Thanks! No, I'm too chicken to go for live plants at this point, but my goal was for the tank to look as natural as possible. In the pictures, it's really difficult to tell which plants are part of the tank, and which ones are only in the backdrop. The large, bushy one in the center that extends all the way to the top and has some floating branches is obviously part of my "plastic garden." Same with the matching tall plants in each back corner (behind the left flower pot and the right side driftwood). The foreground ones are easier to spot. The rest are backdrop.
My heater is mostly hidden behind the big bushy one in the middle. It is horizontal, about 4-5 inches above gravel, and close enough to the filter intake for water movement to distribute the heat. I would like to hide the filter intake somewhat, but don't think that is really possible without possibly obstructing it somewhat. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the look. My only small regret is going with the medium sized, light colored gravel. Looking back, I wish I had gone with the small, dark brown instead. Otherwise, I'm pleased. Now I just need fish! I'm hoping to add some at the end of the weekend when I get back from my next trip (I take short trips a lot for work...at least lately). My wife is going to dose the ammonia every day while I'm gone to keep the cycle going, and I think I should be ready by Sunday when I return.
