LOW WIDE AQUARIUM

[G2-B]

This (2ndhand, good-as-new) aquarium is 48"L x 18"D x 16"H.
With UGF and gravel, there will be 10-12" of water.
That's about half the height of my other tanks.
I do have a cabinet that is just the right size for this tank.

Any suggestions how to make this look good?
What kind of fish would do well in such shallow water?
Just a few larger fish or many smaller ones?

 

[Andy Sager]

Decorate it like a river bed. If you do that and can keep the water cool/cold, there are a whole bunch of minnows, danios and dace that would do well in shallow water. You also have different cory cats that would do well in shallow water with plenty of swimming space. If the water is going to be on the warmer side, there are plenty of Tetras that are typically found in shallow water in the Amazon so add more low growing plants for them to hide around.
On a side note, I'd skip the UGF. They were a good idea at the time but they have a lot of downsides compared to today's filtration choices.

 

[G2-B]

Decorate it like a river bed.

Thanks.
I've looked up "big shallow" and "riverbed" aquariums" and a whole bunch of pictures came up. That is a whole new type of aquarium, very different from what I am used to, especially that they build above the water with many of them.

I'll check the dry riverbeds in the area to look for rocks and driftwood, see what I can come up with.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks.
I've looked up "big shallow" and "riverbed" aquariums" and a whole bunch of pictures came up. That is a whole new type of aquarium, very different from what I am used to, especially that they build above the water with many of them.

I'll check the dry riverbeds in the area to look for rocks and driftwood, see what I can come up with.

Yeah, I've had all kinds of setups in the past 60 years. The riverbed was one I did in NJ so I was able to get local fish for it. I mostly had Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) which turn a neat color during spawning season but you have a Darter ( greenthroat darter (Etheostoma lepidum) ) in New Mexico which turns really colorful when in spawning colors. If you are interested in others, there are some national groups that sell Darters, Dace and other minnows. Then again, there are plenty of other smaller fish species that can go in a riverbed scape.

 

[G2-B]

"Build it and they will come."
If only it were that easy, but I will have to build it first regardless.
I'll be looking at a lot of pictures and videos before I try this one though.