Any Regrets? If You Could Do Your Tank Over Again

[wendywc]

For me, I would have gotten darker gravel. I love how fine and rounded my gravel is, but under the light and when I take pictures, it looks slightly pink and/or yellow. Maybe next time, I'll try eco-complete also. I only have a few plants; they're okay -- i.e., they are not dying, but they are not flourishing either.

I am very happy with my fish and decor though!

 

[fuman_chica]

Well, I was told I should get a bigger tank because of my one pleco getting too big. I don't know if he will but...if I could have a bigger tank, I would love to.

What I would like to do over is getting rid of one of my 2+ gallon tanks and for getting rid of almost all of my tank decerations. I threw them away because I was moving out of my apartment with my husband to move back in with my mom and there isn't enough room at my mom's house for all that stuff.

 

[soritan]

I would have set everything up before adding fish, all the substrate, all the decore', all the plants. I'd have bought a decent lighted hood right up front (I had to get the less-than-grand model, though, money issues.), and then after all that, I'd have at last added the fish.


Or I'd have realized how expensive and time consuming the hobby was right from the get go, and bought myself some nice, peaceful hermit crabs instead.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I would have spent more time researching the plants and trying to get the tank planted up straightaway+ with replacement light bulbs, rather than one bit here, one bit there. Not that it hasn't been fun this way- but a more scientific approach would have come cheaper.

 

[soritan]

I would have spent more time researching the plants and trying to get the tank planted up straightaway+ with replacement light bulbs, rather than one bit here, one bit there. Not that it hasn't been fun this way- but a more scientific approach would have come cheaper.

Or even deciding "planted vs fake" first would have been nice, eh? If I had known I wanted to go planted first, I could have saved myself a lot of time by setting it up right in the first place. It's actually kind of hard to switch to a planted, sandy substrate from a fake, 'aquarium gravel' substrate. My fish would definately have appreciated it if I had done everything in the background first, now I have to work around them.

 

[James007]

Think that I would have gone with sand instead of black gravel. I too would have researched my plants better.

 

[digimac]

I would have gone with a better substrate for planting, more layered with eco complete(or similar). sand and then fine gravel

 

[Wanda hornsey]

I would have added more fish to start...I didnt add enough and got a mini cycle and lost some lovely fish and feel awfully guilty for making them suffer

we are please with the tank by and large and feel our selves very lucky to have a big tank so we can have a good number of fish in a pleasing amount of varieties.

I would have got my new carpet fitted before I got the tank mind you as its FAR FAR to big to move

 

[Bloo]

I would have added more fish to start...I didnt add enough and got a mini cycle and lost some lovely fish and feel awfully guilty for making them suffer

But when doing a fishless cycle and you add too little fish, surely the "unused" bacteria just dies off and you shouldn't experience a cycle or mini cycle

Even though I now want to chance my current tanks, I wouldn't do anything differently.

 

[Sp00ky]

hide my bloody air curtain in the gravel properly GRRRRRRRRR!!

o yeah and i would love to learn how to do the cavey type thing at one end with all the plants growing through... they look awesome

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

I'm not sure I truly regret anything I've done with my fish and tanks. The only thing I would like different now is where they all are. But there's simply no way I can move the 55g stocked full of fish, rocks, caves etc, let alone the 100gallon that ought to be where the 55g currently is. I dread the idea of moving at any time.
Hugs,
P.