Setup instruction for sera Hardscape South America
The famous Amazon serves as a model for the South America hardscape. This is included:
- 1 x sera Scaper Wood M 18 – 20 cm (7.1 – 7.9 in.)
- 1 x sera Scaper Wood L 30 – 35 cm (11.8 – 13.8 in.)
- 1 x sera floredepot 4.7 kg (10.4 lb.)
- 2 x sera Gravel Brown 6 l
The two big roots form the center of the hardscape. An attractive plant landscape with plants typical for the Amazon can be arranged around the roots. The following four steps are required for setting up the hardscape:
1. Fill in nutrient soil
The sera floredepot bottom ground in included for supplying the plants with important trace elements and for supporting them growing on optimally. It is distributed in a layer approximately 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in.) thick in the entire Scaper Cube. For not disturbing the final appearance of the underwater landscape, we recommend hiding the nutrient soil behind the ornamental bottom ground along the aquarium glass.
2. Fill in decorative bottom ground
The Gravel Brown imitates the brownish-reddish bottom ground present in some parts of the Amazon. The ornamental bottom ground can be added in a rising slope. This allows increasing the space in the Scaper Cube optically due to more depth. The setup should be done from the foreground to the background, or in a rising slope in one of the back corners to do so. In case of foreground planting, the gravel should be poured to at least 4 cm (1.6 in.) in the most shallow spot as to allow the plants growing on optimally.
Tip: Keep a small amount of the ornamental bottom ground for filling or smoothening undesired unevenness also after setting up the hardscape, or after planting.
3. Place roots
The two big roots can be placed with some offset, and thus form the center of the hardscape.
A) sera Scaper Wood L 30 - 35 cm
B) sera Scaper Wood M 18 - 20 cm
4. Add plants
The Echinodorus "Regine Hildebrandt" (3) and Lagenandra meeboldii Red (6) plants are planted into the bottom ground. Gently press a hole into the gravel with the fingers, or push it aside. Make sure the nutrient soil does not mix with the bottom ground and gets to the surface while doing so. In case of smaller plants such as bottom covering plants, we recommend cleaving the plant carefully and without damaging single stems, and to plant them in smaller bushes with some distance to each other. This is best done with a pair of tweezers (e.g. sera flore tool P).
The roots of the plants can be shortened to 2 cm (0.8 in.) if required, e.g. for planting them more easily. Please use sharp scissors (e.g. sera flore tool S) to do so for avoiding squeezing, which may lead to rot. The other plants are placed on the roots according to the suggestion. This can, for instance, done with glue or by tethering them.
Tip: Before adding fish, it is worthwhile with new Cube setups to wait until the plants have grown on and cannot be pulled out by the fish anymore.
The hardscape setup just serves as an inspiration – there are no boundaries to your creativity.
The following plants have been used in our setup example:
1. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis (5 x)
2. Pogostemon erectus (1 x)
3. Echinodorus "Regine Hildebrandt" (1 x)
4. Eleocharis vivipara (2 x)
5. Heteranthera zosterifolia (1 x)
6. Lagenandra meeboldii Red (1 x)
7. Microsorum pteropus (1 x)
This video comprises the single steps: