Tank Design

[owen0992]

So I'm heading to college in 5 months and won't be able to bring my 50 gallon tank with me . Since I can't take care of it my mother has to and she isn't too fond of having to take care of tanks. So I'm trying to make my tank as low maintenance as possible for her. My stock is low with just 5 zebra danios and 3 mollies so water changes will be small or just less often. What I'm thinking of doing is taking the sand substrate out and leaving the tank with a bare bottom so cleanup is easy to vacuum. Do you guys think a couple big pieces of driftwood with a bunch of anubias tied to it would look cool? I've never seen bare bottom tanks with driftwood so I'm apprehensive about committing to buying the driftwood. Do any of you guys have pictures of such a type of tank?

 

[Coyne]

Who will be there to see it?

 

[owen0992]

I'll be there around one weekend a month and I'll be home over winter and summer breaks, so I still want it to look good for when I am home. Besides that, maybe I can get my mom more into tanks if she likes how this one looks while she's caring for it.

 

[Rodeo one]

Hi Owen, this may be silly but here goes.... I put my fish into a holding tank last week while I changed out the substrate in their tank. Since there was nothing in the holding tank, the fish were 'mirrored ' on the bottom. I think it kinda freaked them out, especially the Cories. I know a lot of people have bare bottom tanks tho, and it would be def easier to clean. I like the DW idea. And maybe not all tank bottoms are mirrored. Pretty sure the tank they came out if isn t. Good luck at school & hope your mom does ok taking care of them. Tell her I kept & cared for my son s 4 ft snake while he was in college for 2 years!

 

[Cactuspixie]

Hi Owen, this may be silly but here goes.... I put my fish into a holding tank last week while I changed out the substrate in their tank. Since there was nothing in the holding tank, the fish were 'mirrored ' on the bottom. I think it kinda freaked them out, especially the Cories. I

Same here- my plecos freaked out- suddenly everywhere they looked they saw another pleco!

My comets love it- they glide along it looking for scraps of food.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Owen, that tank is so under stocked I don't think you'll have a problem. Do you think (provided your mum can refrain from over feeding) that
it could go two weeks without a vacuum? That way your mum would only need to do it once a month and you could do it again on the weekend you are back home.

 

[owen0992]

Owen, that tank is so under stocked I don't think you'll have a problem. Do you think (provided your mum can refrain from over feeding) that
it could go two weeks without a vacuum? That way your mum would only need to do it once a month and you could do it again on the weekend you are back home.

That is what I was hoping to be able to do with this low stocking. It's sooo hard to stop myself from making this tank fully stocked again. MTS is a hard thing to fight. I think I'll go ahead and remove the sand this week and give them a few days to get used to more reflections before I decide whether or not to put the substrate back in. I honestly think the only fish who will be upset is my male molly, everyone else will enjoy the illusion of more.