Creating a Traditional Nature Aquarium Layout

When you’re new to aquascaping and are looking to set up a new tank, it can be a bit difficult to know where to begin. Some of the most frequent questions I receive on my Instagram account @shrimpery run along the lines of: “what kind of CO2 setup do I need,” or “what kind of soil do you use?” Because I recently set up a new high tech aquarium in my UNS 60U aquarium , I figured that this would be a good opportunity to share my thought process during the setup, along with details about gear and materials used.

My vision for the new scape was a traditional nature aquarium layout, with more prominent hardscape than I usually use. Starting out with the 20 gallons, 60cm rimless UNS aquarium as a canvas, a Twinstar 600SP light fixture, and an Eheim 2217 filter (with stainless steel lily pipe inflow and outflow), I was ready to add substrate. Because I use high tech plants, I wanted to use an enriched substrate, but I wanted to avoid an initial dump of ammonia that sometimes accompanies aqua soil. To this end, I used UNS Controsoil , which I sloped from the back of the tank to a point about three-quarters from the front of the tank. I left some bare glass along the very front to be filled with sand after adding hardscape.

I used some nice, irregularly shaped river stones to create a linear embankment on the left hand side of the tank. Interwoven on top of the stones, I used branches of wood recycled from previous layouts (already colonized with epiphytic aquatic plants such as bucephalandra, anubias, and Hygrophila pinnatifida ) to create the impression of tangled roots growing at the side of a flooded creek bed. To heighten the atmospherics, I incorporated the moss-like Riccardia chamedryfolia and Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei) into the hardscape. This time, I used a bit less moss than I normally do (leaving some branches and stones exposed) in order to prevent the hardscape from getting lost in the sauce, so to speak.

Once the hardscape was in place, I added a thin layer of sand to the front portion that I had left blank. To impart a more natural look, I used tan river sand, scattering some gravel of the same color here and there for texture variation. Next, I moved on to my favorite part of setting up a new scape: adding colorful stem plants. As usual, I used some of my favorites: Rotala ‘colorata,’ Rotala ‘mini butterfly,’ and Ludwigia red mini. In addition, I added some new ones (for me at least), including Rotala macrandra, Ammania gracilis , and Myriophyllum sp. Guyana mini, along with a few piecemeal others (sourced from Buceplant).  As always, I made sure to plant extremely dense from the start to ensure that the plants have a good head start over the algae. Finally, I added a pressurized CO2 setup , using clear tubing, a glass drop checker, a 20oz paintball canister, and a UNS mini regulator + paintball adaptor, on a timer.

I was especially careful when I filled the tank with water; it’s best to do a slow trickle to avoid undoing all your hard work on the substrate and plants. Since setup, I’ve been performing 30% water changes twice a week, regularly trimming plants, and occasionally scraping green dust algae off the front glass. With everything stable in terms of growth and maintenance, I felt comfortable adding shrimp and fish almost immediately (especially since I recycled filter media from a previous setup, and thus did not have to worry about cycling the tank). I added a few black neon tetras, along with ember tetras and blue dream shrimp (Neocaridina davidi).

For a certain type of person (yours truly), setting up a new aquascape is one of the most fun activities out there. Hopefully, this little guide will give you a starting point for a high tech scape your own, or inspire you to redo an existing layout you’re feeling a little bored with. Happy scaping!

 

 

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