Easy-Scape-Guide-byTheCineScaper

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EASY 
SCAPE 
GUIDE
step by step
INTRO
SETUP 
ebook by the cine scaper
page 2
BUILDING A NANO 
AQUARIUM 
FROM SCRATCH 
WITH BASIC TOOLS 
I created this guide to make your job easier 
for both building and maintaining a nano tank. 
Based on my experience I believe this is the perfect 
starter aquarium with an easy layout, good filtering, 
quality light source and lots of plants. 
We are not focusing on hardscape yet. 
First you have to learn, how to keep your plants alive. 
I’m sure that you are already planning to build 
stunning hardscapes and I assure you, that you will, 
but first you have to learn a lot about plants. 
Without them, there is no aquascaping. 
My advise is to start with lots of plants, it makes 
the beginning of your aquascaping journey easier. 
The equipment for this guide choosen is quite basic, 
so you will be able to use them later for your 
upcoming projects as well.
HARDWARE
GLASS 
30X30X30CM
BASIC GLASS
ALWAYS USE A MAT 
TO AVOID CRACKS 
It is very important to place a soft layer 
under the aquarium to even roughness 
of the surface and avoid breaking the tank. 
Use it every time! The surface also has to be 
flat and strong enough for holding the tank 
(even for a long period of time). 
TIP: I usually use a cheap 6mm yoga mat 
for this purpose. I place the tank on the mat 
and cut it with a box cutter. 
30X30X30CM CUBE 
BASIC GLASS AQUARIUM 
I like this type of tank because it is easy to be placed 
anywhere in your flat and still has enough space for building 
and planting. I think, this is the best size for a beginner!
TIP: If you don’t have a tight budget you can choose 
low iron or opti-white glass, which takes your game 
to a next level. Believe me, it will look like, 
that the water is floating in air.
ebook by the cine scaper
page 3
HARDSCAPE
SOIL 
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p4
ADA AMAZONIA LIGHT 
EASY START 
For faster root development, choose active soil. 
My choice is the ADA Amazonia Light, which has low 
nutrition levels. It makes the start much easier. 
It is also possible to add a layer of substrate to the bottom, 
below the active soil, but my advice is to use only 
active soil for your first tank. It will do the job just fine. 
This active soil has a natural look and it won’t become 
too muddy - even years later. 
TIP: Never ever wash the active soil before use! 
TIP 2: Use an ordinary brush to form the soil. 
5-6CM SOIL DEPTH 
FOR PLANTING
FINE TOUCH 
USE A NEW BRUSH 
You can create a more natural look by using different size 
of brushes. For the big slopes I use a bigger brush and some 
smaller ones for the little details. This way your hand won’t be 
messy and you won’t take any soil sand out to your furniture 
- not to mention accidental scratches on the glass. 
HARDSCAPE
STONE & WOOD 
ebook by the cine scaper
p5
HARDSCAPE
BASICS 
It is easy to create a stunning aquarium with only 
a few hardscape elements. Usually a nice piece 
of wood and a stone with and interesting shape 
will do the trick. 
I recommend to buy the wood from a local shop 
so it will be prepared appropriately for aquarium use 
– otherwise it can ruin your tank’s flora and fauna. 
If you already have experience with different wood types 
you can try to build your hardscape with locally 
sourced wood materials also. 
TIP: Always wash your wood pieces properly 
and let them soaked for a couple of days.
STONE & WOOD 
CHOICES 
WOOD: mangrove wood (color the water), iron driftwood 
(also color the water), redmoor (for me, this is the best choice, 
as it does not color the water). 
STONE: seiryu (hardens the water and hard to shape), manten 
stone (hard to shape), lava stone (neutral for the water and easy 
to shape), dragon stone (neutral for the water and easy to break) 
TIP: For beginners I recommend to build your first tank 
with redmoor wood and dragon stone.
HARDSCAPE
PLACEMENT
ebook by the cine scaper
p6
PUSH IT INTO 
THE GROUND 
Don’t make your tank too crowded, leave negative spaces 
with some tiny paths. Also leave enough space for the 
plants and for cleaning. Maybe you have already heard 
of the golden ratio and the rule of thirds, but you know what? 
Make it as you like! Plan, try, plan again, try again. 
Play with it! 
TIP: Be careful with the stones! 
They can easily scratch the glass!
FOCUS ON DETAILS 
SMALL EFFORTS
BALANCE 
COMPATIBLE SIZE 
Once you are ready with the “hard” part of the 
hardscape you can focus on placing the wood pieces. 
To achieve the best look I usually try to find the optimal 
ratio of stone and wood. The golden ratio and the rule 
of thirds comes handy for placing further elements. 
PLANTS
BASICS 
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p7
PLANTS
BASICS 
Most of the time I choose fast growing, easy to keep 
stem plants. Since they are low-demand it is easier 
for a beginner to succeed with them. 
With proper lighting and fertilising you will need 
your scissors pretty soon. 
Like I mentioned earlier, bigger amount of plants make 
the starting easier and helps to get the water balanced. 
For the easier maintenance you should choose 
plants with similar demands. 
TIP: Potted plants have bigger initial size 
- also in roots - than the plants placed in gel.
GET THE SCISSORS! 
QUALITY = PRECISION 
Don’t hesitate to spend money on high quality tools. 
They will do a much better job and will last forever.
LUDWIGIA 
PALUSTRIS
BACOPA 
COMPACT
ROTALA 
ROTUNDIFOLIA
PLANTS 
PREPARE
ebook by the cine scaper
page 8
REMOVE FUR 
FROM ROOTS 
Most of the plants come in rockwool baskets. It is an ideal 
material for starting the plant, but can also hold it back 
in further growth, so remove all the rockwool before planting! 
Pay attention to this step. It will pay off later! 
CUT BACK DIFFERENCES 
TO ACHIEVE BUSHY LOOK 
Sometime you have to cut back some overgrown stems. 
This way you can have more bushy looking plants. 
Usually plants grow two - or even more - stems from 
the fresh cuts. 
TIP: Keep in mind the multiplying stem rule 
when maintaining your aquarium. 
ALSO REMOVE SMALL PARTS 
TO HELP THE GROWTH 
It is a complex and time-consuming job, but you should be precise! 
The more rockwool you remove from the roots, the more optimal 
the plant will grow. To help the growth you can make small bouquets 
and place them a bit apart to leave some extra space for them. 
TRIM ROOTS 
FOR FRESH CUTS 
Cutting the longer roots will accelerate the growth. 
You don’t have to cut back a lot, just make sure 
to create some fresh cuts at the ends. 
If you got a plant with “too long” roots you can also 
cut back more to make is easier to plant.
HARDWARE 
GET A SPRAYER
ebook 
by the 
cine 
scaper
p9
BEST FRIEND 
OF THE SCAPER 
A good sprayer makes your life easier, especially 
when you need to humidify the soil for the planting. 
It also comes handy anywhere around the house 
caring other plants. 
I prefer using a pre-pump version. With a few pumps 
you can get enough pressure to use it for a while. 
This way you can sprinkle the water more accurately.
MOIST! 
ADD WATER 
FOR EASY PLANTING 
For easier planting make sure that the soil is wet! 
And not just for the upper layers but for 
the whole grounding. 
LUDWIGIA 
PALUSTRIS
BACOPA 
COMPACT
ROTALA 
ROTUNDIFOLIA
PLANTS
PLACEMENT 
ebook by the cine scaper
p10
COMBINE DIFFERENT 
PLANTS 
FOR A MORE 
NATURAL LOOK 
There are three categories of plants based on their placement. 
There are foreground, mid and background plants. 
For this aquarium I chose only tall background types. 
But it’s also a good idea to have smaller plants in the 
foreground, as they will make the tank even more stunning. 
In the shaded areas you can use anubias or bucephalandra. 
TIP: Mix the plants and place them in smaller groups 
or bouquets to reach a more natural effect. 
TIP 2: Use pinsette for the planting. Push them 3-4 cm 
deep into the wet soil.
PLANTS
PLANTING!ebook by the cine scaper
page 11
USE PINSETTE 
FOR EASY PLANTING 
For the perfect planting I use a pinsette or tweezers. 
Make sure to hold the plants firm but loose enough 
to not to damage the roots.
DON’T FORGET 
THE SMALL DETAILS 
With some leftover plants you can create nice details. 
Try not to damage the small parts with the pinsette. 
If you care the plants in the first few weeks with a little 
extra effort, they will be grateful for it and make your 
aquarium really special.
CREATE GROUPS 
& ADD SMALL PLANTS 
Some space between the plants helps the growth. 
With proper planting and cutting they will be so bushy, 
that you could not even drop a needle on the soil. 
The small groups make the whole aquarium more natural.
CALCULATE GROWTH 
FOR YOUR FUTURE TANK 
Some plants seem small but grow like a beanstalk! 
When planting the aquarium check back on plant sizes 
or you can get your aquarium too shaded. 
TIP: I always keep in mind, that plants will shade 
each other - you should too!
HARDSCAPE
DETAILS 
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p12
DECOR SAND 
CAN LOOK NATURAL 
Tiny details boost the composition and make 
the look more natural. You can use decor pebble, 
decor sand or you can break small pieces 
from the stone used for the hardscape. 
Be careful with ratios and quantities. 
Often less is more. 
TIP: Little pieces of wood and roots really 
spice the final scape
NOT TOO MUCH! 
JUST A FEW PINCH 
Try to study some nature scapes and notice details. 
Balance is the rule. Just use small pinches, so you can see 
when it is perfect. It is ok to try to create different scapes, 
so experiment bravely!
*LOVELY
 DETAILS 
HARDWARE
LIGHT 
ebook by the cine scaper
page 13
ONF FLAT NANO+
EFFECTIVE LIGHT 
High quality LED light means life. The light could be 
the most expensive part of your equipment, but trust me, 
you don’t want to spare money on this. 
 
A good light can make your life easier and keep your plants 
happy for a long time. This lamp has a beautiful and high quality 
light with enough power to run a CO2 system too. 
As an addition, it has a minimalistic and clean design 
and also lots of smart features under the hood. 
 
My favourite feature is the scheduling in the app, 
so you don’t need to use a timer. 
TIP: You can even create a sunrise and sunset period.
START 
FILLING UP 
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p14
A SMALL CUP 
TO AVOID EROSION 
If you just pour the water in the tank it can mess up the layout. 
To avoid the replanting and re-scaping I use a small cup 
to hold the flushing water, so the scape and details 
are left untouched. 
USE RO WATER 
OR FINE TAP WATER 
The tap water can be too hard, so I suggest to use RO 
(reverse osmosis) water. Some countries are famous 
of water with low hardness but in Europe it is regular 
to have extremely hard water. 
An RO filtration system for your regular tap water 
can be a level up too, but I highly recommend it, 
as it is the best to start with. If you already have 
a running aquarium, you should use some 
water from it too! 
TIP: RO water is neutral, so you can set the water 
parameters exactly for the best flora and fauna.
EDITORIAL
WOODWORK 
ebook by the cine scaper
page 15
USE PRE-SOAKED WOOD 
GOOD FOR MENTAL HEALTH 
Usually you can find dry woods in the stores - or outside. 
It is better to keep it underwater for a few days 
- or even weeks. It makes easier to keep it in place after 
the filling up the tank - I have some stories with 
not enough pre-soaked wood in it. 
ADD SOME EXTRA WEIGHT 
USE LEFTOVER ROCKS 
To prevent the wooden parts from floating, you can use 
some spare rocks from the hardscape. It could look natural 
and still if it’s not, you can remove them in a few days. 
TIP: Make sure that the parts won’t move, 
so the stone won’t flip down and break the glass.
.
SOMETIMES IT IS NOT ENOUGH 
AND IT STILL FLOATS 
The best fitting wood is on the self (but without soaking, it is dry). 
You just dropped it in water a few hours ago. And it floats. 
Of course it floats, you didn’t place it underwater in time. 
I made lots of aquariums but sometimes the worst part 
is the waiting.
CLEAN UP 
THE AREA 
The best part of the building when you can get 
all the tools packed and clean the whole area 
to see in it’s perfect shape. 
TIP: Also don’t forget to clean the glass 
with some paper towels.
HARDWARE
FILTER 
ebook by the cine scaper
p16
SEACHEM TIDAL 35 
ALL IN ONE 
The hob filter is the easiest, since you won’t have 
trouble with the pipes and it’s quite cheap as well. 
The other side is the filter’s capacity 
and it’s bulky frame which is hard to hide. 
TIP: This model has good specs, looks ok 
and comes with bio filter media.
.
FILTRATION 
BIGGER SURFACE 
You can try out different filtrations! 
If you make the water changes just as it should be done, 
then almost all filter types will do the job. 
For small aquariums it is important to have a proper filtration 
so the water parameters can be balanced for a long time. 
WATER
PARAMETERS 
ebook by the cine scaper
page 17
FILTER START 
GIVE IT SOME TIME 
At first all aquariums can be quite messy with all 
the floating leftovers. The bigger ones can be 
catched by a net but the rest will be handled 
by the filter. Give it some time! 
It will look much better in a few hours.
DON’T SNIFF! 
BUT MEASURE WELL THE GH+ 
I use GH+ powder following the dosing recommended 
by the manufacturer. It is only working with RO water 
and proper measuring. 
MEASURE 
IF YOU CAN 
Get a TDS meter. You won’t get the whole picture 
but it helps to set the water parameters. 
Since the RO water is too soft, 
small adjustments are needed.
RECHECK 
AFTER PROPER DISSOLVE 
Check TDS an hour later, if it reaches 100-120, you are all set. 
Make sure the whole “spice” got dissolved 
so the measurement will be exact.
HOMEWORK 
EVERY WEEK 
Next 
tutorial 
is coming 
soON.
ebook by the cine scaper
page 18
WATER CHANGES 
50% 3 TIMES A WEEK 
In the first weeks it is essential to change the water! 
You can make 50% water changes three times 
a week in the first 3 weeks and then just regulate 
it back to 30% change once a week.
1S
T
 W
E
E
K
HAVE FUN! 
TAKE SHOTS! 
As you might have seen I like taking shots on every project. 
I find it quite fun and I am sure it will also get you some fun too, 
when you check back on the old pictures. 
It is also a great boost if you see it sparkling - or can be a boost 
the get your tank clean again.
WHY NOT? 
FUTURE FUN!
CHECK WATER PARAMETERS 
100-120TDS IS OPTIMAL 
You also have to pay attention to nutrients. You can simply spice it 
back, if the TDS meter shows something different. 
As always: make sure of proper dissolve before fresh measurement.