My ugly tanks.

[mommy1]

Just to show FishDan I am not a liar, I am going to risk all credibility as a good fish keeper and show you my ugly tanks. Keep in mind I am in the process of tearing them all down and rescaping for different fish. Plants have been ripped out and given away and of course I didn't clean the glass before I took these pictures. Please be kind.

Here is a thread I started on the 120g a while back. I didn't bother taking a new picture just now because it still looks basically the same. The only difference is the fish move the big piece of driftwood from side to side as they see fit.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...769&highlight=

My ugly 65g with all but one plant ripped out. The only fish left in this tank is a Panaqolus Maccus. He is the only fish I am keeping for this tank. This tank has been set up for a while but as you can see the driftwood is still releasing a bit of tannins.



And finally, the tank I am never happy with, the 29g. This tank has been torn down and rescaped more than any tank I have ever owned. There are only two brichardi fry I can't find a home for and another Panaqolus Maccus which will be moved to another tank when all is said and done.



The tanks are ugly, but the water is clean, even if the glass isn't and the fish are healthy... Anyone want some brichardi fry and a crazy Texas Cichlid pair?

[KevinVA]

lol, Mom, it appears your fish have their mother's personality. ;P In all seriousness, your 120gal has looked great several times. =] It's too bad your fish won't allow you to scape anything.

Also, if I had the room for Brichardi, I wouldn't mind trying them out, but I don't... so, sorry. lol

[mommy1]

It's too bad your fish won't allow you to scape anything.

This is part of the reason I am getting rid of them. That and I am tired of them spawning every three weeks.
Yes, they are just as hard headed and grumpy as I am.

[Azurescriber]

I like the driftwood in the first one...with plants (like you said you had before), I think it is very passable. :)

Maybe the mix of dark driftwood and light rocks in the second tank is part of the problem.

[mommy1]

You could be right Azurescriber. I'm never happy with that tank. I get it all set up and think it's great and two or three months go by and I hate it again.

[mommy1]

My tanks are so ugly they killed the forum. Soon I am going to start on the 65. I thought about many different fish to put in there, from African cichlids (which is why I got rid of the plants) to a couple schools of medium sized tetra. I finally decided to get the angel fish from angels plus I have wanted for a very long time. So I will tear it down and give the glass a good cleaning and replant. I know it looks horrible at this point but it's mostly the glass. With just one nocturnal fish I next to never see I just quit cleaning the glass.

[KevinVA]

I really do like that driftwood in the 65 and your 120. Very cool pieces. You don't really need plants in that first one to make it pop. The driftwood are the features. You could probably throw some leaf litter in there and Amazon Frogbit and it'd look pretty nice (after a good cleaning, of course). The frogbit would shoot their roots/runners down and create a pretty cool canopy. I've wanted to do that with a big piece of driftwood in the middle of the tank (like a tall stump that arcs up and reaches out of the surface of the water, surrounded by frogbit at the top). Meanwhile, you could throw some Amazon Swords in a couple of spots and call it a day.

[KevinVA]

My tanks are so ugly they killed the forum. Soon I am going to start on the 65. I thought about many different fish to put in there, from African cichlids (which is why I got rid of the plants) to a couple schools of medium sized tetra. I finally decided to get the angel fish from angels plus I have wanted for a very long time. So I will tear it down and give the glass a good cleaning and replant. I know it looks horrible at this point but it's mostly the glass. With just one nocturnal fish I next to never see I just quit cleaning the glass.

And angels are what I would put in the aforementioned tank. =]

[Andrews]

What's the ph in your brichardi tank?

[mommy1]

The pH is 7.8 and the hardness is 322ppm I believe.