Help Rescaping Tank D:

[annaw123]

Hey everyone

I have a 120Litre tank with sand (which i find really hard to keep clean without sucking half of it up so any help is appreciated) and i'm just so bored with it! D: Hoping to get some much needed christmas money and get some interesting bits and bobs, maybe new plants and a big lump of driftwood to liven things up.
Anyone have any hints as to what i could put in/add to make it a bit more lively?

I have a dwarf gourami, dwarf pleco, 6 harlequins and 3 corycats, any hints aswell for which fish might go nicely and rekindle my love for my fish tank?

Thanks!

 

[Xraymark]

Add a big crashed plane

 

[annaw123]

Hahaa thats quite awesome to be honest! I really want one of those massive ship wrecks

 

[D1s]

I stuck a mangrove in the middle with big fluffy plants all around it. Looks really cool

 

[ian]

have a look at the journals in the planted section.

 

[annaw123]

Mangrove sounds good And ianho good plan, didnt think of that :')
Thanks guys

 

[minnnt]

Hi Anna. If you have the option of going to the woods/forest then you could try and find some oak or beech that is dead and use that instead of buying expensive driftwood from an LFS. You will need to de bark it and ensure it is totally dead then give it a quick rinse with boiling water and a scrub and you will be good to go.

With regards to siphoning the muck off of the surface of the sand, you have to swirl the vac around about an inch above the substrate so that it picks up the detritus and it will then suck it up the tbe and into the bucket/container.

With regards to your fish, add another 3 Cories. They are much happier in a larger group and their bahnvious changes alot when there s more of them. Ensure you get the same species though.

What colour is your DG? If it is a powder blue one then how about adding a trio of Sunset Platies? Aim for 1m to 2f as a ratio so that the male can divide his attention between them both.

Check out some threads in the plants section... You may be inspired to create something similar.

 

[annaw123]

That's a great idea, we have a lot of local woods so i could have a wander about and see what i can find Ah thats probably where i've been going wrong, I just sort of went for it and tried to suck up the dirt ... didnt go so well
Adding more corys sounds like a good idea ... my dwarf gourami is sort of red and blue striped
Thanks!

 

[minnnt]

Add something that differs in colour then to add a little more contrast. Maybe if you could find a group of black Platies or maybe green Swordtails then these would offer a new perspective to all of the inhabitants.

Most of my wood is collected these days, there is some cracking pieces oout there!! Where abouts are you from?

 

[annaw123]

Yeah that sounds like a good idea
Oh cool, i'm from Leigh on Sea in Essex, plenty of woods about

p.s. this might be a silly question, but how will i know if the wood is oak or beech? and what happens if the wood isn't oak or beech?

 

[minnnt]

Most wood is safe as long as it is totally dead. It has to be free from sap. Oak and Beech are just generally recommended.

 

[annaw123]

Ah right okay Do i have to soak it for a few days, or just soak and scrub with boiling water and chuck it in the tank?

 

[minnnt]

No need to soak it, but it will float so you will need to weigh it down with some rocks or wedge it.

 

[annaw123]

Ok, thanks!

 

[minnnt]

Happy hunting!