Help me scape a tank!

[Alyxx]

So, I've got this guy coming to me real soon. I've got a 10 gallon cycled for him, but it is a bare tank. This guy deserves better than that!

I want the tank to be planted, and I'm thinking about a red background. Black just won't work for this guy. He would disappear! Same for my usual black blasting sand substrate. I have plenty of small driftwood pieces to use. I'm not sure what I want to use for substrate. I don't want to buy a giant bag of sand for this tank, so I don't think I'll be doing pool filter sand. I'm thinking about some pure white sand if I can find it. Give me some ideas!



Edit- just had an idea. White background with white sand. So what do you think? Red and kind of zen-like since he is a ninja fish, or stark white for ultimate contrast? Or some other idea?

 

[molliwopp]

White sand looks nice but i would imagine it would be a Terror to keep white and would stain extremely easily.

 

[Autumnsky]

CarribSea has SuperNaturals and the white sand is beautiful. Petsmart has it most of the time. The best Filter I have found for the Sand is the Aqueon hob. I have burned out at least two others in just a few months!

Something I just did today was take a pic of my little tank and sitting behind it was the lid from my Edge tank, and it is like a stainless steel mesh. It looked pretty cool.

With his color, maybe you can find a copper mesh or just stainless steel.

Hardware and big box building stores also have metal in cool patterns near the screen door parts area, also sometimes near welding stuff, and other areas too I am sure.

Pretty fish!

The sand is hard to keep clean. Mine was perfect when it wasn't planted with real plants, after the real plants it has been a huge pain to stay clean.

Also I have black sand too and it gets little particles in the vacuum wand and then into the white sand, so it would be good for the white sand to only have a vacuum for it. Initially I picked out every grain, LOL then I gave up! hahaha

I am going to get Garnet sand, it is a sand blasting sand from sand blasting supply stores comes in small gravel size to very fine sand. There are different colors because they come from different rivers, purple grey pinkish grains and then mostly sunset colors, dark garnet red/ red amber grey black.

Looks different and beautiful. Will actually be picking it up after next week.

The big supply store is far away but they have all kinds of sands, with little samples so you can see the color shape/size of the sand for sand blasting!

Have fun!

I know you said no big bags, but they are 50lbs. usually, our are 18.95.


Petco in our area has a grey sand on sale and also the desert sunset orange in the pic on sale clearance half price, 2.49 for the 5lb. Probably see it online. Bigger bag 15 lb, not sure how much.

 

[Alyxx]

I love the idea of a garnet sand. I was kind of thinking about red gravel but I really prefer sand. No worries about the filter, though, I'm using a sponge filter on this tank. I love the metal background idea, though. Might have to check tractor supply company, I know they sell sheet metal although I'm not sure that they carry blasting grit other than the black. The only reason I don't really want a big bag is storage - I already have half a bag of the black blasting sand lying around! I could do metallic silver paint If i cant find metal I like. So many choices! I'm making a trip to my LFS tomorrow so I can see what she has / can order. I know she carries a few of the caribsea sands. I love having a good relationship with my LFS owner.

 

[Autumnsky]

Sounds like FUN!!!

I love the idea of a garnet sand. I was kind of thinking about red gravel but I really prefer sand. No worries about the filter, though, I'm using a sponge filter on this tank. I love the metal background idea, though. Might have to check tractor supply company, I know they sell sheet metal although I'm not sure that they carry blasting grit other than the black. The only reason I don't really want a big bag is storage - I already have half a bag of the black blasting sand lying around! I could do metallic silver paint If i cant find metal I like. So many choices! I'm making a trip to my LFS tomorrow so I can see what she has / can order. I know she carries a few of the caribsea sands. I love having a good relationship with my LFS owner.

 

[Alyxx]

I'm starting to lean towards a pearly white maybe with silver swirled in for the background, white sand with some red gravel scattered through it, and some mossy driftwood. I think that would really make his black color pop. Thoughts?

 

[Autumnsky]

Also I saw a wave style looking background possibility in using the
Genesis 2 ft. x 2 ft. Drifts White Ceiling Tile-751-00 at The Home Depot

That one is white as you said white.

There is also a 18"x24" plastic faux tin ceiling tile which looks alot like metal, stainless looking...

All this has caused me to want a new really awesome background!!!

 

[Alyxx]

That ceiling tile is awesome! I think I'm going for a look like that, but with paint. My LFS has white sand coming in Friday for me, too. Going to start painting tomorrow. I think I'm going to put this cool piece of driftwood with a big hole in the center of it as a centerpiece.

 

[Autumnsky]

That ceiling tile is awesome! I think I'm going for a look like that, but with paint. My LFS has white sand coming in Friday for me, too. Going to start painting tomorrow. I think I'm going to put this cool piece of driftwood with a big hole in the center of it as a centerpiece.

There is no pic if you meant to put one in for driftwood!?!

Sounds pretty!

 

[Alyxx]

I don't have a pic of it at the moment. It's in my main tank for now, as all the driftwood I got recently has just been dropped in as it sinks. No use getting it waterlogged and then letting it dry back out. Not sure what I'm doing with all if it yet, but it's kind of in a pile in the tank. So I have a lot of scaping to do this week. Fun!

 

[Alyxx]

Heres the progress so far. Sent my boyfriend to get silver fabric paint and he came back with acrylic. I put it in a squeeze bottle but its coming out thicker than I imagined and drippy. What do you guys think? I'm considering just washing it off and starting over again.



Edit - I scrapped it. Afte watching it drip and drip, I just wiped it all away. Trying this again!

 

[Alyxx]

In the process of getting the white on now. Two layers in, and it's looking like maybe two more will do the trick

 

[Alyxx]

In the process of getting the white on now. Two layers in, and it's looking like maybe two more will do the trick

Two more coats on, and it looks like I will be needing some more

 

[molliwopp]

Looked pretty kool before. You gonna upload a pic after?

 

[Alyxx]

There it is! Ill post a better one when I get it on the stand with the light on it. I liked what I did with it before, but it was just so drippy. Not five minutes after I took the last picture it had dripped to the point where the design was overwhelmed by the drips. Now I'm just putting a few more coats of white on so it looks nice and even. I just put some light silver streaks in under the white.

 

[Alyxx]

I realized I never posted a picture of the final product!





There it is, with Lucky the red betta in there as the temporary resident. The black betta will be arriving in a little over a week.