How to Properly Aquascape in Freshwater

Aquascaping is the art of decorating your home fish tank with live plants for you and your fish to enjoy. There are many benefits to adding live plants in your tank. Not only do they provide a natural filtration system for your tank, but they also provide another source of food for fish. Setting up a tank for live plants requires the use of real soil instead of standard gravel. With the correct preparation, you and your fish can enjoy a colorful aquascape in your home tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Substrate
  • Rocks
  • Wood decorations
  • Live freshwater plants
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose your substrate. Use a floor covering high in nutrients and that is meant for growing live plants. The substrate must be soil based and cannot be entirely gravel. Some companies will mix a small amount of gravel with the soil. Purchase the manufacturer's suggested amount of soil for your tank size.

    • 2

      Add the substrate to your tank. You can create a more interesting topography by building the soil higher in some places.

    • 3

      Choose the plants you would like in your aquascape. Some popular choices are Christmas moss and Anubia. Take your tank size into consideration when purchasing plants, since some plants will grow too large and may not be good choices for a small tank. Choosing plants with smaller leaves can make your tank look larger.

    • 4

      Choose some hardscaping pieces for your aquascape, such as driftwood, larger rocks or prefabricated aquarium decorations. Rocks and wood are a good choice for placing around the base of your plants to keep the root systems in place. Add prefabricated decorations to give your aquascape a theme, such as a small castle or sunken ship.

    • 5

      Place your live plants. Push the base of the plant into the soil and add some hardscaping around the base. Group plants in odd numbers, since this makes a more natural arrangement. As a rule of thumb, you should keep each side of your tank balanced with plants and decorations, but you can design and customize your aquascape to suit your taste and decor.