Line a medium cookie sheet with waxed paper and pour approximately 2 cups of clean, dry aquarium gravel onto the waxed paper. It's OK to eyeball this. The amount you will need will vary depending on the size and number of aquarium plants you want to enhance with hard gravel bases.
Many aquarists buy plastic or silk aquarium plants either in place of, or to go alongside, live aquarium plants. When these aquarium plants have gravel bases, they are easier to place, don't float around, possess a more natural appearance and blend in with the existing aquascape more seamlessly. You can buy aquarium plants with gravel bases, but they are quite expensive. There is no reason to pay high prices when you can get the same, or better, results doing it yourself
Clean and dry the aquarium plants. Use a simple warm water bath with a brush, such as an old toothbrush, for plastic and silk plants. Do not use soap, which is harmful to your aquarium fish.
Squeeze a generous amount of aquarium cement onto the existing base of your first aquarium plant. Hold the plant over your waxed paper area in case you accidentally drip some of the aquarium cement.
Dip the bottom side of the base of the aquarium plant into the gravel, picking up as much gravel as possible. Then, scoop a small amount of gravel up and around the entire base of the aquarium plant and gently press the gravel into the aquarium cement to help set as much aquarium gravel as possible. Set the aquarium plant onto the waxed paper to dry. This should take no more than two days. Test it by pressing on the gravel. It will always have a little bit of give to it, but it should not threaten to fall apart. Rinse the plants and bases off well before placing in your aquarium.
Play with the shape and amount of aquarium cement you have on your base. There are no rules here. You can add a bit more aquarium cement to any area you wish to build up.
Read more: How to Make Hard Gravel Bases for Aquarium Plants | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6224588_make-gravel-bases-aquarium-plants.html#ixzz178OOfcqa
