This tank here was a failure… kind of. And it was my fault. I was experimenting with super cheap builder’s merchant gravel and sand, and it turned out to be full of limestone. That constant breakdown was pushing the pH up and it just wasn’t letting the plants grow properly. The fish didn’t care at all (they’ve actually grown massive in there), but I wanted to do better for them, so I stripped the whole thing down, moved the fish into a tank with a cycled filter, and started again with what I know works. The goal was a proper “nature aquarium” look—random, rivery, open, and easy for anyone to replicate. I laid a thin nutrient layer (aquatic soil/compost), mixed a bit of gravel through it, then capped it with cleaned sand. Hardscape-wise, it’s simple: sticks coming in from the sides, big rounded rocks plonked in like they’ve fallen in a river, and plenty of swim room. I used my favourite Lumini-style lights because I can tweak the tone and brightness, and I’ve learned I don’t need to blast loads of light to get great growth. The big takeaway though: restraint. I originally added loads of different plants and it looked chaotic, so I ripped most of them back out and went heavy on jungle val with dwarf sag to match the texture. Instantly looked miles better—and the fish choice changed too, because the tank now suits fast, rivery fish like danios, rummynose, and loaches.