What is your #1 dream aquarium / pond / paludarium / etc?

[clownbaby]

Unlimited budget, unlimited size, unlimited imagination. What is your TOP dream set up for a tank? You can only pick one, so what would you pick? You can include as much or as little as you want... plants, stocking, water parameters, equipment used, etc... 

Here would be mine! 

Overview: A creek tributary of the Rio Taquari in Mato Grosso de Sul, in close proximity to many pantanal marshes. This stream has a slight flow, but is easily navigated. The bottom is silt and sand, but if you press into it you see lots of tiny animals rush out along with clay and mulm. Despite this, the water is relatively clear. Leaves and seed ponds litter the bottom. A fallen log lays tucked into the substrate, half covered with diatoms, but also being covered by the swaying overgrown vegetation. Small tetras dart through the water, and lots of fishes lay on the bottom, sifting through the uppermost detritus for small worms and microfauna. On the sides of the bank lies small pea-sized pebbles and emergent vegetation. 

Details in spoiler :]

Spoiler

This would be a biotope of the Rio Taquari, meaning I would only use the native plant and animal species and do my best to recreate a realistic wild scene. 

For the sake of this theory, let's just say a 200 gallon. Because why not. But honestly just as big as I could get. Lets say this tank has dimensions of 72 inches (length) x 24 inches (width) x 28 inches (height). About 200 gallons. There would be light flow from one direction of the tank to mimic a stream / slow river. 

The substrate would be a mix of clay, sand, silt, and mulm. Uppermost layer ("cap") would mainly be silt and sand. Microfauna galore. Scuds, tubifex, ostracods, copepods, daphnia, detritus worms, isopods, limpets, moina, blackworms, planaria, hydra, snails, rotifers, anything I can get my hands on. (unpopular opinion, but hydra is frickin cool!) 

Stocking would be black neon tetras, green fire tetras, and perhaps serpae tetras.

Because this is a dream set up I would somehow also get ancistrus brevipinnis, characidium tenue, corydoras areio, corydoras polystictus, and hisonotus prata. Most of these are bottom dwellers. Corydoras areio and c. polystictus look very similar and would almost certainly shoal together, especially considering how they are very likely to be in the same habitat in the wild. 

The plants would be bacopa australis, myriophyllum aquaticum, myriophyllum mattogrossense, ludwigia inclinata, polygonum hydropiperoides, alternanthera bettzickiana, mayaca fluitans, pontederia, nymphaea gardneriana, cabomba aquatica, and various echinodorus species. Additionally, a tropical isoetes: whether that be isoetes amazonica, i. gardneriana, or i. boliviensis. 

So, if you could have any one aquarium, what would it be?

[Mississippi fish guy]

I might would do a 2000 gallon monster/nano tank. I would likely use either bdbs or play sand as the substrate. It would be as densely planted as I could get it with a small tree in the tank as well as some rocks. I would try to keep the following species in the tank.

1. Hoplias malabaricus (wolf fish)

1. spotted gar

1. tiger shovel nose catfish

Then I would attempt to colony breed the following species in the tank.

CPDs

chilli rasboras

cherry barbs

pigmy cories

i might would also try some tetras though they might be large enough to get the attention of some of the bigger fish.

i might would also try shrimp if they would be compatible with the other fish.

[Retrophyllum_minus]

Oh a pretty big 12 foot long 1000 ish gallon Orinoco region biotope with apistos, Cardinal tetras, and other tetras, pencilfish, plecos, corys, and maybe some other species. Large groups of the shoaling fishes. So basically a giant version of the 20 long I'm doing right now with more accurate plants than I am using in that one. 

[clownbaby]

On 10/13/2024 at 3:57 PM, Retrophyllum_minus said:

Oh a pretty big 12 foot long 1000 ish gallon Orinoco region biotope with apistos, Cardinal tetras, and other tetras, pencilfish, plecos, corys, and maybe some other species. Large groups of the shoaling fishes. So basically a giant version of the 20 long I'm doing right now with more accurate plants than I am using in that one. 

I love how when prompted "what is your dream tank" everyone goes to giant numbers. Honestly, my 2nd place for "dream tank" would probably be something under 50 gallons packed to the brim with plants. Ever since scaping my mom's 5.5gal I have honestly fallen in love with nano tanks so much. In terms of stocking, they do not give you much freedom, and even with the options you have you probably won't see the most accurate behaviors. But it was so much easier to scape the 5.5gal versus my 30gal -- no matter what I seem to do, my 30gal looks sooooo much more empty even though it has like 5 times as many plants as the 5.5gal. Proportions are funny 😂

[Retrophyllum_minus]

On 10/13/2024 at 7:09 PM, clownbaby said:

I love how when prompted "what is your dream tank" everyone goes to giant numbers. Honestly, my 2nd place for "dream tank" would probably be something under 50 gallons packed to the brim with plants. Ever since scaping my mom's 5.5gal I have honestly fallen in love with nano tanks so much. In terms of stocking, they do not give you much freedom, and even with the options you have you probably won't see the most accurate behaviors. But it was so much easier to scape the 5.5gal versus my 30gal -- no matter what I seem to do, my 30gal looks sooooo much more empty even though it has like 5 times as many plants as the 5.5gal. Proportions are funny 😂

Yeah. I went big because I know that's not realistic for me but it's fun to dream. I couldn't ever swing a tank that size. But I'd love to see tetras and the like in big shoaling masses in a tank that size. I think it would be super interesting to watch. I have a 40 and a 20, and now the 15. I've never done a true nano tank, although I have a spot I could put a 5.5 so maybe someday I'll try one. 
 

honestly I don't have much interest in anything larger than the 40 breeder unless it's a dream tank like this that's huge where I could watch 200 Cardinal tetras shoaling or something. 

[Mississippi fish guy]

On 10/13/2024 at 6:37 PM, Retrophyllum_minus said:

Yeah. I went big because I know that's not realistic for me but it's fun to dream

Same. While one day I do want to build a monster tank that could hold a wolf fish or spotted gar I would need a dedicated fish room to set that up. A close second would be a 125 gallon darter with yazoo shiners, dusky darters, black tail shiners, rainbow darters, rainbow shiners, and a northern hog sucker.

[Markp2483]

I would love a swimming pond. No substrate heavily planted with large epiphyte species (Anubias, Java fern, etc) with only shrimp and crawfish

[PonyPlantedTanks]

As much as I would love to say a massive tank, I think the stress of that much water in my house would kill me😂

But if it wasn’t at my house and I just got to see it often and mess around with it, I’d love a 125 packed full of plants and nano fish (cardinals, green kubotais, neon blue eye rainbows, rasboras, etc) Literally a school of 200 chili rasboras would be my favorite thing!! For a centerpiece I think I’d do a pearl Gourami or a couple of Bolivian Rams!

If I was to do a different, non-planted monster tank I would LOVE to keep an Oscar! They’re literally like aquatic bulldogs and I love it! I’d probably throw as many plants as I could in easy planters and hope for the best lol

My more realistic dream tank is a 7g rimless cube, haha I’m with @clownbaby nano tanks are my jam! I really want to try a dirted tank with a cap and do a ton of crypts. Like, just a solid crypt garden with maybe a few Anubias tucked here and there. And then I’d stock it with chilis and blue dream neo shrimps😍

Edited Monday at 03:46 AM by PonyPlantedTanks

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 10/13/2024 at 9:45 PM, PonyPlantedTanks said:

My more realistic dream tank is a 7g rimless cube, haha I’m with @clownbaby nano tanks are my jam! I really want to try a dirted tank with a cap and do a ton of crypts.

My 6 gallon cube is dirted, no filter, no ferts, no co2. 10 Blue Axelrodi Rasboras, 2 Amano Shrimp, and Ramshorn snails. Technically there’s some Crypts in there, but they’re hidden in the Pearl Weed Jungle. And some Rotala Indica in the front right corner. 
 

What I’m getting at is, I love my dirted cube! It’s been up for 2 and half years now, and just crushes it. I love it so much that I recently redid my 20 long to be a dirted tank with a Crypt garden in the back that will eventually be a wall of Crypts in the back. I hate having to trim the cube, though. If you’re thinking about it, I say go for it!

As far as dream tanks go, I eventually want a trio of 125 gallons. I imagine all of them heavily planted, scaped, and with co2. One would be a Blackwater tank, another would be Discus, and the third would probably be Angels or Electric Blue Acara with Tetras, Cory’s, and some rad Pleco. I have a lot of these aspects throughout a lot of my tanks, but a trio of 125’s that I put all my effort in would be rad. And then a fish room in the basement to breed and play with other things. Definitely breaking the rules of the post, but that’s my current dream!

Edited Monday at 05:16 AM by AllFishNoBrakes

[Ravelle]

I don't really have the room for it but I still want a au natural tank someday,  with brownwater, dirt, lots of driftwood and plants and throw some creek dwelling fish in there.  

[mynameisnobody]

500,000 gallon pond, if we are talking “dream” then anything smaller than 10,000 gallon isn’t dreaming big enough. 

[clownbaby]

On 10/13/2024 at 6:36 PM, Markp2483 said:

I would love a swimming pond. No substrate heavily planted with large epiphyte species (Anubias, Java fern, etc) with only shrimp and crawfish

SWIMMING pond with CRAYFISH????!! You are one brave soul. I would be MORTIFIED. 

On 10/13/2024 at 8:45 PM, PonyPlantedTanks said:

As much as I would love to say a massive tank, I think the stress of that much water in my house would kill me😂

But if it wasn’t at my house and I just got to see it often and mess around with it, I’d love a 125 packed full of plants and nano fish (cardinals, green kubotais, neon blue eye rainbows, rasboras, etc) Literally a school of 200 chili rasboras would be my favorite thing!! For a centerpiece I think I’d do a pearl Gourami or a couple of Bolivian Rams!

If I was to do a different, non-planted monster tank I would LOVE to keep an Oscar! They’re literally like aquatic bulldogs and I love it! I’d probably throw as many plants as I could in easy planters and hope for the best lol

My more realistic dream tank is a 7g rimless cube, haha I’m with @clownbaby nano tanks are my jam! I really want to try a dirted tank with a cap and do a ton of crypts. Like, just a solid crypt garden with maybe a few Anubias tucked here and there. And then I’d stock it with chilis and blue dream neo shrimps😍

Considering how many darn species of crypts there are, this scape would still probably turn out to have a lot of variety. There are soooo many sizes, shapes, and colors of crypts it is insane!!! 

On 10/13/2024 at 10:10 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

My 6 gallon cube is dirted, no filter, no ferts, no co2. 10 Blue Axelrodi Rasboras, 2 Amano Shrimp, and Ramshorn snails. Technically there’s some Crypts in there, but they’re hidden in the Pearl Weed Jungle. And some Rotala Indica in the front right corner. 
 

What I’m getting at is, I love my dirted cube! It’s been up for 2 and half years now, and just crushes it. I love it so much that I recently redid my 20 long to be a dirted tank with a Crypt garden in the back that will eventually be a wall of Crypts in the back. I hate having to trim the cube, though. If you’re thinking about it, I say go for it!

As far as dream tanks go, I eventually want a trio of 125 gallons. I imagine all of them heavily planted, scaped, and with co2. One would be a Blackwater tank, another would be Discus, and the third would probably be Angels or Electric Blue Acara with Tetras, Cory’s, and some rad Pleco. I have a lot of these aspects throughout a lot of my tanks, but a trio of 125’s that I put all my effort in would be rad. And then a fish room in the basement to breed and play with other things. Definitely breaking the rules of the post, but that’s my current dream!

STOP IT! You are going to make me go out and by a nano cube tank!!!!! DO NOT INSPIRE ME, this is DANGEROUS territory!!! 😂

[clownbaby]

On 10/14/2024 at 12:51 AM, Ravelle said:

I don't really have the room for it but I still want a au natural tank someday,  with brownwater, dirt, lots of driftwood and plants and throw some creek dwelling fish in there.  

Honestly, 10000000% underrated!!! One of my top ideas for a tank would be a small sluggish marshy stream, coldwater tank, with native North American species and plants with a muddy bottom and lots of leaf litter. I think Olympic mudminnows are suchhhhh a pretty and awesome species. Keeping them would be so cool!!!

[Beach Cruiser]

There was a couple in South Florida who had converted their backyard pool to a giant aquarium that you could swim in (i did).  Because of the hardish water, it was stocked with African rift lake fish.  Rockwork on the sides & full of plants too! A couple thousand breeding fish.  Amazing experience.

Another buddy had a very large pond (40' across) stocked with giant pacu & similar monsters.  It was rather shallow (3' or so, max) and sloped because he was in a wheelchair & would roll into the water to feed them. The fish were like big puppies with him. 

Not sure i could top those...but it'd be fun to try!  Maybe something similar, but with a giant viewing window in my basement/man cave. Crazy rays & all the big stuff you can't do elsewhere...😍

[Billipo]

I think I'd like a high end version of what my cousin did at his house. He opened up the wall between a closet and his family room in the wall. From the family room the tank was in the wall seamless. From the closet he could feed, do maintenance, etc. It really looked awesome. I'd like the same thing but with no budget constraints, I'd hire the work out and use high end equipment instead of the usual scrounging through the stuff I have around.  

It would be fun to stock without cost and availability not being an issue.

Edited Tuesday at 02:31 PM by Billipo

[Billipo]

On 10/14/2024 at 8:25 PM, clownbaby said:

Honestly, 10000000% underrated!!! One of my top ideas for a tank would be a small sluggish marshy stream, coldwater tank, with native North American species and plants with a muddy bottom and lots of leaf litter. I think Olympic mudminnows are suchhhhh a pretty and awesome species. Keeping them would be so cool!!!

I currently have a 29g with Central mudminnows.  I have enjoyed Ohio native tanks very much in the past with darters, creek chubs, dace, madtoms, creek chubs, mudminnows, suckers...  All locally caught. I once set up an informative tank at a library in the kids section.

Fun thing about natives is if you are always discrete when feeding, you can train them not to identify you with food so they always act very naturally.

[clownbaby]

On 10/15/2024 at 7:41 AM, Billipo said:

I currently have a 29g with Central mudminnows.  I have enjoyed Ohio native tanks very much in the past with darters, creek chubs, dace, madtoms, creek chubs, mudminnows, suckers...  All locally caught. I once set up an informative tank at a library in the kids section.

Fun thing about natives is if you are always discrete when feeding, you can train them not to identify you with food so they always act very naturally.

YEAH!!! I had a small 10 gallon set up for a little bit with juvenile sculpins. Only kept em for four days for studying. But GOSH I really loved those critters. I added live tubifex in the substrate and gosh they are efficient hunters!! 

[Mississippi fish guy]

On 10/15/2024 at 8:10 PM, clownbaby said:

YEAH!!! I had a small 10 gallon set up for a little bit with juvenile sculpins

if I had the space I would probably try a mottled sculpin since they stay a little smaller. They remind me of scorpion fish and ling cod.

Edited Wednesday at 01:25 AM by Mississippi fish guy