Future Stocking Choices?

[smiles669]

Hi all! Theres a very good chance im going to be building a new aquarium soon, and im looking at going with about 2 feet by 2 feet, and 18 inches tall.  This should put it at about 44 US Gallons. Im leaving it up to you guys here to help with stocking it I would really  like something very unique and unusual.  All help is greatly appreciated! I have a lot of time since this wont be completed for a month or two

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Unique and unusual...


The dimensions of this tank are unique, so while it is 44 gallons, it's not as long as those tanks normally would be.


How's this:

Shoal of celestial pearl danios - 12 or so...
Shoal of corydoras habrosus - 10-12.
And a shoal of micro rasboras 10-12.
A trio of honey gouramis
Heavily planted with some red cherry shrimp...

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

It could suit a carefully selected "African oddball" community, something like...
1x African Butterfly Fish
1x Leopard Bushfish
6-8x Syndontis nigriventris or 6-9 Yellow Tail Congo Tetra (1 male per 2/3 females)
1x Krib (male)

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Where are you going to place the tank?  Sounds like a lovely room centerpiece to look at from all angles.
 
To me... sounds like having it beautifully planted would make the biggest impact.

 

[dgwebster]

I like the idea of a black sand tank with a centre 'volcano'. You know those sand water falls you get for fish tanks? imagine that with red-orange sand, tumbling down the sides of the volcano to the bottom where the cooled 'black' lava is
 
AAANNNDDDD you could call it Mt. Wanna-hock-a-loogie.
 
finally, planted with some broad leaves near to and moving out from from the mountain "base" and put in something like dwarf puffers or leaf fish.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

It could suit a carefully selected "African oddball" community, something like...
1x African Butterfly Fish
1x Leopard Bushfish
6-8x Syndontis nigriventris or 6-9 Yellow Tail Congo Tetra (1 male per 2/3 females)
1x Krib (male)

 
 
^^^
That's more unique.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I want you to do something like this  http/www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=11&p=2&a=0&at=0 and fill it with shoals of small fish. 

 

[smiles669]

Where are you going to place the tank?  Sounds like a lovely room centerpiece to look at from all angles.
 
To me... sounds like having it beautifully planted would make the biggest impact.

I would LOVE to have it all planted... But it is going in the centre of the room as a coffee table aquarium, and I'm still trying to figure out how i can light it from the top of the tank, Instead of underneath..I still have not quite figured out a way i could make that work.Any advice on this would help as well! haha

 

[PrairieSunflower]

LED strip lighting around the edges with a guard so it doesn't blind people looking down.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Can you hang a light from the ceiling?
 
There are some lights that can be clamped on the sides - P3Steveo used to make custom units like this with LEDs.  I don't know if he still does or not. 
 
 
Oops.. doesn't matter, I don't think he'd ship from UK to Canada.

 

[dgwebster]

I'd imagine a hood for the tank could look rather like a picture frame from the top, allowing you to look in from above (making my volcano even MORE awesome!) but would contain a rim of wood around the edge: you could embed angled LED's from here which the onlooker would not be able to see. If you do this with a "picture frame" glass over the top of your tank cover, it also means your tank is protected from anything getting into it from spillages etc. and if someone was really unfortunate enough to drop something from a height, your frame/glass hood will take the beating, not the tank.