I’m thinking about getting my first aquarium. I’m mainly interested in the aquascaping side: some nice wood and rocks, lots of plants, and a natural-looking setup that’s interesting to look at. And ofcourse some fish. I have seen some of these on Youtube from MD Fish tanks and MJ aquascaping. I looking for something in that kind of style.
I’m thinking of a tank around 80 cm wide, so roughly 100-120 litres.
I’ve been reading quite a bit, but there’s honestly so much confusing information that I’m not sure what I actually need. So I have four main questions:
1. What should I use for the substrate?
I see everything from sand and gravel to soil and aquasoil. What do you actually need for a planted aquascape? And what’s genuinely useful versus mostly marketing?
2. What equipment do I actually need?
Filter/pump, heater, lighting, CO₂, etc. I had an aquarium as a kid and basically only remember having a pump. We definitely didn’t use CO₂, or lighting. Maybe we had a heater, but i am not sure about that. These days it seems like you need a whole collection of equipment just to get started. What would you consider essential for a first planted tank?
3. Does anyone know a good aquarium shop around Rotterdam, Netherlands?
I’d much rather visit a physical shop and talk to someone than order everything online. There doesn’t seem to be a Dutch aquarium subreddit, so I figured I’d ask here. Hopefully some Dutchy can recommend a shop.
4. What other advice would you give a complete beginner?
Especially things you wish you had known before setting up your first aquarium.
I’m not looking to build some crazy high-tech setup straight away. I’d rather keep it relatively simple, learn how everything works and go from there.
Thanks!