Designed & planted by James Findley
Setup Specifications
- Aquarium – 65 x 45 x 45cm TGM All Optiwhite rimless braceless glass tank made from 10mm glass.
- Substrate – ADA Sarawak Sand, ADA Aqua Soil Malaya, ADA Power Sand Special M, TGM Graded Gravels, Unipac Zambezi Sand.
- Filtration – Eheim 2128 Thermo External Filter.
- Décor / hardscape – Redmoor Root Wood
- Plants –
- Pogostemon erectus
- Utricularia graminifolia
- Monosolenium tenerum
- Holoer moss
- Spiky moss
- Staurogyne repens was added later and can be seen in the You Tube video above
ADA Power Sand Special M is added. We consider this so effective that we would not plant without it. A strip is left clear of the Power Sand at the front of the tank for aesthetic purposes and in the area intended for a sandbank effect. 
An inert gravel, Zambezi Sand is added as a dense bulking agent to add height. 
TGM Substrate Supports are added to effectively dam the gravel and hold it in place in the higher rear corner. 
ADA Aqua Soil Malaya granules are added for more height and to provide an excellent source of plant nutrition. 
A final fine coating of ADA Aqua Soil Malaya Powder is added. The Powder form of Aqua Soil is particularly useful where species of smaller root stock are to be planted and will hold the plants in place more effectively.
ADA Sarawak sand is added to create a sandbank effect.
More Substrate Supports are added to hold the substrate in place and a line of ADA Riccia Stones are added to form a barrier between sand and substrate. 
Two pieces of pre-soaked Redmoor root wood are added to suit the eye and envisage further hardscape layout. 
TGM Graded Gravels and pebbles are added in as “naturally a chaotic way” as possible. 
Redmoor root is re-positioned to attune with this hardscape.
Another angle.
The tank is filled.
The tank is filled.
The tank is filled.
The tank is full with some surplus stone to stop the Redmoor wood moving. The tank will now be run for approximately 3 weeks without any livestock or plants to ensure that any ammonia spike has been utilised by the beneficial filter bacteria which may be added daily during this period (Sera Bionitrivec is an excellent source of beneficial bacteria).
Planted. Aquascaping tools were used to make the job much easier- TGM Pinsettes & Scissors are particularly useful. 
Another angle, still very early days.
Livestock used: Nannostomus marginatus (Dwarf Pencil Fish), Corydoras Oipaquensis, and Crystal Red shrimps.
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