How the aquascape planner works
Choose your tank from five common sizes, 140 tank models or your own dimensions, then set your light and whether you inject CO₂. Everything after that is checked against that tank.
- Pick a style. Each style loads a starting layout sized to your tank and switches on a style check that scores the layout out of 100 and says what to change.
- Build. Add any of 173 aquarium plants, five kinds of rock and five kinds of wood. Drag to move, and drag up or down to move things back or forward. Ferns, anubias, bucephalandra and moss tie onto the rock or wood you drop them on, the way they are grown.
- Shape the substrate. Aqua soil, sand or gravel, flat, sloped, an island or a valley, shallow to deep.
- Watch it grow. The growth slider shows planting day, one, three and six months, using each plant's real height and growth rate.
- Take it away. The shopping list counts pots and carpet cups, estimates rock weight and substrate in litres or bags, and lists the light, CO₂ and glue or thread you need. Save it as an image or copy a link.
Will it fit your tank?
Most layouts that disappoint fail on size, not style: an Amazon sword in a 60 cm tank, a fern that ends up filling the front. The planner knows each plant's adult height and how far it spreads. A plant that would grow taller than your water, or wider than your tank is deep, is marked too big and left out of the list unless you ask to see it. Stem plants are the exception, because they are trimmed to size. A floor-space meter warns when a layout needs more room than the tank has, and templates thin themselves out for small tanks.
Six aquascaping styles
- Nature Driftwood or stone, a sloped landscape and a focal point on a third.
- Iwagumi An odd number of stones, one dominant, over a single carpet.
- Dutch Terraced groups of stem plants in contrasting colours, no hardscape.
- Jungle Wild and dense, wood, tall plants and floating plants. Low-tech friendly.
- Biotope Plants, hardscape and substrate from one real habitat.
- Low-tech No CO₂, modest light and slow growers that need little trimming.
From layout to fish
When the layout is done, Choose fish for this tank opens the stocking calculator with your tank and planting level already filled in, so the fish you pick are checked for bioload, compatibility and water. Fish already in your stocking plan swim in the planner, so you can see your scape with the fish you are actually going to keep.
Questions
Is the aquascape planner free?
Yes. There is no sign-up. Your design is saved in your browser, and you can copy a link to share it or open it on another device.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. On a phone the tank stays pinned at the top while you add plants, rock and wood from a list that slides up from the bottom.
How does it know whether a plant fits my tank?
It compares each plant's adult height and spread with your tank's water height and depth. Plants that would outgrow the tank are marked too big. Stem plants are allowed in any tank because they are trimmed.
Which aquascaping style is easiest for beginners?
Low-tech or jungle. Both use hardy plants such as Java fern, anubias and cryptocorynes that grow without CO₂ injection and forgive mistakes. Iwagumi and Dutch are the hardest to keep looking right.
How much substrate do I need?
About 3 to 5 cm at the front rising to 6 to 8 cm at the back for most planted tanks. The planner works out the litres from the shape you draw and converts it to bags or kilograms.
Can I plan the fish too?
Yes. Use Choose fish for this tank to open the stocking calculator with your tank and planting level, then check bioload and compatibility for the fish you want.
The aquascape planner is in beta. If something looks wrong or you would like a plant added, tell us.