Heres My Tank, Help A Newbie With Styling!

[HeroDave]

Hey guys
Ok, so im new to the world of aquariums, so new that my first attempt went t*ts up and i lost alot of money! I bought a small (35litre) tank to house my fish whilst i start from scratch on my big (220litre) tank. The transfers gone well, the fish seem to be happy in their new home! ive emptied and cleaned my tank and now the water is cycling, has been for afew days!
I was looking at other users pics and i came to realise, my tank looks very poor! The whole "fish" thing has cost me alot of money, im well well well over the £300 mark now and i'd like an impressive aquarium i can enjoy after all this time and money! Some of the tanks look so good (well done all) and now im asking you pros to help me make the most of my tank!
So please, Advise me on how i can get my tank looking like some of the tanks found on this site! A tank i will be really happy to view, i think my tank looks very poor (but hey, im new to this) but id love to get it right first go as i dont wanna have to start AGAIN once i get into the aquarium more and more!

Anyways, heres my tank (220litres, 5ft):

If i add to my tank with whatever you recommend will i have to start cycling all over again? Will my waiting time encrease?
Cheers!

 

[newtotropical]

Hi. It can be hard getting this bit right!

1. Is that a Reef background you have? Looks like ti the pic - id change that.
2. More plants would be good
3. Some bog wood would look good as well

All this is personal, so might not be to everybodies taste! But then i dont like coloured gravel and little castles etc in a tank.

hope this helps!

 

[Dan-25]

Hey guys
Ok, so im new to the world of aquariums, so new that my first attempt went t*ts up and i lost alot of money! I bought a small (35litre) tank to house my fish whilst i start from scratch on my big (220litre) tank. The transfers gone well, the fish seem to be happy in their new home! ive emptied and cleaned my tank and now the water is cycling, has been for afew days!
I was looking at other users pics and i came to realise, my tank looks very poor! The whole "fish" thing has cost me alot of money, im well well well over the £300 mark now and i'd like an impressive aquarium i can enjoy after all this time and money! Some of the tanks look so good (well done all) and now im asking you pros to help me make the most of my tank!
So please, Advise me on how i can get my tank looking like some of the tanks found on this site! A tank i will be really happy to view, i think my tank looks very poor (but hey, im new to this) but id love to get it right first go as i dont wanna have to start AGAIN once i get into the aquarium more and more!

Anyways, heres my tank (220litres, 5ft):

If i add to my tank with whatever you recommend will i have to start cycling all over again? Will my waiting time encrease?
Cheers!

is that a yellow tang in the tank ??? i thought this was a tropical tank ???

 

[Castellop123]

First question... What fish have you got... this is a big factor to think about...

 

[Dan-25]

First question... What fish have you got... this is a big factor to think about...

pm recieved mate and i hope the yellow tang is part of the background although ive never seen a backround with fish on before - strange.

anyway an answer to the first post, - i think most people try to go for a natural surrounding for their tank such as plain gravel, sand , bog wood and real plants but its up to what fish you want to keep and what your preference is.

i really love fish killer no more 's tank with the buddha and the betta.

have a play about and im sure you will find something you find pleasing to the eye.

 

[Squid]

is that a yellow tang in the tank ??? i thought this was a tropical tank ???

The tangs in the picture isn't it?

 

[Josiah]

The yellow tang isn't in the tank it's the background. I would personally change the background to a black background, get some caves, and more plants.

 

[HeroDave]

Chill . . . The Yellow fish is in the background!

I can start fresh with the fish if i want, my suriving fish seem happy in their new home!

So possibility one: Lose the background for a black background, wood, live plants? How much and of what would you recomend?

I wanna get it spot on so feel free to help out asmuch as possible!

 

[my fat fish]

illl gte some pics of my tank on here in a bit 4 it aint grate but looks alright tho i dident go 4 a black background i went for 1 with plants on it lol but i got the usual bog wood plants and black gravel

 

[14gtr14]

read the pinned stuff in the planted tank section. imo heavily planted tanks look amazing, so if you like that idea have a look in there for ideas etc. Malawi/Tanganyikan tanks look great too. Have a look in the (old world cichlids section). A medium sized "new world" cichlid tank would look good too.

It's really up to you. Have a look around at other people's tank and fish and see what you want/what you like the look of and post back here

Oh and I would put a black background no matter what as well!

greg

 

[my fat fish]

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if u look closely u can see my clown loach peeping out the big castle

you can find more ideas here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=22

 

[catfish_mad]

I'd personnal go for sand and bogwood, get some real plants but make sure they are easy to keep without using Co2 injections and fertilser and stuff like that.

Most of the tank decor is up to your personnal peference. if your like me then mine is always changing as i feel it isn't the best i could get it and the best for the fish(like hiding places, swimming areas etc...)

Before i put the fish in.

How it is now

The fish wouldn't come out and smile for the camera.
sorry for the misty pics they were taken off my phone.