My First Planted Tank

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO SETTING UP YOUR FIRST BEGINNER PLANTED TANK

Decide what type of plants setup you want in your tank. It’s always better to choose a beginner type of plants. Below are the few types of plants which you can consider.

Java Moss
Anubias Nana
Amazon Sword
Java Fern
Micro Sword

STEP 1 – DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF SOIL NEEDED

Measure the size of your tank (Length x Width) to know how much OF® Aqua Gro Plant & Shrimp soil you will need.

How to calculate?

Measure your tank’s length and width in cm, for example 60 x 30 cm.
Consider the thickness of the bottom layer you want, e.g. 2cm
The formula is length x width x required thickness, divided by 1000.

Tip: Make the layer thicker towards the rear wall for great visual effect!

Example

For a 3cm soil base: 60 x 30 x 3cm/1000 = 5.4L Soil needed.
To calculate the amount of soil needed for the slope (assuming 2cm higher at the rear): ½ (60 x 30 x 2cm/1000) = 1.8L Soil needed.
Total soil needed: 5.4L + 1.8L = 7.2L Soil needed.

*You will need 1 packet of 8L OF® Aqua Gro Plant & Shrimp Soil.

STEP 2 – POUR OF® AQUA GRO SOIL IN THE TANK

Spread the soil evenly in the tank.

Set Up Planted Tank

STEP 3- SMOOTHEN OF® AQUA GRO SOIL

Using either your hand or a flat piece of plastic, smoothen the soil. Make a slight upwards slope from the front to the back. This will add more dimension to your scape and also make it look more spacious.

Set Up Planted Tank

STEP 4- DECORATE YOUR TANK

Add background plants, carpet grass, twigs or rocks as you wish. Shorter plants should be planted in the front with the taller plants at the back.

Set Up Planted Tank

STEP 5- FILL TANK WITH WATER

Place a fish bag or a plate on the soil and start filling the water into your tank slowly, this will minimize any disturbance to your soil.

Try to put the tip of the hose closer to the plastic bag or plate.

Set Up Planted Tank

STEP 6- INSTALL FILTER

A filter is a important equipment as it helps in keeping the aquarium clean.

We are using the OF® Hydra Nano Plus as it has a surface skimming function that removes unsightly surface oil film to help you to achieve crystal clear water surface, as well as improving the oxygen exchange and increases light penetration at water surface.

Set Up Planted Tank

STEP 7- INSTALL LIGHT-SET

Plants require 7-8 hours of lighting for them to grow well. Using the correct light spectrum will enable the plants to photosynthesize. We suggest the AquaZonic® Super Bright Extendable Slim Led Lighting-Freshwater & Planted Tank.

Set Up Planted Tank

STEP 8- ENJOY YOUR FIRST PLANTED TANK!

Take a photo of your tank and PM us on Facebook to tell us how you set it up with our OF® Aqua Gro Soil!

Set Up Planted Tank

OF® AQUA GRO SOIL SPECIFICATIONS

Types	pH Level
Shrimp & Planted	pH 5.5 – 6.5 / for optimal growth

Set Up Planted Tank

IMPORTANT NOTE

In the event that you wish to introduce fish into your planted tank, please refer to this link for more information –
Fishkeeping Article: Introducing New Fish.