Design and launch of the herbalist's aquarium. We start the herbalist. Four Important Rules How to Decorate an Herbalist's Aquarium

Plants, like fish, require the creation of certain conditions for successful growth.

Storage tank

An aquarium herbalist is chosen no higher than 50-60 cm, otherwise the high walls will make it difficult to care for the plants, and the light will not penetrate to the full depth. Beginners are advised to start with a rectangular container. As a rule, they are already equipped with lighting lamps, if not, then the fact that after installing the lamp there should not be darkened areas is taken into account. Therefore, the smaller the blind gap in the cover, the better. The width of the tank is chosen at will, but not less than 50 cm. With smaller dimensions, the viewing depth is lost.

Lighting

Selected with a predominance of the red spectrum. It is essential for the growth and development of plants. The blue-violet spectrum is responsible for flowering. The blue lamp is installed at the front wall of the aquarium, the red ones are at the back wall and in the center. But they are also combined with full spectrum fluorescent lamps. You should adjust the power of lighting, trying to make it as cyclical as in nature. Powerful light is supplied for 3-4 hours, and then it is changed to moderate. This is achieved by combining light sources. For such a biosystem, the best indicator would be 1 watt per liter. Daylight hours are 10-15 hours.

See what an inexpensive aquarium herbalist looks like:

Filtration system

The herbalist makes special demands on filters.

They should not:

spoil the aesthetic perception;
to weather carbon dioxide, without which photosynthesis is not possible;
arrange a strong current of water.

Only a canister external filter meets all the necessary conditions for a herbalist. Internal filters create a strong flow of water and have too coarse a filler. When using an internal filtration system, the water flow regulator is set to a minimum, and instead of a sponge, a thin synthetic fiber filler is laid.

Parameters and composition of water

It is desirable to equip the herbalist with a heating element with a thermostat. The optimal temperature range for plants is 24-25ºС. Under such conditions, the water contains a large amount of gases necessary for representatives of the flora: oxygen and carbon dioxide. Higher temperatures lead to higher ammonia concentrations and can cause algae outbreaks.

The total is of secondary importance compared to carbonate hardness (KH). Only at KH equal to 4, which corresponds to a pH level of 6.6-7.3, plants best absorb carbon dioxide. The lower the pH, the more dissolved CO2 in the water.

The iron concentration is maintained by the application of liquid fertilizers. The optimal dosage is 0.1 mg / l. The presence of nitrites is unacceptable. If the tests showed NO2, then the plants of the ecosystem do not have time to process all the incoming ammonia.

Water changes are carried out weekly. Replaced from 30 to 50% of the total volume. This prevents an endless accumulation of fertilizer. In addition, changes remove ammonium and difficult-to-decompose organic matter from the water.

CO2

Plants take in carbon dioxide, which is dissolved in water. He plays a leading role in their growth. Without an additional supply of CO2, plants will not have building material for their cells, since there is very little of it in the aquarium. Carbon dioxide in good light accelerates growth by 4-5 times.

To create optimal conditions, it is necessary to ensure the supply of CO2 so that its concentration in water is at the level of 15-30 mg/l. This is carried out by fermentation, electrolysis or using a gas cylinder.

Prerequisite: CO2 supply must be combined with daily liquid fertilization.

Priming

To backfill the bottom of the herbalist, bare soil, nutrient substrates and nutrient soils can be used. Bare soil (quartz sand, basalt chips, rounded pebbles) has a fraction diameter of 0.8 to 5 mm. Initially, it does not contain any nutrients, which is why it is called naked or empty.

It is not recommended to use soil that is too coarse, since beneficial bacteria will not be able to use their full potential for working and building colonies, and too small is fraught with acidification. Before filling such a filler in the aquarium, it must be washed from dust and impurities. It does not require additional processing. But in order to achieve active plant growth on such soils, it takes time for the bottom to silt, since at the first stage they are sterile.

For the introduction of nutrients, special substrates under the soil are used. The required thickness of the substrate layer is indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer, as a rule, it is 1.5-2.5 cm.

But still, most aquarists for herbalists prefer to choose nutrient substrates. They are produced by all major world manufacturers of aquarium equipment. They contain mineral fertilizers and organic matter. After laying the substrate in the aquarium, nitrifying bacteria are added to it, contributing to the additional production of nutrients. After six months or a year, the supply of microelements is depleted, and they are added additionally.

After backfilling, the soil is filled with water for several centimeters and aged for half an hour to completely get wet. Water is not poured directly into the ground, its pressure is softened with a stone, hand, saucer. The optimal height of the embankment is 5-7 cm. The nutrient substrate allows growth from the first days of planting.

But it is important to consider that nutrient soil is used either in an aquarium with one vegetation or with a small number of fish.

The herbal aquarium can be planted according to personal desire, the design of the aquarist, or two well-known trends can be taken as a basis: the Dutch aquarium and the natural aquarium from Takashi Amano, which differ in the technique of execution and principles of arrangement of plants and decorations.

General principles of planting:

In a Dutch aquarium, plants are planted in a large group and with the condition that there is not more than one group of the same plant. Amano's basic principle is not to plant an even number of plants.

AQUARIUM HERBAL

natural aquarium with live plants,

what is needed for this, how to achieve this?

Well, now it's time to write the final article - a report on the work done!

Six months ago, I wondered if it was possible to create a beautiful aquarium - "herbalist" at home, on my own? Such an aquarium that one could be proud of, admire and tirelessly admire! Such that it even slightly resembles the work of maestro Takashi Amano! What is needed for this? How much is it? Is it possible to save money on equipment for such an aquarium?!!!

Once I came across a video interview, where he, answering the question: “How does a natural aquarium begin?”, He answered: “From an idea.” Perhaps this answer was the starting point for me.

My initial thoughts were like this.

Everyone, both beginners and already experienced aquarists, look at the works, admire them and think: “How beautiful, great, I want this too!” Then, after the first impression, they say: “It is unrealistic, difficult, very expensive, and also, probably, such an aquarium is difficult to maintain ...”.

Is it really the top of aquarium perfection - a dense "herbalist" - only professionals and people who have the means to do this can do it? Why do only a few create such aquarium beauty?

Probably because they do not know how to dream! Or these dreams, like many others, are drowning in the abyss of everyday life.
Amano is right! Any human achievement begins with an idea. An idea that captures you so much that you can no longer eat and sleep peacefully! The idea lives in you, you perceive any information only in the context of how it interfaces with your IDEA.

So I decided to prove, first of all, to myself, that I can dream that everything will work out for me and that not just a jar of fish will appear at home, but a beautiful aquarium picture.
Here's what I got. Please watch this mini-film about my "herbalist" aquarium, preferably in HD and with sound. I filmed a video on a digital camera, made a video and added music.

I really hope you liked it!
Below I will try to focus on those aspects and nuances of creating a "herbalist" that are either not talked about or information about them is insufficient. I will try to give step-by-step instructions for creating a dense aquarium with live aquarium plants.

But first I would like to talk about the emotional side of things. Remember and tell how it was. Tell me what I was afraid of, what didn’t work out, where I freaked out, and where I rejoiced like a baby. I think this is important, because it is our fears that prevent us from achieving the desired result.

So, before creating my "herbalist", I had a certain aquarium experience. However, I did not have the slightest idea about ground cover plants, about the subtle principles of building an aquarium composition. I did not know anything about the quantitative and qualitative components of such an aquarium: lighting, water parameters, fertilizers, filtration, etc. Therefore, the first thing I started with was to read articles, forums on the topic, watch thematic videos on the YouTube channel, master classes and aquascaper webinars.
This process took me two weeks. After him, my head was a complete mess!!! However, the whole array of this information allowed me to decide what exactly I want. It helped, in general, to imagine what my “herbalist” should be like and what is approximately needed for this.
It seems to me that it is at this stage that it is very important to present the final result. Visualization is a very powerful tool. This is a transitional stage of the materialization of your idea. To finally decide, in my free time on the beach, under the rays of the summer sun and the sound of the surf, I drew sketches of my future "herbalist". There were many, but I settled on this option.

This is where the virtual stage of understanding the idea and its rough visualization ended. The material side of the issue began to emerge. Prices frightened, there was a fear of making a mistake and taking not what you need. But it was necessary to be determined and act!
You won't believe it, but my visualization worked, and ... there was free money that could be safely spent on your favorite hobby.

Given the huge markups for goods in pet stores, a modest assortment and the incompetence of sellers, I decided to purchase most of the necessary goods on the Internet. So an external filter, soils for plants, chemistry, a diffuser, a drop checker, etc. were bought.
While the order was being processed and went to me by long postal roads, I began to thoroughly study the issue of lighting, because. without proper and correct lighting, there will be no good "herbalist". I settled on a combination of LED (hereinafter referred to as LED) spotlights and T5 fluorescent lamps. My thoughts and conclusions were as follows: “The best lighting for a herbalist is a combination of a metal halide lamp (hereinafter referred to as MG) with T5 fluorescent lamps. But, MG lamps are very hot and can only be installed on a rack, so the aquarium must be open. But I want the aquarium to be with a lid. What to do?"

I found out that LED spotlights are no less efficient than MG, but they heat much less. It was decided to take and install them. But the question is which ones to take? How many Watts, Lumens, Kelvins... The convulsive reading of information on the Internet began again. The trouble is that there is a lot of unverified, outdated and incomplete information on the web. Nevertheless, I shoveled everything I could and realized what kind of spotlights I need.
I will not fool anyone further with a description of the long process of selecting lighting for the "herbalist". Let me just say that after a two-week run through the "electric stores", the necessary LED spotlights were found, bought, and a week later they were installed together with a T5 lamp and coolers in the lid.

Solving the problem of lighting, along the way, I read information about plants that are used in aquaswape, including ground cover plants. He brought everything into one list and declared a hunt for them. And then another disappointment awaited me, in my city I somehow found only. A miserable bundle cost 200 rubles! I bought it, but I realized that things will not go on like this. You can go broke on grass alone. A solution was found, all the rest of the grass was bought in the Arovana online store (Ukraine), where the prices are simply pleasing. For little money I scored a whole herbarium! Sent quickly, and the plants came to me all almost alive.
However, they were not enough. Therefore, all wallisneria, crypts and echoes were pulled out in the old aquarium, and under the new lighting a nursery bed was arranged - a garden of various plants for the scape.

Now I can’t even believe that from this, a whole carpet of chemianthus cuba turned out

(herbalist photo)
BEFORE AFTER)))

I specifically pay so much attention to plants, because many aquarists are faced with the problem - where to get a huge amount of plants and not go broke? In my opinion, buying a little, but a variety of herbs and growing the right amount yourself is a good solution to the problem. Moreover, in the process of growing, you will be able to understand how the plant behaves, how it feels in this or that situation, under what light, with what fertilizers, how it lays down, spreads or stretches ... In general, you can get to know the plant better, which eliminates undesirable situations with transplanting and adjusting an already finished aquascape.

Time passed, the garden grew... But I did not sit in anticipation either. All my attention was focused on UDO (fertilizers), in particular, on the study of the composition, the need and correctness of the use of micro and macro fertilizers, the supply of carbon dioxide. With CO2, the issue was resolved quite simply - I had already used the "mash" in the aquarium before - I decided to grow the scape on it. As you can see, I succeeded.
By using the mash in the aquarium, I completely debunked the fears of a novice aquascaper, which is that for a dense “herbalist” it is necessary to buy an expensive CO2 bottle, reducer, solenoid valve, etc.
Questions with micro and macro fertilizers for plants, in principle, were also solved quite simply. Home-made parole (the so-called self-mixes) were immediately rejected as a stupid occupation for alchemists. I chose the UDO Ermolaev trademark, in particular the preparations Algicide + CO2, MICRO, MACRO, Iron, Potassium. Additionally, I decided to use .

Finally, two months later, the culmination came - the garden was pulled out, the jar was washed ... pleasant minutes, hours and days of creativity began. Laying the substrate, soil, applying biostarters and tourmaline, setting stones and shaping. Then a no less exciting event - the planting of plants according to the planned scheme.
When it was all over, the joy knew no bounds! I was already looking forward to: “Now everything will take root, there will be a balance, and it will be possible to show your work on our forum.” But it was not there! Out of nowhere, it flooded, so much so that not only the scape, the plants were not visible, they withered, withered ... and the thread was pearl and pearl!
Convulsively reading the information on this problem, I understood only one thing - there is no panacea! All advice is of the same type, stupid and, as they say, "a finger to the sky." One thing was clear that something was “wrong” and this “wrong” needed to be urgently eliminated.
Gathering the rest of my strength and sunk, putting on a rubber cap for swimming, I dived into my jar for a whole month ... and in between I sat by the aquarium with a mean male tear that dripped onto the rubber cap that had already been removed from my head ... gray hair was visible on my head))) Everything gone...
What have I not done this month! Collected thread daily mechanically, used algaecide, played with the amount of lighting, udo and water changes. A crowd of polar cod (SAE), otocincluss, snails was planted in the aquarium ... The thread did not recede, the plants did not grow, but withered.
And then, at the suggestion of our site moderator Esta (Natalia Polskaya), it was decided to introduce "heavy artillery" - Amano shrimp.
But, that's bad luck, in my city it's a whole problem to get amanok! In the end, I still found a dozen, planted, in addition to them introduced a detachment of sakura shrimp, red and black crystals. And… hallelujah!!! The evil thread shuddered and disappeared in horror within a week.
The plants “bloomed”, the sun rose over my landscape, the fish scurried merrily back and forth, and the shrimp chirped in unison about something on their favorite snag.
I, on the other hand, performed African dances around the aquarium that have never been seen before!!!
Here is such a Happy End)))

Now let's talk about more mundane things and the technical side of the issue. Here are my notes.

Lighting for herbalist - aquarium with plants

This issue is a priority, and, without its solution, it is impossible to go further. For an aquarium with live aquarium plants, you can derive the formula:

LIGHTING
+
FERTILIZERS (CO2, MICRO, MACRO)
+
CARE (TEMPERATURE, FILTRATION, WATER CHANGES, ETC.)

Lighting is the most important element, without it plants will not grow, the process of photosynthesis will not occur, without it, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, all the work will go down the drain.
My notes and the results of the work done, I outlined in these articles: and .
Here I note that regular lighting, the one under the standard cover, is not enough. For an aquarium densely packed with plants, and even more so for a “herbalist” with a ground cover, you need lighting of 1 watt per liter, or even more. In addition, you need to understand that Watts are not everything, the quality characteristics of lighting are also important, such as the spectrum of light, Kelvins. In addition, it is important to understand and study the characteristics of a particular light source: the discreteness of light, lux, etc. Also, when choosing this or that lighting, it is important to proceed from the height of the water column of your aquarium. The higher the pillar, the more powerful the lighting should be, so that the light breaks through the water column and reaches the bottom, to the ground cover plants.

What else. There is a “legend of almighty lamps for aquarium plants” circulating on the Internet. These are fluorescent lamps with a special spectrum, with peaks of red and blue light. These lamps are touted as a panacea and an easy way to solve the problem of growing aquarium plants. However, it is not!!! It is a pity that this leads many astray, so I want to debunk this mythical legend.
In fact, aquarium plants absorb the entire visible spectrum of light - from red to purple, plants need a full spectrum, not a truncated one. Why, then, do they make and sell lamps with a red and blue spectrum? The fact is that it has been scientifically proven that plants need more red and blue spectrum, but this does not mean that they do not need another spectrum !!!
Now imagine, the newcomer replaced the regular lamps with special ones and waits, waits ... when his plants will grow! But they do not grow ... Moreover, as an evil, instead of plants, algae flooded. Disorders of the sea: the money has been paid, but there is no effect! And all why? Because there are not enough watts, the spectrum is not full, and besides, not only plants, but also algae love the red and yellow spectrum.
Conclusion. Do not try to compensate for the lack of lighting power with special lamps. These lamps can only be used in combination with other lamps, such as fluorescent lamps marked "full spectrum".
Regardless of which light source you choose: fluorescent lamps, LED lighting or metal halide, carefully study its quality characteristics - not only Watts, but also Lux, Kelvin, spectral, Ra, etc.

Try to think over the lighting of your aquarium so that it imitates the actions of mother nature. Namely: it simulated the dawn, zenith and sunset. For good growth and well-being of plants, it is not necessary to “fry them under monotonous lighting” for eleven hours. It is enough to give a peak of powerful lighting for 3-4 hours, and keep moderate lighting the rest of the time.
This can be achieved by a combination of light sources. For example, Amano uses a metal halide lamp in combination with fluorescent lamps in its ADA fixtures. In my "herbalist" I use two LED spotlights of 30 watts + LL T5 24 watts (full spectrum).
Also, pay attention.

Soil and substrate for herbalist and aquarium plants

I outlined the main points of using soil in an aquarium in articles , .
I will draw your attention to the fact that there are a great many substrates and soils and they are all different! Be sure to look at their compositions and study the issue of application. In this case, proceed from the requirements of your plants. A good substrate, good soil is 50% of success in growing. This is a good top dressing and excellent health of plants in general.
I would also draw your attention to the fact that the thickness of the soil in the aquarium should be about 5-7 cm. and rounded soil. Alas, heavy, angular soil becomes caked over time, which makes it difficult for water to circulate in the soil and leads to sad consequences.
At the same time, I note that light, porous soil for aquarium plants (for example, Aquael Aqua Grunt and / or Aquael Aqua Floran) has a certain drawback - they cannot form hills, hills in aquascaping, with the addition of water the entire landscape blurs. Therefore, if you are experimenting with ground relief, I advise you to mix light soils with heavy ones (for example, quartz chips, which must first be checked for hiss).

Fertilizers for a blade of grass and an aquarium with plants

Although your aquarium already has a nutrient substrate, you should also use liquid fertilizers containing micro and macro elements. At the same time, it is desirable to have separately not only complex udos, but also preparations containing individual elements. At the moment, I have a separate bottle of UDO Ermolaev iron and which contains potassium.

Filtration of the herbalist - an aquarium with plants

Studying information about the arrangement of the "herbalist", I read somewhere that in such an aquarium there should not be strong filtration. Why exactly was not specified. Thinking through the thought, I came to the conclusion that strong water currents will demolish the plants, and, in addition, a dense “herbalist” needs nitrates, but if filtration removes them, the plants will “starve”.
Given this, I'm at 110l. the aquarium took an external filter JBL CristalProfi e401 greenline - 450l / h. And what do you think! It really is enough.
Moreover, I noticed that in the place where the flute from the filter is directed, the cube hemianthus and other ground cover do not grow.

It is worth noting that at night I additionally turn on a small internal filter. It mainly works as an aerator, but it also helps a little with herbal filtering. Therefore, the recommended filter power range is 450-600l/h for a 100l herbalist.

Caring for an aquarium with plants - herbalist

After the biobalance is established in the "herbalist", caring for it becomes simple:

Every day you need to make liquid fertilizers, monitor the supply of CO2

Every week you need to make a light cleaning of the aquarium, cutting plants and replacing 1/4 -1/2 of the water.

All this is not difficult and not troublesome!

Design and decoration of grass, aquarium with plants

I described my vision of this issue in the article
Today I can say that, in fact, it is the design of the future “herbalist” that is the most difficult thing. Everything else can be bought. But to come up with, and even bring to life what was conceived, is difficult, the process requires mental effort, imagination, and fantasy. And at the same time you need to follow certain rules!

With this, let me conclude the final report on the work done. You can talk about the “herbalist” and aquascape for a very long time, but the New Year is on the nose and I promised the guys on the forum to post this article this year))) I propose to discuss the unsaid in the forum thread

Video of the herbalist's aquarium after 2 months

Seven months

A very useful video about the aquarium herbalist, the care and maintenance of aquarium plants

AQUARIUM HERBALIST natural aquarium with live plants, what is needed for this, how to achieve this?

Well, now it's time to write the final article - a report on the work done!

One day I came across a video interview Takashi Amano, where he, answering the question: “How does a natural aquarium begin?”, He answered: “From an idea.” Perhaps this answer was the starting point for me.

My initial thoughts were like this.

Everyone, both beginners and already experienced aquarists, look at the work aquascapers, admire them and think: “How beautiful, great, I want this too!” Then, after the first impression, they say: “It is unrealistic, difficult, very expensive, and also, probably, such an aquarium is difficult to maintain ...”.

Is it really the top of aquarium perfection - a dense "herbalist" - only professionals and people who have the means to do this can do it? Why do only a few create such aquarium beauty?

So, before creating my "herbalist", I had a certain aquarium experience. However, I did not have the slightest idea about ground cover plants, about the subtle principles of building an aquarium composition. I did not know anything about the quantitative and qualitative components of such an aquarium: lighting, water parameters, fertilizers, filtration, etc. Therefore, the first thing I started with was reading articles, forums on the topic, watching thematic videos on the YouTube channel, master classes and aquascaper webinars.
This process took me two weeks. After him, my head was a complete mess!!! However, the whole array of this information allowed me to decide what exactly I want. It helped, in general, to imagine what my “herbalist” should be like and what is approximately needed for this.
It seems to me that it is at this stage that it is very important to present the final result. Visualization is a very powerful tool. This is a transitional stage of the materialization of your idea. To finally decide, in my free time on the beach, under the rays of the summer sun and the sound of the surf, I drew sketches of my future "herbalist". There were many, but I settled on this option.

Solving the problem of lighting, along the way, I read information about plants that are used in aquaswape, including ground cover plants. He brought everything into one list and declared a hunt for them. And then another disappointment awaited me, in my city I somehow found only hemianthus cubu. A miserable bundle cost 200 rubles! I bought it, but I realized that things will not go on like this. You can go broke on grass alone. A solution was found, all the rest of the grass was bought in the Arovana online store (Ukraine), where the prices are simply pleasing. For little money I scored a whole herbarium! Sent quickly, and the plants came to me all almost alive.
However, they were not enough. Therefore, all wallisneria, crypts and echoes were pulled out in the old aquarium, and already under the new lighting a nursery bed was arranged - a garden of various plants for the scape.

Now I can’t even believe that from this, a whole carpet of chemianthus cuba turned out(herbalist photo)
BEFORE AFTER)))

Time passed, the garden grew... But I did not sit in anticipation either. All my attention was focused on UDO (fertilizers), in particular, on the study of the composition, the need and correctness of the use of micro and macro fertilizers, the supply of carbon dioxide. With CO2, the issue was resolved quite simply - I had already used "mash" in the aquarium before - I decided to grow the scape on it. As you can see, I succeeded.
By using the mash in the aquarium, I completely debunked the fears of a novice aquascaper, which is that for a dense “herbalist” it is necessary to buy an expensive CO2 bottle, reducer, solenoid valve, etc.
Questions with micro and macro fertilizers for plants, in principle, were also solved quite simply. Home-made parole (the so-called self-mixes) were immediately rejected as a stupid occupation for alchemists. I chose the UDO Ermolaev trademark, in particular the preparations Algicide + CO2, MICRO, MACRO, Iron, Potassium. Additionally, I decided to apply tourmaline.

Finally, two months later, the culmination came - the garden was pulled out, the jar was washed ... pleasant minutes, hours and days of creativity began. Laying the substrate, soil, applying biostarters and tourmaline, setting stones and shaping hardscape. Then a no less exciting event - the planting of plants according to the planned scheme.
When it was all over, the joy knew no bounds! I was already looking forward to: “Now everything will take root, there will be a balance, and it will be possible to show your work on our forum.” But it was not there! Out of nowhere, flooded string, so much so that not only the scape, the plants were not visible, they were withered, withered ... and the thread was pearl and pearl!
Convulsively reading the information on this problem, I understood only one thing - there is no panacea! All advice is of the same type, stupid and, as they say, "a finger to the sky." One thing was clear that something was “wrong” and this “wrong” needed to be urgently eliminated.
Gathering the rest of my strength and sunk, putting on a rubber cap for swimming, I dived into my jar for a whole month ... and in between I sat by the aquarium with a mean male tear that dripped onto the rubber cap that had already been removed from my head ... gray hair was visible on my head))) Everything gone...
What have I not done this month! Collected thread daily mechanically, used algaecide, played with the amount of lighting, udo and water changes. A crowd of polar cod (SAE), otocincluss, snails was planted in the aquarium ... The thread did not recede, the plants did not grow, but withered.
And then, at the suggestion of our site moderator Esta (Natalia Polskaya), it was decided to introduce "heavy artillery" - Amano shrimp.
But, that's bad luck, in my city it's a whole problem to get amanok! In the end, I still found a dozen, planted, in addition to them introduced a detachment of sakura shrimp, red and black crystals. And… hallelujah!!! The evil thread shuddered and disappeared in horror within a week.
The plants “bloomed”, the sun rose over my landscape, the fish scurried merrily back and forth, and the shrimp chirped in unison about something on their favorite snag.
I, on the other hand, performed African dances around the aquarium that have never been seen before!!!
Here is such a Happy End)))

Now let's talk about more mundane things and the technical side of the issue. Here are my notes.

Lighting for herbalist - aquarium with plants

This issue is a priority, and, without its solution, it is impossible to go further. For an aquarium with live aquarium plants, you can derive the formula:

LIGHTING
+
FERTILIZERS (CO2, MICRO, MACRO)
+
CARE (TEMPERATURE, FILTRATION, WATER CHANGES, ETC.)

Lighting is the most important element, without it plants will not grow, the process of photosynthesis will not occur, without it, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, all the work will go down the drain.
My notes and the results of the work done, I outlined in these articles: LAMPS FOR AQUARIUM and LIGHTING OF AQUARIUM OWN HANDS.
Here I note that regular lighting, the one under the standard cover, is not enough. For an aquarium densely packed with plants, and even more so for a “herbalist” with a ground cover, you need lighting of 1 watt per liter, or even more. In addition, you need to understand that Watts is not everything, the qualitative characteristics of lighting are also important, such as the spectrum of light, Kelvins. In addition, it is important to understand and study the characteristics of a particular light source: the discreteness of light, lux, etc. Also, when choosing this or that lighting, it is important to proceed from the height of the water column of your aquarium. The higher the pillar, the more powerful the lighting should be, so that the light breaks through the water column and reaches the bottom, to the ground cover plants.

What else. There is a “legend of almighty lamps for aquarium plants” circulating on the Internet. These are fluorescent lamps with a special spectrum, with peaks of red and blue light. These lamps are touted as a panacea and an easy way to solve the problem of growing aquarium plants. However, it is not!!! It is a pity that this leads many astray, so I want to debunk this mythical legend.
In fact, aquarium plants absorb the entire visible spectrum of light - from red to purple, plants need a full spectrum, not a cut one. Why, then, do they make and sell lamps with a red and blue spectrum? The fact is that it has been scientifically proven that plants need more red and blue spectrum, but this does not mean that they do not need another spectrum !!!
Now imagine, the newcomer replaced the regular lamps with special ones and waits, waits ... when his plants will grow! But they do not grow ... Moreover, as an evil, instead of plants, algae flooded. Disorders of the sea: the money has been paid, but there is no effect! And all why? Because there are not enough watts, the spectrum is not full, and besides, not only plants, but also algae love the red and yellow spectrum.
Conclusion. Do not try to compensate for the lack of lighting power with special lamps. These lamps can only be used in combination with other lamps, such as fluorescent lamps marked "full spectrum".
Regardless of which light source you choose: fluorescent lamps, LED lighting or metal halide, carefully study its quality characteristics - not only Watts, but also Lux, Kelvin, spectral, Ra, etc.

More. Be critical of information on the Internet, double-check it. For example, you can often read on the net that LED lighting is not suitable for aquarium plants. However, it is not! Look at the publication dates of the articles. Technological progress does not stand still and powerful LED strips and spotlights have already appeared that meet the necessary requirements. For more details, see Aquarium led strip.

Soil and substrate for herbalist and aquarium plants

I outlined the main points of using soil in an aquarium in articles SOIL FOR AQUARIUM PLANTS, TOURMALINE IN AQUARIUM.
I will draw your attention to the fact that there are a great many substrates and soils and they are all different! Be sure to look at their compositions and study the issue of application. In this case, proceed from the requirements of your plants. A good substrate, good soil is 50% of success in growing. This is a good top dressing and excellent health of plants in general.
I would also draw your attention to the fact that the thickness of the soil in the aquarium should be about 5-7 cm. and rounded soil. Alas, heavy, angular soil becomes caked over time, which makes it difficult for water to circulate in the soil and leads to sad consequences.
At the same time, I note that light, porous substrate for aquarium plants (for example, Aquael Aqua Grunt and / or Aquael Aqua Floran) has a certain drawback - they cannot form hills, hills in aquascaping, with the addition of water the entire landscape blurs. Therefore, if you are experimenting with ground relief, I advise you to mix light soils with heavy ones (for example, quartz chips, which must first be checked for hiss).

Fertilizers for a blade of grass and an aquarium with plants

Filtration of the herbalist - an aquarium with plants

Caring for an aquarium with plants - herbalist

After the biobalance is established in the "herbalist", caring for it becomes simple:

Every day you need to make liquid fertilizers, monitor the supply of CO2

Every week you need to make a light cleaning of the aquarium, cutting plants and replacing 1/4 -1/2 of the water.

All this is not difficult and not troublesome!

Design and decoration of grass, aquarium with plants

I described my vision of this issue in the article AQUARIUM DESIGN, ORDER IN CHAOS.
Today I can say that, in fact, it is the design of the future “herbalist” that is the most difficult thing. Everything else can be bought. But to come up with, and even bring to life what was conceived, is difficult, the process requires mental effort, imagination, and fantasy. And at the same time you need to follow certain rules!

Video of the herbalist's aquarium after 2 months

Seven months

A very useful video about the aquarium herbalist, the care and maintenance of aquarium plants

Aquadesign - a unique aquarium in your home

Keeping an aquarium fish at home is not so much a chore and a problem as a rest and a hobby. Watching them, it is impossible to take your eyes off, and unwillingly, fantasy draws all sorts of options for decorating landscapes in an aquarium. Choose an aquarium, pour water into it, run a few fish - is that all? This is too little - the aquarium should, not just like it, it should cheer you up, bring joy, aesthetic pleasure.

An integral part of the aquarium hobby is aqua design. The design of a small underwater world reveals the inner world and liberates a person. You can create mangrove forests, mountain valleys, rocky, sea or fairy tale scenes. First of all, you need to understand how to properly design an aquarium. After all, aquarium fish are also alive, with their own fauna, flora, they need their usual habitat. The presence of fish is of great importance: if there are already fish, then the design must be created for the existing ones, if not, then taking into account the features and needs of future inhabitants, compose a composition for them.

For fish that like to hide in the sand, you need a design with a sandy bottom, vegetation should be minimal. Guppies, on the contrary, prefer small thickets, snags, and other shelters, so that it is convenient to swim and hide. Fish placed in an unacceptable environment for them will die.
Decoration of an aquarium with aquatic plants

To create a masterpiece of aquarium design, you need a creative approach. In addition, knowledge is required on the care of aquatic plants, so that it is not easy to be overgrown, but a work of art. Fast growing plants require frequent thinning and trimming. Anything can be placed in an aquarium. Coconut shells, all kinds of clay, porcelain figurines. Sunken galleons, treasures, snags, stones, a kind of soil.

The choice of design for a small underwater world should be based on the existing design of the room where it is installed, because this is a habitat, and a decorative element.

At the moment, there are 2 main and popular aquarium design schools: "Natural Aquarium" and "Dutch Style in the Aquarium". But natural should not be confused with pseudo-natural - this is a form of approach to aquarium maintenance, but not design.

dutch aquarium

It is called an underwater garden for a reason: this style uses color variations of plants, generalization in size, texture, to create an effect of depth. Architectural forms, such as stones, snags, are present in very limited quantities. Only aquarium plants, their beauty, texture, color are of importance here.

Aquarium herbalist

This design style is based on copying the most striking natural landscapes, both underwater and terrestrial. An aquascape can look like a miniature mountain range with grassy slopes. Small architectural forms in this style are of great importance. The design uses 3 concepts: convex, concave, triangular.

The convex shape - otherwise called the "island", here the plants go down from the center to the edges, forming an island in the center of the aquarium.

Concave shape - suggests a decrease in the size of stones, plants to the center from the edges of the aquarium, to a certain intended focus.

The triangular shape is called the golden section of the design. The focal point shifts 2/3 to either side of the aquarium.

It should be noted that a home pond stuffed with plastic plants is absolutely of no value to many aquarists. A completely different view looms - it's like plastic products on the kitchen table. Try to create a miracle of living vegetation and living organisms. First you need to learn that the whole composition, the whole design should not only look beautiful, but also look natural.

Decorations for the aquarium

Elements for aquarium design are best selected of natural origin. The river landscape can be recreated by laying out round pebbles, a small snag, on which aquatic plants can be tied with a fishing line. An impenetrable jungle can be made from several such snags, large stones of various shapes can imitate rocks. By combining stones of various shapes and sizes in one composition, you can get a beautiful grotto or a mysterious cave. To beautifully lay out the stones, you need to constantly experiment, create shelters for fish that love to hide and lay eggs in stones, decorate the devices in the aquarium, and strengthen the walls of the terraces.

There are a lot of options, but it is best to experiment not in the aquarium itself, so as not to break the glass walls, but on the table. To do this, you need to spread a sheet of paper, mark a rough plan and practice on it in the construction of various options. The most suitable for these purposes are basalt, granite stones, porphyry, gneiss. For hard water, limestone, sandstone, dolomite are good options. First, the stones need to be well cleaned. But first, carefully examine the material for the content of foreign particles - metals, resins, paint.

Aquadesign with plants

Alternatively, you can create aqua design using aquarium vegetation. In the center of the aquarium, a capsule will look very good, place ribbon-like algae along the edges: krinum, hygrophila, urut, fern, elodea. In the background, it is better to place the highest ones: cinema, ambulia, vallisneria. It is undesirable to use plants floating on the surface - although they look beautiful, but when they grow, they greatly obscure the bottom ones. Small bottom hfcntybzvb of various shades can be used to lay magnificent carpets and decorate terraces.

Aquadesign with driftwood

A distinctive look is created with the help of snags. For this purpose, an already dead tree with no signs of vital juices is required. It is better if these are the roots of trees that have lain for several years in a peat bog: alder, willow, ash, beech, maple. Samples with signs of rot, mold are immediately rejected. The snags are cleaned of dirt, the existing bark or its remains are peeled off, boiled with salt for about an hour and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

After that, the snag is placed in running water for a week or in any container, but often changing the water, which should only be cold. Thanks to careful processing, the wood is disinfected, its structure becomes denser and heavier. If necessary, you can fix the snag so that it does not float up with a stone. A large and branched snag will look great.

biotope aquarium

Alternatively, you can purchase fine soil or sand in a special store. If you take colored sand, then the bottom of the aquarium can be beautifully lined, creating patterns around plants, stones, and snags.
When there is a strong mood to create a unique design in an aquarium, then a special backdrop is indispensable. A decorative film that sticks to the back panel is ideal. A variety of patterns will simplify the task of choosing. The most experienced aquarists create the drawing themselves, continuing the design of the aquarium with a kind of panorama.

Aquarium herbalist start

Before you set up a herbal aquarium at home, you need to prepare, at least theoretically.
Dutch style aquariums are most suitable for the "herbalist". The main emphasis in these aquariums is on rare, collectible, expensive plants, so there are very few fish in them. For successful maintenance, plants need certain conditions and more complex care, so additional equipment is installed in aquariums of this type.
The concept of "Dutch Aquarium" appeared in the mid-70s of the last century, with the advent of a new direction in foreign aquarism. The Dutch Aquarium is an Underwater Garden, an aquarium with predominantly live plants, mostly planted in groups, with the exception of the so-called "middle points" on which the focus is on viewing. Fish in such an aquarium are either absent at all, or are in small numbers, and they are necessarily selected for compatibility, both in relation to each other and to plants.
In terms of technical and biological features, the Dutch type aquarium is one of the most complex artificial freshwater biotopes. In recent years, various styles and trends in this area of aquarism have rapidly begun to develop. The most famous example for the Russian audience is the direction of the Japanese Takashi Amano, who creates truly fantastic underwater landscapes, each of which is a work of art in its own way. Unfortunately, for the most part, "pictures" created artificially are short-lived and they have to be constantly corrected, and sometimes "redrawn" again. Well, the most majestic "artist", of course, is nature, and the better we learn to understand it, the more joy we can offer everyone from contemplating it.

When charging a new aquarium, the issue of selecting and combining plants for planting in a new reservoir is not an easy task, especially since the choice in terms of color, size, leaf shape, and other features is very diverse. This question must be well thought out and imagine what you want to create for yourself, comparing your idea with the view of the aquarium of your comrades and friends. The appearance of the aquarium requires a slightly different care than, say, its repair and technical serviceability of all its attributes. The aquarist, who has chosen his hobby as a way to spend his free time, uses every opportunity to make his brainchild look smart and spectacular. It can be called a manor under water, as the Dutch say about their aquarium. In it, colorfully colored tropical fish swim among thickets of decoratively growing aquatic plants. If we want to have a beautifully planted aquarium, we must not keep a single fish tearing up the soil or feeding on plant food. A pond well planted with aquarium plants requires, first of all, a suitable and air-saturated bottom substrate - soil, which we obtain by mixing coarse sand with a grain size of 2-3 mm, with a small amount of garden clay, peat crumbs and a few grains of river silt. Most aquarium plants grow well in this soil. Particular attention should be paid to creating favorable lighting for the aquarium. Most aquarists use incandescent bulbs or a combination of them with fluorescent. To calculate the lighting in the herbalist, it is necessary to divide the total wattage of the fluorescent lamps by the volume of the aquarium. There should be approximately 0.5-1.6 watts per liter of water. For example: volume-200 liters (useful volume of water-180 liters), 5 fluorescent lamps of 20W.=100w. + 2 energy-saving lamps on the sides of 20w. = 40w. - total 140w divided by 180 liters - it turns out 0.78w per liter of water.
For deep aquariums, metal halide (HQI) lights are preferred, but it is also possible to install special fluorescent fitolamps distributed around the entire upper perimeter of the aquarium. Daylight hours - 10-15 hours.
To filter the aquarium, it is necessary to use an external biological filter designed for the given volume of the aquarium, but it is also possible to filter using a false bottom, which has both many supporters and opponents of this method.
Underground flexible heaters can be used to heat the aquarium, which enhances the convection of water through the ground, which has a beneficial effect on plant growth. It can also be heated using standard aquarium heaters with thermoregulation function. The temperature in the aquarium must be maintained within 25 - 26 degrees C.
In "Dutch" type aquariums, UV sterilizers are often used to suppress the growth of microalgae and pathogenic bacteria. UV sterilizers must be used downstream of the biological filter. The power of the UV - lamp should correspond to the volume of treated water. Sterilizer operating mode - 12 hours.
To dissolve carbon dioxide in water, a pH / CO2 control system is needed, which during photosynthesis supplies CO2 for plant nutrition. The system includes - a CO2 cylinder with a reducer, a solenoid valve, a bubble counter and a CO2 diffuser.
For a Dutch aquarium, various forms are needed, both light-loving and shade-loving. Small, gregarious, non-herbivorous, with the exception of some species that feed on undesirable lower microalgae (fouling). Mostly, in the "Dutch aquariums" they contain characin fish (Characidae); Labyrinths (Belontiidae); Viviparous carps (Poeciliidae) and Loricariidae (Loricaridae).

Educational toys are extremely popular in our time. And this phenomenon can be easily explained, because every parent wants the child not only to have fun, but also to learn something new or gain practical skills. A very interesting and, what is important, completely safe and natural toy - grass. It is not difficult to make it with your own hands and believe me, it is much more interesting than buying a factory-made version.

Grasshopper - what kind of animal is this?

A few years ago, eco-men or herbalists appeared in many flower shops and children's departments. When packaged, the souvenir resembles just an interior toy. This is a small figurine of a man, a fairy-tale character or an animal. Often grasshoppers look like just "weirdos" or can be just pouches with glued eyes. The essence of the game-experience is simple - inside the grass, in addition to the main filler, there are grass seeds. It must be soaked or sprinkled with plenty of water and put in a bright place. Very soon you will be able to watch your "pet" begin to grow green "hair".

DIY materials

Before discussing how to make a grasshopper with your own hands, let's see if you have all the materials for this toy? The craft consists of a stuffing bag, filler, seeds and decorative elements. As a basis for the grass, you can use nylon socks or tights. If you want your do-it-yourself grass to be bright, try using children's golfs. There is no need to make any special holes, through the fabric of tights the grass sprouts will independently find a way out to the light. As the main filler, you can use sawdust, synthetic winterizer or cotton wool.

Do-it-yourself simple herbs: a master class for the little ones

Invite your child to make such a toy together. This work can be entrusted to three-year-olds. Prepare nylon socks in advance, if a very small child does the craft, it is best to choose something soft as a filler: cotton wool or synthetic winterizer. Tip - if you want the grass to germinate in a certain place, place the seeds there. However, many people like herbs, in which green sprouts climb in a chaotic manner. In this case, the seeds should be mixed with the filler. So, your goal is to fill the sock with padding polyester or cotton. Don't forget to add the seeds, positioning them according to your idea. Sew a bag, you can form a circle or an oval. In fact, it is very easy to make a herbalist with your own hands, you have almost completed this task, it remains only to arrange the craft. Glue eyes on waterproof glue, you can also draw something on the figure, but only if you are sure that the paints will not flow when in contact with water.

How to germinate grasshopper?

The meaning of the game-experience with the herb is to germinate grass seeds. To do this, you need to immerse the finished craft in a container of water and leave for 5-10 minutes. Then take out the toy and place it on a saucer or some other stand. Now you just have to wait for a miracle - after 5-7 days the first shoots will appear. Knowing how to make a herbalist with your own hands, if you wish, you can collect a whole green zoo or a family of eco-men. Try experimenting with shapes and sizes.

Educational toy, pet and interior decoration

The grasshopper is a long-playing craft. The child will receive a lot of positive emotions during its manufacture and will be able to show taste and imagination during its design. After finishing work, a do-it-yourself grass toy will not become another useless souvenir. After soaking, you can observe the appearance of the first shoots. From time to time it is also useful to spray the herb, and you can even water it gently. But the game with the eco-figure does not end there either. If you decide to make a grasshopper with your own hands, be sure to try cutting it. Such a game will bring a lot of positive emotions to any child. What is especially interesting, the “hairs” will grow back and, if desired, they can be cut again and again.

We make curly grasses

An interesting and unusual craft is a grass hedgehog. With your own hands, you can make it according to the same principle as simpler toys of this type. The animal can sit upright or stand on four legs. Your craft will look most interesting if the grass grows only on its back and head, depicting needles. Accordingly, when filling the stocking base, arrange the seeds accordingly. The paws are most conveniently made separately in the form of small balls. They can also be pulled with threads, forming fingers. Sew them to the body of the hedgehog with threads. A small secret - nylon heavily stuffed with synthetic winterizer or cotton wool - a very plastic material. It can be given the most interesting shapes, fixing them with simple thread stitches and tightening them well. You can work out in detail the features of the muzzle of the animal, make him plump cheeks and a pronounced sharp nose. How to make a grass hedgehog with your own hands, what details will help emphasize the image of this animal? In addition to the eyes, sew a large bead nose to the toy. If you have paint that is not afraid of water, you can draw eyebrows, mouth and blush on the cheeks.

One of the most popular questions among those who are making eco-toys for the first time is where to get grass seeds and which ones are suitable? You can use lawn mix. However, this only makes sense if you plant such grass in the country, as it is sold in large packages. If you don't have your own yard, get a small bag of house cat grass seeds from the pet store. Almost any agricultural crop is also suitable: oats, wheat, rye. An interesting idea - you can put seeds of herbs in herbs: dill, parsley or basil - in this case you will get not only a beautiful toy, but also a constant source of fresh herbs in your own kitchen. It is possible to make crafts using the described technique more complex. An interesting idea: to sew a doll, and place grass seeds in only one of its elements. Do not be afraid to stuff each element of the toy quite tightly, following this simple rule will help keep the figure in shape. When making a souvenir, remember that it will have to be soaked and sprayed with water. Accordingly, you should not use elements made of cardboard, paper and other materials that are afraid of high humidity for decoration. Be sure to try making your own herbs. The master class given in our article will definitely help you with this and you will succeed!