Substrate: First, add the substrate you have chosen to your tank. A layer height of 5 cm on average should be maintained to ensure that your aquarium functions optimally later and that the substrate can fully develop its filter properties. Caution! Nutrient media for plants are often not suitable for invertebrate aquariums because they may contain fertilizers or pesticides. Adding such a substrate often results in dwarf shrimp and other invertebrates not developing optimally, multiplying or even dying. Always remain skeptical when it comes to the topic of substrate and, if in doubt, stay away from it, even if the substrate is declared to be suitable for shrimp.
Decoration: You can let your creativity run wild when decorating your tank. Almost all items that are offered for aquariums can be used. We recommend using some natural products such as roots, leaves and stones. You should also make sure to create enough hiding places, e.g. with clay tubes or similar materials.
Planting: Even when planting with mosses or aquarium plants, all doors are open to you. If possible, you should still make sure that you use a mixture of fast and slow growing plants or mosses. This helps to better bind the nutrients dissolved in the water and to stabilize the water parameters. Caution! It is very important that you do not use plants and mosses that have not been sufficiently watered beforehand (danger from pesticides and fertilizers). Please also make sure that you never subsequently add unwatered or unwashed plants and mosses to an existing aquarium (danger that the entire animal population will be eliminated or permanently damaged).
Water: Now you should fill in the water. Depending on which species or types of invertebrates or fish you want to keep and care for, you should prepare the water beforehand to provide the animals with optimal living conditions. If in doubt, please ask your specialist retailer about the appropriate water values beforehand.
Running-in phase: You should now let your aquarium run for around 4-6 weeks to establish a biological balance. After this running-in phase, the water chemistry in your aquarium should be stable and you can start adding the first animals. If you are not entirely sure whether your aquarium is already running optimally, we recommend that you test your water values or have them tested by your specialist retailer (if they offer them). When testing, make sure to pay attention to which water parameters are being tested. Fertilizers and pesticides are often very difficult to detect or are often not tested for at all. (There is a risk that the animals will die, even though the water values are supposedly OK).
Conclusion: By paying attention to a few details when setting up a new aquarium for invertebrates and fish, serious problems that may arise later can be avoided.
