Unnatural Decorations?

[Mustang5L5]

you all forget about prob the most popular things left at the bottom of lakes (cept boots and tyres) a bicycle!!!

try get one of those matchbox toy ones or summin? age it somehow?

just an idea.

Very good idea, except i was worried about rust and contaminating the water. If i could use a metal object i have a lot of things i could use, unfortinately i can't put metal into the tank.

I may go with the arrowheads idea. See if i can snag a few off Ebay. Perhaps get a peice of bambo and rig up the arrowhead to it and then snap it off maybe 8" up or so and embed it into the wook like it has been shot there a long time ago. Hopefully get some plants to grow up over it.

That is my idea, whatever gets put it, i will try to make plants grow in it, on it, through it or all around it. I want it to look like it fell in a long time ago and stuff grew in.

 

[PlecMama]

That's really neat. I like the idea of something weird in there.

I have an airbrick that we call the Loach Lodge, they all sit in it like someone filed them neatly under "L"

 

[fishfishfish]

i once found an old machete and the blade fell out so i poped it in my 10 gal when i had it and it rusted up real nice.main peice to my tank actually

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

That's really neat. I like the idea of something weird in there.

I have an airbrick that we call the Loach Lodge, they all sit in it like someone filed them neatly under "L"

Thats a nice idea. Mustang, maybe you could get some old, worn down bricks for your tank? Make it look like a crumbling foundation or something?

 

[CBTF]

speaking of which, my local beach used to have a theme park on it in the early 1900s but it was demolished. you can find bricks that have been filed down from the water over time, aged. really nice. i was going to add some to my tank, they have some neat crevaces that my shrimp would love.

I put army men in my tank once and it was kinda neat.. enjoying reading the suggestings here.

a dollar store here sells fake plants, they have really long ivy i was thinking of placing around the tank's edges. it would look cool.

 

[wendywc]

I love rocks; the arrowhead and brick ideas sound great. How about fossils, geodes, crystals, marbles, or stone paperweights?

 

[Swart Skaap]

Very good idea, except i was worried about rust and contaminating the water. If i could use a metal object i have a lot of things i could use, unfortinately i can't put metal into the tank.

I may go with the arrowheads idea. See if i can snag a few off Ebay. Perhaps get a peice of bambo and rig up the arrowhead to it and then snap it off maybe 8" up or so and embed it into the wook like it has been shot there a long time ago. Hopefully get some plants to grow up over it.

That is my idea, whatever gets put it, i will try to make plants grow in it, on it, through it or all around it. I want it to look like it fell in a long time ago and stuff grew in.

MMmmmm didnt think about the rust! Will it be that much of an issue tho? i dont know.

Are arrowheads not usually metal?

...anyway maybe glass is the best material as it weathers well and creates perfect home for some fish. Plus u could prob find some real interesting pieces lying about?!

 

[Mustang5L5]

Thats a nice idea. Mustang, maybe you could get some old, worn down bricks for your tank? Make it look like a crumbling foundation or something?

Funny you should mention that. I was at the beach next to a bridge yesterday and found a ton of old eroded bricks under the bridge. They have been there for years as they are all rounded over. I have em soaking now along with some other rocks to leech out any salt or other minerals over the next few months.

I am unsure if my tank is big enough to place enough bricks to look like part of an old foundation. I do plan on getting a 125+ gallon in a year or so, so i am collecting rocks and soaking them now in preparation for that tank.

I did find some eroded glass as well.

My current tank doesn't have a large footprint, so not a lot of room to play with. I do like the brick foundation idea, but that will need to be saved for my future large tank.

 

[haplover]

Here's a pic of my 75 gal before I switched over to Eco Complete substrate. This may give you a couple of ideas.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

you could add a whiffle ball (darn things float, so you'd have to add a weight)

 

[wendywc]

MMmmmm didnt think about the rust! Will it be that much of an issue tho? i dont know.

Are arrowheads not usually metal?

...anyway maybe glass is the best material as it weathers well and creates perfect home for some fish. Plus u could prob find some real interesting pieces lying about?!

I would be afraid of rust too, but how about brass or copper. Brass doesn't rust and copper patinas... hmm, maybe copper isn't good then. Arrowheads were usually made of flint, unless it's some kinda knock-off. Anything out of glass, plastic, ceramic, or rock (that doesn't fizz with vinegar) should be tank safe.

 

[Squirrelbuddies]

A set of old, worn pilings would look cool (like at the ferry docks). You could find some nice (small) straight pieces of driftwood and tie them together with old rope and allow algae to grow on them.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I went back to the bridge today and found some more old bricks at low tide. I did some reseach on the area and the bay right where i found the bricks used to be a US Navy yard in the early 1900's. Apparently there were brick buildings right in the area i found mine that were knocked down in the 30's. These bricks look very old and very weathered. A few are brick-like while many are so eroded they look like red rocks.

I gathered up quite a few and have them now in a 5-gallow bucket soaking. I figure i will leave them there for months or a year or so until i can set up my 125+ gallon and in the meantime keep rinsing them in fresh water to leach out any salt. They have been under the water for close to 80 years.

Then i may set them up like an old crumbling brick wall and plant some moss or java fern all over them. SHould look really nice. I'll just need to be concerned with the weight added to the tank but i'll worry about that later.

SO i guess i'm gonna leave the current tank alone. I will be dismantling and selling it (to fund the 125+ gal) when the current occupants expire. However, i am such a good fishkeeper that the plants and fish are thriving, so it won't be anytime soon!

 

[Torrean]

You may want to think about any pollutants that may have gathered on the bricks. Maybe you could bake or boil them to take care of any issues but I don't know if this is a good idea. If it is safe I bet your tank will look great.