The Planted Aquarium - Setting Up a Planted Tank Part 1

This will be the first of a 3 part series featuring Phil Edwards.

In this the first installment we will be taking a look at all of the equipment and materials needed to fully set up a planted aquarium.

Phil Edwards is a long time planted aquarium hobbyist, AGA member, and an aquatic plant ecologist. His fascination with aquatic life started as a kid swimming around in Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish watching the fish and other animals going about life among the lily pads and other aquatic plants.

His interest in aquatic gardening started in 1998 when he started looking into keeping plants to make natural environments for his fish. Eventually his interest in planted biotopes became a full-blown interest in aquatic plant husbandry and science. He received his BS in biology with concentration in plant ecology and BA in earth sciences focusing on water resources in 2006.

In 20011 he finished his Master's in Earth Science doing research on aquatic sediment biogeochemistry and substrates for the mass culture of aquatic plants. He started volunteering for the AGA in 2003 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2008, serving as Advertising and Vendor Liaison and member at-large since then.