Could I get some feedback on my setup?

[Plec123]

Hey all, long time no see. First year of college just ended and when I got home, i noticed that my tank was an overgrown mess. I cleaned it up a wee bit and here's what it looks like. Lemme know what you think and if theres anything you'd change, aquascaping or stock-wise, since I'm kinda looking to change it up.
Also, the fish are 1 snakeskin gourami, 1 blue gourami, 1 moonlight gourami, 5 red eye tetras, 1 colombian tetra, 1 buenos aires tetra, and my Chrysichthys cat.
And the heater's back in place now... moved it after the pics.

 

[Fish_Bone]

I like the plant on the right a lot, good color. What is it?

As for revamping the tank...maybe split some of the plants to create a fuller look. Right now they just look like two big clumps. Do you have any driftwood?
A decent size piece might add some more visual appeal.

10, 30(active), 75 (in progress)

 

[Plec123]

I like the plant on the right a lot, good color. What is it?

As for revamping the tank...maybe split some of the plants to create a fuller look. Right now they just look like two big clumps. Do you have any driftwood?
A decent size piece might add some more visual appeal.

10, 30(active), 75 (in progress)

the tall stuff on the right is all green crypts. And y have some driftwood but its all basically fixed because the java fern and anubias grew all over it. I could try to find more and move the crypts though.

 

[platytudes]

It looks like you have Crypt wendtii 'bronze' which seems to grow better for me in lower light than the green variety. What kind of lighting are you using, just a standard fluorescent? Just think what a service your plants did - kept the water clean and healthy while you were away If you had your parents looking over the tank, they probably didn't do weekly water changes. And yet your tank thrived in your absence!

Is it your bulb that is making the tank so pinkish? I would change the spectrum on the bulb to a more greenish/yellowish for a more realistic color rendering. If you like the pinkish purply look, GE Aqua Rays isn't too bad. I'd say either trade in the single tetras or get more for each to school with -I'd probably just stick with the red eyes since they are fast and tough and can stand up to the gouramis as they get big and grumpy, lol

I'm always leery of moving Crypts because their roots are so well dug into the substrate, but they do recover if you decide to redo the aquascape. More interesting I think, would be the Java fern and Anubias in the middle with Crypts on either side.

I personally love an overgrown tank, but thinning it makes it look nice too. Obviously what you're doing works...those are some healthy plants!

 

[tanker]

Looks nice, but I would hide the heater lower behind the plants.

 

[Plec123]

It looks like you have Crypt wendtii 'bronze' which seems to grow better for me in lower light than the green variety. What kind of lighting are you using, just a standard fluorescent? Just think what a service your plants did - kept the water clean and healthy while you were away If you had your parents looking over the tank, they probably didn't do weekly water changes. And yet your tank thrived in your absence!

Is it your bulb that is making the tank so pinkish? I would change the spectrum on the bulb to a more greenish/yellowish for a more realistic color rendering. If you like the pinkish purply look, GE Aqua Rays isn't too bad. I'd say either trade in the single tetras or get more for each to school with -I'd probably just stick with the red eyes since they are fast and tough and can stand up to the gouramis as they get big and grumpy, lol

I'm always leery of moving Crypts because their roots are so well dug into the substrate, but they do recover if you decide to redo the aquascape. More interesting I think, would be the Java fern and Anubias in the middle with Crypts on either side.

I personally love an overgrown tank, but thinning it makes it look nice too. Obviously what you're doing works...those are some healthy plants!

The light does have a very slight pink/purple hue but its mainly my camera just being oversensitive in the pics. I might do that with the tetras though.
The problem with moving anything instead of just adding or tanking it away is that well, one, like you said crypts dont like being moved, and 2, the java and anubias grew all over the wood so its gonna be tough to move. thanks for the input though.

Looks nice, but I would hide the heater lower behind the plants.

Yeah i did that right after i took the pics haha.

 

[SubRosa]

The tank needs more in the way of low growing foreground plants.

 

[authmal]

Is it your bulb that is making the tank so pinkish? I would change the spectrum on the bulb to a more greenish/yellowish for a more realistic color rendering. If you like the pinkish purply look, GE Aqua Rays isn't too bad. I'd say either trade in the single tetras or get more for each to school with -I'd probably just stick with the red eyes since they are fast and tough and can stand up to the gouramis as they get big and grumpy, lol

I'm always leery of moving Crypts because their roots are so well dug into the substrate,

I have a dual bulb T5HO fixture (not advocating you make that change) and I have a daylight bulb to, you know, mimic daylight, but it's pretty white. I also have a plant growth bulb that's pretty pink. Oddly, turn them both on, and *everything* thing in the tank pops, the light looks mostly white, and everything pops so well, you can see the marks left by my nerites on the algae.

Even *I* know that moving crypts tends to **** them off. That said, I certainly *don't* know how to get them to thrive. :wall:

 

[Plec123]

Even *I* know that moving crypts tends to **** them off. That said, I certainly *don't* know how to get them to thrive. :wall:

I actually just planted them and left them. No CO2, no fertilizer, really low lighting.

The tank needs more in the way of low growing foreground plants.

I might do something with this. Depends what I can find, really.