Mr. Root, the voice of StoneAndRootSTONEANDROOT
Show me the receipt. Then build the tank.

A first planted tank costs $394.03.

Skip the $134.03 piece you don't need.

Core gear, before stand, rock, tax, shipping and fish. $434.43 without sales.

The Complete First Tank Kit puts the Buy-Once Guide, six layout Blueprints, the Store Run Checklist and twelve weekly Care Cards in one download, with a Start here map that says which to open when.

Buy the kit$67Bought apart: $27 + $37 + $9 + $9 = $82.

Five PDFs and a phone checklist, right after checkout. Secure Stripe checkout. All sales are final.

Kit Edition 1, November 2026. Prices checked Oct 31 to Nov 1, 2026.

Guide: What does a first planted tank really cost?Guide: How much soil do I buy?Blueprint: Three StonesBlueprint: The Driftwood BridgeGuide: What is cycling, and why can't I skip it?Care Card: Week 2: the numbers start movingBlueprint: The IslandGuide: How do I know the tank is ready?Care Card: Week 5: confirm, then the first fishBlueprint: The Root CaveGuide: What do I do when I go away?
The problem

A beautiful video, and no receipt.

You watched a scape video twice. The tank was perfect, and nobody said what it cost, how much soil went in, or how often it gets cleaned. The comments ask the same things you're asking:

"Whenever I'm encouraged to do such things, money stops me."
"How often does it require to get cleaned?"

The kit's answer: one 20 minute slot, same day, every week.

A first tank needs four answers, and they come at different times. What to buy, before you spend. What to plant, before setup. What's on the list, in the aisle. What to do this week, for three months after the water goes in.

Not for CO2 or high-tech setups. Built for a first low-tech 20 long.

The kit holds all four, in that order.

Not ready to buy?

Start with the free First 6 Weeks Cycle Log.

One line a day for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and when to change water. It's the habit every part of the kit builds on.

You'll also get emails from StoneAndRoot. Unsubscribe any time.

Free lesson from the kit

Fish go in when the tank says so, not the calendar.

First tanks often fail the week fish arrive before the water can handle them. The fix is an order, and you can use it today.

THE USUAL WAY
  1. Buy the tank, the plants and the fish on one trip.
  2. Add a bottle that promises an instant cycle.
  3. Fish go in on day 1.
  4. Cloudy water by week 2, and a second store run.
THE KIT'S ORDER
  1. Read the receipt, then buy the gear once.
  2. Plant and fill. No fish.
  3. Test every 2 to 3 days for 3 to 4 weeks and write the numbers down.
  4. Fish go in after the ready test passes twice, 7 days apart.

That's why Care Cards 1 to 4 run on the calendar, and Card 5 waits for the tank. If the second passing test comes in week 7, Card 5 starts in week 7.

No bottle replaces the 3 to 4 week cycle. The tank decides.
What's inside

Four parts and a map.

Buy-Once Beginner Gear Guide cover
THE ARITHMETIC

Buy-Once Beginner Gear Guide

Edition 2
Before you spend anything

A 20 gallon low-tech tank priced line by line, in 19 chapters: soil quantities, filter and light charts, cycling, water changes, algae, cloudy water and trips away, plus 12 mistakes, a troubleshooting table, charts and a printable tank log.

The First Scape Blueprints6 LAYOUTS
THE LAYOUT

The First Scape Blueprints

Edition 1
When the guide reaches plants

Six layouts for a 20 gallon, from Three Stones to The Root Cave, each with a placement diagram, plant quantities, hardscape notes and a trimming calendar.

The Store Run Checklist cover
THE SHOPPING TRIP

The Store Run Checklist

Edition 1
The day you go to the store

15 lines in 2 stops, grouped by aisle with quantities, plus the skip list. Printable, with a phone copy.

The First 12 Weeks Care Cards cover
THE ROUTINE

The First 12 Weeks Care Cards

Edition 1
The day the water goes in

Twelve weekly cards on what to trim, test, change and feed, with a place to log readings. A 5 by 7 inch file that prints at home.

Plus Start here: a four page map of which part to open on which day, from the tape measure to week 12.

Buy the kit$67Bought apart: $27 + $37 + $9 + $9 = $82.

Five PDFs and a phone checklist, right after checkout. Secure Stripe checkout. All sales are final.

Real pages

Flip through it.

Start here: the order from the tape measure to week 12
Start here: the order, week by week.
Guide chapter on cycling with a labeled tank diagram
The guide: cycling, in one picture.
Care Cards start card
Care Cards: the start card.
Twelve weeks on one card
Care Cards: twelve weeks on one card.
Start here: the four parts and when to open each
Start here: four parts, one job each.
Guide chapter on going away
The guide: ten days away.
Who made this
Mr. Root

Mr. Root, the voice of StoneAndRoot.

StoneAndRoot exists because scape videos show the finished tank and skip the receipt. Every part of this kit puts the number first: the total, the quantity, the day.

We believe the price belongs on the page with its date and region, that low-tech is a real choice, and that fish come before looks.

2US stores priced, checked Oct 31 to Nov 1, 2026
19guide chapters
6layouts
12weekly cards

What we don't claim: we haven't bought or tested this gear by hand, and no brand pays for a mention. Where a link pays us, it says so. Prices change, so check each one before you order.

Questions

Before you buy.

I already bought the guide. Is this worth it?

The kit adds the Blueprints, Checklist, Care Cards and Start here map. Or add them one at a time: the Blueprints for $37, the Checklist for $9 and the Care Cards for $9.

My tank isn't a 20 gallon.

The receipt, the layouts and the checklist are built for a 20 long, the 30 inch 20 gallon. The guide shows how gear scales with tank size, and the Care Cards work for any low-tech tank.

Do I need CO2 or special gear?

No. Everything is built around a low-tech tank with no CO2 system.

How do I get it, and can I read it on a phone?

You download the files right after checkout. They're PDFs that read on a phone, and the checklist has its own phone copy.

Can I get a refund?

All sales are final. This is a digital download you get right away, so we don't offer refunds. This doesn't affect any rights you have by law. Problems with a file go to [email protected].

Buy once. Then let the tank decide.

The guide, six Blueprints, the Store Run Checklist, twelve Care Cards and the Start here map.

Buy the kit$67Bought apart: $27 + $37 + $9 + $9 = $82.

Five PDFs and a phone checklist, right after checkout. Secure Stripe checkout. All sales are final.