My Tanks (those of a begginner :o)

[mfdrookie516]

So here are a few pictures of my tanks... I have only been doing this for 2 months now, so im still new. I have around $150-$200 in everything, fish, tanks, filters, etc... I was just wondering if you all thought i had them set up ok, what needs to change, etc, etc, etc... now in one, you can see a cave that me and my fiance made out of 6" sewer pipe.. i have since added to it to make it somewhat nicer... the picture of it finished has the plants glued to it and slate glued to the back to make it more of a cave rather than a tunnel... im just not sure where to go from here... i see all the pretty ones on here of nice big rock formations in the middle, any ideas? and i know, im waiting on my background to come in for that one... ill have pics of my other tanks soon, batteries went dead in the camera...

 

[mfdrookie516]

and i forgot to mention... the one on the top left has mollies, neons, platys, guppies, and a kory catfish... the one on the right has bala sharks and some other catfish with a pointy nose... the one on the bottom left has my jack dempsey, convict, and 30 dempsy convict babies in it...

 

[spoonman]

Nice looking tanks rookie! Dont look like a beginner at all. Can tell you took alot of time and attention to detail. Very nice!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Thanks... i was kind of thinking they may look a little cluttered, but maybe not. I had a woman give me 3 full 5 gallon buckets and a big clothes hamper full of rock, not sure what all of it is, and decor and plants... gotta love craigslist.

 

[RazorbacksFan]

and i forgot to mention... the one on the top left has mollies, neons, platys, guppies, and a kory catfish... the one on the right has bala sharks and some other catfish with a pointy nose... the one on the bottom left has my jack dempsey, convict, and 30 dempsy convict babies in it...

All of them look really good. One little tip is instead of the pvc covered in rocks use a terra cotta planting pot split in half and then glue the rocks on it makes a great cave that looks natural on the inside too. Also try to grab more cory cats they like to be in groups of at least 5.

Thanks... i was kind of thinking they may look a little cluttered, but maybe not. I had a woman give me 3 full 5 gallon buckets and a big clothes hamper full of rock, not sure what all of it is, and decor and plants... gotta love craigslist.

Doesn't look cluttered to me, looks great.

 

[HN1]

They definitely look a lot better than my early tanks!

One thing, be careful with that smooth river rock in the tank pictured on bottom left. I used it for awhile and it was TERRIBLE about trapping debris. Make sure that you're doing really good vacs.

 

[mcgrady7761]

the tank on the left looks real nice. not so sure about the gravel ont he right one, but its all opinion. nice tanks though all in all. what do u have as filtration?

 

[thominil]

Tanks look great! I would consider swapping that neon gravel out for something more pleasing to the eye (JMO).

 

[mfdrookie516]

i like the more natural look of the pea gravel myself, but being as how my fiance isnt real happy about having all the aquariums in our house, i let her do whatever she wants with hers, which is the one on the right. she likes the pink and blue gravel.... and she likes the bala sharks.. if it wasnt for that, i would have either that same pea gravel or sand... ive been thinking about putting sand in one of mine, ive heard cichlids like sand better... i just cant right now because of the babies (they take FOREVER to catch) so as soon as they get bigger, ill probably change that one over to pool filter sand... also i got some new babies last night... a guy had 14 dalmation molly babies for free on craigslist, and i couldnt resist

 

[mfdrookie516]

All of them look really good. One little tip is instead of the pvc covered in rocks use a terra cotta planting pot split in half and then glue the rocks on it makes a great cave that looks natural on the inside too. Also try to grab more cory cats they like to be in groups of at least 5.

thanks, i hadnt heard that one... ill have to get a couple and try that out... and as far as the cory cats go, how many should i get?

 

[RazorbacksFan]

All of them look really good. One little tip is instead of the pvc covered in rocks use a terra cotta planting pot split in half and then glue the rocks on it makes a great cave that looks natural on the inside too. Also try to grab more cory cats they like to be in groups of at least 5.

thanks, i hadnt heard that one... ill have to get a couple and try that out... and as far as the cory cats go, how many should i get?

I would grab at least 5 or 6 trust me you won't regret it they are extremely fun to watch in a group they shoal together. As far as the pot thing I can post up pictures of one I made, I really like how it looks.

 

[mfdrookie516]

awesome... yeah are you talking about the clay ones? my grandmother has millions of clay pots in the barn ranging from 4-6"... if thats the case i can get some easy... i didnt know how clay would do in an aquarium... i know to stay away from limestone... btw heres a picture of an aquarium im thinking of getting... the woman is asking $100 obo... its 185 gallons... thought id see if it was a good deal.. just the stand, tank, and canopy...

 

[RazorbacksFan]

awesome... yeah are you talking about the clay ones? my grandmother has millions of clay pots in the barn ranging from 4-6"... if thats the case i can get some easy... i didnt know how clay would do in an aquarium... i know to stay away from limestone... btw heres a picture of an aquarium im thinking of getting... the woman is asking $100 obo... its 185 gallons... thought id see if it was a good deal.. just the stand, tank, and canopy...

Yeah and they are perfectly safe in the aquarium as long as they are the natural finish ones (rough texture dull color) you do not want to use glazed ones though from what I've read. I've never seen one shaped like that looks like a home built deal if it's acrylic make sure the seams are solvent bonded and not siliconed. I would also be sure to test for the leaks big time, I have trouble trusting anything home built I did not have a part in building. I don't leaving the fate of my floors being flooded by 185 gallons of water and the possible loss of all the live stock to some one who didn't take the time to do things right.

 

[mfdrookie516]

it supposedly was custom built by a manufacturer... i havent looked at it, and i had never seen one shaped like that either...its 6 feel long by 4 feet deep... according to her measurements... i want to look at it, but im hesitant because of the shape.. i like the rectangular or bowfronts, but for $100 its hard to pass it up