hey all this is my new tank finally got my hood and lights today, needed some modifying due to the pipes from my fx5 but now all is done here are some photos. any suggestions/comments on the aqua scape will be very much appreciated.


enjoy

i'd add some fake hanging plants to the sides.
My fish like ém.
And some smooth stones and some slates.
Your water looks kinda brown, is the wood you used new?

It looks red to me, kinda cool and different. I like decorating with rocks and wood, it gives a more natural look, inexpensive and my fish seem to like it. It looks like you have sand in, that's all I use anymore except in my breeding tank. I love to watch them move it around. I've had no luck at all with live plants but there are some good looking fake ones. Keep posting as you decorate and we'll boo and hiss or cheer for ya

them red moore roots will dump your P.H. levels tho .........

Is red moore root what's in his tank? I was thinking my fish would love playing hide and go seek in there

yep ...but i had to remove mine as the PH was entering the tank at 6.8 ......and after 3 days had dropped below 6 !!!!!!!!!!! the roots were dumping it fast

mine sits at 7, I even got some PH stablizer , it seems to have no affect. It could be junk for all I know.

i got the wood from a LFS they said they had treated it etc but i did soak it to get the tanning etc out i musn't have done it for long enough, but it is clearing up now which is goood, also ph is the same...i was thnking of getting some fake plants and i went looking for slate rocks at my local harware but they didn't have any, i wanted to make a rock type cave for the clown loaches i want to get...

The tanning can take many months for it not to be noticable. I have had a piece in one of my tanks for about 5 years and the water looks clear, however if i put some of the water into a white container you can see a slight yellow tinge

You can buy rocks from anywhere including DIY stores, builders merchants or anywhere that sell rocks. Dont put anything in that is man made eg man made patio slabs or concrete.

To check a rock is ok to put in your tank pour some vinegar onto it, if it fizzes then dont put it in

Clown loaches grow very very slow and oscars grow very very fast so only put clown loaches in if they are a decent size (i would say about 3-4 inches long). They can be expensive at this size. An oscar could be in trouble if it tried to each a clown loach. They have a gristle like hook just below and behind each eye that sticks out when they feel threatened (like being eaten). This hook is normally hidden. This is why you shouldnt support a clown loach in a net when moving them. I know this from learning the hard way- couple times i have been cut in the hand by them

i find if you get a big pan of boiling water and boil any tank wood roots etc for 1 hr thet stop bleeding im a chef so i can see its eayer said than done not everyone can get hold of a big enough pan but it does work!!

bye the way are you gonna use a back drop the 3d ones are cool

yeah i will eventually get a background, yeha those 3d ones are awsome but can be quite expensive will just ahve to look around...