adventures in aquascaping
A 40-Gallon Amano-Style Tank, Part 2
Welcome back to my project of creating a 40-gallon Amano- style tank. In part one, I reviewed the importance
of considering style and the components
required for beginning a planted
aquarium. I am now moving on to looking
at hardscape arrangement and planting.
We left off with an empty tank, so now it
is time to create the hardscape and plant
and fill the aquarium.
The first thing I do when I set up a
planted aquarium is spend a good amount
of time on the hardscape, which is made
up of rocks, wood, and substrate. As a
matter of fact, I spend the most time
on this step—sometimes days. I strongly
believe that a good hardscape is the most
important part of a well-composed planted
aquarium. I am a firm believer in the
saying, “If it looks cool without plants or
water, you are on the right track.”
particular proprietary brand of nutrient-
enriched substrate helps the plants grow
their best. Although I have seen many
successes with do-it-yourself nutrient-
enriched substrates, to me the proprietary
brand I use is worth its weight in gold.
Jason Baliban has been an avid aquarist since
1980, starting with a 10-gallon aquarium
and blue gravel. Though he has worked with
both freshwater and saltwater aquariums of
many types, over the past four years Jason
has focused primarily on planted tanks. He
approaches each planted aquarium as a work
of art, creating inspirational compositions
while providing healthy environments for
his plants and critters. Jason placed second
in the Aquatic Gardener Association’s 2008
Aquascaping Contest, was the third-highest
ranked U.S. aquascaper in Aqua Design
Amano’s layout contest that same year, and
he currently maintains the Project Aquarium
website at www.projectaquarium.com.
jason baliban
photographs by the author
Substrate Basics
The first part of the hardscape is the
substrate, which comes in many forms and
can be broken up into three categories.
Decorative substrate usually refers to sand.
Sand is not a super choice for growing
plants, but if you have a foreground area
that will not include plants, sand creates a
very nice contrast.
Nutrient-enriched substrates contain
many of the macronutrients (e.g., nitrate)
that plants need in order to grow. This is
very useful in a planted aquarium; if the
substrate contains nutrients, then there
is less need to add nutrients to the water
column. The lack of excess nutrients in
the water column is helpful for preventing
algae outbreaks.
For this tank, I chose sand as a foreground
and a nutrient-enriched substrate for my
plants to grow in. In my experience, a
Dividing the Substrate
For this layout, I wanted to create a sand
foreground and use the nutrient-enriched
substrate in the background to support
the growth of my plants. I want to talk
briefly about a divided substrate layout,
an approach that is very pleasing to the
eye. However, there are some things to
consider.
The first is that sand is not the best
substrate for plants. Some smaller plants
with runners will grow into sand, but if
you plan to have foreground plants like
hairgrass or Glossostigma, then sand is
not your best bet. Also, the sand and
other substrate will mix over time. This
is especially true in the early stages of
the tank when the plants are still sparse,
allowing the substrate to avalanche into
the sand or, more commonly, having the
shrimp mix it for you, as they love to move
substrate. Basically, sand can create a
beautiful contrast, but there is some work
required to keep it looking clean.
Once I decided to use sand as a
foreground, I was anxious to get the
substrate into the tank. Before I did that,
I needed to decide where the line between
the sand and the nutrient-enriched
34 www.tfhmagazine.com
October 2010
