared to other technologies.

T5 –Fluorescents
 T5 lighting is a newer technology than metal halide. They are the thinner and
brighter sibling of T8 fluorescent bulbs. For their size they can output high wattage
that is evenly distributed to the aquarium. This will aid in improving the overall
healthiness and growth of your plants in all areas of the aquarium.
 There will be no rippling effect in the aquarium but rather an even glow from
corner to corner. T5's fixtures are reasonable however specialized globes can be
quite expensive. They also need to be replaced far more often than LEDs as the
bulbs spectrum can change over time contributing to algae growth.
o Advantages- Bright even aquarium lighting. Often fixtures include leg
mounts for standard size tanks.
o Disadvantages- Initial bulb cost can be expensive. No ripling effect
that mimics nature. Less efficient than LED fixtures.

LED Fixture

 LED are the newest lighting technology to emerge in aquarium fixtures. LED's
are backed by technology that is already setup to growing indoor plants. The
technology is rapidly becoming cheaper and more advanced than T5 or metal
halides. High wattage LED's are extremely bright and can be combined with lenses
for even deeper tanks. Clusters of LED's will be less effecient but give the aquarium
a rippled appearance mimicking nature. Strips of LEDs can be less effective and a
buyer should be certain they are high quality high wattage LEDs that will deliver
correct lighting to the plants. This article goes into more detail on appropriate light
fixtures for planted tanks.
o Advantages- The most effecient solution requiring the least energy for
the same lighting. Bulbs do not need to be replaced for up to 50,000 hours. LEDs
emit low heat and due to their small size they are often lightweight fixtures.
o Disadvantages- Higher initial setup cost.

Choosing the Bulb

Choosing the right type of bulb is important to give both the best aesthetic look
and the growth needed. The sun is around 6500k (kelvins which is a color
temperature). Below 6000k will be very yellow in colour and give the tank an
unpleasant look. 10,000k is a crisp white and should be the upper spectrum of
planted aquarium lighting. T5 and LED fixtures are most effective with a mix
between 6700k and 10000k. When using metal halides 10,000k is a safe choice for
both color and growth. Avoid blue/actinic lighting this will have no effect on plant
health and growth.

2. Substrate

Substrate in the aquarium is important for plant growth and bacteria production.
In planted and aquascaped tanks the correct choice of substrate is important when
caring for concentrated plant life in the aquarium. Nature provides plants with soils,
sands and gravels rich in nutrients from shoreline runoff and rainwater. A planted
aquarium is closed off to its surroundings. Adding a nutrient rich substrate is
essential for the continued success and growth of your aquatic plants.
Plants in the aquarium feed from the roots and the quality of the substrate will
affect their color, growth and size. Popular aquascaping plants have different
reuqirements due to their root structures and growth patterns. For example HC
and Glossostigma excel with finer, high nutrient substrates.
Quality aquascaping substrates can elevate the inital cost of owning a planted
aquarium. These substrates however will often last the life of the aquarium making
them one of the best investments during setup phase. A poor quality substrate will
very be difficult to change after adding water and aquatic life.

Plain Gravel

 For the planted aquarium plain gravel is not a recommended substrate due
to it's inert nature and inability to supply aquatic plants with necessary nutrients.
To be effective it should be mixed with at least 50% of a nutrient rich additive or
commercial auqatic soil.
o Advantages- Very cheap substrate, very likely to be inert and not
intefere with water pH.
o Disadvantages- No added value to plants and does not distribute
nutrients required in a heavily planted tank to aid growth and health.

Fluorite/Seachem

 Seachem Fluorite is an excellent plant substrate. It is a porous clay gravel rich

in iron, potassium and magnesium. Seachem substrates range with differing macro
and micro elements suiting different environments of aquarium plants. Seachem
products include micro particles that can cloud the tank. This substrate will either
need to be rinsed before use or the aquarium must be filled very slowly.
o Advantages- Seachem substrates come in a large range of colors, very
high in necessary nutirents.
o Disadvantages- Expensive substrate and can initially cloud or discolor
the aquarium water.

ADA Aquasoil (Amazonia ect.)

 Aquasoil is great for both backrgound rooted plants and also perfect for small
foreground plants as a substrate. It has an excellent composition of nutrients for
aquatic plants. In addition it will drop the ph to just under 7 which is preferable in
a planted tank but may cause complications with some fish species. Make sure to
check your pH requirements before you use this substrate.
o Advantages- Excellent for all types of aquatic plants. Drops pH to
optimal planting level.
o Disadvantages- Expensive initial cost and may make pH unsuitable for
fish species that require higher pH.

Clay or laterite

 This substrate can be very effective if topped with a layer of gravel that will
not allow the substrate to displace or cloud the water. It can become messy to set
up and leave the aquarium very cloudy if done incorrectly. Moving plants may be
an issue and can leave the aquarium cloudy for periods of time after. Clay/laterite
should be used by only experienced aquarists.
o Advantages- Dense nutrient rich base. Very cost effective compared
to other commercial substrates.
o Disadvantages- Difficult to use and setup. Can leave the tank cloudy
for periods of time.

DIY soil/peat moss mix

 DIY in any part of a freshwater aquarium is a great choice and means you can
create the substrate yourself for a very reasonable cost. There are countless guides
on how to do this and many include specific brands of soil and peat moss that are
appropriate for aquarium use. Do not use any soils before doing serious research
as they can be laced with toxic fertilizers or phosphates that are detrimental to your
aquarium.
o Advantages- The cheapest option for an aquascaping substrate.
o Disadvantages- Finding appropriate low phosphate peat moss is
difficult and risky.

Other Commercial Substrates

 Cheaper commercial substrates with brands such as Eco Complete or Upaqua

are also suitable for the modern planted aquarium. Lower quality substrates may
intefere more with pH in the water and have differing quantities of nutrients for
the plants. It is important to read the labels to find exactly what is in each product.
Be sure to check they will change your water qualities or ph so you don’t end up
with any problems.
o Advantages- Cheaper than ADA or Seachem substrates. Delivers
required nutrients to the plants.
o Disadvantages- Lower quality products have a risk of higher
phosphate or lower nutrient contents.

Additives such as tabs or pellets

 Tabs and fertilizer pellets aid large root plants by delivering nutrients in the
tank only in the areas they are needed. Pellets can be placed in an inert substrate
such as gravel at the root base of large aquatic plants. This can act as a substitute
to using an organic substrate allowing the enthusiast to use any type, color or
texture of substrate in its place.
o Advantages- Cost effective as only used in areas where planting
occurs.
o Disadvantages- Low foreground plants have short root systems that
would be unable to access nutrients.

3. CO2

Carbon dioxide is essential to plant growth. Carbon dioxide in its purest form is a
gas, but like oxygen it can be readily disolved in water. Aquatic plants utilize this
disolved carbon dioxide to photosynthesize in a similar way that grass or a tree in
a garden would do. Diffusers use membranes or reactors to dissolve drops of
gaseous CO2 directly into the aquarium water, artificially creating the perfect
environment for aquascaping.
In the same way as garden plants, aquatic plants need lighting, fertilizers and CO2.
These are essential factors governing the speed of growth and health. With the
addition of modern T5 or LED lighting systems and liquid/substrate fertilizers
aquariums can become unbalanced. CO2 is required by these plants to balance the
aquarium otherwise algae can quickly take over the tank.
It is important to remember CO2 can cause PH swings in the aquarium as carbon
dioxide when disolved in water is acidic. Problems often arise at night when the
plants do not photosynthesize. The build up of CO2 being added to the aquarium
causes the pH to drop rapidly and can be detrimental to aquatic life. Adding carbon
dioxide to the planted aquarium needs to be closely monitored.

 Click Here to use this Calculator to determine your current CO2 levels.
Alternatively enter just aquarium volume to find recommended CO2 levels for your
aquarium.

There are many different ways to deliver carbon dioxide in the planted aquarium.
These avenues differ in price, difficulty, success and maitenance. Below is a list of
commercially available routes and a brief overview of each.
Pressurized CO2

 Pressurised bottles of CO2 generally vary from 1L to 5L and are suitable for a
wide size range of aquariums. A pressurised bottle with an electronic solenoid valve
is the easiest and most reliable option. A solenoid valve will allow the CO2 to only
enter the aquarium during the day to prevent pH swings at night that can be
detrimental to your fish.
 Most regulators will allow you to tune an exact CO2 bubble output to give
you the best and most accurate results. Unlike DIY it will not leave a residue on your
diffuser or require any maitenance when set up correctly. This setup will also need
to be combined with a bubble counter, diffuser and needle valve.
o Advantages- Easy to setup and measure, very reliable and has the
option of stopping overnight to combat pH swings if combined with a solenoid
valve.
o Disadvantages- The most expensive method initially. It can be hard to
source refills for bottles and may take time to perfect a successful CO2 regime.

DIY CO2

 DIY CO2 can be implemented in a number of ways. Fortunately carbon

dioxide whether from a bottle or homemade mixture is still carbon dioxide. DIY CO2
is the most cost effective method using very cheap ingredients and every day
hardware. It can also be very effective when properly executed.
 Usually DIY CO2 will cause a layer of slime to form on a standard diffuser but
injecting it straight into the filter or into an up turned cup are popular methods
used with much success. Click on the title for an in depth how-to guide on a very
successful and cost effective CO2 dosing technique.
o Advantages- Extremely cost effective needing only sugar, yeast and
plastic bottles. Cheap to refill and moderately easy to setup.
o Disadvantages- Needs to be refilled every few weeks. Harder to
monitor and will continue to run at night. Needs a good recipe and patience.

CO2 Liquids

 These can be defined as Seachem excel and other forms of carbon in a liquid
forms. They do not deliver carbon dioxide to the plant but rather a liquid
formulation of carbon. They are not a perfect substitution of carbon dioxide dosing
and become very cost innefective in comparison over time. They are useful in very
small tanks which CO2 is not a viable solution and lower light tanks with lower CO2
consumption requirements. Unless a dosing unit is purchaes it can become
expensive and painful to continue using these products every few days.
o Advantages- Easy to use and excellent for small aquariums. Can help
combat algae in lower light aquariums in which CO2 is not viable.
o Disadvantages- Cost innefective and delivers carbon based solution to
the plant instead of CO2. Needs constant adjustment and addition to the aquarium.

CO2 tabs

 CO2 tabs are ineffective and inefficient for all but the smallest of tanks. They
are unpopular and produced in lower demand often leading to inferior low quality
products. For very small tanks they are a suitable source of carbon but they will
become an expensive choice over time. They are easy to use and convenient
dosage sizes but have limited application.
o Advantages- Easy to use with visual dosage size. They are convenient
for nano style tanks where other options are not viable.
o Disadvantages- Not suitable for long term use or large aquascapes.
Cost innefective and higher probability of lower quality product.

Electronic CO2

 Electronically generated CO2 is suitable only for smaller tanks because at

higher levels of CO2 production it becomes too expensive compared to other
methods. Essentially a carbon insert is electolysed to produce carbon dioxide into
the aquarium.Refills can become quite expensive as they are specialized for each
machine. Electronic CO2 generators are generally not the best solution and should
only be used as a last resort.
o Advantages- Electric and can be set on a timer to allow timed release.
o Disadvantages- Not suitable for long term use or large aquascapes.
Not a good solution and inferior to other products.

Pressurised CO2 is the best option if it can be catered within budget. DIY CO2 is an
excellent substitute for the budget conscious and will achieve similar results.

4. Liquid Fertilizer

The last major determining factor in the health of your planted aquarium is the
addition of liquid fertilizers. The amount of liquid fertilizers necessary will depend
on the strength of the aquariums lighting and amount of additional co2 being used.
There are two main groups of fertilizers that will be utilized by your plants. The first
is Macronutrients, these are – Nitrogen Potassium and Phosphorous. The majority
of these elements occur naturally in the water and are usually supplied from fish
waste, excess feeding and plant decay. With lots of plants in the aquarium there
will be an inbalance of macronutrients and extra will need to be added depending
on plant requirements.
The micronutrients are all the other elements used by plants that aren’t
macronutrients. These are Iron Boron, Calcium, Chloride, Copper, Iron,
Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sulfur and Zinc. These can usually be dosed
with commercial fertilizers. Most general commerical liquid fertilizers will contain
a good ratio of these micronutrients in the necessary combination for the aquatic
plants. In some cases, especially with red plants extra Iron may be needed to suffice
the needs of some plants.

Seachem Flourish and NPK

 Great fertilizer products, will work well and contains all the required macro
and micro nutrients. These products are expensive with continued use. However if
you buy them in very large bulk containers it can become more affordable.
o Advantages- One of the leading fertilizer brands with proven results.
Good macro and micro mix.
o Disadvantages- Expensive continued use.

Make your own

 If you are an experienced chemist or horticulturist you could make your own
fertilizer. The primary difficulty is having a good idea of what breakdown of
nutrients you want for your fertilizers. As with PMDD below it is very important to
make sure the chemicals you add are not harmful to your fish and are as pure as
possible. For the inexperienced PMDD (recipe instructions to come soon to
AquariumInfo!) is an excellent option that has been proven to work.
o Advantages- Affordable and customized to specific aquarium.
o Disadvantages- Should be left to expert chemists, PMDD is a similar
and proven method while still being affordable.

PMDD

 Yes we’ve all heard of it, the infamous Sears and Cronin recipe that struck up
a storm - poor man's daily drops. PMDD definitely does work and has been proven
to continually work. It will fertilize both macro and micro nutrient requirements all
at once. It is extremely cheap and can be made up in a matter of minutes. So why
doesn’t everyone use it? People prefer to stick to the commercial product lines and
some chemicals can have hidden additives and phosphates that may contribute to
algae growth. Some stores will now stock the basic dry mix at a very cheap price,
be sure to ask your LFS if they supply anything like this. AquariumInfo will soon
release a recipe outlining cheap common products that can be bought in your
supermarket and hardware store to create PMDD!
o Advantages- Extremely cheap option that combines all dosing into one
solution.
o Disadvantages- Choosing the correct chemical additives and ensuring
they have no added nitrates/binders can be difficult.

Iron additives
 These fertilizers such as Seachem Flourish Iron will help your plants keep in
very healthy condition. Iron additives are one of the most important micro
elements utilized by your plants and greatly improves their health and growth. It
will also keep red plants a bright red colour. Unless the planted aquarium has
extreme requirements, iron is the only element which should need extra dosing.
o Advantages- Helps keep red plants a deep bright red. Can contribute
to growth and health of all plants.
o Disadvantages- Can be expensive and timely to dose for just one
micronutrient.

Dupla fertilizers

 These just like any of the above fertilizers will work great, there is a point
when we can expect minimal difference between each of the commercial products.
It is expected they all have similar ratios of macro and micro nutrients the plants
need but products like Dupla provide the commercial trust.
o Advantages- Proven to work and can be cheaper than other
commercial fertilizers.
o Disadvantages- Expensive compared to DIY options.

5. Ornaments

Ornamental hardscape is the biggest part of an aquascape. The aquatic plants

provide the natural living structure while the solid heart of the scape is provided by
carefully placed wood and rocks. The goal of aquascaping is to mimic nature within
the aquarium. Driftwood and river rocks are carefully placed in locations in which
they compliment the plants and draw the viewers eye to the correct locations.
Unusual, very branchy wood or jagged striped rocks can be very appealing to an
audience. It is important to use earthy blacks and browns. These colors enhance
the natural atmosphere of the aquarium and provide a brilliant contrast to green
and red plants. In an aquascape plastic fake or artificial decor should be avoided.
The ultimate goal is to replicate a piece of nature within four walls of glass.

Drift Wood

 Thinner stems and the branchier arms of the driftwood make more
interesting aquarium centerpieces. Half a stump lying in a planted aquarium tank
has little appeal. Choosing pieces which look naturally fallen without visible cut
marks add to the natural beauty. Wood with unusual bends and fronds is also
perfect for applying moss and plants. An interesting idea is to have the wood
coming down into the tank like in nature as if it had fallen from a nearby tree.
Placing the driftwood rising up is another unusual method used in modern
aquascapes. Some aquarium hobbyists have used this effect to create trees out of
moss. The aquascaping guide will help deciding how to place the drift wood.

 If you collect wood yourself you MUST make sure to boil it over and over and
let it sit in a tub for at least a week to remove the majority of the tannins. These
will stain your water an ugly brown and soften your pH. “Driftwood” is what you
want, it has been exposed to the elements and most of the water changing tannins
will be gone, if you buy it from a store be sure to wash it to remove any chemical
bleaches they may have applied.

Rocks

 Rocks are another great addition and can often compliment wood in an
aquascape. It is important to only choose natural coloured rocks. Red desert rock
and white hole rock can look striking but when placed in the tank they can draw
too much attention and turns out to be over powering. Softer colours like black,
grey, and deep browns are the best. Before putting the rock into the water make
sure it will not react and make the water more acidic or harder. The best way to
check is to put vinegar on a small non-exposed area of the rock. If it bubbles don’t
risk the rock or stone in your aquarium and source a different type.

Gravel

 Natural coloured gravel and black gravel give the best results. White gravel
can be used occasionally but it is harder to keep clean and more difficult to produce
a natural themed aquascape. For brightly coloured fish, black will bring out the
colors while lighter substrate can wash them out. Take inspiration from the
aquascaping page and decide what will be suited to your design.

Takeaway

Hardscape such as drift wood, rocks, stones and gravel can dramatically change
your aquarium design. With correct placement and color, hardscape can
compliment the plant life within the aquarium.