To make a 4-foot tank look absolutely stunning, you have to combine the artistic and scientific. It offers a great big canvas in which to carefully compose each note of soundscape together–why not fill this space with plants, fish and even hardscapes? And yet this size of tank remains unfortunate in that while it can fulfill all these functions completely nonchalantly, still is within reason manageable for even one person to run. From the standpoint of someone who has been burning apartment water for decades (myself included in past decades), I must say that the 4-foot aquascape occupies a splendid middle ground between a realm of wild freedom and utterly acceptable embellishments.
When you aim for that lush Dutch-style garden in your living room, a quiet Iwagumi garden or even something quite unique that combines the hard and soft elements, there is no end to what can be achieved. A bit of vision in just the right amount can let take this task from wherever you are now on up in steps rather easily.
Setting the Stage – Choosing the Right Equipment
Setting the stage for a successful aquascape begins with selecting the right equipment, especially with a 4-foot tank. For example, such a volume of water can be contained as 240 liters, or about 63 gallons. Generally speaking, equipment should be able to support the size and magnitude of what you are trying to do. In my early days of aquascaping, I never recognized this. It wasn’t until I started not only giving plants proper lighting but also employing filtration, that one success after another came forth onto paper scales and finally bore fruit in reality–as plant health increased and water clarity rose visibly.
If you want any vested interest in your pet (or if it’s yourself) going anywhere else but the fishmonger’s shop for this meal terra: make sure there will never be another problem of din by buying a decent filtration system up front. Filtration — The Lungs of Your Aquascape Every aquascape depends on filtration-and larger tanks like a 4-foot set upabove all require adequate filtration. Imagine what it would be like without this important function? There’s absolutely no end to what organic gummy jelly, uneaten fish food and rotting plant material can carry along with them in your tank as they accumulate onto its surfaces: soon you are faced not only with unpleasant looks but water that is toxic or neither good for fish to live in.
When building ecosystems their native inhabitants will appreciate even more than appreciate tori Group (“To Be Respected By All Parties” in Japanese), I myself would recommend a top quality canister filter if you can get it. Canister filters are good at all three kinds –mechanical, chemical and biological-cleaning of a tank like this.
In one of my 4-foot builds, the Eheim Classic series was chosen for its excellent flow and filtration power. Although it seems tempting to skimp on filters and rely on regular water changes, let me tell you that is a mistake. What these two things do not accomplish together is living at the level of a fish, which will get very tough in your aquarium if you try to go without proper filtration. Since each organism in a tank needs its neighbors to survive, the health of such your little congregation depends on constant filtration. And, a good filter establishes the same water flow, which is necessary for certain kinds of creatures and plants.
Especially in heavily planted aquascapes.
Lighting – The Sunlight of Your Sunken World
I have always felt that lighting is the real magic. With just the right light you can see such pretty colors and sparkling scales of Koi and Water Lilies as well as enjoy mellows in summer’s heat. For a 4-foot tank, you have to mind not only intensity but also light spread. I would say LED lights are the ticket these days, and I’ve had great success using lights of the Twinstar or Chihiros WRGB Series. They provide full-spectrum lighting, making sure that your plants get all necessary wavelengths for photosynthesis while at the same time popping colors into life.
In one of my tanks, I laid a carpet of foreground plants such as Glossostigma elatinoides and Eleocharis parvula. The enjoyment in seeing these little plants grow and thrive under soft, yet effective illumination from my Twinstar was quite delightful. The growth was even right across the layout, the plants developed a rich, vibrant color. Just like light this high quality and consistent is necessary for such results to occur.
CO2 Injection—The Gas of Growth
CO2 is a topic that’s always up for debate in aquascaping, and even in such a small (4ft) tank, if you want to create the look of a richly planted country hillside then it really becomes almost imperative. Although there are some tanks characterized by their nature (low tech) which manage without it, I have found that CO2 injection greatly enhances plant growth. The plants can effectively absorb the gas with an efficient diffuser that produces fine CO2 mist. When I set up my last system, for example, I used an in-line CO2 reactor connected to one of the ports on my canister filter.
This method guarantees even distribution throughout the tank.
One of the most rewarding things about using CO2 is to see how plants respond, such as Rotala rotundifolia red and Alternanthera reineckii. The colors get deeper, and their growing force grows stronger. In my first aquascape without CO2, I had to constantly fight algae. But once I added CO2, the algae-suffering plants soon picked up, and the tank was doing well again.
Designing the Layout—From Hardscape to Planting
Now that the basic equipment is in place, the next step is to concentrate on the central core of aquascaping: design. When we work with a 4-foot tank, we have plenty of space, which allows you enormous scope to manipulate creations with all kinds of different layouts and depths of field. However, it is worth remembering that despite it being a large system, to create a layout of sheer harmony is still an arduous task.
The Rule of Thirds – A Timeless Composition Strategy
When I look back on the years of aquascaping I have done, there is one principle that has stood out. It’s the rule of thirds. This age-old trick is not only used in painting and photography but also in aquascaping. By dividing your tank into three equal sections horizontally and vertically, you can also put focal points at the intersections thereof. In this way it becomes a harmonious and dynamic composition as well as being clear and open.
One of my most memorable 4-foot aquascapes created using Seiryu rocks, consisted entirely of an Iwagumi (minimalist) layout. Roughly centering the main stone just off to one side at an intersection point, this immediately drew everyone’s eye. Support stones were positioned around it, so that while the principal rock is dominant in the overall sense of balance is maintained. The simplicity of the design disguised workmanship that had gone into every detail, but result was stunning.
Hardscape Materials – Choosing Stones and Driftwood
Choosing the right materials for hardscapes is especially important when it comes to setting up the base for a tank. For larger tanks (like my 4-foot layout), you can use larger pieces of driftwood or a number of stones to create substantial buildups. I’ve found that when designing for larger tanks, a build that is based heavily on stones works particularly well in this style–especially when making depth and elevation changes in the aquarium.
One of my favorite projects involved using Dragon Stone. Dragon Stone is chosen because of its fine texture which is distinctive but has a natural appearance. I combined it with spider wood to create a landscape like the natural banks of a river. The wood twined its way out in all directions, making the scene seem as though tree roots were gradually exposed to water. And from every angle this combination enabled me to create a soft, smoothly flowing aquascape product.
Plant selection is an art of creating harmony as well as contrast
In a four-foot tank you can try out a variety of species
My own point of view is that I like to combine color and texture in such a way as to have contrast and harmony. For example, both Hemianthus callitrichoides with the fine-leafed Cryptocoryne wendtii can add visual spark even maintain equilibrium while broadening your collection of plants.
For one of my aquariums, I used a combination of Rotala H’ra, Ludwigia arcuata and Bucephalandra to make a lush backdrop full of life and color. The reddish hue of Rotala and Ludwigia contrasted sharply against the dark green foliage in mid-field, Bucephalandra. In the front of the tank, I chose Monte Carlo to carpet it. This was an excellent choice under high lighting and CO2 injection–the different plants worked against each other in a way that created depth and diversity, so that just looking at this tank made one feel as though they were gazing upon some miniature underwater forest.
The Art of Perspective- Creating Depth
Creating depth in a 4-foot aquascape is as challenging as it is rewarding. Within the confines of a tank this size, now you have room to arrange layers of designs that mirror the natural landscape. One technique I frequently use is to raise up substrates on an incline. Gradually weathering rocks and pebbles thins out, which gives you the impression of depth and distance.
I took it slow and easy in this tank, building up the substrate like in a paddy field and creating terraces with pieces of rock.? Next, I planted taller stem plants such as Limnophila sessiflora in back and shorter carpet-clover type plants up front: this was my early ‘Dutch style’ of 4-foot tank management.Then, staring at the tank there appeared to be ranges and ranges of distant mountains from which water flowed, while really it might have been a short conditioned valley with rounded hills.The 4ft length allowed the tanks to be built such that there is never any perceivable loss of field from viewing side angles.?
Although obscured by foreground objects, such as terraced trees or moss carpets on cliffs when looking across toward another corner of home we have exactly the same scale and perspective as if one were in this opposite location.Section 3: Maintenance? Keeping Your Aquascape Pristine
One of the most crucial, yet often neglected, aspects of aquascaping is maintenance. Every beautiful aquascape needs its regular 4-foot Faithful in order to keep itself looking smart. From cutting back plants and maintaining enough water circulation (for any length of time that you care about the richness of low tech tanks), a 4-foot tank will demand your constant care. But if you approach it with the right attitude, carrying out this work can be both rewarding and manageable for anyone prone to garden
Pruning and Plant Care
A little neglect can often quickly lead to long-term problems with plant growth. Fast-growing plants in particular require regular trimming to keep their shape and prevent them from overshadowing neighboring species. Early in the history of 4-foot tanks, on one of my
set-ups, I forgot to prune my Rotala hemaphylla and before long it had overlaid the whole tank. Subsequently robbing light from those plants in front meant that they withered away. I have found since that often plants are destroyed. By slight-n-thin snipping at regular intervals
results better particularly than waiting until they are on full tide and rebuffing attempts.
Precise trimming of aquatic plants is achieved with a pair of good, sharp aquascaping shears, which can prevent plant injury no matter how small the cutting task may be. Also, I regularly put out cuttings of my plants such as Hygrophila corymbosa for friends. I was some friends replayed by donating plants wholesale when we all started out! So now I often spend hours adding new babies into the tank and raising them from seedling up to adult stages–one leaf at a time. In addition, I trim the Hygrophila pinnatifida in my current 4-foot tank every two weeks, which helps to keep it short and deters it from growing over my midground plants.
Algae Control – Preventing an Aquatic Invader It is a major annoyance for any aquascapers to have to deal with algae, and in a 4-foot tank is no exception. However, I have found that provided proper timelines are implemented maintenance can prevent the algae from even starting. One of the biggest things that I’ve learned over the years is that algae-ridden tanks often are ones where things are out of balance. This may mean too much light, not enough CO2, and deficiency in nutrients. In one of my earlier tanks, I suffered from hair algae because my lights were on too long and I wasn’t adding enough fertilizers.
It took several weeks of trial and error before I could solve this problem, but once successful the algae receded and my plants flourished. Nowadays, I always set my lights to a strict schedule:
Routine water changes of 6-8 hours per day and meticulous cleaning of the tank to keep out any excess food or other wastes are also essential. I now have shrimp and a couple of snails in my 4-foot aquascape that remove most algae, but the most crucial thing is to try and maintain balance at all times. This means a well-lit aquarium p{lus injected CO2 as well as regular doses of trace elements.
Water Change and Aquarium HealthIt is vital to undertake regular water changes for overall health of your aquascape. I usually carry out this process on a 4 ft tank every week by replacing 30%–40% of the water. As nutrients, waste and pollutants build up over time, this clears them out all at once before they get into the water column; and your plants will actually grow faster. True, leaving water changes undone can lead to all sorts of setbacks: the often sickliness that accompanies supposedly even healthy plants; algae outbreaks where you least want them, and so on.
One of my favorite moments in the maintenance process is before and after a water change. The tank water becomes clearer and there are healthier looking fish in the forest. The fish are livelier; plants that have actually begun to grow, stand up tall. It’s a reminder to all of us how small, steady inputs can eventually lead to great success for aquascaping as well as other endeavors.
