Tropical Fish Hobbyist - October 2010

substrate would be. A very effective way to do this is to set up the wood and rock in the tank without the substrate. This makes it easier for me to see where the dividing line needs to be to complement my planned hardscape.

A quick note on substrate depth in a layout: The slope of the substrate in an aquascape is very important when creating the illusion of depth. I like to have my foreground at a depth of about an inch and my background at about 6 inches, sometimes even deeper. Once I determined where the line was going to be, it was time to add the sand and the nutrient-enriched substrate.

I used a simple trick that effectively creates a clean line between the sand and nutrient-enriched substrate: utilizing a piece of cardboard to create a barrier in the tank. (Rolling the cardboard up a few times makes it more pliable.) I placed the cardboard in the tank and used some tape at the ends and rocks in the middle to keep it in place.

I slowly began to pour the two substrates into the tank: the sand in front, and the nutrient-enriched substrate in back. As the substrate was added, I removed the rocks because the soil was now keeping the divider in place. When the substrate was at a depth of 5 inches in the back and an inch in the front, creating a nice smooth slope, I slowly removed the barrier, leaving a beautiful dividing line.

Using a piece of cardboard to create a barrier is an effective way of dividing different substrates.

Composition

Composition in aquascaping is something that may not come naturally. It is something that has to be practiced for many people, including myself. Starting with a nicely composed hardscape will help you create a nicely composed aquascape, as the plants are placed around the hardscape items.

There are many rules to composition, but one that is easily explained and works wonders is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds, when applied to a tank, involves placing a dominant feature of your composition a third of the distance from the side of the tank. For example, if the tank is 24 inches long, I would place a dominant feature, like the largest rock or piece of wood, 8 inches from the left or right.

One thing to note is to avoid placing another dominant feature (e.g., another large rock) on the other side. Doing so will create symmetry, something that is not exciting when one is striving for a natural

Hardscape

It was then time for me to place the wood and rock in my hardscape. Wood is always a great addition to a hardscape—a natural layout is possible with a couple of nice pieces of wood and some imagination. I will often use manzanita, an inexpensive and readily available type of wood, in my planted aquariums. I always make sure that my wood is properly soaked before use. This helps to ensure that the wood sinks and remains in place when I fill the tank. There aren’t many things more frustrating than working a long time to get the wood and all the plants where you want it, adding water—and then seeing it all float to the top of the tank.

Rocks have a habit of shrinking when you add water. I don’t mean that literally, but it really seems like they do. I often put rocks in a hardscape that I think are large enough to be a feature in the layout, but

Make sure that wood is properly soaked before use so it does not float to the top when water is added to the aquarium.

after a few weeks of plant growth, they seem to get hidden by foreground plants that grow too high or are swallowed by background plants.

For this reason I choose rocks that seem to be just a touch too big for the layout I am trying to create. I look at the rocks and try to identify the most interesting side—the side with the best crevices or lines of quartz running through. Using these points of interest adds a nice feature to my hardscape.

look. If I do want to use another rock on the other side, I make sure it is one third the size of the featured rock.

Planting

Once my hardscape was complete, it was time to get planting. I find the best way to do this is without water in the tank. I use a spray bottle with water to thoroughly soak the substrate before I begin to plant, generally starting at the back. The best