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A setup visit, hour by hour
What happens during the three hours we spend in your home, and what to keep ready before we arrive.
A setup visit starts before we arrive. We ask you to clear a space near a plug point, away from a window with afternoon sun, and to keep two buckets ready. We bring everything else: the tank, stand, soil, stone, wood, plants and filter, in our van.
The first half hour goes on the stand. Nashik floors are rarely level, and a 60 cm tank holds 65 litres, about 70 kg with the glass. We level the stand with a spirit level and shims until it is true in both directions. A tank that leans by a few millimetres strains the silicone over the years.
Then the hardscape. We lay the nutrient soil, slope it higher at the back, and place the stone and wood. This is where we ask you to stand at your sofa and look, because the tank should be built for the view you see every evening. It usually takes three or four tries.
Planting takes about an hour, with tweezers, while the soil is damp. We fill slowly over a plastic sheet so nothing lifts, start the filter and set the light timer, usually six hours a day to begin with. Before we leave, we show you how to test the water. Four weeks later we come back, test it, and bring the fish.
