Decorating my tank

[Jazz_]

I recently "inherited" a 4-foot long aquarium and before I start buying fishes, I would like to have a nice decor in it. Maybe a theme or something?!

Do you have ideas? I'd like a good looking aquarium but that won't cost me thousands of dollars.

I have searched the Net but couldn't find much...

Thanks.

[Rue]

...congrats on your tank! Such a great size to start with!:19:

Before you do anything...decide what kind of fish you like the most...that will to some extent dictate your set-up...

I prefer the natural look...stones, driftwood, brown gravel, live plants (not always possible though, depending on the fish)...

Also remember the key to a successful tank is research and patience...don't rush it...

[gm72]

Rue is so right. Be patient and be sure to fully research the fish you want to keep. DO NOT just take the word of the people at the fish store, they are often just there for a job, not because they understand fish or fish keeping. Also, go with a fishless cycle. It is by far the best way to establish a tank. Your fish will thank you for it in the long run and you will encounter far fewer problems during the cycle.

Decoration of an aquarium is an individualized affair. Some people like the natural look, myself typically included. I also have a gargoyle-themed tank, and my daughter's 35 gallon has ultra-colorful gravel, a dolphin air decoration, etc. Fun is fun and it can be anything you like.

Go here to see a great variety of tank setups with both real and artificial plants.

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/

[dev]

Try searching for "aquascaping". That should give you tons of stuff to look at for inspiration :)

[gm72]

Also consider just browsing an online shop such as the one below (no affiliation with Big Al's other than being a happy customer) to see what kinds of decorations are available.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/

[Jazz_]

Thanks for the information. I am still not sure on which fishes to go with... I thought maybe some of these (of course I have to check the sizes before deciding but this is a wish list):

Rosy and/or gold barbs
Pictus polka-dot catfish
Pearl Cichlid, green severum or ***my favorite*** blood parrot cichlid
Dwarf or pearl gouramis
Clown loaches
Red tail or tricolor shark
Black tetras
Chinese algae eaters
Silver dollars

Any thoughts?

[cocoa_pleco]

the blood parrot might get aggressive, but severums are friendly for the most part

[dev]

The chinese algae eaters (assuming this is Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) are quite active and can be aggressive. Any quiet fish like gouramies might not appreciate that.

[Rue]

Good start!

A lot of the fish you posted aren't compatible.

Cichlids need a cichlid tank...and even then, you have to be very careful what kinds you mix together.

You can have some of the others together, since your tank is big enough, but not all.

If the blood parrots are your favourites, set up the tank for them. Silver dollars (at least 3) will go well with them...and you can likely have your clown loaches and 1 red-tailed black shark as well. And I think that would be it.

[gm72]

Research size, temperament, water condition requirements, and compatible tankmates and you're off to a good start.

[troy]

That should be one cool tank no matter what you do.

[dev]

I'm not familiar with these standard sized tanks. How big is a four feet tank? 65 gallon?

[YaYgoldFish]

If your tank is 65+ gallons, you could go with an aggressive tank or cichlid tank. Those two are my favorites because for the cichlids, they look nice and have different personalities, some are even really smart( Jack Dempseys, Oscars, etc) For the aggressive, I've always lied the black background and gravel to make it a darker tank with (what i have: Barracuadas) fish eating machines with a few tinfoil barbs. If you did have that dark of a tank, your black tail red shark would look amazing once it got bigger. It's a personal thing tho. Some people like colorful, some darker, it kind of reflects on your personality. ( no im not gothic lol)

[Jazz_]

Thanks for the info. I do have to say I was a bit discouraged yesterday when I saw Rue's message. Those fishes were supposed to behave well together. I had this list from a "professional" proposing a few communities and all you had to do was pick breeds in that listing... I guess I'll have to triple check everything.

P, even though I sometimes have a darker side too, I don't think I'll going for a dark tank. I would be afraid Oscars would get too big. I'm more into a lot of small different fishes than a few big fishes at least for my first tank. Maybe there's a way around that but I just don't know.

For now, I would picture a dark background, a nice mix of artificial plants ('cause I don't trust natural plants in petstores around - they are always full of snails and seem sick), rocks and wood and different breeds of colorful fishes.

[Rue]

I'm not familiar with these standard sized tanks. How big is a four feet tank? 65 gallon?

Standard 4' tanks will be 55g, 75g or 90g depending on width and height.

[Rue]

Thanks for the info. I do have to say I was a bit discouraged yesterday when I saw Rue's message. Those fishes were supposed to behave well together. I had this list from a "professional" proposing a few communities and all you had to do was pick breeds in that listing... I guess I'll have to triple check everything.

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be discouraging! I just want people to have a successful tank to start with!

Once you get some experience you can attempt to mix different species together that aren't nec. recommended - often times they might do well if they have enough space. For example, I have 1 male betta and 3 females in my 25g community tank. They're fine. And it's not a 'recommended' mix...but in this case 25g gives them enough room...

[shockshockshad]

If your tank is a 55 gallon, scroll down to the bottom of this page and there are some examples for a 30-55 gallon aquarium.

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquarium/selecting.php

[*Sarah*]

You can keep a Severum, Silver Dollars, and probably some barbs together in one tank. I would think they'd be fine. I have the dollars, severum, bosemani rainbows, neons, a common pleco, and clown loaches all together in my 100g and all is well.

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, old thread

[frontrunner]

I did not expect I would get so much help here. Well I was having the same queries as the first poster asked here. Got a huge tank for myself but then was short of ideas in decorating the same. Now that am equipped with information I think my aquarium would be something that not many people would have seen. This would come as a double benefit for me as I have also shifted my apartment to a new one. Thanks a lot for the helpful information.

[gm72]

lol, old thread

I think you search for these old threads that are opened up, don't you! :c1:

[cocoa_pleco]

I think you search for these old threads that are opened up, don't you! :c1:


lol, cocoa_pleco, old thread bounty hunter!:hmm3grin2orange:

[CAF]

Sure guys get me all excited about talking scaping...::sigh::

Alright whatever... ::wanders off muttering about tweezers and hairgrass not staying place and rocks that keep moving into the sand stream and....::