From its humble origins, the planted aquascape has become a monolith in the world of aquaria. Here’s what you need to know when setting up.
WORDS: NATHAN HILL
Choosing a tank
The right starting point is essential if you want the best from your layout—it’s difficult to strip and reassemble a grown-in ‘scape if you later decide the tank isn’t to your liking.
• Standard aquarium kit
Any aquarium kit marketed for fish will work as an aquascape on some level, but with limitations. If the tank has a closed hood, it may be difficult to add equipment, and you may be tied in with inadequate lighting.
Pipework and filtration may also be fixed in place in an unsightly way. Many fish tanks have slightly different glass to aquascaping tanks, and may not be as good for photography.
• Dedicated aquascaping tank
Often open-topped for visual effect, aquascaping tanks normally use low iron glass for extra transparency, and come with modern, minimalist cabinet designs.
You’ll likely need to add your own filtration, lighting, heating and aquascaping accessories, but as the tank is so customisable, you’ll be able to plan a variety of planted layouts accordingly. For long-term happiness, a dedicated ‘scaping tank is the way to go.
Essential gear
While some experienced aquascapers have played with systems that have no additional equipment beyond lighting, as a newcomer you’ll want to look at the following.
• Filtration
If you want to keep fish in your aquascape, some sort of filtration will be required. Internal canister filters are unsightly, so external canister filters are preferable.
Quality aquascaping cabinets will have openings in the side (not just the back) to feed pipework to and from the aquarium. By replacing the standard plastic inlets and outlets provided with a filter for glass ones, the pipework becomes a visual compliment to the tank. But glassware isn’t essential.
• Heating
Plants will grow faster at tropical temperatures, so aim for between 20-26°C. In-tank heaters are hard to conceal and detract from the looks, but there are a couple of possible alternatives. By investing in a canister filter with a heater built in, you can keep both filtration and heating outside of the tank. Alternatively, in-line heaters are available.
These heaters are fitted to the return pipe from an external canister back up to the tank. In the case of an in-line heater, regular cleaning inside is requi
