Let's launch the herbalist. Four important rules. How to make a do-it-yourself grass toy: master class, recommendations and reviews Simple do-it-yourself grass toys: a master class for the little ones
Starting an herbal tank (an aquarium with a large number of plants) is exciting and not always easy. Launching an aquarium with many Vallisneria bushes is one thing, creating a full-fledged landscape of several species of difficult-to-maintain plants is quite another. It is even more difficult to maintain it in this state for a long time.
Today, even a beginner can create a beautiful landscape on his own the first time. To do this, just go to almost any aquarium forum; there will be enough information there to get started.
0. The main thing to start with is to clearly plan and prepare everything. Once upon a time, I came across plans for planting aquariums in books. In them, the authors described where and what plant should be planted and why. If you are going to recreate a beautiful corner of the underwater kingdom at home, you should start with this. There is nothing worse than preparing an aquarium and going to the market or an online pet supply store with a spontaneous purchase of everything you like, and only then, before planting, wondering where and who to put.
1. Select the volume. There is no need to rush into this point, especially since aquarium farming itself involves constant making informed decisions. Finding a place for an aquarium is always easier, but deciding what size to buy is more difficult. At any time, you can always move the underwater kingdom from one room to another (subject to partial disassembly), but buying a new container, in case of an error, entails a complete restart of everything previously done.
2. With the right lighting, you will never have big problems with plants (provided that you take care of them and pay enough attention). Light intensity is important for plants. As an example, a jar of Vallisneria or Rotala can live even on a windowsill in natural light. But only with intense lighting, and most importantly the correct spectrum, can you achieve not only confident growth, but also see these plants in all their glory. The total lighting power must be at least 0.5 W/l. The optimal indicator would be 1-1.3 W/l.
3. Substrate and fertilizers. If there can be many difficulties with the choice of lighting, then with the selection of the substrate everything is a little simpler. If we don’t talk about aquarium markets, but only about specialized stores, then the choice of branded soils today is very rich. What are they good for?
Such substrates allow the aquarist to forget about feeding in the ground for half a year or a year. From the very beginning they contain everything necessary for the confident growth of plants. There are a lot of types of substrates; each manufacturer offers not five or even ten options. And they can differ not only in color or fraction sizes, but also in composition.
There shouldn’t be any difficulties with choosing fertilizers either. For example, AQUA FERTI Micro can be added daily from the moment the aquarium is started, with the lighting turned on and carbon dioxide supplied. Are you afraid of the rapid development of algae from the first weeks? Use AQUA FERTI Carbo Plus. This fertilizer is complex and is effective solution in the fight against blue-green and filamentous algae, blackbeard, Vietnamese algae, etc.
4. CO2 equipment. An extremely important point for a herbalist. CO2 is the main source of carbon that promotes plant growth. The optimal concentration is 15-30 mg/l. When keeping fish in the herbalist, the maximum concentration is up to 30 mg/l. You can focus on these numbers, but how to maintain such indicators? More than a dozen devices for maintaining life in an aquarium come to the aid of aquarists. With their help, you can apply fertilizers on a schedule in the required dosages, feed the fish, and establish an accurate supply of CO2.
To organize a carbon dioxide supply system, you can go in several ways. If you have enough money, you can buy a ready-made system based on a cylinder, reducer, solenoid valve, diffuser. The first element of the design is a cylinder with highly purified liquefied carbon dioxide. The system is expensive. You can buy a simpler system, with replaceable cartridges. It will be easier to operate and the cost of maintenance will be noticeably lower. Although, if you have the proper experience, you can assemble a CO2 supply system yourself. Yes, it will lose to the options listed above, but not so much as to say that it is completely uncompetitive.
Compliance with the above points will most likely create a beautiful corner of nature in your home. In addition to the points above, you will need many more different very necessary things, but their role in achieving the task will no longer play such a decisive role.
I am sure that just once you look at the underwater gardens of the Dutch or accidentally come across one single image of an aquarium by Japanese designer Takashi Amano on the Internet, you will not remain indifferent.
Aquarium science has been developing very rapidly in recent years. The Internet is partly to blame for this, but most likely the reason is man’s inexorable craving for nature. After all, at home, every day you can see the real underwater world, the complex and changing landscape, enjoy the iridescence sunlight in the crowns of underwater “trees” and admire the gracefulness of shrimp-birds in the Riccia meadows-lawns. And all this is at arm's length, a kind of microcosm that carries a huge charge of energy, delightful and cleansing... well, enough of the lyrics. Creating and maintaining the life of an herbalist is not a lyrical matter at all. And here you won’t get away with enthusiasm alone.
So, if you are captivated by the idea of creating an aquarium with the advantage of aquatic plants - an herbalist, you have some work to do. To begin with, it is advisable to stock up on... well, yes, patience, this is, of course, a mandatory and indispensable condition, but also literature. K. Casselman and her work “Aquatic Plants. 1000 Types and Forms” is perhaps the first book on your list. Next - “Interior of an Aquarium”, by the way, by the same author. We can also recommend the book by I. Sheremetyev “Botany of the Aquarium”, where the author dwells in detail on the issues of setting up a typical herbal aquarium: water treatment, soil selection, lighting, equipment for CO2 supply, etc. If it is difficult for you to find these books, but you want a herbalist right now, this article is at your service.
Begin. The first thing I want to emphasize is that the herbalist implies a very delicate, vulnerable, demanding, but quite stable structure. There are usually few fish in such aquariums, so siphoning the soil is not at all necessary. Or rather, it is not even desirable and should be carried out pointwise and superficially, and only if there is an urgent need for this (to replant a plant, root a cutting, etc.). And, as a consequence of poor population, there is a need to frequently monitor nitrates (NO3 test) and phosphates (PO4). In fish aquariums, the level of nitrate-phosphate is usually sufficient and even high (daily abundant feeding and the result thereof). In the herbalist, especially when it is started and in the presence of strong light (and without this - nowhere, friends), the nitrate level very quickly drops to 0. Plants with nitrogen starvation stop absorbing phosphate, resulting in an inevitable outbreak of algae. Often unpleasant, blue-green. So, second - tests: you must have at least 5 of them: Kh, Ph, NO3, PO4, Fe.
Part 2
Should I start by purchasing tests? It’s strange, you might think, but the fact is that, having seen enough of masterfully made underwater landscapes, the aquarist often relies on own experience, overestimates his ability to “by eye” determine the deficiency of one or another element in water. Unlike slow-moving “fish” aquariums, your creation will develop very quickly, and therefore absorb large amounts of food. This is what the above tests allow you to monitor, and it would be very reckless to neglect their purchase.
“Announce the entire list, please...”
Priming. IN Lately Great importance is attached to the soil. The pure anchor function version is not considered at all. Soil is a storehouse, reservoir and mother-nurse of aquarium flora. Therefore, the choice of soil will be the basis on which both the start of the herbalist and its durability depend. For example, nutrient substrates from Sera and Tetra - Sera flordepot and Tetra Complete substrate. Dennerle offers DEPONIT-Mix (Ph 7.0). These soils do not contain additional nitrates and phosphates. (Dennerle also has Bodengrund-Starterbakterien - a mixed culture of bacteria for soil.) These soils can be used pure or mixed in different proportions. Sera Floredepot has a Ph 4.8 and contains peat. I liked this soil the most, but this is a purely subjective opinion. Peat humic acids are very important in buffer system pH and contribute to its stability. The fact is that the soil pH reaction should be from slightly acidic ~ 6.5 to neutral 7.0, only then is optimal metabolism for plants guaranteed. The nutrient substrate is placed on the bottom of the aquarium in a layer of 2-3 cm (see instructions for soil dosage for a specific form) and fine rounded gravel with a fraction of 1-3 mm is poured on top. The layer of sand may vary depending on the design of the aquarium, but usually no more than 8-10 cm high. For large aquariums with a volume of more than 100 liters - at least 4-6 cm. Branded gravel is now on sale. I recommend using it. You can, of course, turn to the screened out fine fraction river sand, but calibrated soil is good because its particles do not have sharp edges and they are all the same size, which ensures optimal soil permeability. On the one hand, nutrients in the form of detritus particles can fall into the thickness of the sand, but not deeply, but just into the zone of settlement of bacteria, which quickly process these organic residues in the upper oxygen-rich layer of silt. A nutritious bottom layer of soil is needed so that the plants begin to grow quickly immediately after setting up the aquarium. For the first three months, the water will have a high content of all nutrients, both from decaying old plant parts and due to the transfer of nutrients from the soil into the water, which can provoke the growth of algae. To reduce their number, I do large water changes in the first month - up to 30% every two days. As for the degree of soil contamination. The fact is that plants are planted very densely over the entire bottom area, so detritus mostly settles on the leaves of the plants. And very few particles manage to fall down. With intensive plant growth, frequent pruning is required, and most of the detritus that has settled on the leaves of the plants is removed from the aquarium. Thus, the soil silts up very slowly, reducing the biological load on the closed ecosystem of the aquarium.
So, slightly acidic soil reaction (pH, in some places). This can be done when planting plants or when cleaning the aquarium, i.e. quite regularly, at least once a month.
As for the use of a ground cable, as is often recommended to aquarists by both aquarium equipment manufacturers and numerous aquarium forums, this is a possible, but not mandatory, purchase. Convective movements of water caused by a thermal cable cause active water and gas exchange, along with which nutrients rise into the water column. If the amount of flora in the aquarium is large and it is able to quickly absorb this excess, there will be no problems. But often aquarists complain about uncontrollable outbreaks of algae, especially thread and black beard (red algae) after installing a thermal cable and nutrient soil at the same time. It is possible that a soil heating installation is required for large aquariums (over 250 l, since the soil is deep there) and in aquariums with very fine (quartz) sand. Here, the heat of the cable allows you to avoid acidification of the soil. I only use nutrient soil in my aquariums. There is no thermal cord under the ground, so you can judge the feasibility of this device
nutrient soil from Sera was used here
Part 3
Lighting.
Important question. And the answer to it depends on your temperament and your wallet. After all, you can make a magnificent herbal garden from shade-loving and shade-tolerant plants. The choice here is not so extensive, but as one very good artist accurately said: “A different palette is sometimes more expressive than a different one.” A person, consciously (or forcedly) limiting himself to 3-5 types, includes the only thing that makes a jar a “masterpiece” - fantasy. Moreover, aquariums decorated only with Bolbites, Anubias, various types of Java ferns, and mosses can be much more impressive than a simple multi-colored jar with alternatora and cabomba.
Naturally, the lighting for such an aquarium must be appropriate. But this choice of aquaflora is rather an exception to the rule. More often than not, we are seduced by the very process of choosing and purchasing plants, turning into collecting rare or difficult to care for. Finding new plants is an opportunity to constantly be aware of aquarium life. This includes studying conditions, selecting fertilizers, for some, just hunting for new species... And there is nothing wrong with that, you say, and I agree with you. :rolleyes:
Typically, those wishing to arrange a herbalist are recommended to:
1. from 0.8 to 1 W/l or more fluorescent or MG light.
2. CO2 installation,
3. fertilizer supply
None of these points work in isolation and none can be excluded.
Lamps. Of course, all aquariums, like their authors, bright personalities and you are free to choose and create your own combinations of lamps. I will give the successful ones (the view of the masters and aquarists from Vitawater who are generous with open information).
Lamps with the highest color temperature.
Hagen Power-Glo (18000K), Hagen Aqua-Glo (18000K), Sera Blue Sky Royal (12000K), Sylvania Aquastar (10000K), Philips Aquarelle (Philips 89, 10000K). These lamps should be installed in the aquarium only in combination with phyto lamps. In undiluted form, they can ideally be used only in fish aquariums to highlight the colors of the inhabitants. In herbalism, the powerful blue spectrum of these lamps will lead to algae growth. This, however, does not apply to the Philips Aquarelle lamp, which “...has good color rendering, relatively high color efficiency and can be the only source of lighting in an aquarium” (K. Casselman, “Aquarium Design”).
This is what Cryptocoryne Wendt looked like under Philips Aquarelle lamps. Fine? not bad. ;) I had these lamps for a year, then I had to change them (they burn out quickly). There were no longer lamps for sale, and stores refused to carry them. After installing the new Sylvania Aquastar, this crypt mercilessly shed its leaves. But after a couple of weeks she recovered.
Phytolamps. Osram Fluora (Osram 77), Hagen Flora-Glo (2800K), Sera Plant Color (4900K) (most available in Minsk), Sylvania Gro-Lux (8500K), Dennerle Color-Plus (4100K), Dennerle Secial-Plant (3000K ).
White lamps with a temperature of about 6000K and higher - LD (6750K), Philips 965 (6500K), Osram Biolux (Osram 965, 6500K), Osram 860 (6000K), Sera Brilliant Daylight (6000K), Dennerle Amazon-Day (6000K). Although lamps of this type have high luminous efficiency, excellent color rendering should be used with caution and also only in combination with phytolamps.
White lamps with a temperature of about 5000K - Osram 950 (5400K), Philips 950 (5300K), Sylvania Daylightstar (5000K), Dennerle African-Lake (5000K), Sera Tropic Sun Royal (4700K).
Sylvania Daylightstar is one of the most expensive lamps, its bulb is covered with a transparent plastic shell that cuts off ultraviolet light, which, according to the company, inhibits the growth of algae. I don’t know, I have these lamps now, although there were no algae under them before, but they give a slightly yellowish color, and the green leaves of the lobelia almost fluoresce. Although I like it - you can also find this kind of green at Amano.
(By the way, T. Amano recommends only lamps with a color temperature of 8000K for aquariums with plants. :scenic:)
White lamps with a temperature of about 4000K - LCB (4300K), Hagen Sun-Glo (4200K), Dennerle Kongo-White (4000K), Osram 840 (4000K), 940 (3800K), Philips 840 (4000K), 940 (3800K), as well as white lamps with a temperature of about 3000K - LB (3500K), LTB (2800K), Osram 930 (3000K), 830 (3000K), 827 (2700K), Philips 930 (3000K), 830 (3000K) - white and warm white lamps are also suitable for growing plants. These lamps have only one, but significant drawback - they give the aquarium a strong yellow tint. And, if installed in insufficient quantities, they can provoke the growth of diatoms.
Another note: aquariums containing only plant lamps look unnatural. They must be diluted with white lamps to achieve optimal visual effect.
As for MG lamps (metal halide). Their use is advisable in aquariums with a height of more than 60 cm. Another indisputable advantage of these lamps is the ability to have an open aquarium. However, the disadvantages of such lighting are also obvious: “... high cost, lower luminous efficiency than fluorescent lamps, limited choice of lighting colors and poor compatibility with other types of lamps and lighting colors” (K. Casselman, “Aquarium Design”, art. 14 ). Here is another quote from K. Casselman: “If metal halide lamps are to be used, warm-color lamps Osram WDL, Philips HPI, Radium WDL and Sylvania WDL, as well as neutral white lamps Osram NDL and Philips NH, are first recommended. The highest intensity of plant growth is achieved when using fluorescent lamps. Moreover, they are preferred by most aquarists.”
CO2.
Is there an urgent need to install CO2 equipment for an aquarium? I think you won’t even ask this question if you really are planning to organize a herbalist. The level of free carbon dioxide is an important and often limiting factor for the good development of aquatic plants. If there has been an increase in intense lighting, its spectrum has changed, the next step is to increase the consumption of CO2 by plants. “...even in a poorly lit aquarium with increased content CO2, a favorable environment for plant growth and development can still be achieved. CO2 fertilizer is essential for every aquarium,” K. Kasselman, “Aquarium Design, Art. 31.
These issues are discussed in great detail on Miklukha’s page. It's hard to write better.
So here's another link:
http://ukrop.info/index.htm?file=http://ms...qua/co2/co2.htm
But it's not that simple. :scenic: There is another opinion that fundamentally contradicts the dogma of mandatory saturation of water with carbon dioxide. Moreover, the advisability of high lighting intensity and daily doses of fertilizers, as well as the mandatory presence of nutritious soil, is also questioned. The original version of this position can be seen on Thomas Barr's website. link:
http://www.barrreport.com/articles/433-non-co2-methods.html
A small quote: “...moderate light and high density plant biomass will provide Better conditions for higher plants and worse for algae. In this tank you can add KNO3 and KH2PO4 and see that without additional CO2 enrichment, excess PO4, NO3 (and Fe) will not cause an algal outbreak.”
The topic of the uselessness of expensive carbon dioxide equipment and super-fertilizers is also quite widely discussed and argued. Read it, it's interesting.
Well, a couple more links:
http://www.aquariumlights.ru/bottle.html - how long does a carbon dioxide cylinder last?
http://www.aquariumlights.ru/denn_tco.html - CO2 content depending on carbonate hardness (°dKH) and pH value (according to Krause)
http://www.aquariumlights.ru/m_cok.html - equipment from Shumov.
http://aqa.by/index.php?showtopic=98 - post about the possibility of purchasing equipment in Minsk.
Fertilizers. First of all, for a normally developing herbalist, it is necessary to have 5 parameters necessary for plants:
1. sufficient light,
2. CO2 concentration,
3. water temperature, which determines the rate of metabolic processes;
4. concentration of macroelements: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium:
5. concentration of microelements: iron, magnesium, boron, zinc, copper, sulfur, manganese, molybdenum.
For the desired well-being, it is necessary that these parameters be in an optimal combination and in sufficient quantity. A deficiency or excess will lead to an imbalance and become a limiting factor in plant growth. So, if all the parameters are balanced, but there is not enough light, the plants will be suppressed, and the algae, which are more adapted to existence in the aquatic environment, will gain an advantage and show themselves in all their glory. The same thing will happen if, with all other components of the system present in sufficient quantities, there is a lack of CO2. Then again there will be inhibition in the growth of higher algae and dominance of algae. After all, the surplus will be unclaimed and will become the lawful prey of the latter. So, you can install the most expensive CO2 equipment and buy branded fertilizers, but without providing the plants with sufficient light, you will get nothing but thickets of thread. Put in a lot of light, let in CO2, but don't give in iron - xenococcus and chlorosis are at the highest levels. Also, the higher the water temperature, the faster metabolic processes in plants will occur and, accordingly, their need for all types of nutrition will increase. The optimum is determined by the plants themselves (see recommendations for growing from K. Casselman, for example), but even here you will have to balance. After all, a group of plants is selected not from the same biotope, but according to the aquarist’s taste, so the optimum is different for everyone. But t +24+25 will suit almost everyone, and then the temperature will not be a stimulating factor in the consumption of nutrients.
Signs of deficiency of one or another element can be found in Bergman http://www.landart.ru/03-uhod/c-bergman/03c000.htm, here I will give only a few:
Nitrogen deficiency- death of old leaves, starting from the edges. Brown spots appear, which then turn into holes. In an aquarium inhabited by fish, it practically does not occur; in a purely herbal aquarium, on the contrary, almost weeks after launch.
Potassium deficiency - similar symptoms, except that it occurs quite often. Potassium, like iron, is a problematic element - its content in fish food is often insufficient to meet the needs of plants;
Common signs of iron deficiency are yellowing or even whitening of leaves (chlorosis) while the veins remain green. These signs are most noticeable on young leaves and fast-growing plants. Below is a quote from M. Zierling “Mineral nutrition of plants”:
Phosphorus. This element takes an active part in the processes of storing and spending energy and, accordingly, in the synthesis of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, enzymes, as well as in the processes of respiration and plant nutrition. Let me remind readers of only one well-known fact: phosphorus is the main part of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the main energy substance of a living organism. Phosphorus accumulates in the greatest quantities in young shoots of plants. Signs of phosphorus starvation are darkening of the color of young leaves, curling of leaves and shoots, and the appearance of brown and reddish-brown spots on old leaves.
Magnesium, like calcium, is a macronutrient. This element plays a significant role in metabolism, especially in young plant organs. Its deficiency in water is much more common than calcium deficiency.
Lack of boron affects young plant tissues. Signs of boron deficiency are blackening and death of the apical growing points.
Copper . The development of plants without this element is almost impossible. Studies have shown that copper activates B vitamins, affects protein and carbohydrate metabolism, protects chlorophyll from breakdown, and promotes protein synthesis. If there is a lack of copper in the water of the aquarium, the entire leaf blade turns pale (chlorosis), and the soft tissues of the leaf die. End of quote (Tsirling M.V., 1991)
Having tracked and tried to determine the cause of the problem that has arisen, you can then go one of two ways: either reduce the intensity of use of the remaining parameters, adjusting them to the limiting one, or, conversely, gradually increase its concentration and observe the effect.
How much and how should fertilizer be applied? There is also no clear answer to this question. It is recommended to apply more often (every day) and in an amount determined by the needs of your plants. How to determine this norm? Here is the answer to the question - why did I write about tests at the very beginning of this article. You need to determine how much your grass eats per day or week. To do this, it is necessary to test the water before applying fertilizer and at the end of daylight hours. An overdose is fraught with long-term consequences. Algae really love an overdose of fertilizers. It is better to apply fertilizers in a complex form. This is exactly what manufacturers of aquarium fertilizers do: various complex fertilizers are available for sale: “Tetra Planta Min”, “Sera Florena”, “Uniflor”, “Leaf Zone” and others. The latter, however, does not apply to complete complex fertilizers. The rest are quite suitable for complex plant feeding.
However, it's not just the leaves that need fertilizer. Most of the plants in our aquariums are swamp plants. Those. Before going back into the water, they lived on land for a long time, like land plants. As a result, they have the opportunity to absorb nutrients mainly through the roots: echinodorus, cryptocorynes, rotals, bacopas, etc. And here the need arises to apply fertilizers for their absorption by the roots. (Well, here we have a nutrient substrate :)). Using only laterite (a special type of tropical soil containing large amounts of iron and aluminum in an easily digestible form) as a continuous nutrient litter as a supplier of nutrients is not a solution to the problem of root nutrition. This soil is poor in nutrients, and iron is found in it in larger quantities than plants need, and plants that could consume this nutrition are little. Only rosette species, and in particular cryptocorynes, have advanced in this sense. Other plants will starve. Laterite is used only as a soil additive. There are branded root dressings available in tablet form: “Tetra Initial Stick.”, “Crypto Dunger”, “Sera Florenette A”. However, it is optimal to use these tablets not instead of, but together with laterite or nutrient substrate from Tetra or Sera.
Now to the question of fertilizer application rates. The experience accumulated by aquarists shows that for iron, for example, a concentration of 0.1 mg/l is sufficient, and the constant iron content should not exceed 0.1-0.2 mg/l. Nitrate concentration – 10-15 mg/l, phosphate – 0.1-0.2 mg/l. But there are exceptions here too. In highly lit aquariums (1 W/l) - 0.2 and even 0.5 mg/l of phosphate may not be enough, but for an aquarium with light of 0.6 W/l it is enough for me to keep the phosphate at 0.1 mg/l l (nitrate there is 15 mg/l). Very good indicator phosphorus deficiency are rotals. In macrandra, for example, the tops begin to turn pink and dissolve, and indica simply stops growth, the leaves become smaller and become decrepit. Blixa does not develop new leaves - they simply fall apart. Didiplis also slows down in growth, turns excessively red and then turns black.
How to calculate the preparation of a nitrate solution? Here I will not lie and say that I use I. Krotov’s recipe: “Auxiliary solution185;2. I dilute in 100 ml of distilled water:
Potassium nitrate (KNO3) - 8 g
1 ml of this solution gives: 0.5 mg/l NO3 per 100 l."
I would also like to note that for most plants, natural silting of the substrate is sufficient. Additional application of liquid fertilizers under the roots (nitrates, phosphates, micro) using a syringe makes sense in newly launched aquariums and provides root nutrition to the plants for a couple of weeks.
Also, potassium monophosphate or other phosphorus-containing (nitrophoska) fertilizers follow almost immediately after the application of potassium nitrate, or rather after the phosphate test shows zero.
There are convenient fertilizer calculators on the Internet. I use this one: vladhnet.narod.ru/
Example for nitrate:
1. Download the fertilizer calculator.
2. Take 50g of saltpeter and dissolve in 500ml. water. We get a solution: 100g/l or 100mg/ml of saltpeter.
3. Enter into the calculator in cell G12: 100
4. In cell H12 we enter the displacement of water, I will assume that it is ~180
5. In cell I13 we enter how much we want to increase the nitrate concentration. Let's say 10 mg/l. We enter 10.
6. In cell M12 we see the answer to our request: 29.35 ml. That is, to increase the concentration of nitrates by 10 mg/l in aquas, you need to add 29.35 ml of the initial solution of potassium nitrate.
And so on by analogy, if necessary, for other elements.
And yet, it is assumed that the original tap water does not contain nitrates at all, or in very small quantities. However, often the nitrate test in tap water shows 10 or even 15 mg/l. Such indicators may occur in winter, i.e. during the non-vegetative period. And this must be taken into account when making substitutions.
In conclusion, I would like to say that growing aquatic plants is a labor-intensive and expensive hobby. Of course, a spectacular planted aquarium is a very desirable thing for many aquarists. But often, faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the form of annoying algae, the need for frequent fertilization, control of carbon dioxide levels and light quality, the aquarist denies himself the pleasure of having this miracle at home. I hope this article will help you identify the weak link in your efforts and create a harmonious and healthy aquarium world. And, of course, this article does not pretend to be a complete guide. It's just personal experience and analysis of information posted on the Internet, books by specialists on aquatic plants, chats and forums. The desire to sort everything out first and foremost in your own head is another important motive for writing it. I will be glad to receive comments and criticism (within reasonable limits). Preparing an aquarium is a responsible process that cannot be rushed. Some novice aquarists sin by trying to do everything as quickly as possible in order to introduce fish into the aquarium and enjoy the aesthetic spectacle. And, as a result, many important nuances turn out to be missed, and the careless aquarist will be disappointed.
Where to start?
First of all, you should choose the type of aquarium. This can be a marine or freshwater aquarium.
The latter has several varieties:
- natural biotope;
- herbalist;
- "plastic world"
The latter is most often preferred by beginners who load the aquarium with an abundance of artificial plants, locks and other decorations. A natural biotope at home can only be created with extensive experience and knowledge. More often, amateurs prefer aquarium herbalist. It also requires careful care: its inhabitants are higher plants that require additional care.
Launch
So where do you start when creating an herbalist?
- Thoroughly wash the aquarium, soil and all equipment. The soil for the herbalist should be of small diameter - approximately 3-5 mm, so that the plants form a strong root system. Since some of the plants have long rhizomes, soil should be poured in a thick layer - at least 5 cm.
- Often, for better rooting of plants, a layer of nutritious substrate is poured under the ground: for this, you can purchase a mixture for cacti at a flower shop, or take nutritious soil from the garden. If you want to make a substrate, then you need to spread it in a layer of no more than 2 cm, otherwise the water in the aquarium will be cloudy. IN nutrient substrate You should add soil and mix, lay it in a two-centimeter layer on the bottom of the aquarium, and pour 5 cm of soil on top.
- When using a nutrient substrate, the water is saturated with a large number of microelements, so the first few months of algae will grow abundantly in the aquarium. After laying the soil, you can add settled water, turn on the equipment and wait a few days. After this, you can plant unpretentious fast-growing plants:, spiral.
- After 1 - 2 weeks, after you are convinced that everything was done correctly, and unpretentious plants feel good in the aquarium, you can start planting the bulk of the plants. For convenience, it is better to use special tweezers.
All plants are conventionally divided into three plans: front, middle, back.
- On foreground plant small ground cover plants such as hemianthus cuba, dwarf arrowhead and others.
- The middle ground should be occupied by plants that reach the middle of the aquarium in height. These could be: dwarf nymphs, lemongrass, and many others.
- Plants with tall stems are planted in the background and in the corners of the aquarium, which include, for example, Vallisneria gigantella or Vallisneria spiralis. After planting the plants and starting the aquarium, you can add fish. For the herbalist’s aquarium, you should definitely purchase fish that eat algae (this can be catfish) and amano shrimp (one shrimp per 10 liters of water).
Fertilizer and carbon dioxide
If you are creating a herbal aquarium, do not rush into a carbon dioxide supply system. Saturation of water with carbon dioxide will be required no earlier than 3 months after the aquarium is started.
Ready-made carbon dioxide can be purchased at a specialty store or obtained independently using the fermentation method. For this you need:
- one and a half liter container;
- yeast;
- sugar;
- water;
- diffuser;
- plasticine.
You need to do the following with these items:
- Mix yeast with sugar and place in a container.
- Fill the container with warm water, without filling to the brim.
- Seal everything tightly.
- Cut a hole in the plug or cap equal to the diameter of the hose.
- Insert the hose, securing a diffuser at the other end (it can be a rowan branch).
- All joints should be coated with plasticine.
Please note that this improvised gas generator should be located below the water level in the aquarium.
We should not forget that plants need fertilizing. You can purchase it at a specialty store or pick it up yourself. Blue clay, which can be bought at a pharmacy or cosmetic store, is a good fertilizer. The clay is diluted with water to the consistency of sour cream, dried and rolled into small balls, which need to be buried under the root of the plant. It is convenient to use liquid fertilizers - you just need to add them to water.
An aquarium with live plants is a very delicate system, easily damaged, requiring careful care and at the same time having a stable structure.
Herbalist is a broad concept that can include:
- and an ordinary home pond with living vegetation without conceptual and geometric delights;
- and a pond - a real underwater park in which plants are grouped based on shape and color;
- and aquascape - an artificially created fragment of an underwater landscape in accordance with the requirements of a specific style according to certain rules.
Common to all varieties of herbalism is the dominant position in it of underwater flora over representatives of fauna.
How to properly organize a herbal aquarium and select plant species that can coexist in a common container with similar growing conditions will be discussed further.
What is needed to organize an aquarium for plants?
It is necessary to create the best conditions for the existence of underwater plants, and this involves the following:
Selecting the right tank. The height of the container should not be more than 60 cm; exceeding it can cause inconvenience when caring for plants.
Soil selection(substrate). You can use bare soil with a nutrient substrate, or grow an underwater garden on ready-made nutrient soil, which will significantly facilitate the process and allow you to gently regulate the parameters of the aquarium water.
Creating Lighting. There are no trifles here: the color of the lighting is important (for example, blue is needed for plants to bloom, and red-yellow accelerates their growth), as well as its power. A competent combination of lamps of optimal power with blue and yellow-red glow will create the best conditions for the development of plants.
Supply of CO2 to the tank. To create a beautiful, vibrant underwater garden, carbon dioxide in the pond is absolutely necessary. It is the main source of carbon for plants.
Osmosis of water. It ensures the correct water parameters in the container: pH – 6.4, GH – 5, KH – 3.
Fertilizer application. Using an underwater garden when organizing is the main condition for success. There are special mineral complexes for a wide variety of underwater plants that do not contain (important!) phosphorus and always contain divalent iron.
Dutch herbalist - the most popular freshwater biotope
The most common type of home herbal ponds is considered to be their Dutch variety, where the main emphasis is on growing rare, collectible plant species that require special conditions and more complex care.
In the mid-70s of the last century, a new phenomenon appeared in the foreign aquarium hobby - the Dutch aquarium. At its core, it is an underwater aquarium garden consisting primarily of living plant groups. At the same time, living inhabitants in such gardens are either completely absent or are in small numbers and are not the center of attention; they are assigned a secondary role. Here it is only important to choose fish that are compatible with each other and with the plant species in the garden.
Today, the Dutch-type grass pond is one of the most complex artificially organized freshwater biotopes.
What plant species are suitable for a grass pond?
The greatest challenge in landscaping an herbalist is creating the foreground of the aquarium. At successful design In this sector, filling the remaining part of the reservoir will not be difficult.
Usually, foreground decorated with low-growing (no more than 10 cm) plant species. This allows you to create an underwater landscape where its entire space is clearly visible.
On the background Accordingly, large plants are placed, the height of which, however, should not be more than half the height of the tank.
Between the plants of the front and back It is a good idea to plant medium-sized species in the plan; they also create contrast, separating groups of similar plant species in the foreground.
If we specify all of the above, then to design the foreground of a home herbalist you can use:
- tender echinodorus (Echinodorus tenellus);
- , dividing hemianthus micrantemoides (Hemianthus micrantemoides);
- purple lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis);
- and other plants in a red hue to provide greater contrast.
There are not many plants that are suitable for foreground decoration, do not require special care and at the same time grow quickly. Here, in addition to the already mentioned Echinodorus tenellus and some species of lileopsis, the following should be mentioned: 
- four-costed echinodorus (E. quadricostatus);
- (Sagittaria subulata);
- tiny sintyag;
- whorled shieldfoil.
These underwater species, even without sufficient lighting, form dense thickets in a short time.
For large aquariums (200 liters or more), plants of medium height are suitable in the foreground; decorating a container of this size is much easier, since the choice of plants is wider here.
When decorating your pond, you need to remember that, in addition to the shape and shade of plant species, you should take into account their lighting needs.
So, shade-tolerant plants (for example, anubias) will be comfortable along the edges of a reservoir or in more shade. tall species(for example, tapeworm plants).
To please you with bright greenery, light-loving representatives of the underwater flora need to be placed in the light areas of the aquarium.
Growing an underwater garden in a home pond is labor-intensive and expensive. A spectacular-looking herbalist can only be raised by thoroughly studying the issue, going through a streak of failures and gaining much-needed experience in this difficult matter.
You can often see how a newly minted aquarist, faced with obstacles in the form of uncontrollably reproducing algae, the need to constantly monitor the lighting, the composition of the water in the reservoir, apply fertilizers, control the level of carbon dioxide, gives up the dream of having a planted aquarium at home.
I would like to hope that this article will help you cope with difficulties and competently organize a harmonious home herbal pond.
AQUARIUM HERBAL natural aquarium with live plants, what is needed for this, how to achieve this?
Well, now it’s time to write the final article - a report on the work done!
Six months ago I asked myself, is it possible to create a beautiful aquarium - “herbalist” at home, on my own? An aquarium that you could be proud of, admire and tirelessly admire! So that it looks at least a little like the work of maestro Takashi Amano! What is needed for this? How much is it? Is it possible to save money on equipment for such an aquarium?!!!
One day I came across a video interview Takashi Amano, where he, answering the question: “Where does a natural aquarium begin?”, answered: “From an idea.” This answer was probably the starting point for me.
My initial thoughts were like this.
Everyone, both beginners and experienced aquarists, looks at the work aquascapers, admire them and think: “How beautiful, great, I want that too!” Then, after the first impression, they say: “This is unrealistic, difficult, very expensive, and also, probably, such an aquarium is difficult to maintain...”.
Is it really possible that the pinnacle of aquarium perfection – a dense “herbal” – can only be achieved by professionals and people who have the means to do so? Why are only a few creating such aquarium beauty?
Probably because they don’t know how to dream! Or these dreams, like many others, drown in the abyss of everyday life.
Amano is right! Any human achievement begins with an idea. An idea that captivates you so much that you can no longer eat or sleep peacefully! The idea lives in you, you perceive any information only in the context of how it interfaces with your IDEA.
So I decided to prove, first of all, to myself that I can dream that everything will work out for me and that not just a jar of fish will appear at home, but a beautiful aquarium painting.
Here's what I got. Please watch this mini-film about my herbal aquarium, preferably in HD and with sound. I shot a video with a digital camera, made a video and put music on it.
I really hope you liked it!
Below I will try to focus on those aspects and nuances of creating a “herbalist” that are either not talked about or information about them is insufficient. I will try to give step-by-step instructions for creating a dense aquarium with live aquarium plants.
But first I'd like to talk about the emotional side of things. Remember and tell how it was. Tell me what I was afraid of, what didn’t work, where I freaked out, and where I was happy like a baby. I think this is important, because it is our fears that prevent us from achieving the desired result.
So, before creating my “herbalist”, I had some aquarium experience. However, I did not have the slightest idea about ground cover plants or the subtle principles of constructing an aquarium composition. I didn’t know anything about the quantitative and qualitative components of such an aquarium: lighting, water parameters, fertilizers, filtration, etc. Therefore, the first thing I started with was reading articles, forums on the topic, watching thematic videos on the YouTube channel, master classes and webinars of aquascapers.
This process took me two weeks. After it, my head was a complete mess!!! However, the entire array of this information allowed me to decide what exactly I want. It helped, in general, to imagine what my “herbalist” should be like and what would be needed for it.
It seems to me that it is at this stage that it is very important to imagine the final result. Visualization is a very powerful tool. This is the transitional stage of materializing your idea. To finally decide, I'm free time on the beach, under the rays of the summer sun and the sound of the surf, I drew sketches of my future “herbalist”. There were many of them, but I settled on this option.
This concludes the virtual stage of conceptualizing the idea and its rough visualization. The material side of the issue began to emerge. The prices were scary, there was a fear of making a mistake and taking the wrong thing. But it was necessary to decide and act!
You won’t believe it, but my visualization worked, and... free money appeared that I could safely spend on my favorite hobby.
Taking into account the huge markups on goods in pet stores, the modest assortment and the incompetence of sellers, I decided to purchase most required product on the Internet. So an external filter, soil for plants, chemicals, a diffuser, a drop checker, etc. were purchased.
While the order was being processed and was coming to me along long postal roads, I began to thoroughly study the issue of lighting, because... Without proper and correct lighting there will be no good “herbalist”. I settled on a combination of LED (hereinafter referred to as LED) spotlights and T5 fluorescent lamps. My thoughts and conclusions were: “The most better lighting for the “herbalist” it is a combination of a metal halide lamp (hereinafter referred to as MG) with T5 fluorescent lamps. But, MG lamps heat up very much and can only be installed on a stand, so the aquarium must be open. But I want the aquarium to have a lid. What to do?"
I found out that LED spotlights are no less efficient than MG ones, but they heat up much less. It was decided to take and install them. But the question is, which ones to take? How many Watts, Lumens, Kelvins... The frantic reading of information on the Internet began again. The trouble is that there is a lot of unverified, outdated and incomplete information on the Internet. Nevertheless, I dug through everything I could and realized what kind of spotlights I needed.
I will not further fool anyone with a description of the lengthy process of selecting lighting for the “herbalist”. I’ll just say that after a two-week run through “electrical stores”, the necessary LED spotlights were found, purchased, and a week later installed together with a T5 lamp and coolers in the lid.
While solving the problem of lighting, I, along the way, read information about the plants that are used in aquavaping, including ground cover. I put everything into one list and declared a hunt for them. And then another disappointment awaited me; in my city I somehow found only hemianthus kubu. The pathetic bunch cost 200 rubles! I bought it, but realized that things wouldn’t go any further. You can go broke on grass alone. A solution was found, all the rest of the herb was purchased from the Arovana online store (Ukraine), where the prices are simply pleasing. For little money I collected a whole herbarium! They sent it quickly, and the plants came to me almost alive.
However, they were not enough. Therefore, in the old aquarium, all the Vallisneria, crypts and echoes were pulled out, and under the new lighting a growing bed was built - a vegetable garden from various plants for scape.
Now I can’t even believe that this turned into a whole carpet of hemianthus cubes(herbalist photo)
BEFORE AFTER)))
I specifically pay so much attention to plants because many aquarists are faced with the problem of where to get a huge number of plants without going broke? In my opinion, buying a small amount of varied grass and growing the required amount yourself is a good solution to the problem. Moreover, during the growing process, you will be able to understand how the plant behaves, how it feels in a given situation, under what light, with what fertilizers, how it lays down, spreads or stretches... In general, you will be able to get to know the plant better, what will eliminate unwanted situations with transplantation and adjustment of an already finished aquascape.
Time passed, the bed grew... But I didn’t sit around waiting. All my attention was focused on UDO (fertilizers), in particular, on studying the issue of composition, the need and correctness of the use of micro and macro fertilizers, and the supply of carbon dioxide. With CO2, the issue was resolved quite simply - I had already used the “mash” in the aquarium before, and I decided to grow the scape on it. As you can see, I succeeded.
By using the mash in the aquarium, I completely debunked the fears of a novice aquascaper, which is that for a dense “herbal” you definitely need to buy an expensive CO2 cylinder, reducer, magnetic valve, etc.
Issues with micro and macro fertilizers for plants, in principle, were also resolved quite simply. Homemade paroles (so-called self-messes) were immediately rejected as a stupid exercise for alchemists. I was chosen trademark“UDO Ermolaev”, in particular the drugs “Algicide + CO2”, “MICRO”, “MACRO”, “Iron”, “Potassium”. Additionally, I decided to use tourmaline.
Finally, two months later, the culmination came - the garden was pulled out, the can was washed... pleasant minutes, hours and days of creativity began. Laying the substrate, soil, adding biostarters and tourmaline, installing stones and forming hardscape. Then an equally exciting event - planting plants according to the planned pattern.
When everything was finished, there was no limit to joy! I was already anticipating: “Now everything will take root, there will be a balance, and it will be possible to show your work on our forum.” But it was not there! Out of nowhere, it popped thread, so much so that, let alone a scape, there were no plants visible, they were withering, wasting away... and the thread was pearly and pearly!
While frantically reading information on this problem, I understood only one thing - there is no panacea! All advice is of the same type, stupid and, as they say, “finger in the sky.” One thing was clear, that something was “wrong” and this “wrong” needed to be urgently eliminated.
Having gathered the last of my strength and passion, putting on a rubber swimming cap, I dived into my jar for a whole month... and during the breaks I sat by the aquarium with a stingy man's tear, which flowed down onto the rubber cap that had already been removed from my head... gray hair was visible on my head))) All gone...
What have I not done this month! I collected filament every day mechanically, used algaecide, played with the amount of lighting, water and water changes. A crowd of cods (SAE), otocinclus, snails were planted in the aquarium... The filament did not retreat, the plants did not grow, but withered away.
And then, at the suggestion of our Esta website moderator (Natalia Polskaya), it was decided to introduce “heavy artillery” - Amano shrimp.
But, bad luck, in my city it’s a real problem to get amanoks! In the end, I still found a dozen, planted them, and in addition to them I introduced a detachment of sakura shrimp, red and black crystals. And... hallelujah!!! The evil thread shuddered and disappeared in horror within a week.
The plants “bloomed”, the sun rose above my scape, the fish merrily scurried here and there, and the shrimp chirped together about something on their favorite snag.
I performed unprecedented African dances around the aquarium!!!
This is such a Happy End)))
Now let's talk about more mundane things and the technical side of the issue. Here are my notes.
Lighting for herbalist - aquarium with plants
This issue is a priority, and without solving it, we cannot go further. For an aquarium with live aquarium plants, you can derive the formula:
LIGHTING
+
FERTILIZERS (CO2, MICRO, MACRO)
+
CARE (TEMPERATURE, FILTRATION, WATER CHANGES, ETC.)
Lighting is the most important element, without it plants will not grow, the process of photosynthesis will not occur, without it, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, all your work will go down the drain.
I presented my notes and the results of the work done in these articles: LAMPS FOR AQUARIUM and DIY AQUARIUM LIGHTING.
Here I will note that the standard lighting, the one located under the standard cover, is not enough. For an aquarium densely packed with plants, and even more so for a “herbalist” with ground cover, you need lighting of 1 Watt per liter, or even more. In addition, you need to understand that Watts are not everything; quality characteristics lighting, such as light spectrum, Kelvin. In addition, it is important to understand and study the characteristics of a specific lighting source: discreteness of light, lux, etc. Also, when choosing this or that lighting, it is important to proceed from the height of the water column of your aquarium. The higher the column, the more powerful the lighting should be, so that the light penetrates the water column and reaches the bottom, to the ground cover plants.
What else. “The legend of the almighty lamps for aquarium plants” is circulating on the Internet. We are talking about fluorescent lamps with a special spectrum, with peaks of red and blue light. These lamps are presented as a panacea and easy way solving the issue of growing aquarium plants. However, it is not!!! It’s a pity that this leads many astray, so I want to debunk this mythical legend.
In fact aquarium plants absorb the entire visible spectrum of light - from red to violet, plants need a full spectrum, and not a reduced one. Why then do they make and sell lamps with a red and blue spectrum? The fact is that it has been scientifically proven that plants need the red and blue spectrum more, but this does not mean that they do not need the other spectrum!!!
Now imagine, a newbie has replaced the standard lamps with special ones and is waiting and waiting... for his plants to grow! But they don’t grow... And, as luck would have it, instead of plants, they squashed algae. There is a lot of frustration: the money has been paid, but there is no effect! And why all? Because there are not enough watts, the spectrum is not complete, and besides, not only plants, but also algae love the red and yellow spectrum.
Conclusion. Do not try to compensate for the lack of lighting power with special lamps. Such lamps can only be used in combination with other lamps, for example, with fluorescent lamps marked “full spectrum”.
Regardless of which lighting source you choose: fluorescent lamps, LED lighting or metal halide, carefully study its quality characteristics - not only Watts, but also lux, Kelvin, spectrality, Ra, etc.
More. Be critical of information on the Internet and double-check it. For example, you can often read online that LED lighting is not suitable for aquarium plants. However, it is not! Look at the publication dates of articles. Technical progress does not stand still and powerful LED strips and spotlights have already appeared that meet the necessary requirements. See more details. LED strip in an aquarium.
Try to think through the lighting of your aquarium so that it imitates the actions of Mother Nature. Namely: it imitated the dawn, zenith and sunset of the sun. For good growth and the well-being of plants, there is no need to “fry them under monotonous lighting” for eleven hours. It is enough to provide a peak of powerful lighting for 3-4 hours, and keep moderate lighting the rest of the time.
This can be achieved by a combination of lighting sources. For example, Amano uses a metal halide lamp in combination with fluorescent lamps in its ADA lamps. I use two in my herbalist LED spotlights 30 Watt each + LL T5 24 Watt (full spectrum).
Also, pay attention reflectors.
Soil and substrate for herbalists and aquarium plants
I outlined the main points of using soil in an aquarium in articles SOIL FOR AQUARIUM PLANTS, TOURMALINE IN THE AQUARIUM.
Let me draw your attention to the fact that there are a great variety of substrates and primers and they are all different! Be sure to look at their compositions and study the issue of application. In this case, proceed from the requirements of your plants. Good substrate, good soil is 50% of success in growing. This good feeding and excellent health of plants in general.
I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the thickness of the soil in the aquarium should be approximately 5-7 cm. In order for colonies of nitrifying bacteria to develop well in such soil, so that there are no oxygen-free zones (which leads to acidification of the soil), you need to select a light, porous and rounded soil. Unfortunately, heavy, angular soil cakes over time, which impedes the circulation of water in the soil and leads to dire consequences.
At the same time, I note that light, porous soil for aquarium plants (for example, Aquael Aqua Grunt and/or Aquael Aqua Floran) has a certain drawback - it is impossible for them to form slides or hills in an aquascape; with the addition of water, the entire landscape blurs. Therefore, if you experiment with soil topography, I advise you to mix light soils with heavy ones (for example, quartz chips, which must first be checked for hissing).
Fertilizers for blades of grass and aquariums with plants
Even though your aquarium already has a nutrient substrate, you should also use liquid fertilizers containing micro- and macroelements. In this case, it is advisable to have separately not only complex oudos, but also preparations containing individual elements. At the moment I have a separate bottle of Parole Ermolaev iron and Iodinol, which contains potassium.
Filtration of a herbalist - an aquarium with plants
While studying information about setting up a “herbal tank”, I read somewhere that such an aquarium should not have strong filtration. Why exactly was not specified. Thinking through the idea, I came to the conclusion that strong streams of water will carry away the plants, and, in addition, a dense “herbal plant” needs nitrates, but if filtration removes them, the plants will “starve”.
Taking this into account, I'm at 110l. the aquarium took an external filter JBL CristalProfi e401 greenline - 450 l/h. And what do you think! It really is enough.
Moreover, I noticed that in the place where the flute from the filter is directed, hemianthus cube and other ground cover do not grow.
It is worth noting that at night my small internal filter also turns on. It mainly works as an aerator, but it also helps a little with filtering the herbalist. Therefore, the recommended filter power range is 450-600 l/h for a 100 l herbalist.
Caring for an aquarium with plants - herbalist
Once the biobalance is established in the herbalist, caring for it becomes simple:
Every day you need to apply liquid fertilizers and monitor the supply of CO2
Every week you need to lightly clean the aquarium, trim the plants and change 1/4 -1/2 of the water.
All this is not difficult and not troublesome!
Design and decoration of grass, aquarium with plants
I described my vision of this issue in the article AQUARIUM DESIGN, ORDER IN CHAOS.
Today I can say that, in fact, it is the design of the future “herbalist” that is the most difficult thing. Everything else can be bought. But to come up with something, and even to bring it to life, is difficult; the process requires mental effort, imagination, and fantasy. And at the same time you need to follow certain rules!
With this, let me conclude the final report on the work done. We can talk about “herbalism” and aquascape for a very long time, but the New Year is coming and I promised the guys on the forum to post this article this year))) I propose to discuss the unsaid in the forum thread IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AMANO.
Video of herbalist's aquarium after 2 months
7 monthsA very useful video about the aquarium herbalist, care and maintenance of aquarium plants
Aquadesign - a unique aquarium at your home
Keeping aquarium fish at home is not so much hassle and problems as it is relaxation and a passionate activity. Watching them, it is impossible to take your eyes off, and against your will, your imagination draws all sorts of options for designing landscapes in the aquarium. Choose an aquarium, pour water into it, add a few fish - that's all? This is too little - an aquarium should not only be liked, it should lift your spirits, bring joy and aesthetic pleasure. 
An integral part of aquarium keeping is aquadesign. The design of a small underwater world reveals the inner world and liberates a person. You can create mangrove forests, mountain valleys, rocky, sea or fairy-tale scenes. First of all, you need to understand how to properly decorate an aquarium. Aquarium fish After all, they are also alive, with their own fauna and flora, they need their usual habitat. The presence of fish is of great importance: if there are already fish, then the design needs to be created according to the existing ones, if not, then taking into account the characteristics and needs of future inhabitants, a composition for them must be created.
For fish that like to hide in the sand, you need a design with a sandy bottom and minimal vegetation. Guppies, on the contrary, prefer small thickets, snags, and other shelters to make it convenient to swim in and hide. Fish placed in an environment that is unacceptable to them will die.
Setting up an aquarium with aquatic plants
To create a masterpiece of aquarium design, a creative approach is required. In addition, knowledge of caring for aquatic plants is required, so that the overgrowth is not easy, but a work of art. Fast-growing plants require frequent thinning and trimming. You can put anything into the aquarium. Coconut shells, all kinds of clay and porcelain figurines. Sunken galleons, treasures, driftwood, stones, peculiar soil. 
The choice of design for a small underwater world should be based on the existing design of the room where it is installed, because it is a habitat and a decorative element.
At the moment, there are 2 main and popular schools for aquarium design: “Natural aquarium” and “Dutch style in an aquarium”. But one should not confuse natural with pseudo-natural - this is a form of approach to aquarium maintenance, but not design.
Dutch aquarium
It is not for nothing that it is called an underwater garden: this style uses color variations of plants, generalization in size, texture to create the effect of depth. Architectural forms, such as stones and driftwood, are present in very limited quantities. The only things that matter here are aquarium plants, their beauty, texture, and color.
Aquarium herbalist
This design style is based on copying the most striking natural landscapes, both underwater and terrestrial. An aquascape can look like a miniature mountain range with grassy slopes. Small architectural forms in this style have great importance. The design uses 3 concepts: convex, concave, triangular.
Convex shape - otherwise called an “island”, here the plants go down from the center to the edges, forming an island in the center of the aquarium.
Concave shape - involves reducing the size of stones and plants towards the center from the edges of the aquarium, towards a specific intended focus.
The triangular shape is called the golden ratio of design. The focal point is shifted by 2/3 to any side of the aquarium.
It should be noted that a home pond stuffed with plastic plants is of absolutely no value to many aquarists. A completely different look emerges - it’s like plastic products on kitchen table. Try to create a miracle from living vegetation and living organisms. First you need to understand that the entire composition, the entire design should not only look beautiful, but also look natural.
Aquarium decorations
It is best to select elements for aquarium design natural origin. The river landscape can be recreated by laying out round pebbles, a small piece of driftwood, which can be tied on with a fishing line aquatic plants. From several such snags you can make an impenetrable jungle; large stones of various shapes can imitate rocks. By combining stones of various shapes and sizes in one composition, you can get a beautiful grotto or a mysterious cave. To lay out stones beautifully, you need to constantly experiment, create shelters for fish that like to hide and lay eggs in stones, decorate the devices in the aquarium, and strengthen the walls of the terraces.
There are quite a lot of options, but it is best to experiment not in the aquarium itself, so as not to break the glass walls, but on the table. To do this, you need to lay out a sheet of paper, mark a rough plan and practice construction on it. various options. The most suitable for these purposes are basalt, granite stones, porphyry, and gneiss. For hard water, limestone, sandstone, and dolomite are good options. First, the stones need to be thoroughly cleaned. But first, carefully examine the material for the content of foreign particles - metals, resins, paint.
Aquadesign with plants
As an option, you can create aquadesign using aquarium vegetation. An egg capsule would look very nice in the center of the aquarium; along the edges, place ribbon-like algae: crinum, hygrophila, urut, fern, elodea. By background It is better to place the highest ones: sinema, ambulia, vallisneria. It is undesirable to use plants floating on the surface - although they look beautiful, when they grow, they greatly shade the bottom. Small bottom hfcntybzvb of various shades can be used to lay magnificent carpets and decorate terraces.
Aquadesign using driftwood
A distinctive look is created using driftwood. For this purpose, an already dead tree with no signs of vital juices is required. It is better if these are the roots of trees that have lain for several years in a peat bog: alder, willow, ash, beech, maple. Samples with signs of rot or mold are immediately rejected. The driftwood is cleaned of dirt, the existing bark or its remains are peeled off, boiled with added salt for about an hour and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Afterwards the driftwood is placed in running water for a week or in any container, but changing the water more often, which should only be cold. Thanks to careful processing, the wood is disinfected, its structure becomes denser and heavier. If necessary, you can secure the snag so that it does not float up with a stone. A large and branchy snag will look great.
Biotope aquarium
As an option, you can purchase fine soil or sand in a special store. If you take colored sand, then the bottom of the aquarium can be beautifully lined, creating patterns around plants, stones, and driftwood.
When you are in a strong mood to create a unique design in an aquarium, you cannot do without a special background. A decorative film that sticks to the back panel is an ideal option. A variety of designs will simplify the task of choosing. The most experienced aquarists create the drawing themselves, continuing the design of the aquarium with a kind of panorama.
