20g long New Year's redesign

[SkarloeysMom]

I got some work done today on the redesign. I still want to add one more piece of mopani wood that's still soaking but I like it so far. I'm doing this redesign in anticipation of adding a couple of Microgeophagus ramirezi soon. I'm hoping to add some new plants in here and there and slowing replace fake plants. So here's the rev. 1 design:
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Which I changed up a little and here's rev. 2
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and here's the old look just so you can see the change
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[MeganL3985]

Wow, that looks great! :)

[gm72]

Nice, very, very nice!

[YaYgoldFish]

Looks great!

[SkarloeysMom]

Thanks y'all!

Which rev. of the new design do you like best? 1 or 2?

[gm72]

1 vs. 2 is a toss-up for me, honestly.

[snipers_den]

that is a really sweet looking set up you have going on

[blu]

it looks very nice..both setups look great. Did you have any problems keeping the gravel separated from the sand?

[SkarloeysMom]

it looks very nice..both setups look great. Did you have any problems keeping the gravel separated from the sand?

Thanks! Glad to hear y'all like it so much.

No, I didn't have too much trouble keeping sand and gravel separated. I used this straining spoon thing that was about 4" in diameter to dig out the gravel and shook out the sand on the sand side as I went along . Then when I added the sand I just added it all right up against the right side glass. After it was all in a really slowly spread it over towards the gravel. It stayed pretty well separated. Once you put the rocks in over the transition though the separation doesn't matter much.

[KcEE]

WOW! Really nice! I like both the setups! Good job! thumbs2:

[hpt84]

Wow beautiful. I was thinking of having gravel and sand in my 55g. Now that I see your work, I'm definitely going to do that.

[Incredulous_Ed]

Amazing! I love the rock pile in the middle!

[tropfish]

lookin' really good!

[fins_n_fur]

Looking good! I like the substrate line...it looks more natural and organic than the first version. Are you going to keep the background that you have currently? I'm just wondering if a different background will make everything in the tank "pop" (LOL I watched way too much HGTV last time I was in the States) Good luck with the live plants!

[Dave66]

Very very nice, mom!

Dave

[Lady Hobbs]

Looks very nice my dear.

[SkarloeysMom]

Thanks y'all!

Are you going to keep the background that you have currently? I'm just wondering if a different background will make everything in the tank "pop" (LOL I watched way too much HGTV last time I was in the States) Good luck with the live plants!

I'm a little attached to the background because my 4 year old son and I painted it together with watercolors when he was only 3. But I am probably going to tape a black trash bag to the back of the tank to get an idea how the black background will look. I do like the look of black backgrounds.

[Tolley]

Think it looks great!!! I like the current background, i dunno why jus makes it look cool.

[fins_n_fur]

Thanks y'all!



I'm a little attached to the background because my 4 year old son and I painted it together with watercolors when he was only 3. But I am probably going to tape a black trash bag to the back of the tank to get an idea how the black background will look. I do like the look of black backgrounds.


Why not frame the background that you and your son did and hang on the wall near the tank? That way it's safe if you want to use it again and not rolled up and stuck in a closet somewhere. Black could be interesting but so could some of the 3D type light coloured rock formations that you glue to the inside of the tank (or similar poster to attach to the back if you got the water in already). Only a thought. I love a Mum's sentimentality--it's sweet.

[SkarloeysMom]

Why not frame the background that you and your son did and hang on the wall near the tank? Only a thought. I love a Mum's sentimentality--it's sweet.

And a good thought too! I will probably try to get that done soon before the background does end up lost in the back of a closet. How did you know we lost things in our closets! ;-)

[fins_n_fur]

LOL I know because I lose stuff in closets, and certainly my mother has lost lots of things in closets. I just cleaned the small closet space under my stairs...oh, that's where <<insert missing item>> was...as well as all of the stuff that you forgot you had LOL