Help me! Trying to aquascape

[Rachgee]

Hi! I am a mom who loves to garden. I am wanting to start aquascaping but don’t know where to buy quality filters, substrate, and rock.

I have been watching greenaqua on YouTube and love their simple modern look  is there a place here like that?

Please help me. 

[Patrick_G]

Welcome! It sounds like you might be new to the aquarium hobby. If you have some gardening experience you’re going to love aquatic gardening!  I’d really recommend looking for a good local fish store that sells plants and aquascaping supplies. Where are you located?  Maybe someone can recommend a local store. If you don’t have one nearby you can buy all the supplies you need at Petco, they sell rimless tanks, wood, rock and many different types of filters. They generally won’t have the support or expertise of a local store but they definitely have the equipment. 

Of course you should buy your plants, Easy green fertilizer, chemicals, meds and as many supplies as possible from Aquarium Co-op. They are the best. 
 

If you get a chance check out the YouTube channel MD fishtanks. He has an incredible number of how to videos on setting up beautiful low tech aquascapes. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I’d also recommend Green Aqua they talk a lot about rule of thirds and the golden ratio things that become important as you go through the aquascaping hobby.

[gjcarew]

Local fish stores (LFS) are a great resource. Petco has started selling packs of seiryu stone and dragon stone, as well as spiderwood and mopani wood. They also sell Fluval Stratum which is a pretty good aquasoil if you want soft water for plants.

There is a store online called Aqua Rocks Colorado that sells aquascaping supplies. It's inefficient to buy online since aquascaping supplies are so heavy and unwieldy that shipping costs an arm and a leg. Much better to check out your local fish stores. 

If you're looking for a filter for aquascaping, you probably want either a hang-on-back (HOB) or a canister filter since they don't take up room on the floor of the aquarium. Green Aqua primarily uses canister filters, but HOB's are cheaper and easier to use.

[AndreaW]

@Rachgee ~ What style of scape are you going to try and what fish do you plan to keep? 

I found a great book at my library that is basic, but informative and has great advice for beginners. It's called Aquascaping by George Farmer. I'm sure there are other great books, but that's the one I could find through my library.

I'm new to aquascaping but not new to fishkeeping (and I'm also a gardener). I wanted to set up a new tank and decided I wanted a Betta again so I designed everything around that. Because I wanted a Betta, I decided on a 10 gallon tank with a lid (to keep the humidity high and to prevent him from jumping), and I knew I needed a heater and lower flowing water, as well as nothing he could snag his fins on (even though I ended up getting a short-finned Betta in the end). I had the basic LED lights built into the tank hood, so I'm using low light plants. 

Once I had the basics figured out, I went on the hunt for my spider wood that would become the centerpiece (found at a small local pet store), as well as my substrate (found at Petsmart). I found some medium and larger rocks (Lowe's hardware) and made sure they wouldn't dissolve any nutrients into the water.

Make sure you have a good test kit. If you are looking for quick, Aquarium Coop has some strips. I've heard the most accurate are the liquid kits API Master test kit has all the basic tests and I think is cheapest on Amazon.

Beyond that, research your plant and their needs and make sure you have the right fertilizers and requirements for them (similar to non-aquatic plants).

Ask lots of questions -- this is a friendly group! Watch videos and then get it set up and go from there!

[Marcelo]

I am new too and one advise: search for better prices ! I have found things for half of the price in different places ! So, for example, sand in the local fish store was $37 and in Lowes, was $20 - this is only an example !!!!! Even Walmart sometimes have things. 

[Tanked]

Depending on what you are looking for and where you live, rocks and other hardscape may be as close as your backyard, creek, woods or landscaper/nursery.  I always suggest taking a water bottle with you because the rocks will look different when wet.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

George Farmer is great. I started following him when he wrote for Tropical Fish Hobbyist and watched his YouTube for a long time. His most recent project switch (sic) Ty Streetman with the Biotopes from around the world is amazing. Can’t wait for that book! Glad public libraries are embracing the hobby and keeping good quality texts! Looking forward to seeing some pictures! We’re all happy to help any way we can and have fun!