Basic Aquascaping
***Remember, everyone has different opinions on what makes an atttractive
aquarium. Personally, I prefer a more natural appearance in my tanks, but
if you happen to like multicoloured gravel and lots of bubbling decorations,
then you should do what you like. It is,after all, YOUR tank.***
The decorations should be chosen in consideration of the species of plants
and fish that will be kept. You need to keep in mind the full size of the
plants you choose (if you pick live plants that is).Live plants are a major
contributor to good water quality and benefit fish in many ways. They can
help fish feel relaxed in an aquarium, or provide a spot for them to breed.
For species of fish that cannot be housed with live plants, the use of plastic
plants represents an excellent solution.
Decorations
Rocks
Rocks and gravel sold for aquarium use are generally safe and non-reactive.
When decorating with rocks, make sure any structures created are stable and
will not collapse. Do not set rocks on top of the gravel if you have fish
that may dig. They may decide to dig under the gravel and collapse the rock
onto themselves or the glass and break the tank. You can place large
rocks on styrofoam and then place gravel on top of that to hide the styrofoam.
Also be careful of what rocks you place in aquariums. Some may affect your
water hardness or pH. Some can contain harmful substances. For example, some
green rocks can contain copper.
Gravel
For planted aquariums, a size range of 2 to 5 mm is ideal for most plants.
In general, it is suggested to avoid very light colored substrates, as they
can make fish appear less colorful. If epoxy coated gravel is being used,
make sure to avoid rinsing with hot water and excessively agitating when cleaning,
to preserve the epoxy coating. Rinse all gravel well to remove dust.
Use the gravel to aquascape and create a depth perspective. Slope from back
to front.
Driftwood
Driftwood is commonly used in many natural type aquarium settings. Hard
root wood found in pet stores is probably the safest type of wood to use.
Wood is organic and can decompose. It is suggested to verify its condition
if water quality problems arise. It is normal for wood to discolor aquarium
water at the beginning. This is called tannin and does not hurt your fish.
However, it can cause your pH to drop. Pre-soaking can help reduce this. The
use of activated carbon is also effective at removing this discolouration.
An excellent method of keeping driftwood clean is to keep Ancistrus or Plecostomus
species which scrape and ingest it as part of their diet. Driftwood provides
an ideal anchor for plants such as Anubias barteri, Bolbitis heudelotii, and
Vesicularia dubyana (Java Moss).
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Water
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