A beginner aquascape succeeds or fails before the tank is filled, because wood, rock and plants are far easier to arrange dry than through a foot of water with everything floating. Work on the empty tank and treat the layout as a small landscape: a slope, a focal point, and plants in layers of height.
Start With the Substrate Slope
Spread your gravel, sand or aqua soil so it sits shallow at the front glass and rises towards the back, roughly doubling in depth. That slope alone creates most of the sense of depth in a finished tank, and it gives foreground plants a thin layer to root in while background stems get the depth they need. Rake it smooth with an old bank card, then mist it lightly with a spray bottle so the surface settles and later planting does not stir up clouds.
Place Wood and Rock on the Bare Glass
Set every heavy piece directly on the glass, never on top of substrate: a rock resting on gravel can roll as the gravel shifts, and a falling stone near the front pane is the classic beginner disaster. Driftwood should be soaked beforehand until it stays down on its own, or rested against rock so it cannot bob up once the tank fills. Group stones in odd numbers and put the tallest piece about a third of the way along the tank rather than dead centre, which reads as a natural focal point. Push and wiggle each piece before you move on; anything that rocks under a fingertip gets reseated now, not after planting.
Plant in Layers, Tall to Small
With the hardscape fixed, plant from the back forwards. Tall stem plants and the largest leafy plants go behind and beside the wood, where their height hides filter pipes and the back glass. Mid-sized, bushy plants belong around the base of the driftwood and between the rocks, softening the hard edges. The front strip is for low carpeting plants and small rosettes, planted in little tufts spaced a few centimetres apart so they grow together into a mat. Push roots fully under the substrate with tweezers, angled slightly backwards so the plant does not pop straight back out.
Fill Slowly and Let It Settle
Lay a plate or a sheet of bubble wrap over the front substrate and pour or trickle the water onto it, so the inflow never blasts craters into your slope. Fill a third of the way, pause, and check that no wood has floated and no plant has escaped; fix anything now while you can still reach it easily. Once the tank is full, expect some cloudiness and the odd bubble of air from the wood for the first days. Leave the layout alone while the plants root, and resist re-scaping on impulse: roots and moss need stillness to knit everything together.
Keep a dated photo of the layout with the tank's notes, so months later you can see how the planting filled in and remember which rock hides the filter intake. When everyone in the house can see that same layout on the tank's Family Sharing page in KinsLe, the person doing a Saturday water change knows exactly which pieces stay put and which plants get trimmed.