PonyPlantedTanks Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 I would go for a simple black background and black gravel as well. I think the black gravel brings out any fish colors. But for my next setup I think I want to try light colored gravel to hide the fish poop better. Black gravel definitely requires more gravel vaccing if you want it to look nice, but in the end it’s worth it to me! For the black background on my 10g I picked up a matte black poster board from the Wally World and taped it to the back of the tank. Works perfectly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 On 7/1/2024 at 2:02 PM, EricksonAquatics said: I would go for a simple black background and black gravel as well. I think the black gravel brings out any fish colors. But for my next setup I think I want to try light colored gravel to hide the fish poop better. Black gravel definitely requires more gravel vaccing if you want it to look nice, but in the end it’s worth it to me! For the black background on my 10g I picked up a matte black poster board from the Wally World and taped it to the back of the tank. Works perfectly. Thinking the SAME exact thing about the background. Thx for the suggestions, i am going for the natural look obvioisly, but what do u think, rock or driftwood look? I like lots of peoples suggestions so i have different options to chose from! Thx again @CoryWithAKatana, and @EricksonAquatics!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 I think it depends on what you like. I vote rocks bc I don’t personally love the look of tannins (and it seems most types of wood leech a ton of tannins, especially in a small tank). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 On 7/1/2024 at 5:07 PM, EricksonAquatics said: I think it depends on what you like. I vote rocks bc I don’t personally love the look of tannins (and it seems most types of wood leech a ton of tannins, especially in a small tank). Ya, i have not tried rocks, so yes might give it a try! Thx. Fake or is there real rocks??? I am not a rock guy lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 Seiryu stone (spelling ew) dragon stone and lava rock are cool 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 Here is pic of the tank stand. Ok so yes it looks super super sketchy. But it held my 5g when I had my betta for a year and a half with no problem whatsoever. So I might use it. And also your probably saying, “is he ever gonna put water in it?” And to answer yes after I am cycling my 20g and have it established. So yeah could be a week or two, or a month or two. Idk yet and we’ll see. But here is the picture of the tank on stand, already have everything a good clean. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryWithAKatana Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 looks sketchy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 On 7/11/2024 at 11:30 AM, CoryWithAKatana said: looks sketchy I know. That is what I thought last year. But it doesn’t bend at all and is extremely sturdy @CoryWithAKatana. But I am thinking of a new wooden table I saw at a store a few weeks back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 17 Author Share Posted July 17 Now i am thinking of what plants and decor besides rocks to put in. I know that rocks are a good option for decor, but I just want a lot of things to consider for my decision. Also wondering about the fish i would put in. Maybe AFDs? Idk. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS Fish Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 On 7/17/2024 at 4:55 PM, Whitecloud09 said: Now i am thinking of what plants and decor besides rocks to put in. I know that rocks are a good option for decor, but I just want a lot of things to consider for my decision. Also wondering about the fish i would put in. Maybe AFDs? Idk. Thoughts? Elephant skin stone with spider or mopani wood and a sand base could look really cool. For plants: bacopa, java moss, java fern, cardinal plant, dwarf hair grass, anubias nana petite, and maybe jungle valisernia. For fish: Scarlet badis, shrimp, snails, dwarf rasboras, bumble bee gobies, sparkling gourami, and ember tetras maybe. I hope these ideas will help @Whitecloud09 I wish the best of luck to you and your new tank setup! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 You could do a cool aquascape with dragon (ohko) stone or seiryu (spelling is hard) stone! With a 5g the amount of rocks you would need wouldn’t be too pricey. Or something that isn’t for everybody but would be fun is a little nano black water tank! One of my dream tanks is chili rasboras with a little colony of blue dream shrimp going on at the bottom. Plan out your hard scape first and then decide what plants you think would look good around them 🙂 The other day I saw someone do a big tank with only anubias and buce for the plants. It looked epic! And you don’t have to worry about algae bc you can keep the lights so low. Or use a bunch of floating plants to shade out the Anubias and Buce! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 On 7/17/2024 at 6:12 PM, JS Fish said: Elephant skin stone with spider or mopani wood and a sand base could look really cool. For plants: bacopa, java moss, java fern, cardinal plant, dwarf hair grass, anubias nana petite, and maybe jungle valisernia. For fish: Scarlet badis, shrimp, snails, dwarf rasboras, bumble bee gobies, sparkling gourami, and ember tetras maybe. I hope these ideas will help @Whitecloud09 I wish the best of luck to you and your new tank setup! Thank you so much! It did help, so many ideas going in my mind now @JS Fish! On 7/17/2024 at 6:14 PM, EricksonAquatics said: You could do a cool aquascape with dragon (ohko) stone or seiryu (spelling is hard) stone! With a 5g the amount of rocks you would need wouldn’t be too pricey. Or something that isn’t for everybody but would be fun is a little nano black water tank! One of my dream tanks is chili rasboras with a little colony of blue dream shrimp going on at the bottom. Plan out your hard scape first and then decide what plants you think would look good around them 🙂 The other day I saw someone do a big tank with only anubias and buce for the plants. It looked epic! And you don’t have to worry about algae bc you can keep the lights so low. Or use a bunch of floating plants to shade out the Anubias and Buce! Thank you! I like the chilli and blue shrimp idea! Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS Fish Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 On 7/17/2024 at 9:35 PM, Whitecloud09 said: Thank you so much! It did help, so many ideas going in my mind now @JS Fish! Thank you! I like the chilli and blue shrimp idea! Thank you! Funny enough, my 20 gal had originally housed blue cherry shrimp and chilli rasboras 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 That’s literally my dream tank. Chilis have been on my bucket list ever since day one of this hobby! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 My 20g is breaking my bank rn, so can’t set up my 5g yet sadly….😭😭. Literally you don’t wanna know how much I’ve dropped on the 20g and 10g lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 Hmmmmmm….. betta or ADF in this tank? Thoughts? Ik ik your prob like, “why will he not set up this tank?”. Money is tight rn, in due time lol. @EricksonAquatics? Anybody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryWithAKatana Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 On 8/7/2024 at 9:18 PM, Whitecloud09 said: Hmmmmmm….. betta or ADF in this tank? Thoughts? Ik ik your prob like, “why will he not set up this tank?”. Money is tight rn, in due time lol. @EricksonAquatics? Anybody Wuts ADF but I would say a betta, 5 gallon is barely big enough for most fish but a betta could be happy in there, ooorrr you could start a shrimp colony (blue shrimp with red plants would look cool imo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 On 8/7/2024 at 9:20 PM, CoryWithAKatana said: Wuts ADF but I would say a betta, 5 gallon is barely big enough for most fish but a betta could be happy in there, ooorrr you could start a shrimp colony (blue shrimp with red plants would look cool imo Haha sorry, adf is African dwarf frog. They are tiny, and perfect for 5 or less even gallons. Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 Haha I get it - bigger tanks = 5x the amount of dollas! It’s rough! Personally I would say something different, like chili rasboras! But that’s just bc they’re a big bucket list fish for me 🙂 If you’ve already had a betta why not try something new? Or you could try a plakat betta to switch it up! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 On 8/7/2024 at 10:32 PM, EricksonAquatics said: Haha I get it - bigger tanks = 5x the amount of dollars! It’s rough! Personally, I would say something different, like chili rasboras! But that’s just bc they’re a big bucket list fish for me 🙂 If you’ve already had a betta why not try something new? Or you could try a plakat betta to switch it up! Oh yes, that is one of my bucket list fish too. Yes that is true. hmmmm.... ADF or chilli? Or another micro rasbora?? Oh i could do what is your dream aquarium. Chillis and blue shrimp correct? Would shrimp and rasboras be a good mix? @EricksonAquatics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 On 8/8/2024 at 6:29 AM, Whitecloud09 said: Would shrimp and rasboras be a good mix? Absolutely! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 Ok. So I might get a new 5.5 gallon tank. Not just because it is a extra half gallon (🤣🤣🤣) but bcs I wanna new tank. Clean, no scratches andA fresh start. I have discovered a local pet super market that is 10 times better than petsmart, and btw not to mention that petsmart that I am near is a lil shady ngl 🙃. So, I am thinking of a 5.5 g tank, sponge filter, rocks and live plants. But this is gonna be my aquascape. Like really. Make it look really good is my goal. And then throw in either a shrimp only tank or them and chili rasboras someday,whada you think guys? @EricksonAquatics @CoryWithAKatana. Changing title lol…. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryWithAKatana Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 On 8/12/2024 at 2:43 PM, Whitecloud09 said: Ok. So I might get a new 5.5 gallon tank. Not just because it is a extra half gallon (🤣🤣🤣) but bcs I wanna new tank. Clean, no scratches andA fresh start. I have discovered a local pet super market that is 10 times better than petsmart, and btw not to mention that petsmart that I am near is a lil shady ngl 🙃. So, I am thinking of a 5.5 g tank, sponge filter, rocks and live plants. But this is gonna be my aquascape. Like really. Make it look really good is my goal. And then throw in either a shrimp only tank or them and chili rasboras someday,whada you think guys? @EricksonAquatics @CoryWithAKatana. Changing title lol…. That sounds great! Petsmart isn't always the best place for fish stuff so im glad you found a LFS. Do you know what kind of live plants you want to have? (I had Dwarf Aquarium Lilies and they absolutely thrived in a 5 gallon, plus the way it grows will give shrimp or rarsoboa fry a good place to hide. (They have not grown any lily pads in my 20 gallon so I think they like more light.) Maybe sketch out what you want to do and show us 🧐 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 On 8/12/2024 at 1:33 PM, CoryWithAKatana said: Dwarf Aquarium Lilies and they absolutely thrived in a 5 gallon Same! I have one in my 10g and it legit sends out two pads a week. So pretty and I swear it’s invincible! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted August 13 Author Share Posted August 13 On 8/12/2024 at 3:33 PM, CoryWithAKatana said: That sounds great! Petsmart isn't always the best place for fish stuff so im glad you found a LFS. Do you know what kind of live plants you want to have? (I had Dwarf Aquarium Lilies and they absolutely thrived in a 5 gallon, plus the way it grows will give shrimp or rarsoboa fry a good place to hide. (They have not grown any lily pads in my 20 gallon so I think they like more light.) Maybe sketch out what you want to do and show us 🧐 Yeah, a little bit. I was thinking either rock or driftwood and anubias nanas on the rock and/or driftwood. With black sand just like my 20g. I will look into that plant thanks! I am gonna get a decent light eventually since it is a smaller aquarium so i can afford a more expensive one i think now lol. thx @CoryWithAKatana! On 8/12/2024 at 7:16 PM, EricksonAquatics said: Same! I have one in my 10g and it legit sends out two pads a week. So pretty and I swear it’s invincible! Getting anubais vibes over here 🤣. For sure will look into thanks guys! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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