Pics of my tank i need to design it now! Any suggestions?

[Satsumas]

The Story
My brother has a tank that was sitting in the garden disused and dirty.
I decided that i wanted to completely re-design my tank so i cleaned his tank up and got it ready to temporarily keep my fish in. This was done over the weekend of the 19th and 20th November and on the 21st we transported my fish into his tank and there all fine and seem to be loving the new home.

My Problem
I wasnt that satisfied with my tank and realised i had the chance of a clean slate and a fresh start. Looking at some of the pictures of planted tanks that influenced me and inspired me into making the best of my tank by heavily planting it. This idea is only a slight possibility now though as none of the lfs's round here sell moss or any wide range of plants i would have to buy them from a different country and check with my government that its ok to ship them over etc...
I want to completely change everything especially the gravel! My gravel is blue and looks un-natural, stains easily and was chosen out of a short choice and wasnt related to any design i had in mind. I've seen sand and that looks pretty good although whats the plant situation with sand? any different to gravel?

I think i have a really great chance of designing my tank not many people have this opportunity and i really want to grab it with both hands and make the most of it. I just want to be at ease with my tank, not keep thinking how i can make it better and not keep seeing decoration or other tanks that make me dissatisfied. I'd like it to be my own design and make it unique so i know asking for help on the design must seem like a contradiction but im only asking for ideas to help me choose a style of design or help me create my own style using other styles.

If anyone has any mistakes they made, ideas, suggestions or things they would have done differently when they first got there tanks if you could tell me or advise me to do it the right way i would be gratefull.

Thankyou for your time reading this thread!

 

[Meredith]

I would definitely go with sand. I like it a lot better than gravel. I have some that I bought from the lfs, tahitian moon sand, its black and it looks really great. I also have play sand which is way cheaper than the stuff you get at the lfs, and its a natural tannish color. I do also have plants in the sand, and aside from not having enough light, they are doing pretty well.

 

[Satsumas]

The black sand sounds really good. I've heard its really quite striking. It must contrast with lush green plants aswell which sounds good.

Definately consider tahitian moon sand.

Thanks

 

[czcz]

Get more anubias. They are interesting, flower, relatively slow growers, and undemanding. You can do some cool stuff in integrating them with decorations too. Check out Menageries gallery if you have not already.

 

[Guest]

looks awesome!!!

 

[Satsumas]

looks awesome!!!

Lol which tank? My brothers yeah?

Get more anubias. They are interesting, flower, relatively slow growers, and undemanding. You can do some cool stuff in integrating them with decorations too. Check out Menageries gallery if you have not already.

I looked on the tropica website and saw the plant and wood integration's they sell.
Then i went to the lfs, saw clown pleco's that i had seen before but werent for sale. Bought a clown pleco and driftwood knowing that my anubia has a very large root stock that i should definately be able to grow over the driftwood.

 

[Guest]

oh im sorry i didn't look close enough, i thought it was a before and after picture

 

[Satsumas]

Oh lol. No. my tank is empty as all my decor and fish are in my brothers tank.

 

[Guest]

oh!!! LOL.. well i like your brothers tank.

 

[Satsumas]

lol. yeah its not bad for a temporary dumping zone.

 

[Satsumas]

Right, lets not sway from the main talking point lol

Any more suggestions if people have any please?

 

[pjos11]

I`m new to this but I heard that having sand instead of gravel is harder to maintain. For instance when siphoning sand can get sucked up and out of the tank.

 

[severum mama]

Well, sand can get sucked up through the gravel vac, but it is never very much if you're careful. Out of my 8 tanks, 3 of them have pool filter sand as the substrate and I really like the way it looks. You can clean the tank by hovering the gravel vac above the sand and swishing it around until the detritus gets sucked up. It's really not hard to maintain. I keep low light plants with the sand and they grow just fine. Plus, your yo yo loaches will love it! I just moved mine from a gravel tank to a sand tank and they really seem to enjoy it. If you like the Tahitian Moon sand, then go for it. Otherwise, the pool filter sand is much cheaper.

Are you able to find java fern where you live? You can clip the roots and use a rubber band or thread to tie it to a piece of driftwood, and eventually the java fern will attach itself to the wood. It's really a nice effect once the java fern grows all over the wood.

 

[Satsumas]

Yeah i do really like the Tahitian Moon sand, i think it will look great. Thats a bonus that my yoyo's will like it! It's a shame i cant get hold of any moss because i would love to grow it on the back of my colloseum ruin and have it hanging over the top so you can see it from the front. I think that would look awesome.

There's no moss in any of my 3 fish stores! Where i live there is no fish store in my town. But where i go to school 'Ramsey' there is one. And there's a very big town almost a city about 12 miles away 'Huntingdon' and there's 2 there. I looked at Ramsey and there was none. Then i went to Huntingdon and looked in the first store, they had more plants than ramsey but still no moss. I asked someone that works there if they had any and he said no. Then i went into the second fish store, better equipment like nets, lights, more water treatments like melafix. Which i never saw before, lots of different plants to the other 2 store's but still no moss. I think i will have to ask at 1 of the stores to order some in.

I've got a day off school today as i have no lessons. I want to spend it doing something to the 2 tanks. I bought some Melafix when i was in Huntingdon. My betta and now a danio have tail rot. I looked at the instructions and it says add 5ml for every 40l of water. Repeat dose daily for 7 days followed by a 25% water change. Do i do the water change everyday for 7 days or do i do it after the 7 days? Also it says remove activated carbon if possible. Well its not really possible with this Juwel filter, also i dont trust myself taking anything out of the filter's when adding treatment. Im thinking the melfafix will work fine if the carbon is still in the tank?

 

[BrianNY]

Off topic. Huntingdon. I had a flashback to the book "Lord of the Flies". One of the main characters gave a history of how this town got it's name. Funny what one recollects. LOL

Back on topic. As your still in school, and don't have alot of plant choices locally, it makes sense to work with what is readily available. I notice in your tank now that you've anubias and val. I'm curious to hear what other plants are easily obtainable. Then it would be easier to give you some thoughts on tank design.

 

[Satsumas]

Lol.

Yeah i have been working with what is readily available to me, i just feel my tank can be a lot nicer. There are quite a few choices of plants available to me, my guess is there mostly easy to maintain and care for as there all in the same tank which looks like every other tank ive seen before, no execcise bright lights.

There are 2 tall, leggy plants in my brothers tank, a small/med sized green plant with small leaves and a red/green plant with thing, long sword-like leaves. You cant really see them that well from the picture. There's no labels on the plants so i dont know what there called.

Im thinking i'd like a nicely planted tank. Tall leggy plants at the back, medium sized plants like my anubias in the middle that flower or that i can grow over driftwood or rocks to act as a centre piece.
And small plants at the front of the tank. I think i once had an amazon sword tail plant at the back and i really liked it, it also loved my tank, really lush green, broad leaves. My pleco also loved it though! I wouldnt mind if he ate algae off of plants but if he eats the plant then i think i'll have to remove him!

 

[Satsumas]

Right, I just found the latin names for some of my plants that are temporarily in my brothers tank.

Alternanthera reineckii - im 90% sure thats the name of the red/green leaved plant with sword shaped leaves.

Vallisneria spiralis - again 90% sure thats the name of the long leggy plant.

Bacopa caroliniana - pretty sure thats the name of the small leaved plant, med sized plant.

If correct which i think they are then these are what i already have. I can and probably will go out and buy some more plants ot fill my tank up a bit more.
I'd like some small plants that are easy/med to look after and stay small.
saying that i have only really had that anubias and thats "Super hardy"

 

[severum mama]

Treat with Melafix every day for 7 days, and then do a water change. I've treated with the carbon in the filter before (it was in the cartridge, like yours) and it still worked. Good luck with the tail rot.

 

[snorkel]

I would definitely go with sand. I like it a lot better than gravel. I have some that I bought from the lfs, tahitian moon sand, its black and it looks really great. I also have play sand which is way cheaper than the stuff you get at the lfs, and its a natural tannish color. I do also have plants in the sand, and aside from not having enough light, they are doing pretty well.

Check out Red Flint Sand and gravel at:
www.redflint.com
You can get it at most sand blasting and filter supply places.
I get mine at Garnet Sand Blasting and Filter supply in Milwaukee.
you can get it in just about any size. I got 200 pounds of .80 sand which is like a fine micro gravel for 20 dollars and it looks great.

 

[Satsumas]

http://www.redflint.com/aquarium_sand.htm

That looks pretty good actually, although im not sure my Huntingdon store has that.
I think they might have got more gravel in stock since i last looked in the gravel section.

Im going there tonight to pick up a "Echinodoras quadricostatus, commonly known as pigmy chain sword" Well thats what the reply e-mail i got said. Also he said they do have black sand in stock, not tahitian moon sand but he said we have black sand. He also said that they can order in java moss although it will take a fortnight!

I think i'll try and find some more driftood aswell.