I had come across this very interesting article from Aimee Amodio, on the topic DIY Aquarium Backgrounds. It was indeed a very interesting idea to have a DIY Aquarium Background.

I suppose that after you have get your Aquarium background done as described by Aimee Amodio, the next “upgrade” of your aquarium tank would likely to be the aquarium tank bottom or we call it aqua-scaping in some cases. To design a nice aquarium tank, you could not do without a layer of Substrate.

If until today this may have been an unfamiliar word to you, read here for more information on aquarium substrate.

These are the important points in DIY Aquarium Substrate:
1. Substrate material should be between 3 and 8 mm thick.

2. Large granules will block root growth and smaller ones can actually crush the roots.

3. It is recommended that when starting the tank you add the substrate in phases.

4. Mix the first layer with the solid fertilizer and place that in the tank. The bottom layer should be high enough to cover the roots of all plants. Approximately two inches is optimal.

5. One or two additional layers with the finest granules on the top layer. Vermiculite is good for the bottom layer since it releases nutrients slowly over time.

6. Place a bowl or plate on the bottom when filling with water in order to avoid churning up the substrate.

7. Select plants (including java moss and other aquarium plants) based on estimated size and height at full growth. An attractive arrangement has the shortest plants at the front, next highest in the middle and tallest ones at the back wall of the aquarium. Variety of heights is most attractive.

8. Consider things like how many fish you plan on having and choose the plants accordingly. Some breeds of fish co-exist better with some plants more than others. Some breeds of fish will hide in the plants and others prefer to swim at a higher level. Browse the Internet to look at pictures and read blogs by fish keepers for good ideas. After you have an idea of what fish you want you can select plants. Certain fish and plants co-exist well together. Most fish will nibble on the plants occasionally but don’t select any that are taste tempting enough to be devoured completely.

9. Possibly sketch out a plan for your underwater garden. Keep in mind it’s best to avoid overcrowding of plants and fish.

10. Some plants can be anchored to driftwood or mesh (especially good for java moss and other aquarium moss) and don’t need to be planted in the substrate. These include Christmas moss, Java moss and Java fern. Other good choices for the beginner are Anubias and Cryptocoryne (hardy plants which can thrive in the same tank).
- For plants that do require rooting make sure the roots are covered by the two inch (5cm) bottom layer of substrate.

11. Finally, make sure the aquarium has adequate light. Aquarium moss including Java moss required suitable amount of light intensity for fast growth (it can survive with slower growth in low light).

Visit AquaticMagic store for more information. Under the product pages, most of them comes with indication if your plants will thrive on low, moderate or high levels of light. Low is one watt per gallon of water. Moderate is 2 watts per gallon and high is three to four watts per gallon. Use those guidelines.

David