We Flew Out of State to Build a Massive 150 Gallon Planted Aquascape
We Flew Out of State to Build a Massive 150 Gallon Planted Aquascape
A family visiting South Florida fell in love with our Tree of Life display tank in-store and asked us to recreate it in their own home, out of state. After months of planning, we shipped every piece of hardscape, wood, rock, and equipment on pallets to their house, then flew up with the plants to complete a full high-tech, freshwater (FW) planted aquascaping install on-site — a true riparium build with emersed growth breaking the waterline above a lush planted layout below.
Two Types of Driftwood, One Dramatic Tree Structure
The centerpiece of this aquascape uses two complementary wood types. Manzanita wood forms the branches and upper trunk, prized for its dramatic, twisting shape. North Carolina cedar forms the underwater trunk sections — it has been submerged for decades, so most of the tannins are already leached out, making it ideal for a planted tank that needs to stay clear.
Filtration and Equipment
Wet/dry filtration from ProClar Aquatics for strong biological filtration in a large freshwater system
Reef Octopus DC return pump — no Wi-Fi dependency required, with an easy feed-mode controller
Titanium heater with digital controller for precise, easy-to-read temperature control
Kessil A360XE Tuna Sun lighting with multi-angle mounting brackets, 55° lenses, and extension arms for independently controlling PAR and angle over each planting zone
All electrical equipment was mounted on the dry side of the wet/dry sump to avoid splash and condensation, with power strips mounted high to create drip loops and prevent shorts.
Hardscape Technique
Egg crate went down first on the glass bottom — not for glass protection, but to keep wood and rock from sliding once water goes in. Larger rocks were secured to the wood structure using rock wool and CA glue, and branches were fastened with stainless steel marine-grade screws to prevent rust and heavy metal leaching underwater.
The substrate layer used a fertilized aqua soil base (Feast) with sand and small pebbles on top to lock the rockwork in place — building the retaining walls in stages, alternating rockwork and substrate, rather than all at once.
Planting Layout
Large swords went in the back, medium swords and cryptocorynes in the mid-ground, with clustered stem plants (Bacopa Caroliniana and Ludwigia Red) placed where PAR testing showed 70–100 µmol — enough light for strong stem growth without burning the emersed sections. Java fern was used to bridge the seam between the two wood pieces, softening the transition so it reads as one natural tree.
The Trickling Water Feature
To keep the emersed, terrestrial plants moist above the waterline, the team built a custom trickling water feature using an atomizer on a 15-minutes-on/15-minutes-off cycle, with drip loops on every hose so runoff returns to the tank instead of the floor.
Beneficial bacteria and Feast fertilizer were added to begin cycling the tank once filled, alongside an aquavitro Sentia doser for ongoing fertilization.
