What would you do w/ 135g and unlimited Funds

[jThessin]

Hello all

I am buying a new 150 gallon in a few months and I'm looking for ideas for my 135.
Substrate will be Grey Coast crushed Coral and the tank background will be painted black.
Choose some fish and some deco's
Best idea WInS

Thanks
jim

 

[DepotFish]

Ok, this is my style. Most people prefer the natural look, but I prefer an artistic approach. I'd go for the most eye-popping, neon light type tank. First you need your black gravel and your plants. Clean cuts plants and some grass-like plants. Caves and hiding spots in a dark rock or ceramic. Then the fish. Of course you need complimentary colours so I'd do my favorites, blue and orange, to get the eye catching effect. For smaller schooling fish-orange mollies and swordtails, a school of blue and orange male fancy guppies though they might pick a bit at the other fish or get picked at. Then a few neon blue discus. A few spade tailed Apisto for variety and maybe blue ram. This is just my style though.

 

[Tiffi]

With the crushed corals as substrate I guess you want to have some African cichlids, since the corals will raise pH and kH?

I would get a pair of Ahl's Haplochromis, Auratus, Lombardoi,...?

Know what, look at Travis Simonson's Homepage or gallery. He's got a GREAT planted tank with rockwork etc. You have never seen something like that before!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The Auratus is pretty, but much too agressive for common Africans. If it were my tank (Hey, it practically is my tank ), I would go with Lake Malawi Mbuna. But that is only if you are using the crushed coral as a substrate. If you went with sand or river rocks, I would go with a big community tank with lots of small fish.

 

[Tiffi]

Yeah, I'd probably prefer the big community tank too, since dwarf cichlids can be just as pretty, you can keep more fish, shrimps etc.. Everything rounded up with black gravel instead and a lot of plants so the colors come out really nice !

 

[jThessin]

So far so good

Yeah I like the ideas so far but i will have to change the substrate to Black tahitian Moon sand because the 150 will have our current stock of africans transplanted to it. I would love to do a small planted( ie no co2 reactors and stuff just self sustaining) with large schools of fish running about. Keep up the good work guys!

Jim

 

[mrcrazypants05]

Unlimited funds, why not go for something more like a 200 gal? I've got a 125gal and this is what i would still do... unless I had knowledge of saltwater. Check out my signature down here...

 

[greenmaji]

unless I had knowledge of saltwater.

Is this statment my falt?

Its really up to you what you do with this tank.. CC will logicaly lead way to a hard water speces tank, if you reconsider your substrate material anything might be possible..

 

[afilter]

Unlimited funds?

Why are we discussing aquariums...what am I still doing at home with the wife and kids? Oh, was that my outside voice...sorry.

 

[jThessin]

A better explanation is appropriate

Sorry by unlimited funds I really meant it does'nt bother me to have to spend 100.00 on a fish. I'm looking for some exotic suggestions. The funds may be unlimited but the wife will only have so many tanks on a 2nd floor apartment!!! ( Even though it was quite easy to talk her into a 150...Hmmm!!) Also I have decided to change the substrate to Black Sand. Come on people give me some weird fish you wished you could have...the stranger the better! And i do appreciate the suggestions so far especially the large school theory!( Maybe Angels???)
Keep it up everyone your doing GRRRRREEAAATTTTT!!!!!!!

Thanks
Jim

 

[afilter]

If you want a true challenge and have the money I would look into a planted Discus tank. IMO these are the ultimate in fw fish. 6-8 adult discus with some schools of cardinals and maybe a pair or two of Rams would look awesome. You would want to go with a fertilized sand or small natural gravel substrate large pieces of drift wood and the plants.

Just a thought.

 

[Tiffi]

New idea:
I would go with a biotope tank. You could select one species as centerpiece fish, figure out where they come from and build the aquarium referring to their natural habiat. Get the plants that grow in that area, the rockwork or driftwook kind. You could go for example with: Colombia tank, Brazilian, Southeast Asia, Argentina, Cameroon, etc, etc.

 

[CompMage]

Fresh Water rays!!! Now that's something I would love to see!