need some ideas for a black and white theme tank....

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Emg

Emg

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Just want to bounce this idea off some aquascape nuts like me....lol.....

I am working on an idea for a 15 gallon tank I have.....I want to do it in black and white...this is what I plan on starting with.......

White sand substrate....any thoughts on what type of sand I should use...I want it as white as I can get, but I don't want it to make my ph any higher than it is already...7.8-8+ on average...

Black background with white/black colored fake plants....and some grayish blue colored rock...probably will have to use slate as it is the only type I can think of that comes in that color....I also want just a hint of some pastel coloring in there too.

The livestock I want to start with will be panda cories and some black and white fancy guppies. My daughter has a pair of beauties in her tank...the male was the inspiration for this idea...here's a pic of him..though this doesn't in any way do his color justice...his body is very dark and he has a white face with a white blaze down his back and silky white fins...he gorgeous ! (for a guppy :p: )



I'm not that much of a guppy enthusiast, but I really like this guy and hope he and his lady friend make up a nice batch of males for me to put in this tank.. :D

Not sure yet what I'm going to do to get some pastel coloring in here...what type of fish comes in pale pastel colors ? ...naturally...no fake dyed fish...any thoughts ??

Can't wait to get started on this...the tank is already cycled and it's a bare bottom tank..my qt..so no messing around with taking old gravel out and such. I have a nylon bag full of gravel in the tank that I was using as a home for the bacteria. I'll just keep the bag in the tank for awhile till some of that good stuff settles in the sand. Shouldn't take long to set this up once I find what I'm looking for.. :)

All thoughts and ideas are welcome and encouraged ! Thanks !!
 
judgemax

judgemax

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sounds awesome ..would love to see pics of the finished product ,,,and slate would look good imho ...
 
nursie

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Just something to think about...it sounds like you have a definite plan..pure white sand won't stay that way. It will get discolored over time. Maybe think in reverse...black onyx sand and white rocks? The rocks might discolor, but you can pull them out and take a scrubbrush to them as you want to.
You could do black sand . black back ground, white rocks and plants...I've seen white plants I think...and then the fish can be your color
 
Emg

Emg

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It's a nice idea Nursie, thanks ! ...but I already have tanks with black substrate...I'm going for something different with this one. I realize the sand will discolor after a bit, but I figure the cories will help in that area some by sifting through it all the time the way cories do. I know they keep my daughter's gravel nice and tidy in her tank...and with the occasional gravel/sand vac and it being a "fake" tank..no live plants....I think that will help too.

I definitly plan on sharing some pics here when I get it setup....it's what we live for isn't it ?? lol :dance:
 
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Black and white crowntail, a few ghost shrimp, zebra plec (probably too big for your 15gal, but if you want to upgrade to say, 55 gallons... ;)), panda corys, and maybe some black and white mollies?

As for the substrate... can't you use an epoxy dye on play sand?
 
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nursie

nursie

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Swimming pool sand is pretty white, but not stark white. I remember "back in the day" when they had ashtrays in public places that the sand in there was white. The other thought that comes to mind is maybe a craft sand like used in sand sculptures. You'd have to research it though, not sure what, if any dyes might be used on it.
And something else...again, you'd have to check it out. They use fine glass beads for some blast cleaning type of applications. I know a guy with a cabinet that he uses it in to clean glass bottles. You might check that out.
 
Emg

Emg

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Smurf....wouldn't I just love a 55 gallon...lol.....but, nope, have to settle for the 15.

If I found a black and white CT I'd buy him up quick...lol...but I wouldn't put him in this tank because I want to have those guppies in there and betta and fancy guppies dont' mix. Lol....I never thought I would want a tank of guppies ! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the ideas on the sand....I'll "dig" around and see what I can find around here for play sand...home depot had some nice stuff way back when I was looking for some for my kid's sandbox. Dang, I was just in Daytona beach last week...would have been nice to bring some of that sand home....though I don't know how ocean sand would do in a freshwater tank...severly rinsed off as it would be...

Thanks for the suggestions Boo...I think I'll go with sand only because I don't have a tank that has sand in it...and I wanted to try out a sand substrate this time...just because...lol....The dalmation mollies are a thought though....I may just check them out...how do they get along with guppies ?

Any thoughts on some pale pastel colored fish that would work with guppies and panda cories ?
 
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RyJ

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Going black and white is an interesting idea.
Keep in mind that if a fish is white, then it will blend in with the white gravel...etc. So there may not be good contrast.
Other colours...like red, blue, yellow, etc...would be very visible though! They would POP out at your eyes.

Also, white rocks will maintain their pure white colouring if you take the gravel out and put it in a weak solution of bleach. Although it's a LOT of hassel to take the gravel out of the tank...and it definitely kills the basteria (which means you need a really good filtration system and to NOT over stock your tank at all!!), you get white gravel :p
Be careful to wash the gravel off, as you don't want bleach in your tank.
I personally don't do this, but I'm just giving you more ideas in case you REALLY want to go with the white gravel idea.

Besides, I have white gravel. I've had it for five years. I vaccuum the gravel on a weekely basis. It's still a nice white colour. It's not as pure as when I was first purchased it, but it's still really nice.
 
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