Aquascaping FAQ

Aquascaping is the art of designing an aquarium: plants, rocks and driftwood are composed into an underwater landscape following clear design principles. Unlike a classic community tank, the layout takes center stage and the livestock follows the design rather than dictating it. The discipline was shaped by the Japanese photographer Takashi Amano, whose Nature Aquarium style recreated natural landscapes behind glass.

Every aquascape is an aquarium, but not every aquarium is an aquascape. The difference is intent: an aquascape follows a deliberate composition with a focal point, a sense of depth and clear proportions, while an ordinary tank is usually set up around practical needs like stocking and equipment. Our Aquarium Layout Guide explains the principles behind it.

The basics are the tank itself, a substrate (usually soil), hardscape in the form of rocks and wood, plants, lighting, a filter and tools such as tweezers, spring scissors and an algae scraper. Depending on how ambitious you get, a CO₂ system, liquid fertilizer and water tests join the list. Our Aquascaping Tutorial for Beginners goes through what you need and why, step by step.

Start with the layout, not with the shopping list: decide on tank size and style, plan where the hardscape and plants will go, and only then buy the materials. That is exactly what Scape It is built for — you design your layout digitally before the first rock goes into the tank.

Yes. If you start with hardy plants, moderate lighting and a simple layout, you can get a beautiful result with no prior experience at all. Things only get demanding once you add strong light, CO₂ and delicate species — and you can always add those later. Our Step-by-Step Tutorial will guide you through the first steps.

The ideal choice is a rimless rectangular tank made of low-iron glass (Optiwhite) with no cross braces and no hood, so nothing interrupts the view and you can use a mounted light. Proven sizes are 60 × 30 × 36 cm and 90 × 45 × 45 cm. A deeper tank gives the layout more room for a sense of depth, a shallower one is easier to work in.

Tanks between 50 and 120 liters are the sweet spot: large enough for stable water parameters, small enough to keep costs and maintenance manageable. The classic choice is a 60 cm tank holding roughly 54 to 60 liters. Nano tanks under 30 liters look charming but are far less forgiving of mistakes. More on this in Step 1 of the tutorial.

Yes, any watertight tank will do. Just be aware that standard float glass has a green tint, that cross braces and a hood limit both the view and your lighting options, and that the lamp included with the set is often too weak for demanding plants. Lighting and filter are easy to swap out.

The build itself usually takes half a day to a full day: substrate and hardscape need one to three hours, planting another one to three depending on the size. After that comes the cycling period of roughly four to six weeks, until the tank is biologically stable and livestock can move in.

A well-maintained aquascape usually stays attractive for one to three years. It tends to peak visually after three to six months, once the plants have grown in but haven't started to crowd each other. After about a year the nutrients in the soil are largely used up, and a rework or a fresh start becomes worthwhile.

Budget 30 to 60 minutes a week for water changes, cleaning the glass, dosing fertilizer and checking the plants. A bigger trim comes up every one to four weeks depending on how fast things grow, and the filter wants cleaning every two to three months.

In this order: put up the background, fill in and shape the substrate, build the hardscape, plant into the damp soil, fill the tank gently with water and start the equipment last. Livestock only goes in after cycling. Our Beginner Tutorial shows the whole process.

Anubias, Java fern (Microsorum pteropus), Cryptocoryne, Java moss, Vallisneria, Hygrophila and Bucephalandra are tough and undemanding. They grow reliably without CO₂ and under moderate light. Demanding carpeting plants like Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' and red stem plants are better saved for later.

The easiest choices are inert rocks such as lava rock, basalt, slate or dragon stone (Ohko), because they barely change the water parameters. Carbonate rocks like Seiryu raise hardness and pH — striking to look at, but only sensible if your tap water is soft or your livestock can handle it.

Proven options are Redmoor wood with its fine branching, Spiderwood for delicate structures, mangrove wood for heavy shapes, plus Mopani and Talawa. What matters is that the wood is prepared for aquarium use and free of bark and resin — fresh conifer wood is not suitable.

Start by fixing the tank dimensions and the style, then sketch the basic composition with its focal point and main lines, and only then place hardscape and plants. Planning digitally saves you from buying the wrong things: in Scape It you build your tank to scale and move rocks, wood and plants around freely before spending anything.

Good layouts follow just a handful of principles: a clear focal point on a third line, heights stepped from front to back, repeated materials and shapes, and areas deliberately left empty. You'll find every rule with visual examples in the Aquarium Layout Guide.

Nature is the best reference — riverbanks, forest floors, rocky coastlines — along with contest layouts by other aquascapers. Rather than copying a layout, take a principle from it. In Scape It you can start from ready-made templates and rework them into a design of your own.

You create a new layout, pick a common tank format or a custom tank size, then drag hardscape and plants into the tank. Guidelines, the layer editor and the perspective switch help you position everything precisely — we introduce all the tools on the Aquascape Design Tool page.

Place the largest element — your main rock or main piece of wood — on a third point first, never in the middle. Everything else is arranged around it in decreasing size, picking up the angle and the grain of that main element. In the editor you can use show guidelines and grids to help with this.

Work in groups rather than with single plants, and step the heights from low at the front to tall at the back. Repeat the same species in several places so the layout feels calm, and keep yourself to roughly five to eight species. More on this under Plant Groups and Repetition.

As a rule of thumb the hardscape fills a third to half of the tank height and stays well below the surface — unless you are deliberately planning structures that break out of the water. Prefer a few large, characterful pieces over many small ones: fussy hardscape looks restless and makes the tank feel smaller.

Leave two to five centimeters of clearance to the glass all around, and more at the front if you like. It makes cleaning easier, avoids pressure points on the glass and gives the layout room to breathe. Hardscape touching the glass quickly looks cropped off.

Through layering: coarse structures and large leaves at the front, fine materials and small-leaved plants at the back, plus a substrate that rises toward the rear and a sand path that narrows as it goes back. A light, uncluttered background adds to the effect. Details under Creating a Sense of Depth.

A layout looks natural when the materials are consistent — one type of rock, one type of wood — and all the lines follow a shared direction. Avoid symmetry, even spacing and elements of identical size. Hide the transitions between sand, soil and hardscape with gravel chips and moss.

Boring layouts usually come from three things: everything the same height, everything centered, everything evenly spaced. Instead, set a clear focal point, work with pronounced differences in height and deliberately leave areas empty. The section Less Is (Often) More explains why restraint pays off.

An eye-catcher lives on contrast: the largest piece of hardscape, a plant group in a different color, or a bright sand path that leads the eye there. Put it on a third point and keep its surroundings quiet so nothing competes with it. Explained in detail under Creating a Main Focal Point.

A good aquascape has a recognizable focal point, clear proportions, a sense of depth and calm areas to balance the dense ones. On the technical side, the plants grow healthily and the layout still holds its shape months later. The Layout Guide sums up the most important rules.

The rule of thirds divides the tank into nine fields using two imaginary lines horizontally and two vertically. Main elements such as the largest rock or the tallest group of plants sit on one of these lines or at their intersections rather than dead center — which looks considerably more dynamic. In the editor you can overlay it directly on your layout.

The golden ratio divides a length at a proportion of roughly 1 : 1.618. Applied to a tank, the ideal spot for the main focus sits at about 62 % of the width — slightly further off-center than with the rule of thirds, and particularly harmonious to the eye. We explain both grids under Golden Ratio and the Rule of Thirds.

The focal point is the spot where the eye lands first and keeps returning to — usually the main rock, the most striking piece of wood, or a plant group set apart by color. A layout needs exactly one; several equally strong focal points end up competing with each other.

On one of the two vertical third points, so at roughly one third or two thirds of the tank width — in a 90 cm tank, around 30 or 60 cm. It should sit off-center vertically as well. More on this under Creating a Main Focal Point.

Balance is not symmetry: a large mass on one side is offset by a smaller but eye-catching group on the other — much like a pair of scales with unequal arms. Mirror-image layouts, by contrast, come across as static and artificial.

Negative space means the areas you deliberately leave empty — open sand, clear water, an unplanted stretch of soil. They give the layout calm, make the tank look bigger and are what make the densely planted zones stand out in the first place. Less Is (Often) More shows why this works.

Visual flow describes how the eye is guided through a layout. Lines formed by wood, tilted rocks, sand paths or the edges of plant groups lead the gaze from the edge toward the focal point. If those lines run in conflicting directions, the tank looks restless and arbitrary.

Depth comes from scaling and material choice: large, coarse elements and broad-leaved plants at the front, fine structures at the back, plus a substrate rising toward the rear. Color helps too — light, low-contrast tones recede into the background. Explained in detail under Creating a Sense of Depth.

Perspective comes from converging lines: a sand path that narrows toward the back, or rocks that get smaller as they recede, both suggest distance. In Scape It you can also switch the perspective to judge your layout head-on or from slightly above.

The foreground stays low and open, with sand or carpeting plants for example. The midground carries the hardscape and medium-height plants, and the background closes things off with tall, dense species. Soft transitions matter — abrupt jumps in height quickly look like a staircase.

The main rock may reach a third to half of the tank height and is clearly larger than all the others. As a guide: in a 60 cm tank, a main rock starts working from about 15 to 20 cm tall. Rocks that are too small leave the layout looking empty and arbitrary.

Work with odd numbers — three, five or seven — and with clearly different sizes. Even numbers and similar sizes lead straight to symmetrical, static arrangements. For a 60 cm tank, three to five rocks are usually plenty.

A main piece of wood may take up two thirds of the tank width and reach beyond half the tank height, as long as its branches don't touch the glass. Delicate, finely branched wood can be larger than a massive piece, because it reads as visually lighter.

Usually 40 to 70 % of the tank height for the tallest element. Keep everything below the halfway mark and the layout looks flat; push it up to just under the surface and the tank quickly feels overcrowded — unless the structure is meant to break out of the water.

Around a third of the area should stay open — as a sand path, a clear stretch of water or a quiet planted surface. That emptiness isn't wasted space; it's the contrast that lets the designed areas do their work.

The Nature Aquarium is the style shaped by Takashi Amano, recreating natural landscapes such as forest floors, mountainsides or riverbanks inside the tank. It is defined by asymmetric compositions, lush planting with several species and hardscape as the skeleton of the layout. Soil, strong lighting and usually CO₂ form the basis.

Place one clear main element of rock or wood on a third point and step the heights from front to back. Mosses and ferns on the hardscape make it look grown-in, while carpeting plants and open areas provide calm. You'll find the compositions that suit this style under Common Layout Compositions.

Iwagumi is a particularly pared-back sub-style of the Nature Aquarium: the hardscape consists of rocks only, and usually just one to three plant species. A Nature Aquarium, by contrast, may combine wood, rock and many species, which makes it look far more lush.

The jungle style goes for wild, dense vegetation with large-leaved plants, overhanging wood and floating plants. Trimming is kept deliberately light, and clear lines and open areas are largely absent. The result looks natural and takes less work than strictly composed styles — but it needs tank height.

The Dutch style emerged in the 1930s and does without hardscape entirely. Instead the layout is built from densely planted, clearly separated groups of plants, arranged in terraces and diagonal rows — the so-called streets. Color, leaf shape and texture provide the contrast.

Plant single-species groups at least ten centimeters wide in diagonal rows and step their heights from front to back. As a rule of thumb, allow one species per ten centimeters of tank width, and make sure neighboring groups differ clearly in color or leaf shape. Regular trimming keeps the edges crisp.

A minimalist layout gets by with very few elements: one to three plant species, a single type of hardscape and plenty of deliberately empty space. Because every detail stays visible, this style barely forgives mistakes in proportion — but in return it looks exceptionally calm and clear.

Low-tech means no CO₂, moderate light, sparing fertilization and slow-growing, hardy species such as Anubias, Java fern, Cryptocoryne and mosses. The tank grows more slowly, needs trimming less often and is far easier to look after — but demanding carpeting plants and most red species are largely out of reach.

High-tech means a CO₂ system, strong lighting and daily fertilization. Plants grow fast and color up well, and demanding carpets and red stem plants succeed reliably. The price is more work: weekly trimming, tighter water-change intervals and a greater tendency toward algae whenever conditions swing.

A biotope aquarium recreates one specific natural habitat as faithfully as possible — a blackwater river in the Rio Negro basin, say, or a stretch of rocky shore in Lake Malawi. Substrate, hardscape, plants and livestock all come from that same region.

Aquascaping puts aesthetics first and combines species freely for their visual effect, even if they come from different continents. A biotope aquarium is about faithfully reproducing a real habitat instead — design rules take a back seat to authenticity.

Iwagumi literally means rock formation and describes a layout whose hardscape consists exclusively of rocks — classically in an odd number and all of the same type. Usually only one or two low-growing plant species join them. Every rock has a defined role: Oyaishi, Fukuishi, Soeishi and Suteishi.

Choose three, five or seven rocks of the same type in clearly different sizes. The main rock goes on a third point at a slight angle, the others subordinate themselves to it in decreasing size and pick up its tilt. A carpeting plant and plenty of open space take care of the rest.

The classics are Seiryu, Ryuoh, Manten and Koke stone, though dragon stone or slate work just as well. What matters is less the type than the consistency: one kind of rock only, similar color, and a visible grain running in the same direction. Seiryu and Ryuoh raise hardness and pH.

Always an odd number — three, five or seven are the usual choices. The three-rock arrangement (Sanzon Iwagumi) is considered the classic and is the easiest to get right, because the size hierarchy reads so clearly.

Set the Oyaishi first, tilted slightly and placed on a third point — its angle sets the direction for the entire layout. Fukuishi and Soeishi follow, smaller and aligned the same way, while the Suteishi soften the transition down to the substrate. All grain lines should run parallel, and every rock is buried deep in the soil so it looks like it grew there.

The typical choices are low carpeting plants such as Eleocharis acicularis and pusilla, Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba', Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' or Glossostigma elatinoides. Stick to one or two species at most, so the rocks keep the leading role.

The carpet has to be trimmed short regularly so it doesn't float up and so the silhouette of the rocks stays clear. Because so much light falls on open areas, stable CO₂ levels, disciplined water changes and a good algae crew of Amano shrimp and Otocinclus all matter.

In terms of design yes, technically only up to a point. The composition is quick to grasp, but the typical carpeting plants need a lot of light and CO₂, and the large open areas are prone to algae. If you want a relaxed start, go for a layout with wood and hardier plants.

The Oyaishi is the main rock of an Iwagumi: the largest and most striking stone, the one that forms the focal point and whose tilt sets the direction of the whole layout. It sits on a third point and may well reach a third to half of the tank height.

The Fukuishi is the second-largest rock and accompanies the Oyaishi, usually on the opposite side. It reaches about two thirds of its size, takes on the same tilt and provides the visual counterweight.

The Soeishi is a smaller supporting rock placed right next to the Oyaishi to reinforce its effect. It repeats the line of the main rock in miniature and makes the group feel more cohesive.

Suteishi are the smallest rocks — literally the discarded stones. They barely register on their own, but they connect the main rocks to the substrate and make the formation look naturally grown. More often than not, carpeting plants grow over them later.

Popular choices are Seiryu and Ryuoh, dragon stone (Ohko), lava rock, basalt, slate, Frodo and Elephant Skin stone, and pagoda rock. Angular, textured rocks with a visible grain work particularly well. Always use just one type per layout — mixed rock looks restless. More on choosing materials under Choosing the Right Materials.

Anything that doesn't dissolve in water, contains no metal ore and has no sharp broken edges is fine. Carbonate rocks aren't off limits as such, but they do change the water parameters — which means they don't suit every stocking plan or every tap water.

All carbonate-bearing rock: Seiryu, Ryuoh, limestone and pagoda rock, shell limestone and crushed coral all raise KH and pH. Lava rock, basalt, slate, quartzite and dragon stone stay inert — they leave the parameters practically untouched.

The same carbonate rocks that raise the pH also raise carbonate hardness: Seiryu, Ryuoh, limestone, pagoda rock and crushed coral. How strong the effect is depends on quantity and surface area — in soft tap water, a few large Seiryu stones can already push the KH up noticeably.

Put a drop of household vinegar or diluted hydrochloric acid on a dry spot: if it foams or fizzes, the rock contains carbonate. The test only tells you whether there is any lime at all, though. How much the rock actually hardens the water only shows once you leave it in a bucket for a few days and measure KH and pH.

Scrub them under hot water with a stiff brush until no more dust or dirt comes off. Never use dish soap or cleaning products — residues are almost impossible to get back out of a tank. For heavily soiled rocks it helps to soak them for a few hours first.

Clean them, test them for carbonate and rough out the arrangement dry. Stand large, heavy rocks on a thin piece of foam or filter wool so they don't cause stress cracks in the bottom glass, and set them deep into the substrate before filling in soil around them.

In principle yes, with three caveats: collecting is not allowed in nature reserves or on other people's land, rocks containing ore or with a metallic sheen don't belong in a tank, and anything you find should be tested for carbonate and thoroughly cleaned or boiled.

An odd number, clearly different sizes, grain running the same way, and a slight tilt rather than an upright stance. Bed the rocks deep enough that they look like they are growing out of the substrate. The largest one belongs on a third point — a grid to help with that is easy to show in the editor.

The usual options are Redmoor and bogwood, Spiderwood, mangrove wood, Mopani and Talawa. All of them are hard, slow to break down and prepared for aquarium use. Which one you pick depends on the layout: fine branching for airy structures, massive shapes for compact ones.

Finely branched pieces 10 to 20 centimeters long — Spiderwood branches, Redmoor tips or small bits of bogwood. Scale is what matters: wood that is too thick makes a nano tank look squat instantly, while fine branches create the impression of a full-grown tree.

Brush off loose bark and dirt, then soak the wood until it sinks. Smaller pieces can be boiled for one to two hours — this speeds things up, kills off germs and washes out the tannins that would otherwise tint the water brown. A white film in the first few weeks is harmless and disappears on its own.

One to four weeks depending on the type and size of the wood, until it is fully saturated and stays down on its own. Change the water every few days to remove the humic substances leaching out. Boiling shortens the wait considerably, but only works for small pieces.

Either soak them until they sink, or weigh the wood down: screw it onto a slate plate, wedge it under heavy rocks, or anchor it in the substrate with stainless steel screws. For large layouts the slate plate is the safest option, because it later disappears under the soil.

With stainless steel screws onto a slate plate that you bury in the substrate. Several pieces of wood can be joined into a larger structure with cable ties, fishing line or aquarium-safe gel superglue — that's how you get shapes you could never buy as a single piece.

Only dead, hard, completely debarked hardwood such as beech, oak or alder — and even then only after thorough soaking or boiling. Fresh or resinous softwood, rotten pieces and anything from contaminated areas don't belong in a tank, because they can rot or release pollutants.

That depends on the zone and the style. Reliable classics are Eleocharis and Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' in the foreground, Cryptocoryne, Anubias and Bucephalandra in the midground, and Rotala, Ludwigia and Vallisneria at the back. Mosses and ferns round things off on the hardscape.

Anubias, Java fern, Cryptocoryne, Java moss, Bucephalandra, Hygrophila, Vallisneria and Helanthium. They cope with moderate light and no CO₂, forgive the odd mistake and keep growing even while the water parameters are still settling in.

Hygrophila polysperma, Rotala rotundifolia, Limnophila sessiliflora, Ludwigia repens, Vallisneria, Egeria and hornwort. They are especially valuable during cycling, because they soak up surplus nutrients and starve algae out — in return they need frequent trimming.

Anubias, Bucephalandra, Java fern, Cryptocoryne and most mosses. They create hardly any work and hold their shape for months, but they pick up algae more easily because their leaves stay put for so long — moderate light and a good algae crew help.

Anubias, Java fern, Cryptocoryne, Bucephalandra, Java moss and Christmas moss all thrive in shaded spots and under weak lighting. That's exactly what makes them a good fit beneath overhanging wood or in the back corners of the tank.

The species that genuinely depend on CO₂ are mainly low carpeting plants such as Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' and Glossostigma, plus intensely colored species like Rotala macrandra, Ludwigia sp. 'Super Red', Eriocaulon and Tonina. As a general rule, almost every plant grows more compact and more colorful with CO₂.

All the hardy, low-light species — Anubias, Java fern, Cryptocoryne, mosses and Bucephalandra — rounded out with undemanding fast growers such as Vallisneria, Hygrophila, Limnophila, Ceratopteris and Helanthium. That combination runs reliably without CO₂.

Low-growing species such as Eleocharis pusilla and acicularis, Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo', Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba', Glossostigma, Marsilea hirsuta, Helanthium tenellum and Cryptocoryne parva. Of these, Monte Carlo and Marsilea are the least demanding.

Cryptocoryne, Anubias barteri var. nana, Bucephalandra, Staurogyne repens, Lobelia cardinalis 'Mini', Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' and Hydrocotyle tripartita. They bridge the low foreground and the tall background and hide the base of the hardscape.

Tall stem and rosette plants such as Rotala, Ludwigia, Hygrophila, Limnophila, Pogostemon, Vallisneria, Cyperus helferi and Echinodorus. They form the dense back wall of the layout and hide equipment like filter intake pipes.

Epiphytes with a rhizome or clinging roots: Anubias, Bucephalandra, Java fern, mini Java fern, and mosses such as Vesicularia, Taxiphyllum and Fissidens. They need no substrate at all and are attached directly to the rock.

The same epiphytes as on rock — Anubias, Bucephalandra, Java fern and mosses. They usually take hold on wood even better, because the rough surface gives their clinging roots more to grip. Moss on the branch tips makes driftwood read like a tree in leaf.

Any species with a rhizome or clinging roots, so Anubias, Bucephalandra, ferns and mosses. One thing to watch: never bury the rhizome or seal it under glue, or it will rot. Attach them at a few points with gel superglue, fishing line or cotton thread.

Aqua soil is a baked, nutrient-rich substrate made from clay minerals in granular form. It feeds the roots directly, lowers hardness and pH slightly, and its porous structure offers plenty of surface for bacteria to colonize. For most aquascapes it is the default substrate.

The common brands are ADA, Tropica, Dennerle, JBL and Oliver Knott. The main distinction to make is between heavily buffered, nutrient-rich soil for fast-growing plants and milder soil that releases less ammonium and therefore also suits a tank stocked early on. Grain size is usually between 1 and 4 millimeters.

Gravel is inert: it holds no nutrients and leaves the water parameters alone. Soil, by contrast, is fertilized, lowers pH and hardness and supplies the roots far better. The trade-off is that soil costs more, breaks down after one to two years and releases ammonium at the start.

Usually not — soil already brings its own nutrients. An extra nutrient layer or slow-release fertilizer underneath can make sense for heavy feeders and a long planned lifespan, but it raises the risk of nutrient surges if the substrate is disturbed later on.

Yes, but kept separate rather than mixed: soil in the planted zones, sand or gravel for open paths and foreground areas. To stop the two from running into each other you need a divider along the edge — rocks, strips of slate or small pebbles.

Pour the soil in dry and shape it so it rises toward the back, which is what creates the sense of depth. Only then do you dampen it lightly before planting — that way the plants stay put. Don't stir soil once it's in place, as that releases nutrients and clouds the water.

A rough formula: base area in square decimeters times the desired depth in centimeters gives you roughly the requirement in liters. For a 60 × 30 cm tank at an average depth of 6 cm that comes to about 11 liters — so two 9-liter bags if you want the substrate to rise toward the back.

Three to five centimeters is enough at the front, while eight to twelve makes sense at the back. The rise reinforces the sense of depth and gives background plants enough root space. Anything under three centimeters won't hold carpeting plants reliably.

Multiply tank length, tank width and the average depth of the substrate in centimeters, then divide by 1000 — the result is the requirement in liters. Example: 90 × 45 × 8 cm gives 32,400 cm³, so around 32 liters. Add roughly 10 % on top if you're planning terraces or hills.

No, quite the opposite: washing would destroy the granules and rinse out the nutrients. Soil goes into the tank dry, straight from the bag. Some cloudiness right after filling is normal and clears up with the first water changes.

Steep slopes need something to hold them: rocks, slate plates, wood or purpose-made substrate grids keep the soil in place. Carpeting plants rooting through the surface stabilizes it permanently on top of that. Always pour water onto a plate or a sheet of film when filling, or the jet will wash everything away.

The nutrients are largely used up after about one to two years, and the buffering effect fades even earlier. The granular structure breaks down over time and compacts — by two to three years at the latest a replacement is worthwhile, and it usually coincides with rebuilding the layout anyway.

For a plant-focused layout, reckon on roughly 20 to 40 lumens per liter. Low-tech tanks without CO₂ get by at the lower end, high-tech layouts with carpeting plants need the upper. More light is not automatically better: without matching CO₂ and nutrients, what you mostly get is algae.

It depends on the species. Anubias, ferns and mosses do well at 10 to 20 lumens per liter, stem plants need 20 to 40, and low carpets and red species 40 and up. What counts is how much light actually reaches the substrate — in a tall tank, considerably less than directly under the lamp.

Multiply the tank volume by 20 to 40 lumens. A 60-liter tank therefore needs roughly 1,200 to 2,400 lumens, a 180-liter tank around 3,600 to 7,200. For tanks over 50 centimeters tall, plan toward the upper end.

As a reference, 30 to 50 µmol/m²/s PAR at substrate level suits a well-running planted tank. Below 20 only shade plants grow, and above 80 things are hard to control without CO₂ and disciplined fertilizing. Many aquascapers therefore run the light at 50 to 70 % and only turn it up later.

Dimmable LED units mounted above the tank are the standard today: efficient, long-lived and easy to match precisely to the tank. On rimless tanks they sit on stands or hang from above, which supports the open look. What matters is even coverage across the full length of the tank, and a timer.

Six to eight hours a day is enough for most layouts; more than ten rarely makes sense. A fixed lighting period on a timer matters more than the exact length. If you have algae problems, lighting duration is the easiest thing to adjust — one hour less often does more than any treatment.

Full-spectrum white between 6,500 and 7,500 Kelvin is the standard: it makes greens look natural and covers what the plants need. Warmer tones around 5,000 K feel cozier, while cooler ones above 8,000 K make a tank look clinical.

Red light around 660 nanometers is particularly well used by chlorophyll, which is why it belongs in any good full spectrum. A high red component also makes red plants look richer. Pure red light, on the other hand, is not useful — plants also need blue for compact growth.

Plants can only use what's on offer if CO₂ and nutrients keep up. If either is missing, a surplus builds up that algae will happily take: first spot and hair algae, later black beard algae. Other typical signs are hard deposits on the glass and leaves losing their color.

Plants stretch toward the lamp, the gaps between leaf nodes grow larger and the color fades. Carpeting plants grow upward instead of spreading, and the lower leaves die off. Red species turn green, because the pigments only form when there is enough light.

Not strictly, but it makes a lot of things easier. Without CO₂, hardy species do very well under moderate light. The moment you light strongly, want a low carpet or want to bring out red colors, there is no way around a CO₂ system — otherwise the balance tips in favor of algae.

Yes. A low-tech aquascape with Anubias, ferns, Cryptocoryne, mosses and undemanding stem plants runs stably without a system. Keep the light moderate, fertilize sparingly and accept slower growth — in return you save on equipment, cost and most of the trimming work.

Carbon is the plants' most important building block and the nutrient that runs short fastest in water. Without dosing, the level usually sits at 2 to 3 mg/l and starts limiting growth as soon as the light gets stronger. Adding CO₂ raises that ceiling — plants grow more compact, healthier, and leave algae behind.

Aim for roughly 20 to 30 mg/l during the lighting period. Depending on the tank that comes to about one to three bubbles per second, though the bubble count is only a rough guide. With livestock in the tank, creep up to the target value carefully from below.

The simplest way is a drop checker filled with a defined KH 4 solution: green means you're in range, blue too little, yellow too much. It does react with a delay of one to two hours, though. You can also work the level out from pH and carbonate hardness.

Start low and increase in small steps over several days, until the drop checker shows a solid green. Keep an eye on the livestock the whole time: fish gasping at the surface are a clear warning sign. Strong surface movement at night helps drive off the excess CO₂ again.

About one to two hours before the lights, so the target level is already reached when the plants start photosynthesizing. A solenoid valve on the same timer as the lighting takes care of this automatically.

About an hour before the lights go out. At night plants don't use CO₂, so it would only accumulate and — together with the falling oxygen level — put the livestock under stress.

The plants themselves hardly at all — it's the animals that are at risk. Too much CO₂ lowers the pH and makes it harder for them to take up oxygen; fish breathe rapidly and hang at the surface. If that happens, stop dosing immediately and get strong surface movement going.

A pH of 6.0 to 7.0, a general hardness of 4 to 8 °dH, a carbonate hardness of 2 to 5 °dH and a temperature around 22 to 25 °C have proven themselves. For nutrients, the rough targets are 10 to 25 mg/l nitrate, 0.1 to 1 mg/l phosphate and 10 to 20 mg/l potassium. Ammonium and nitrite must stay at zero permanently.

A slightly acidic range between 6.0 and 7.0 suits most plants and animals. With CO₂ dosing the value typically drops by about one unit during the day and rises again at night — that's normal. What matters more than the exact figure is that it doesn't jump around.

Soft to medium-hard water with a general hardness of 4 to 8 °dH and a carbonate hardness of 2 to 5 °dH. In very hard tap water many aquascaping plants grow poorly and CO₂ barely brings the pH down any more — at that point it's worth mixing in RO water.

General hardness (GH) describes the calcium and magnesium content — two nutrients that plants and animals need directly. Carbonate hardness (KH) measures the bicarbonates and acts as a buffer, holding the pH steady. A very low KH leads to pH swings, while a high one blocks CO₂ from lowering the pH at all.

The most reliable way is to mix tap water with RO or deionised water, setting the ratio by the hardness you want. Peat and humic substances lower carbonate hardness only slightly and tint the water. Rainwater works in theory, but in practice it's often contaminated.

Hardening salts, available separately for GH and KH, let you dial the value in precisely — especially handy if you work with pure RO water. Alternatively, harder tap water in the mix raises the values, as does crushed coral or limestone in the filter.

In a planted tank the cleanest route is CO₂: it lowers the pH reliably and you need it anyway. A lower carbonate hardness, via RO water for instance, works on a lasting basis. Humic substances from alder cones, catappa leaves or peat bring the value down a little further, and fresh soil buffers downward too.

Through a higher carbonate hardness, so hardening salt or crushed coral in the filter. Short term the value also rises if you reduce CO₂ dosing or increase surface movement, because more CO₂ then gases off. Chemical pH-up products aren't recommended, as they cause changes that happen far too fast.

During cycling, test ammonium and nitrite every two to three days until both stay at zero. After that a weekly look at nitrate, phosphate, KH and pH is enough. Once the tank runs stably, a monthly check will do — plus whenever plants struggle or algae show up.

Yes. Fresh soil feeds the roots for a few weeks to months, after which nutrients have to come through the water column. Without fertilizing you get deficiency symptoms, and weakened plants are the most common starting point for algae.

A combination of macro and micro fertilizer makes sense, because the two can then be dosed independently. To get started, a good all-in-one product covering both is plenty. Once you run strong light and CO₂, most people switch to separate components later on.

Liquid fertilizer is a ready-to-use nutrient solution dosed straight into the tank water. Plants take the nutrients up through both leaves and roots. Because it is immediately available, you can adjust the amount quickly — unlike substrate fertilizer, which works over months.

Micro fertilizer supplies trace elements such as iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper and molybdenum. Plants need only tiny amounts, but without them photosynthesis and color formation stall. Iron is usually supplied in chelated form, so it doesn't precipitate out immediately in the water.

Macro fertilizer covers the nutrients plants need in larger quantities: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, sometimes with magnesium added. In densely planted tanks with plenty of light they are regularly the limiting factor, because the livestock alone doesn't supply enough.

NPK stands for the three main nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and the corresponding fertilizers supply them together. The target values in the tank are roughly 10 to 25 mg/l nitrate, 0.1 to 1 mg/l phosphate and 10 to 20 mg/l potassium.

In high-tech tanks, daily in small amounts, because the nutrients are used up quickly and steady availability keeps algae at bay. Low-tech tanks get by on one or two doses a week. A practical habit is to give a slightly larger dose right after the water change.

Start with the manufacturer's recommendation, then adjust based on tests and how the plants look. More telling than any table is weekly consumption: measure nitrate and phosphate right after a water change and again just before the next one — the difference shows what your tank actually uses.

For the plants a moderate surplus is harmless; the problem is how it interacts with light. Nutrients that go unused are available to algae. Very high levels, particularly of phosphate and iron, also encourage precipitation and deposits on the leaves.

Growth stalls, leaves discolour and stay small. Because weakened plants take up fewer nutrients, algae settle on exactly those spots — which makes nutrient deficiency one of the most common causes of algae, even though the first suspicion usually falls on over-fertilizing.

On young leaves that pale to light green or yellow while the veins stay distinctly green — that paling between the veins is called chlorosis. New shoots are affected first, because iron cannot be moved around inside the plant.

The older, lower leaves yellow evenly and fall apart, while the growing tips still look normal at first. Growth slows noticeably. One side effect: when nitrogen is scarce, red species often color up particularly intensely.

By small black holes with a yellowish rim, appearing mainly in leaves of middling age and growing larger over time. Large-leaved species such as Echinodorus or Anubias are often the ones affected.

Put up the background, fill in the soil and shape it rising toward the back, build the hardscape, dampen the soil lightly, plant, fill slowly with water and start the filter, light and CO₂ last. Then comes the cycling period, before any livestock moves in. Our Step-by-Step Tutorial shows every step with pictures.

The background film first, while the tank is still empty and easy to move. Then substrate and hardscape — always dry, because that way rocks and wood can be positioned precisely and you can rebuild at any point. Water goes in second to last, the equipment last of all.

Work into damp but not yet flooded soil, and divide potted plants into small portions. Remove all the rock wool, trim the roots to about two centimeters and rinse the nutrient gel off in-vitro plants. Plant more densely than seems necessary — it keeps algae at bay and makes the layout look finished sooner. Details in Step 5 of the tutorial.

Grip two or three stems with long tweezers just above the roots, push them into the soil at a 45-degree angle and pull the tweezers back out slightly opened. Plants set too shallow will float up, while ones set too deep rot at the base of the stem.

Pull the moss apart until it's thin and spread it out flat — thick pads rot from the inside. Then wrap it with cotton thread or fishing line, or fix it with a few drops of gel superglue. After a few weeks it will have attached itself, and cotton thread dissolves over time.

With a drop of gel superglue under the rhizome, or with fishing line. The important thing is to glue only at individual points and never to seal the rhizome itself, or it will rot. The glue cures underwater within seconds and is harmless to livestock.

The same way as on rock, with glue or line — though epiphytes actually take hold faster on wood, because the rough surface gives their clinging roots more to grip. Put moss on the branch tips by preference, so the wood later reads like a tree in leaf.

Traditionally before the water, into damp soil: you can reach every spot more easily, you see the layout undistorted and you don't cloud anything. Keep the plants moist with a spray bottle while you work. Only a few sensitive species are better planted after flooding.

After planting, and very slowly: put a plate, a sheet of film or a plastic bag on the substrate and let the water run onto it. That keeps the soil and the freshly planted stems where they belong. The initial cloudiness clears after a day or two of filter running.

Reckon on four to six weeks until ammonium and nitrite stay at zero. In the first two weeks fresh soil releases a lot of ammonium — so change around 50 % of the water several times a week at the start. Only then do the fish move in, and shrimp a little later still.

With the dry start method the tank is run without water at first: the plants grow in emersed on damp soil under a cover, and only then is the tank flooded. It works particularly well for carpeting plants, because they root faster and without algae pressure.

Dampen the soil well without flooding it, plant, and cover the tank with cling film or a pane of glass. Then light it six to eight hours a day, mist regularly and air it briefly once a day so no mold forms. At the end, flood the tank slowly.

Four to eight weeks, until the carpet forms a closed surface and has rooted firmly. It shouldn't take much longer than that, because the emersed leaves will be replaced by submersed ones after flooding anyway.

The weekly routine is a water change, cleaning the glass, trimming, siphoning out detritus and dosing fertilizer. On top of that come regular checks of the filter, the CO₂ setting and the water parameters. Consistency is what counts: many small interventions keep a tank more stable than occasional big ones.

Around 30 to 60 minutes once a week. Fast-growing layouts with plenty of light and CO₂ also need a trim every one to two weeks, while a low-tech tank gets by with one larger maintenance session every fortnight.

Once a week in normal operation. During cycling, several changes a week make sense, because fresh soil releases ammonium. An extra change is also a good idea after a heavy trim, since plant sap puts a load on the water.

30 to 50 % a week is typical. High-tech tanks with heavy fertilizing can sit at the upper end, while quiet low-tech tanks manage on 20 to 30 %. What matters is that the replacement water is similar in temperature and hardness, so nothing jumps.

With sharp spring scissors, and always before the water change so you can siphon the clippings straight out. Cut selectively rather than shearing across everything, and remove the floating pieces immediately — cuttings left behind rot and pollute the water.

Cut the stem just above a leaf node — the plant usually shoots from there with two new tips and gets bushier. When topping, you cut off the crown and replant it, then dig out the old stump once the replacement has taken. After three or four cuts it's worth rebuilding the whole group from scratch.

Flat and regular, ideally with curved scissors held parallel to the substrate. Never take more than a third of the height at once. If the mat gets too thick, the bottom layer dies off and the whole carpet floats up as a sheet — at that point only a rebuild helps.

Better to trim moderately and often than rarely and radically. Light and fertilizing let you control the growth rate on top of that. If you want little work in the long run, go for slow-growing species like Anubias, Bucephalandra and Cryptocoryne from the outset.

Cut yellowed or decaying leaves off at the base rather than tearing them away — tearing damages the rhizome and roots. On epiphytes the rhizome stays untouched; on stem plants, remove the whole shoot once the lower two thirds are bare.

Weekly with a blade scraper or a magnet cleaner, each time before the water change so the loosened film can be siphoned out. Use only the soft side along the silicone seams, or you'll cut them. On acrylic tanks, never use a blade at all.

Brush deposits off inside the running tank with a soft brush or an old toothbrush and siphon the loosened dirt out straight away. Don't take out rocks and wood that have plants growing on them — it tears the epiphytes off and stirs up the substrate.

Through consistency: the same routine, stable water parameters, trimming on time, and replacing plant groups that have lost their shape instead of nursing them along. When a layout has run its course after one or two years, a planned rebuild is worth it — and the variations are easy to try out in the editor beforehand.

Algae are almost always the result of an imbalance between light, CO₂ and nutrients. When plants can't use the available light — because CO₂ or some nutrient is missing — algae take the surplus. A certain amount of algae in the first few weeks of a new tank is normal, since the plants haven't grown in yet.

Plant densely from the start and include plenty of fast growers in the early phase. Keep the lighting period moderate, hold CO₂ steady and be disciplined about water changes. A cleanup crew of Amano shrimp, Nerite and racer snails keeps the inevitable remainder in check.

Find the cause first, then treat: remove the algae mechanically, change more water, shorten the lighting period by one or two hours and review CO₂ and fertilizing. Chemical products only fight the symptom — without correcting the cause, the algae come straight back.

Green spot and green film algae typically appear with plenty of light combined with scarce phosphate. A light film on the glass is normal in any well-lit tank. If it gets heavy, raising phosphate deliberately and cutting the lighting period both help.

Black beard algae are the classic sign of fluctuating or insufficient CO₂, often made worse by poor flow and a high organic load. They settle by preference on leaf edges, hardscape edges and filter outlets — wherever the current runs strongest.

Usually from a nutrient surplus while plant growth is still weak — typical in the first few weeks or after overdosing iron. Unstable parameters after a major rebuild encourage it too.

Diatoms appear almost exclusively in new tanks, where silicate from the water and substrate is available and the plants are still taking up little. They form a brownish film on glass, substrate and leaves that wipes off easily.

Blue-green algae are strictly speaking cyanobacteria. They show up when nitrate is very low, detritus builds up and the flow is too weak in certain corners. You'll recognize them by a slimy, sheet-like coating and a musty smell.

Twist them out of the tank mechanically with a toothbrush or a rough wooden stick, then do a generous water change. Afterwards check your iron dosing and make sure the plants are growing vigorously. Amano shrimp deal with young hair algae reliably.

Above all, a stable and sufficient CO₂ supply, plus better flow in the affected zones. Heavily infested leaves are best cut out. Hardscape can be spot-treated with hydrogen peroxide or a liquid carbon product, and Siamese algae eaters will graze younger growth.

In most cases, patience: once the tank has cycled and the plants are growing, diatoms disappear on their own. Until then, simply wipe and siphon them off regularly. Otocinclus and Nerite snails speed the process up considerably.

Because they grow too slowly to keep up with the light on offer. Old, damaged or shaded leaves are hit first. Remove those consistently and fix the cause — reduce light, or adjust CO₂ and fertilizer — rather than just picking the algae off.

Usually one of the three factors — light, CO₂ or nutrients — is limiting, and it's always the scarcest one. Check in this order: is enough light reaching the substrate, is the CO₂ drop checker green, are nitrate, phosphate and potassium measurable? In the first weeks after planting, a standstill is also normal, because the plants are converting from emersed to submersed leaves.

The age of the affected leaves tells you why: if the lower, older leaves yellow evenly, nitrogen is missing. If the young shoots pale between green veins, it's iron. A targeted adjustment to your fertilizing usually shows results within two weeks.

Glassy, translucent leaves typically appear after planting, when emersed-grown leaves die off and are replaced by new ones — that's normal. If it persists, nitrogen is usually short, or the light isn't reaching the affected leaves.

The most common cause is an abrupt change in water parameters — Cryptocoryne respond to that with the well-known Cryptocoryne melt and drop all their leaves. Ammonium or nitrite spikes during cycling and severe nutrient deficiency do it too. The roots usually survive, and the plants shoot again afterwards.

They stretch toward the light because too little reaches them lower down. The gaps between leaves grow, and the stems get thin and floppy. More light output, less shading from floating plants, or a timely trim of the background groups will all help.

Small black holes with a yellow rim in leaves of middling age are the classic sign of potassium deficiency. Ragged, irregular holes, on the other hand, point more toward grazing damage — from snails or plant-eating fish, for instance.

Right after planting, leaf drop is part of the switch to submersed growth. Later on it usually comes down to nutrient deficiency, too little light in the lower zones, or the plant having been moved. As long as the growing tips look healthy, the plant will normally recover.

Carpeting plants need plenty of light right at the substrate and, in most cases, CO₂. Other common mistakes: planting in portions that are too big, setting them in too loosely, and a layer of detritus that smothers the runners. A trim also encourages the plant to spread sideways.

Milky cloudiness in the first few weeks is a bacterial bloom and clears on its own — don't try to filter it away, just wait it out and do your normal water changes. Fine dust right after setup comes from the soil, while green cloudiness is free-floating algae.

Green water is caused by free-floating algae, usually after lighting that ran too long or too strong, an ammonium spike or a disturbed substrate. A UV clarifier is the fastest fix; alternatively, three days of complete darkness followed by a large water change works well.

A musty smell points to decay: pockets of detritus, dead plant matter under the hardscape, or a clogged filter. Blue-green algae also have a characteristic stale odour. A healthy tank smells faintly earthy at most — anything beyond that is a sign of too little flow or oxygen.

In new tanks it's usually diatoms, forming a brownish film across the surface. Later on it's settled detritus from plant debris and food. Both can be siphoned off carefully during a water change — just don't dig deep into the soil while you do it.

Freshly planted stems have no roots yet and are naturally buoyant, and flow and digging livestock add to it. Set the plants in at an angle and deep enough, split them into small portions, and don't aim the filter outlet straight at newly planted areas. After one or two weeks they'll have rooted.

Nano usually means tanks up to about 30 to 40 liters — typically cubes 20 to 30 centimeters on a side, or small rectangular tanks up to 45 centimeters wide. They need little space and little material, but they're less forgiving, because water parameters shift quickly in a small volume.

Think one size down for everything: fine grain, small-leaved plants and delicate hardscape. Limit yourself to a few elements and two or three plant species, or the tank looks cluttered. A single striking rock or one fine piece of wood is plenty as a focal point.

Species that stay small, such as Bucephalandra, Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite', mini Java fern, Cryptocoryne parva, Eleocharis mini, Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo', plus mosses and Fissidens. Large-leaved plants destroy the sense of scale in a nano tank instantly.

Small, strongly textured rocks with a fine grain — dragon stone, broken pieces of Seiryu or lava rock. A main rock of 8 to 12 centimeters is usually enough. The finer the texture, the larger the tank appears.

Finely branched pieces 10 to 20 centimeters long, such as Spiderwood branches or Redmoor tips. With moss on the branch tips you get the impression of a small tree — one of the easiest ways to give a nano tank depth.

For a tank of 20 to 30 liters, 2 to 4 liters of soil is enough. Calculate it as you would for a big tank: length times width times average depth in centimeters, divided by 1000 — at 30 × 30 cm and a depth of 5 cm, that comes to 4.5 liters.

More often, but in smaller amounts: two small water changes a week beat one big one, because they keep the parameters steadier. Top up evaporated water regularly with RO water, otherwise the hardness creeps up. For working inside the tank, short nano tools are well worth it.

The range is wide: a simple nano tank without CO₂ is doable from around $150, while a fully planned high-tech layout of 36 inches or more quickly reaches $900 to $1,800. The biggest items are the tank, lighting, filter and CO₂ system; soil, hardscape and plants together usually come to $150 to $300.

Roughly $550 to $850 with a CO₂ system and decent LED lighting. Of that, about $100 to $160 goes on the tank, $120 to $220 on the light, $80 to $140 on the canister filter, around $170 on a pressurized CO₂ system, and $100 to $180 on soil, hardscape and plants. Without CO₂ you stay at $350 to $550.

Reckon on $700 to $1,400, and more depending on the equipment. The tank and stand, a more powerful light and a larger canister filter all weigh heavier, as does the greater need for soil (about 25 to 35 liters) and plants. Planning ahead means buying more precisely: in Scape It you build your layout to scale and see how much hardscape and how many plants you actually need.