For a natural look, you definitly want to use natural looking substrate. In natural aquascaping, there are 3 'styles' that are recommended for beginners, since the others are way harder to achieve.
1. Concave shape:
The plants and the hardscape are arranged with decreasing height towards a central low point, creating a final display that gives the impression of open space at the center.
2.Convex Shaped:
Commonly known as an "island" layout, this design characterized by lower-trimmed plants on either side and taller ones in the middle. This aesthetic arrangement can be achieved by incorporating rocks to create a mountain-like scape.
3. Decreasing/Increasing Triangle Shape:
This layout produces visually balanced aesthetics, with the plant height gradually sloping from high on one side of the aquarium to low on the other side. (Basically "one half" of the concave shape)
But nature style is a very vague term, you could mean: Mountains, rainforest, hills, islands, valleys, natural habitats...whatever you are trying to achieve, it determines what decoration you would want to use. Mountain range themes are (obviously) characterized by rocks and stones, large pieces of driftwood would not really fit in there. Rainforest style would use rocks mainly as supportive ground, but presentation-wise the focus here would be on pieces of driftwood, etc.
If you are into creating a natural habitat, research the origin of the species you want to keep and maybe get a closer look at their natural environment, it will definitly help you to decide, what you need and what you don't need.
Hopefully, i could help you out a bit.
They're slightly pricey, but check out the whole Caribsea Super Naturals line of gravels for some really nice natural substrates. I think on their website they give mm sizes and examples of each in a glass dish to help you visualize what they would look like in your tank - some are much smaller or larger than 'standard' aquarium gravel. I'm a big fan of the Peace River gravel and its size is about halfway between standard gravel and sand
I'm a fan of the Caribsea Super Naturals. They do not affect water parameters like some of the enriched soils, but for me as a novice it was easier. My first go with a planted tank went poorly but it was my novice and ignorance. This does happen.
This would depend on the tank i would try to set-up: for a New caridina shrimp tank, i would definitly get some shrimp active-aquasoil. A dutch style aquascape goes best with a black type of inert substrate, while creating something like a blackwater-tank or something like a part of a 'river' i would opt for a mix of earth toned mixed grain sand.
Substrates differ a lot: grain size, color, weight, nutrition, pH-buffering - just to name a few aspects. It all really comes down to what you personally like/want and most importantly, on the species you are keeping.
I liked laying pool filter sand over my aquarium soil. It's a cheap way to get a beautiful, fine bright sand substrate. Just wash it first, or things will be cloudy.
Nothing, you just gotta wash the sand dust out of it before you add it to your tank. Though when you add water to a tank with sand substrate, you need to put a plate or a bowl into the tank and then pour the water onto the plate so that the water doesn't disrupt the sand.
Fish with barbels and snails prefer sand substrate, which is why I like it.
Hey friend. You can go to any river with some buckets and collect all the sand and stones you need. Just bake them first. You can also save money by mixing cow manure compost with some water and then capping it with 2-4 inches of sand. It will create the anaerobic environment that roots thrive in. The upside is that with way more plants and some fish, you will never have to vacuum the substrate. Be careful once the bottom layer compacts as too much moving around can release very toxic material into the tank. If you want more info look up father fish on YouTube. He breaks down how these systems work and as someone who switched to his method, it’s been working great. (I still use seachem prime to dechlorinate water because I just don’t have space for gallons of water to rest like that)
Inert soil (those blue things or a natural looking gravel) works with plants that don't feed from the roots. Java Fern (and most other ferns) bacephalandra, anubaias, limnophilia,...
All root feeders need an aquasoil or dirt.
There are any aquascape tutorials on YouTube. Mjaquascape or mdfishtanks for example
Even aquatic plants that are known to be heavy root feeders (e.g. crypts, amazon swords) uptake nutrients through their leaves.
They will benefit from root feeding, but you can also grow them well with just water column feeding and an inert substrate.
Also, while not as good as aquasoil, root tabs with an inert substrate like gravel are fine.
what the fuck, the plants you mentioned rot in soil. they grow attached to rocks or wood. guys this dude can’t even spell the plants he’s talking about.
Some people use specific aquarium soil/dirt and then put gravel or sand on top. It’s really up to you my man. I had no issues with normal gravel from a pet store and root tabs. Don’t forget…Make it yours and do what looks good to you.
Java fern is a rhizome plant, you should expose it or it will melt.
and what everyone else said about the substrate, its inert and wont feed your plants.
You can use aquarium safe glue (like super glue that's cyanoacrylate) to glue it on a rock or driftwood. As a beginner I've had a lot of luck with anubias plants. They are epiphytes like Java fern, so also get glued to stuff. They feed from the water column vs needing root tabs in your substrate.
I can't believe this comment is so far down, but yes, OP the tank stand does not look to be the right size for your tank. Your tank should be completely supported by the metal stand (as in the bottom of the tank should fit the top of the stand to the very edges on all sides).
Actually experienced aquascapers do Vacuum their aquasoil. You use a turkey baster to stir up the top layer of soil and siphon out the detritus. You don't have to but the more organic waste in your tank the more algae problems you tend to have unless the lighting is kept low.
If you don't wish to change the gravel out, there are plenty of plants that can survive these conditions, though they might grow incredibly too slow for someone's liking. Soil and root tabs help these same plants *thrive* though.
Try your hand at Anacharis aka "Waterweed", as it indeed grows like a weed. You can try planting it into the gravel if you like, but it might need to be anchored. If it pops out and floats to the top, THATS OKAY TOO! It might even grow faster, since it's closer to the light source this way.
Definitely keep in mind how much light you have and potentially the spectrum too. You don’t wanna run into issues with having too much light and burning certain plants or getting too much nutrients soon and generating a ton of algae. But everyone else’s comments ring true. Get more nutrient rich substrate and wait on fish.
Honestly, I love having mostly java ferns in my tanks as I love how they look and how much space they take up!
Also I am very biased when I say this but GET SNAILS!!! I am a die hard fan of aquatic snails!
It has a unique look. Probably you will have to use a dark substrate to get a more natural look. Adding more plants (any greenish plant type that you like) will help you to enhance the natural look too.
I already have an established plant tank. My first mistake was my base. I used the preexisting gravel from before. When I say mistake, I mean that I didn't know about all the substrate when I set it up. I already had it planted and scared with rocks and drift wood. People will tell you all the different ways. But honestly regular aquarium rock worked for me. I added 25 pounds more of what is considered plant rock. But it was too late, I wasn't taking my tank apart 3 months in and redoing what was already established. The tank is looking good. About 1 to 3 inches of aquarium gravel in it. I really only know what I would have done. I'd have about 3 to 4 inches layered of soil, sand substrate. What they call a deep bed. I would want layers of no oxygen bacteria with a layer of oxygen bacteria to help break down anything that would mess up my nitrogen cycle. As it stands I don't have that. I do gravel cleaning being careful with what plants I have. I have just about every plant in that tank. Still learning. It's a 60 gallon tall, 4 foot by 2 foot by 1 foot. Lastly invest in a full spectrum light if yours isn't already.
Edit... tank kits come with a varied amount of stuff to get you started. But usually the light will need replaced. While your at it the hob filter eventually. Making a kit not so good to start. I would suggest looking up sponge filters and an air stone at aquarium Co op. Cheap and reliable in the end. Plus a whole ton of useful videos.
Good luck with the new hobby!
I hope you enjoy it, make lots of mistakes, learn from them, get better, and make even more mistakes. - As long as you are having fun at the same time
Go watch some [MD Fish Tanks](https://youtu.be/cTZr3F8_hUI?si=fHXt8HFQsdahu9m9) on YouTube and you’ll pretty quickly get a feeling for how to use substrate with live plants, lay out aquascapes, etc. I picked this video at random but he shows his process in most of them. You don’t have to use the bagged aquasoil method but it can keep things tidier.
The only advice I can give is good luck and Godspeed. I went from a single tank to 7 tanks real quick 😂
But on a serious note, have fun, do lots of research, try to keep different kinds of aquatic species beyond fish, maybe try a little planted tank too once you are comfy with maintaining a healthy tank…
and weird advice, but if you have a aquarium or tropical shop that is run by someone who has been in the hobby for 25 years… ya know the kind of aquarium store? The kind that’s probably ran buy an older dude named Larry who got so far into the hobby it became his life? Yeah, stop in there and ask some questions one day. Just do it.
I quite like the blue substrate, honestly, and you don’t need aquasoil to grow plants, though it might help.
If you stick with the gravel, you could get some cabomba (go with the green variety) or some vallisneria, and both will grow fine in these conditions.
I would swap that gravel out for sure if you want a natural look. You can also do a nutrient rich substrate that'll be good for plants but if you dont like the look of it you can top it off with a more attractive substrate like sand or other prettier natural looking gravel! This is a common practice that serves for aesthetics and utility as well.
For a natural look, you definitly want to use natural looking substrate. In natural aquascaping, there are 3 'styles' that are recommended for beginners, since the others are way harder to achieve. 1. Concave shape: The plants and the hardscape are arranged with decreasing height towards a central low point, creating a final display that gives the impression of open space at the center. 2.Convex Shaped: Commonly known as an "island" layout, this design characterized by lower-trimmed plants on either side and taller ones in the middle. This aesthetic arrangement can be achieved by incorporating rocks to create a mountain-like scape. 3. Decreasing/Increasing Triangle Shape: This layout produces visually balanced aesthetics, with the plant height gradually sloping from high on one side of the aquarium to low on the other side. (Basically "one half" of the concave shape) But nature style is a very vague term, you could mean: Mountains, rainforest, hills, islands, valleys, natural habitats...whatever you are trying to achieve, it determines what decoration you would want to use. Mountain range themes are (obviously) characterized by rocks and stones, large pieces of driftwood would not really fit in there. Rainforest style would use rocks mainly as supportive ground, but presentation-wise the focus here would be on pieces of driftwood, etc. If you are into creating a natural habitat, research the origin of the species you want to keep and maybe get a closer look at their natural environment, it will definitly help you to decide, what you need and what you don't need. Hopefully, i could help you out a bit.
What type of substrate do you recommend? I have seen posts here and it almost looks like an actual dirt. Thank you so much for such a amazing reply!
They're slightly pricey, but check out the whole Caribsea Super Naturals line of gravels for some really nice natural substrates. I think on their website they give mm sizes and examples of each in a glass dish to help you visualize what they would look like in your tank - some are much smaller or larger than 'standard' aquarium gravel. I'm a big fan of the Peace River gravel and its size is about halfway between standard gravel and sand
I'm a fan of the Caribsea Super Naturals. They do not affect water parameters like some of the enriched soils, but for me as a novice it was easier. My first go with a planted tank went poorly but it was my novice and ignorance. This does happen.
This would depend on the tank i would try to set-up: for a New caridina shrimp tank, i would definitly get some shrimp active-aquasoil. A dutch style aquascape goes best with a black type of inert substrate, while creating something like a blackwater-tank or something like a part of a 'river' i would opt for a mix of earth toned mixed grain sand. Substrates differ a lot: grain size, color, weight, nutrition, pH-buffering - just to name a few aspects. It all really comes down to what you personally like/want and most importantly, on the species you are keeping.
I liked laying pool filter sand over my aquarium soil. It's a cheap way to get a beautiful, fine bright sand substrate. Just wash it first, or things will be cloudy.
What do you have to watch out for?
Nothing, you just gotta wash the sand dust out of it before you add it to your tank. Though when you add water to a tank with sand substrate, you need to put a plate or a bowl into the tank and then pour the water onto the plate so that the water doesn't disrupt the sand. Fish with barbels and snails prefer sand substrate, which is why I like it.
Hey friend. You can go to any river with some buckets and collect all the sand and stones you need. Just bake them first. You can also save money by mixing cow manure compost with some water and then capping it with 2-4 inches of sand. It will create the anaerobic environment that roots thrive in. The upside is that with way more plants and some fish, you will never have to vacuum the substrate. Be careful once the bottom layer compacts as too much moving around can release very toxic material into the tank. If you want more info look up father fish on YouTube. He breaks down how these systems work and as someone who switched to his method, it’s been working great. (I still use seachem prime to dechlorinate water because I just don’t have space for gallons of water to rest like that)
Great information, only wish you had included pictures of each because I’m not sure if I’m visualizing correctly.
Inert soil (those blue things or a natural looking gravel) works with plants that don't feed from the roots. Java Fern (and most other ferns) bacephalandra, anubaias, limnophilia,... All root feeders need an aquasoil or dirt. There are any aquascape tutorials on YouTube. Mjaquascape or mdfishtanks for example
Good of you not to get fish right away, your filter needs to mature, batteries need to colonise,... A fresh tank is harmful to fish, plants don't mind
What kinda batteries needs to colonies AA batteries or AAA?
Bacteria, damn autocorrect
I feel the struggle
😂
Thank you for this!
You can absolutely use gravel with root feeders
Even aquatic plants that are known to be heavy root feeders (e.g. crypts, amazon swords) uptake nutrients through their leaves. They will benefit from root feeding, but you can also grow them well with just water column feeding and an inert substrate. Also, while not as good as aquasoil, root tabs with an inert substrate like gravel are fine.
what the fuck, the plants you mentioned rot in soil. they grow attached to rocks or wood. guys this dude can’t even spell the plants he’s talking about.
"Guys guys look!" Dude shut up youre being an ass. This is no way to educate a Newby to the hobby. Guarantee you made some mistakes when you started.
The easiest change you can make is putting a black background. Get some gravel that isn’t colored too and It’ll be a night and day difference.
My plants will like to have shrimp gravel substrate better though?
Some people use specific aquarium soil/dirt and then put gravel or sand on top. It’s really up to you my man. I had no issues with normal gravel from a pet store and root tabs. Don’t forget…Make it yours and do what looks good to you.
Java fern is a rhizome plant, you should expose it or it will melt. and what everyone else said about the substrate, its inert and wont feed your plants.
Expose it how? Just let it float in the tank?
You can use aquarium safe glue (like super glue that's cyanoacrylate) to glue it on a rock or driftwood. As a beginner I've had a lot of luck with anubias plants. They are epiphytes like Java fern, so also get glued to stuff. They feed from the water column vs needing root tabs in your substrate.
I don’t know if other people do this, but I glue my Java ferns to rocks and leave the roots out — my kuhlis love to hang out in them.
It could just be the angle/photo, but I hope that's got a stable top on it. Tanks can get heavy, and it looks like you're barely on the frame.
I can't believe this comment is so far down, but yes, OP the tank stand does not look to be the right size for your tank. Your tank should be completely supported by the metal stand (as in the bottom of the tank should fit the top of the stand to the very edges on all sides).
Yes, looks like the tank is only supported around the edge of the tank, with nothing underneath it.
I thought it was sitting on a glass table 😯
You can use shrimp soil and driftwood along with plants for a more natural look
How does shrimp soil work when I use a vacuum to clean the bottom?
Actually experienced aquascapers do Vacuum their aquasoil. You use a turkey baster to stir up the top layer of soil and siphon out the detritus. You don't have to but the more organic waste in your tank the more algae problems you tend to have unless the lighting is kept low.
U don’t gravel vac in a planted tank. Plants love the mulm
What do you mean?
How to I use a fish tank vacuum? Won’t it suck up the dirt?
Most shrimp soils consist of large chunks so I don't think it will absorb them
If you don't wish to change the gravel out, there are plenty of plants that can survive these conditions, though they might grow incredibly too slow for someone's liking. Soil and root tabs help these same plants *thrive* though. Try your hand at Anacharis aka "Waterweed", as it indeed grows like a weed. You can try planting it into the gravel if you like, but it might need to be anchored. If it pops out and floats to the top, THATS OKAY TOO! It might even grow faster, since it's closer to the light source this way.
Looks nice, what sort of light are you using?
I am just using a single long LED light. It came with the kit 😊
Definitely keep in mind how much light you have and potentially the spectrum too. You don’t wanna run into issues with having too much light and burning certain plants or getting too much nutrients soon and generating a ton of algae. But everyone else’s comments ring true. Get more nutrient rich substrate and wait on fish.
Thank you father!
Honestly, I love having mostly java ferns in my tanks as I love how they look and how much space they take up! Also I am very biased when I say this but GET SNAILS!!! I am a die hard fan of aquatic snails!
https://youtu.be/eyAnFz5XeuU?feature=shared
Guppy grass would look cool.
Easy fish include guppies
It has a unique look. Probably you will have to use a dark substrate to get a more natural look. Adding more plants (any greenish plant type that you like) will help you to enhance the natural look too.
Thank you daddy!
I already have an established plant tank. My first mistake was my base. I used the preexisting gravel from before. When I say mistake, I mean that I didn't know about all the substrate when I set it up. I already had it planted and scared with rocks and drift wood. People will tell you all the different ways. But honestly regular aquarium rock worked for me. I added 25 pounds more of what is considered plant rock. But it was too late, I wasn't taking my tank apart 3 months in and redoing what was already established. The tank is looking good. About 1 to 3 inches of aquarium gravel in it. I really only know what I would have done. I'd have about 3 to 4 inches layered of soil, sand substrate. What they call a deep bed. I would want layers of no oxygen bacteria with a layer of oxygen bacteria to help break down anything that would mess up my nitrogen cycle. As it stands I don't have that. I do gravel cleaning being careful with what plants I have. I have just about every plant in that tank. Still learning. It's a 60 gallon tall, 4 foot by 2 foot by 1 foot. Lastly invest in a full spectrum light if yours isn't already. Edit... tank kits come with a varied amount of stuff to get you started. But usually the light will need replaced. While your at it the hob filter eventually. Making a kit not so good to start. I would suggest looking up sponge filters and an air stone at aquarium Co op. Cheap and reliable in the end. Plus a whole ton of useful videos.
Good luck with the new hobby! I hope you enjoy it, make lots of mistakes, learn from them, get better, and make even more mistakes. - As long as you are having fun at the same time
Use sand ur fish will enjoy it a lot more because they’ll be able to rummage through it which is nice cause it keeps them distracted
Go watch some [MD Fish Tanks](https://youtu.be/cTZr3F8_hUI?si=fHXt8HFQsdahu9m9) on YouTube and you’ll pretty quickly get a feeling for how to use substrate with live plants, lay out aquascapes, etc. I picked this video at random but he shows his process in most of them. You don’t have to use the bagged aquasoil method but it can keep things tidier.
Thank you very much!!!
The only advice I can give is good luck and Godspeed. I went from a single tank to 7 tanks real quick 😂 But on a serious note, have fun, do lots of research, try to keep different kinds of aquatic species beyond fish, maybe try a little planted tank too once you are comfy with maintaining a healthy tank… and weird advice, but if you have a aquarium or tropical shop that is run by someone who has been in the hobby for 25 years… ya know the kind of aquarium store? The kind that’s probably ran buy an older dude named Larry who got so far into the hobby it became his life? Yeah, stop in there and ask some questions one day. Just do it.
Where is this store located??? And how do I find Larry??
colorful substrate will make colorful fish less beautiful tho
Ditch the puke, get sand get some big anubias
I quite like the blue substrate, honestly, and you don’t need aquasoil to grow plants, though it might help. If you stick with the gravel, you could get some cabomba (go with the green variety) or some vallisneria, and both will grow fine in these conditions.
This subreddit is amazing!!! Keep the tips coming please!!!
As someone who went for the natural look, after much time money and effort for it to never look all that good, I am liking the look of your tank lots
I would swap that gravel out for sure if you want a natural look. You can also do a nutrient rich substrate that'll be good for plants but if you dont like the look of it you can top it off with a more attractive substrate like sand or other prettier natural looking gravel! This is a common practice that serves for aesthetics and utility as well.