Freshwater

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Part I: Aquarium Basics
Many hobbyists choose to set up heavily planted tanks with few fish. Others
prefer a simplistic layout with many aquatic species. The choice is yours, of
course. If you use your imagination and follow the few simple aquascaping
rules that we present in this chapter, you’ll quickly realize that the possibilities
are endless.
Just remember that you want to create an environment that is good for your
fish and pleasing to the eye as well.
Taking Clues from Your Fish’s
Natural Environment
The first thing to do when aquascaping any aquarium is to take a close look
at the native environment of the fish you’re planning to keep in your tank. For
example, freshwater fish are much happier in an aquarium full of plants, driftwood,
and rock than they are in one with coral and shells — which you generally
use in a marine setup. Different types of systems have different
aquascaping elements.
We find that it often helps to sit down and draw out a plan on paper before
adding any substrate or decorations to a tank. That way you get a better
overall feel for the layout you want. You don’t have to draw anything really
fancy, just plot out a simple schematic for where you want to place everything
and adjust it as you go along. Save your final schematic in case you ever
have to completely break down the tank for moving or other reasons.
Take the overall size of your tank and fish into consideration when making
your plan. You want a layout that is filled with life but not overcrowded. Fish
need open spaces as well as hidden areas so that they can feel secure and
have a place to exercise.
The following list gives you a few good ideas about which substrates and decorations
are most often used in different types of systems:
Freshwater tank: Pebbles, igneous and shale rocks, live plants, artificial
plants, driftwood, with sand and standard fish shop gravel for substrate.
Brackish water tank: Pebbles, shale, stratified rocks, plants, driftwood,
pea gravel, and small amounts of coral sand for substrate.
Marine tank: Live rock (rock that has invertebrates attached), tufa rock,
and dolomite with coral sand and live sand (pre-cultured sand that contains
biological organisms for filtration) for substrate. Select algae, such
as grape plant, for decoration. Invertebrates such as anemones and
tubeworms are common in many marine tanks.