tank decorating

[dreamweaver219]

I was just wondering if any one has any suguestions on tank decorating.I have tons of tetras and need tons of plants...lol...HOW DO I ARRANGE THEM where they look good and not over crowded? Any ideas are more than welcome.
Also, i was wondering what type of fish i could put in my 10 gallon tank.It looks so bare with just those 4 little neons and the 1 blue gourami,lol.


20 gallon

6 fruit tetra
6 orange&black tetra
2 tiger tetra
1 dwarf blue gourami
1 bottom feeder sucker fish

10 gallon(decorated to satifaction)
4 neon tetra
1 blue dwarf gourami

[Ms.Bubbles]

Well, here's what you DON'T do--don't line them up in a straight line around the perimeter of the tank.

Put tallest plants in back, mid-size in the middle, low plants at the front.

Groupings of plants look nice, rather than sticking plants randomly all over the tank. Maybe start with the back corners first.

It's nice when you have 1 central plant that is more attention-getting than the rest (perhaps tallest in the tank, or a brighter colour) rather than many large or bright plants that compete for attention.

Leave some space around each plant so it has room to grow. Even though it might look a little bare when you first plant them, you can always add more later.

Plant your tank first then decide if you really need more fish. You may not feel that the tank is empty once you're plants are in.

[dreamweaver219]

Thank you for the help ms.bubbles.I guess i should have been more clear though,lol, im useing only fake plants atm.I would REALLY screw up a planted tank.But, the placement suguestion is very helpful.Right now i just have everything sort of tossed in there.I started out with a semi decorative design,but had to keep adding things for all the fish to hide in and its gotten rather random and sloppy in there.The last addition being that huge plant floating on the top of the tank,its a peice of my fake ivy from my livingroom, lol.Every sence i've put it in there, my fish have calmed WAY down and are doing little to no nipping and fighting.But, anywho, i was going today to get a better color of gravel, there are so many colors in the tankthat it looks REALLY busy in there.I was thinking more of a tan or green gravel to get it a little more uniform and help the fish pop.But needed to know how i could be creative with all of that decor in there.......lol leave it to me to choose fish that want to stay hidden.Here is a pick of my messy tank ....if i did this right.

[dorkfish]

Do not use green gravel, use a natural gravel, green will just reflect more light up from the bottom of the tank and make your fish look paler, that and I've always gotten tired of "supenatural" decor when I've used it. If you decide after planting your 10g that it needs more fish, add 2-4 neons, this way youl have a proper school, wich seems to make "nippy" fish less nippy although this usually is'nt a problem with neons.

[Ms.Bubbles]

Nice pics :)


I know people who grow java moss using just the standard incandescent light found in aquarium kits, so if you ever decide to dabble in real plants, I'd lose the fake floating ivy (a little too big & heavy for the size of the tank IMHO) and try floating the java moss there. It's a great hiding space for fish & very easy to grow & maintain.

[dreamweaver219]

ok, ty dork fish wasn't sure what to add to that 10 gallon. And if i did green, it wouldnt be full on green,lol...yuck.Maybe a mix like i did in the 10gallon,but, sence you say it will dull the fish...then maybe not.Who knows,lol. And i hope adding more neons would make them less nippy, after being in the 20g with the other tetras...theve leaned to be nippy...tramatized,i guess.lol I dont want to have to over crowd the 10g with plants too...sheesh.

[dreamweaver219]

ok, ty ty ms.bubbles,i had no idea i could do that.

[Rowangel]

I agree with going for a 'natural look' with the gravel. As far as tank arrangment, try puting the plants into groupings. It will prevent the tank from looking so scattered. As said already, keep the taller plants in back and the shorter ones in front. You could try, say, a large plant grouping on the left and then two smaller groupings on the right with an interesting arrangement of the 'greek ruins' hidden among them. This would avoid having any objects perfectly centered and allow your eye to flow easily from one side of the tank to the other. I agree the ivy is a bit 'large' for your tank. A smaller leafed floating plant would make your tank look larger than it is.

Otherwise nice pics and some great fake plants! :cool:

[Ms.Bubbles]

Dreamweaver

Sorry--:duh: I meant to say they used the standard incandescent light FIXTURE found in many aquarium kits to grow java moss. You need to swap out the bulb & replace it with a spiral (screw in) fluorescent plant bulb. You can find these bulbs at many fish stores.

[dreamweaver219]

ok, ty ty bunches guys, very very helpful.