An aquarium layout in the Brazilian style is usually an Iwagumi, that is, a design with lots of stones. The hardscape on its own is very reminiscent of mountain ranges. On top of that comes quite colorful, dense planting, above all with many fast-growing stem plants in the background. Here we show you a design in a Mini M.

Step-by-step setup

This "Brazilian Style" Iwagumi is set up in a Mini M from the Japanese manufacturer ADA. This is a high-quality low-iron glass tank with an edge length of 36 cm, and thus a common nano aquarium. The substrate is AQUARIO Neo Soil Compact Plant, which rises steeply toward the back to create a good sense of depth. A kind of mountain landscape is built with Seiryu Stones. For visual reasons, larger stones are placed in the front, while rather smaller pieces or tall structures reminiscent of mountain peaks go in the rear area.

To increase the level of detail, a sand path is added in the lane of this classic U shape of an aquarium design. It narrows toward the back and thus creates a great 3D effect. To stabilize the sand path further, it was fixed with super glue (instructions and safety notes here).

The entire layout is then thoroughly moistened with a spray bottle. Now the planting can begin, for which we use thin tweezers. The lily pipes have also already been installed so that the space they need is taken into account during planting.

The popular Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" is used as the ground cover plant and was placed in the foreground. Weeping moss tied onto small stones is placed at various transition points. Hemianthus glomeratus and Rotala rotundifolia "Gia Lai" / "H'Ra" are planted in the background. Since the planting is still quite sparse at the start, Phyllanthus fluitans is added as a floating plant. It provides shade and prevents algae during the cycling phase.

This is what the Mini M looks like now, fully planted and filled. The necessary equipment is connected as well: a FiltoSmart 60 as the external filter and an ADA Aquasky as the LED lighting. CO₂ is introduced through an AQUARIO Neo Diffuser.

The development

Week 3

After roughly two to three weeks, the aquarium has developed noticeably. The aquatic plants went through their transition to submersed growth and began to sprout. In particular, the Rotala rotundifolia "Gia Lai" / "H'Ra" in the back has gained a lot of height. Unfortunately, the Hemianthus species did not cope with the transition quite as well, and there were some losses from the dying off of lower emersed shoots. The new shoots look good, however, and are now developing splendidly. Because of these difficulties, though, the spread in area and height of Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" and Hemianthus glomeratus is not yet particularly pronounced.
In terms of algae, the aquarium is now in the middle of the cycling phase and soft green algae are present. By adding a few invertebrates such as dwarf shrimp, the algae growth has already been pushed back successfully.
Something has also happened with the hardscape: a few pebbles and small fragments of Seiryu Stones have added a few more details.

Week 6

After a few more weeks, the aquatic plants have grown vigorously and a certain amount of wild growth is showing. In particular, the mosses and plants in the front area have been able to spread well. Now it is time to bring the layout back into shape and to trim the aquarium plants significantly. Some maintenance work is also due, such as cleaning the lily pipes and vacuuming the soil granules off the sand path. The path has already been badly lost under the mass of plants and therefore urgently needs to be cut free.
Since the plants in the aquarium have increased so much, the floating plant cover can now be thinned out further bit by bit. The soil supplied enough nutrients in the beginning, but is now supported by additional liquid fertilization to close all nutrient gaps. For now, weekly fertilization with Aqua Rebell Micro Basic Iron, Macro Basic NPK and a little Advanced GH Boost N is still sufficient.

Week 12

After about three months, the aquascape is in the state that was intended. The ground cover plant has now spread out nicely across the surface, and the stem plants in the rear and middle areas are growing attractively and bushy. Overall, the aquarium is running stably and is nearly free of algae. Liquid fertilization was increased to a daily dose to keep nourishing the aquatic plants optimally.

Aquascaper: Aram Schneider