nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
These gobies are very sensitive to their environment, and don't really colour up until they're settled into an aquarium at home. In the retailer's tanks, yes, they looked washed out because they're unhappy. Once you have them in a quiet aquarium with neutral (not hard) water, and they'll look amazing.
As for general advice, I'd suggest thinking about two things:
1 -- You need fish for each level of a tank. This way, the tank doesn't look cluttered, but does look busy. I find what works well is a ratio of one cm/inch for the top, to two cm/inch in the middle, and one cm/inch at the bottom. In other words, if you were choosing fish in the 3-4 cm length bracket, you might pick 1 silver hatchet to every 2 platies to every 1 corydoras.
2 -- Consider colour AND movement. Cardinals and neons are colourful, but they don't do much. Clown loaches are pretty, but often rather shy (if not kept in big groups). On the other hand, silver hatchetfish and glassfish might not be brightly coloured, but they are incredibly active, fighting and chasing one another all the time. So combine fish of both types, to the tank is entertaining as well as atrractive.
It's also worth thinking about the environment in the tank. Dark aquaria complements neons, while glowlights look best in peat-tinted water. Guppies seem to shimmer in brightly illuminated tanks. Black mollies look amazingly good against dark green foliage. If all else fails, try to recreate a single habitat, say a mangrove swamp or a mountain stream. Pick fishes that belong there, and you'll often, by default, end up with an attractive community.
Cheers,
Neale
As for general advice, I'd suggest thinking about two things:
1 -- You need fish for each level of a tank. This way, the tank doesn't look cluttered, but does look busy. I find what works well is a ratio of one cm/inch for the top, to two cm/inch in the middle, and one cm/inch at the bottom. In other words, if you were choosing fish in the 3-4 cm length bracket, you might pick 1 silver hatchet to every 2 platies to every 1 corydoras.
2 -- Consider colour AND movement. Cardinals and neons are colourful, but they don't do much. Clown loaches are pretty, but often rather shy (if not kept in big groups). On the other hand, silver hatchetfish and glassfish might not be brightly coloured, but they are incredibly active, fighting and chasing one another all the time. So combine fish of both types, to the tank is entertaining as well as atrractive.
It's also worth thinking about the environment in the tank. Dark aquaria complements neons, while glowlights look best in peat-tinted water. Guppies seem to shimmer in brightly illuminated tanks. Black mollies look amazingly good against dark green foliage. If all else fails, try to recreate a single habitat, say a mangrove swamp or a mountain stream. Pick fishes that belong there, and you'll often, by default, end up with an attractive community.
Cheers,
Neale
