Help me fix my tank!

T

tinah

AC Members
Jan 5, 2009
59
0
0
46
tulsa, ok
This is my ten gallon dwarf puffer tank. The only fish in there is a single puffer Hubby has vetoed the purchase of any more plants with now, so I have to work with what I have. I'm better at hardscape, and I'm just not sure what to do with this. Any advice?

ten gal one.jpg ten gal three.jpg
 
get a small complex peice of driftwood.
 
I would get a small arched piece of driftwood, and attach the moss, and the anubias to it. It would give your tank a sense of demention (sp).
 
I agree-more wood
 
You seem to have things planted a little too spaced out. Grouping your plants together helps to create a fuller more natural look. I have a few suggestions for you.

I would move your Hygro to the far right wall just in front of the driftwood and clump two or three of your Java ferns together right in front of it and the Anubias. This will help define the driftwood you have as a focal point and create little more interest in it.

That mass of plants on the left is very distracting. I would move the grass-like plant back further into the corner and the Crypt just to the right of it with a Java fern or two in front of them.

Also don't bury the Java fern so far into the gravel. They need the thick main root (rhizome) exposed to the water column in order to survive.

Hope I helped.
 
schaadrak seems to have a better handle on this then me. But I'd also consider going with 3 similar stones (in type and texture) instead of 3 different kinds, I think it would seem more natural.
 
looks pretty good. although those java ferns should be on driftwood or rocks, not in the gravel... id put that anubias nana (back corner) farther in the corner there, maybe cover that driftwood in the moss and java ferns and put it in front of the anubias. or not. natural rivers or lakes aren't very organized though, so i kinda like the 'put things anywhere and see how it looks' thing.
 
I think some taller plants would help, I have some tall longer leaf plants (a type of hygro I think) that my puffer loves, and it gives some more hiding space, too, that's not on the ground.

ETA: Ooh i missed the part about no more plants. Maybe later, then. Have you been getting them from people on here? You can get some really cheap that way.
 
Ditto about getting plants from people here when you can. I've bought my plants almost exclusively from people on here, and I always get nice amounts for good prices.

Anyway, since you can't add more plants right now, I would suggest getting a nice piece of driftwood (something twisted and root-like would look amazing) to put slightly off-center towards the back. I'd also attach the anubias and the Java ferns to your driftwood. IMHO, they do the best and look the best attached to driftwood and are much easier to rearrange for fun or cleaning.

I agree that bunching the plants in a couple spots rather than spreading them would look more natural and have an effect of looking more full. For example, I would move the crypt a little more to the right. I would attach the javas, as mentioned, to the driftwood and put them sort of leaning across one corner of the tank or something like that. I would move the anubia more towards the back center so that it is more of a focal point. Then I'd tie the moss to either driftwood or rocks with thread and then put it more towards the front since it's the shortest thing you've got right now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom