Setting up a tank is hard: others do it with ease, but I nearly killed myself

I used to often share aquascapes created by masters at home and abroad. While we envy others, we also have this puzzlement:

Where on earth do the masters get their materials? (Voice-over: Can you just drop a link while you're at it?)

This bewitchingly wild yet stunningly beautiful hardscape skeleton, give me another 500 years and I still would not be able to learn it, right? (Voice-over: For others, setting up a tank is just hands-on work, but for me, setting up a tank is life-threatening! Can't there be something simple, practical and easy to do?)

Actually, most of us aquatic landscape hobbyists do not have the ability to create master-level, exquisitely crafted landscapes. Some people may simply like having a bit of nature at home, while others may enjoy the process of creating something with their own hands. As a result, "there are still shortcomings" is unavoidable.

Because we are non-professionals. We do not have such uniquely perfect materials for shaping, and we certainly do not have that much time to study and dig deep... So do not belittle yourself. As long as you did it, that is right!

Just like the aquatic landscape hobbyist Dong Yi introduced below. The first time he set up a paludarium himself, although the process was harder than expected and the final result did not reach what he had hoped for, completing it successfully was still something very happy, and he wants to share the final joy with everyone, and also asks all the veteran drivers for more guidance~~

Let's take a look at Dong Yi's maiden work. Everywhere you look in the tank is greenery, and the breath of spring rushes at you:

Tank setup

[Tank size] 70*50*40cm

[Substrate configuration] Mad Aquatic Amazon soil, energy powder, filter media, sphagnum moss, akadama soil

[Filtration system] Submersible pump

[Lighting] LED pendant light

[Hardscape materials] Pine bark stone

[Plant species] Moss, acorus, rock pine, small coconut palm, serissa, golden Phoebe zhennan

[Fish species] Black shell shrimp, white cloud mountain minnow

Tank setup process

Before setting up the tank, I had always wanted to make a paludarium, with high mountains and flowing water, splashing waterfalls, mountains and rivers, fish and shrimp swimming in groups, just like standing at the foot of a mountain and being able to bring the whole mountain home!

But ideals are plump, reality is a bit bony. Since it was my first time aquascaping, my ability was limited! My experience was insufficient! So... look at the pictures

Pine bark stone was mainly used for the hardscape, because its color leans warm yellow, its lines are clear, it is closer to the feel of a big mountain, and it gives a more direct impression. A layer of foam cotton was placed at the bottom to protect the tank.

Because pine bark stone is full of pores and easily traps mud, it is best to rinse and dry it in the sun before use.

The process of building the hardscape, just talking about it brings tears!

I set aside a whole day specifically to set up the tank. I started fiddling with the hardscape at 8 in the morning and only finished at 2 in the afternoon! The whole time was spent test-placing, because the number and shapes of the stones were limited, and I had to keep switching directions and angles to see how to get closer to the feeling in my heart, so just building the hardscape wasted a lot of time!

Then when doing the waterfall, I also went through all kinds of hardships! No matter what, I could not get it right. In the end, I used a submersible pump to split the flow, letting the water pass through the pump to create a stream effect.

No glue! It was very hard to arrange the stones into the shape of a river, but luckily pine bark stone is soft and easy to break, so I smashed many small pieces of gravel and pieced them together bit by bit.

Building the substrate: for the foreground, Tank energy powder + Mad Aquatic Amazon aquatic plant soil, preparing to plant aquatic plants in the water; for the background, first lay ceramic rings, then sphagnum moss - coconut soil - akadama soil.

Planting

In choosing plants, considering that a paludarium has relatively high humidity, I mainly chose some plants that tolerate shade, tolerate moisture and like humidity: moss, acorus, rock pine, small coconut palm, serissa, golden Phoebe zhennan.

For daily maintenance, I plan to have the light on from 8 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Considering that the room is relatively dry, I plan to spray water three times a day, morning, noon and evening, to keep the plants humid.

Plant details display:

Dong Yi says that because there is no soil, the left background looks a bit empty. The next step is to raise the left side and plant some more plants. At present, there are only white cloud mountain minnows and black shell shrimp in the water. He plans to buy some small fish and crabs too, and keep a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, swimming fish and aquatic plants. That is also a joy!

Actually, I have been won over by ivy. It climbs above the air conditioner and naturally hangs down, echoing the green plants in the tank from afar. At this moment, if the aquatic plant soil in the tank were replaced with light-colored cosmetic sand, would it look even fresher?

Fellow aquascaping enthusiasts who like aquascaping, go ahead and try boldly like Dong Yi. After doing it for 3 minutes, trust me, you will not be able to stop~

Image source: Dong Yi

Compiled and edited by: Mad Jun

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