Setting it all up
Setting it up without plants is really easy.
Wash the tank before use, check for any leaks. Pour in the bag of base fert first, smooth it out using your hands or a flat tool. Make at least 1-2cm worth of base fert. Next, pour in the gravel over the base fert, making two layers. The substrate should be at least 5cm thick. Install the C02 system ( but don't turn it on ), filter and light set. Then you're ready to go.
This is the hard part
Before you start buying plants at random and dumping them all into your tank, it's important to do something. That is to:
READ
Sign up for a account here in AQ, and start reading old threads in Plant Talk, especially concerning newbies setting up their tanks. Planted tanks are very complicated, much more than your normal fish tank, where only the health of the fish matters. Ask questions, and then ask more. We don't mind, unless it's trifle stuff like where to buy plants.
You need to read because
1) Some things take a year to explain, like fertilisation.
2) Experience cannot be taught.
3) Aquascaping is an art, and good aquascapers actually learn artist's techniques.
4) You gain more knowledge, which makes your life easier instead of having to hog the forums for answers.
Setting up a tank is easy. It's maintaining it, knowing the science behind it, and the artistic values incorporated into the tank that puts people off this hobby. Laziness is certainly not something you can have in your first year into planted tanks.
You need to learn about fertilisation, for that is a sick topic and to make things worse there are many variations on how to fertilise. Read around. The more info you get the better your tank will be.
To aid you, here are some links ( will update with AQ ones after the homepages are up ):
Rex Grigg's
A workshop in Singapore Part 1
A workshop in Singapore Part 2
Another article on how to setup
Yet another article on how to setup
Oh boy, guess what, yet another link
Aquascaping in simple terms
That's more or less about it. I'll be updating this sticky regularly as I discover new things that can help you guys.
Happy planting!
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