Here's my tank, and I dont like it. Suggestions welcomed.

[nurburgring]

Hello Guys,

I'm pretty new to this forum, so let me take this opportunity to introduce my tank. At the same time, I would appreciate some input on its aesthetics. As it stands, I do not like the design and I have been tinkering with it to no avail. I still dont like it. Input will be appreciated. It is a 40gallon tank filtered by a Eheim 2222 professional and a 1100L/hr powerhead with prefilter added.

http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/49949658.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/49949664.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/49949666.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/49949661.jpg

I hoped u enjoyed these images I hope to hear from u soon.

[Dangerdoll]

I dunno, I like the set up. Let's see... if it were me though, I might do something different with the wood but I see as it may be some kind of comfort structure for the fish..... maybe lie it down in the center of the tank toward the front?

[FishFreak101]

HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that sencond pic down looks like my unknown cichlid a little! What kind of fish is that?????? and your tank looks really, really nice!

[sumthin fishy]

Mabey turn that red rock a bit. From this photo, left side to front, right side to back. This will give more of an open space in the middle. And add a plant or two to the right side. You don't really need to do either of those, as the tank looks really good as is, but those are just suguestions. Sometime little 1" changes can make a big difference in the way things look.

[wataugachicken]

I would go with some taller plants on the sides, and maybe replace the wood with a piece a little sturdier and more textured. wood with character. possibly a couple more large smooth stones to replace that element of "roundness" that will be lost with a different pice of wood. your plants seem to be anchored to it nicely though, hopefully you could do the same thing with another piece.

[scholar]

I like the set up. On the side, you mayw ant to buy those plasticwalls with holes. it provides excellent resting place for smaller fish given that it is only 40G. If you could build a high ridge in the middle. It also will please the fish as they will swim up and feel more space. :)

[mooman]

Think of your tank as a photograph. In photography we use something called the rule of 1/3s. Draw two horizontal and two vertical lines so that your tank is split into 9 sections (in your mind of course). Along these lines and where they intersect are the focal points. Right now your tank has no focal point. The structure on the bottom forms a flat line and the whole top of the tank is devoid of anything.

If it were my tank, I would remove the red rocks all togther (they clash and aren't biotope appropriate IMO). I would replace them with more white rocks and stack them in a triange along one of the vertical lines I was talking about (you could also use the red rocks as a base and partially hide thme behind the existing rocks). Make it so that it reaches almost to the surface. Now the reef has become your focal point and you've opened up the left side for the driftwood. It will create the feeling of being on the edge of two different biotopes (fallen tree / reef) and give the tank more heterogeneity without looking jumbled. Just my humble opinion as an amatuer photographer. You'd be amazed how much better your pictures would look if you just move the subject to one side of the frame.

[Dangerdoll]

that's nice processing, mooman ;) I'll bet you lots will learn from it.... I sure did!

[YoFishboy]

The tank is nice...I agree with Moo...I would probably not use the red rock...in my 90g mbuna tank, i used lacy lava rock, fairly dark, stacked with lots of "caves"...mine too has a black background and a lite colored substrate...

[tanker]

Looks OK to me, but "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

You have 3-4 different colors rocks in your tank. I would get all the same so tank looks more uniform.

[Blueiz]

Imo you don't really know why you don't like your tank set up, theres something missing and you can't put your finger on it. I think if you got something taller to pur in the back , took away some of your larger pieces of rock, and added a few more smaller pieces of rock, some more plants, and amybe get you a bckground that wil add depth to you tank you would be happier with it. Righ now you now where everything is, canplainly see everything because the ieces are so large. You need to add one large center piece, and then let the smaller pieces flow off of that center piece. That way it will make teh tank more interesting. I am going to try and post soem pics of my tank it is freshwater. I think your tank looks ok as it is, but you do need to add something that gives it a more intresting look. I agree with with all the others have said also. Ilike to use driftwood as my centerpieces.

http://img292.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10000422th.jpg
http://img292.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10000430lw.jpg

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

I would love to give you some decor advice, but i think the first thing you need to do is get a larger tank. All these fish need something bigger, especially the large Hap. You can see, he barely has any swimming space! I'd go for at least a 75 gallon. Moving to such a larger tank may be daunting but in the end its really no different than your 33.

With a larger tank, it will give you much more space to work with in terms of decorating the tank. The sand is great, and like other people have said stick to one color of rock. You can also go for more than just java-fern plant wise, you could add some anubias and valliserneria.

:)
-Diana

[Emg]

I agree about getting rid of the red rock and getting some more like the one you have on the right there. Too many different colors in there that don't go well together. I think that's why you're having such a hard time liking it. It's usually best to use the same types of rock/driftwood in a tank rather than different. Helps everything to come together and blend alot better.

Pretty fish though !

[scholar]

A six footer would do marvels for africaaners. Then you cantake the best of everyones advice and go for it. :)

[JinxXx0085]

What is the type of sand you have in the tank I LIKE it!!
I love the rock on right (whiteish one). It looks like you need something sort of taller maybe a tall drift wood or stack up the rocks? The red/organey rocks look odd maybe you could put the whiteish rock in middle and then red on sides?
Well anyway be sure to let me know what type of sand you have, I like it!
:dance:

[mister ben]

Think of your tank as a photograph. In photography we use something called the rule of 1/3s. Draw two horizontal and two vertical lines so that your tank is split into 9 sections (in your mind of course). Along these lines and where they intersect are the focal points. Right now your tank has no focal point. The structure on the bottom forms a flat line and the whole top of the tank is devoid of anything.

Right on. I'm a relative nowbie so I generally don't post many repleis on this forum, but as a landscape architect/photographer/artist I can say that moonman is on to something.

Personally, I don't like the way the tank looks. No offense of course, you've done a great job chosing sand and rocks and stuff, but I think that their composition is weak. I guess I can just repeat moonman, you need a focal point! Give the eye places to be active and places to be at rest. Maybe try pulling out 75% of the stuff in there, leaving only the absolute essentials (AKA your favorites), and slowly add things back in. Try not to feel like you have to put everything in there somewhere, because you very well can leave a few things out. Just look at it very objectively. Then maybe go find some new stuff to fill in the gaps if there are any.

Sorry to be long-winded, but I hope this helps at least a little.

[nurburgring]

What is the type of sand you have in the tank I LIKE it!!
I love the rock on right (whiteish one). It looks like you need something sort of taller maybe a tall drift wood or stack up the rocks? The red/organey rocks look odd maybe you could put the whiteish rock in middle and then red on sides?
Well anyway be sure to let me know what type of sand you have, I like it!
:dance:

The sand ... basically I took a bucket and went to the beach and pretended to play sand castle. And then sneaked away.

Thanks guys for you advice. I will figure out what I can do. The red rock is $6 a piece, pretty hefty price to throw them out for now. I love them because they have lots of holes/caves in them, and they are ph neutral things. I figured the plant should be out.

[mister ben]

I all for not just throwing away money on fish tanks.

Having said that, I think the red rock can stay, it's really beautiful. Maybe it just needs to be broken up a bit more. Try placing some next to the white rock and then some on the other side of the tank. Maybe if the white is in between the two clumps of red, it may even itself out. Let us see how it turns out.

I also just realized that was exactly what was just postedv by JinxXx0085, sorry for the redundancy, but take it as reaffirming advice :)

[JinxXx0085]

The sand ... basically I took a bucket and went to the beach and pretended to play sand castle. And then sneaked away.
:laugh: you sneaked away with beach sand! Which beach then? :sim:
I live too far away from the beach but if I ever visit any places near beach again i might go and find a decent beach. :p:
Well, let us know how it turns out with your aquascaping. :clap:

[nurburgring]

The revamped Tank!

http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/50030021.jpg

How do you find it ?

[Emg]

It's getting there Nurburg....I think if you mix the rocks a bit more...so that the colors are evenly apportioned around the tank...it might work out better. Right now it looks like all the reds are on one side and the whitish is on the other...

Maybe set the red in a trio-type....the largest further back just a bit off center (you could pile two of the red rocks together to make it look like one larger one)...then take the other two red colored rocks and place them...one off to one side closer to the front of the tank than the larger...and the other one off to the other side of the larger red and a bit in front of it...(does this make sense...??...lol)

Here...did up a schematic for you to explain what I was trying to say...view from looking down into the tank....

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/10gallonlayout.jpg

View from the front of the tank....
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/10gallonlayoutfront.jpg

The green represents some ideas as to where you could place some plants if you still want some in there....Though looking at it, you could probably do without that plant I put in the middle there......lol....just some ideas for you ;)

You could also switch the rocks so that you have 3 clumps of the whitish rock and 2 of the red instead....play around with it and see what you like.

[telecubby]

:soda: I uh :shark:

[telecubby]

It's like 2 tanks in 1 :dive2:

[telecubby]

1st thing you say is no advice ,ai't it just like a female fish to give it to you anyways?

[mooman]

EM is right, and I think you still need more of a high point/focal point on one side or the other. EMs pic is perfect. Also notice the slope in her pic. the lines diverge as they travel through the tank wall. This gives the perception that there a larger scene beyond the wall of the tank.

[Emg]

1st thing you say is no advice ,ai't it just like a female fish to give it to you anyways?


Umm....I thought the purpose of this thread was that Nurburg wanted help in fixing up this tank in a pleasing manner, using what he had available.....so what's with this "no advice" nonesense ??


Hello Guys,
I'm pretty new to this forum, so let me take this opportunity to introduce my tank. At the same time, I would appreciate some input on its aesthetics. As it stands, I do not like the design and I have been tinkering with it to no avail. I still dont like it. Input will be appreciated.

[farewellmanzani]

nice photography advice ^^ :-p (try, works wonders, i do the same)

I think you should try maybe breaking up the different rock colors you have, instead of grouping them together--you have mostly all lava-rock (correct me if im wrong) and then the other, lighter rock, off to each side. Try dispersing the colors in a more even way, might help.