1 Feet Tank Aquascape: Plants, Layout and Cost (India)

A 1 feet tank is where many aquascapers in India start: it fits on a desk or shelf, costs little to run, and every plant in it is on show. Here is how to size, plant and price one.

How many litres is a 1 feet tank?

A “1 feet” tank is 12 inches (30 cm) long, but width and height vary. Multiply length × width × height in inches, then multiply by 0.0164 to get litres:

Once wood, rock and any substrate go in, expect roughly 10–15% less water, so dose fertiliser for the smaller figure. For other sizes, use our aquarium volume calculator.

Which aquascape style suits a 1 feet tank?

A small jungle or nature-style scape on one piece of driftwood or one rock, with the plants tied straight onto it. Set it a little off-centre and leave open water around it; at 30 cm, one focal point looks better than several.

Dutch style needs rows of stem plants, and a 1 feet tank has room for only two or three short rows that need weekly trimming. Full carpets such as Monte Carlo need medium to high light, a nutrient-rich substrate and ideally CO2. Both are possible, but neither makes a good first scape.

Our guide to aquascaping styles compares Iwagumi, Dutch, jungle and nature layouts, and aquascaping ideas for beginners shows four simple low-light layouts.

Best plants for a 1 feet aquascape

Pick plants that stay small, grow slowly and attach to hardscape. Every plant below is in stock and grown by us in Surat.

Anubias size grades: Anubias Nana, Nana Petite and Nana Gold are sold by leaf count: S ₹90 (up to 5 leaves), M ₹120 (6–10), L ₹200 (12–18) and XL ₹250 (20+). For a 1 feet tank, S or M is usually right.

Optional extras:

Monte Carlo carpets slowly without CO2, and heat above 28 °C slows it further; read the Monte Carlo care guide first. Rotala wallichii turns red only with strong light and CO2. Duckweed multiplies fast and is hard to clear from a small tank, so frogbit is the easier floater. For more options, see the best plants for nano tanks.

How many plants does a 1 feet tank need?

Our planting guides use four to seven plants per foot of tank length, with carpets counted separately, so a 1 feet tank needs four to seven; five to seven looks well filled.

The Nano low-tech kit gives you four: two Anubias Nana Petite (S), one Anubias Nana (S) and one Dwarf Java Fern. To fill out, add an Anubias Nana Gold (S) or a Java Fern Philippine, plus a portion of frogbit. For other tank sizes, see how many aquarium plants you need.

Step by step: build the scape in one evening

1. Place the hardscape. Set the rinsed wood or rock about one-third of the way in from one side. Soak new driftwood beforehand until it sinks, which can take several days.
2. Tie the rhizome plants on. Use cotton thread or a dab of super glue gel, and never bury the rhizome. See attaching Anubias to driftwood or rock.
3. Substrate is optional. Anubias, ferns and floaters need none (see plants without substrate); Monte Carlo needs a nutrient-rich layer (see our substrate guide).
4. Fill slowly. Pour dechlorinated water onto a plate so the plants and substrate stay in place.
5. Set the light timer. About 6 hours a day at first, then 6–8 hours. See how long to keep aquarium lights on.
6. Cycle before adding fish. Plants go in on day one; fish wait until the tank is cycled, which usually takes three to six weeks. Our nitrogen cycle guide explains how.

What does a 1 feet aquascape cost in India?

Plant cost at today’s prices. Shipping is ₹99 anywhere in India and free on orders of ₹999 or more; payment is prepaid through Razorpay (UPI, cards or netbanking).

You can add the whole Nano kit in one tap from our starter kits page. The tank, light and filter are extra; our planted aquarium setup cost guide covers those.

If a plant arrives dead, damaged, wrong or below its size grade, send one continuous unboxing video within 4 hours of delivery on WhatsApp (+91 81416 96983) or to buyanubias@gmail.com, and we will refund or replace it. Photos alone are not accepted.

Weekly care for a small scape

Water: change 25–30% once a week.

Trimming: cut only old or damaged Anubias and fern leaves at the base, and thin floaters so light reaches the plants below. Top Rotala before it reaches the surface and trim Monte Carlo flat every few weeks. See our trimming guide.

Fertiliser: Green Plus + Trace (two 100 ml bottles, ₹250) is a complete two-part liquid fertiliser. Dose it once a week after the water change, following the bottle’s dose for your litres.

Algae: if it grows on leaves, shorten the light by an hour before you cut fertiliser.

Ready for a bigger tank?

The same Anubias and ferns move up with you onto bigger wood. When you upgrade, see our plant lists for a 2 feet tank and a 3 feet tank. To stay small, our desk planted tank guide covers nano tanks on a desk.

Frequently asked questions

Can I aquascape a 1 feet tank without CO2?

Yes. Anubias, Java fern and floating plants grow well without CO2 under a basic LED on a 6–8 hour timer, which is what our Nano low-tech kit is built for. The exceptions are Rotala wallichii, which needs pressurised CO2, and Monte Carlo, which carpets slowly without it.

Do I need soil for a 1 feet aquascape?

Not for a low-tech scape. Anubias and Java fern are tied to wood or rock and floaters need nothing, so sand, gravel or a bare bottom works, with a liquid fertiliser for food. You need a nutrient-rich substrate only for a Monte Carlo carpet or rooted stem plants.

Can a betta live in a 1 feet scape?

Only in the largest size. A betta needs at least 20 litres, so the 12 × 12 × 12 inch cube (about 28 litres) works, but 12 × 6 × 8 and 12 × 8 × 10 inch tanks are too small. Anubias leaves make resting spots and frogbit gives surface cover.

Which plants will outgrow a 1 feet tank?

Java Fern Philippine has long, broad leaves, so keep it in a back corner and remove the oldest leaves. Rotala wallichii grows up to the surface, frogbit and duckweed multiply, and XL Anubias suit bigger tanks. Anubias Nana Petite, Nana Gold and Dwarf Java Fern stay small enough for this size.