Just over a week ago I was invited by Wirral Aquatics to attend their intermediate aquascaping workshop with Geordie Scaper, and I filmed the whole experience so you can see exactly how a pro builds a planted tank from scratch. The workshop was split into beginner, intermediate, and advanced, and although I missed the beginner session, I was really grateful to Ste and the team for getting me in for intermediate. Geordie talks through the full process: substrate layout, hardscape placement, planting, and the finishing touches that make a scape look natural. The big takeaways for me were the fundamentals that make a scape “work” visually and practically. He uses a simple cardboard divider to separate aquasoil at the back from silver sand at the front, then blends the transition so it doesn’t look harsh. On hardscape, the first main piece shouldn’t be dead centre—left or right gives better balance—and you want your stone direction to complement the wood grain. He also shows a really handy glue method using tissue paper and cyanoacrylate gel to lock wood to rock. Then it’s all about planting heavy: crypts to pack the midground, epiphytes like Anubias and Java fern glued to hardscape, and stem plants in the background for nutrient uptake and fast fill-in. We finish with the tank filled up in the shop, plus a quick tour of Wirral Aquatics and a shout about the raffle for a great cause.