Help With Design :)

[byrnezee]

Hi, New to the forum and was wondering if anybody could help
I have a 66 gallon tropical tank and was wondering if anybody could help me with some design ideas to scape.
I would consider a couple of plants, not too many tho lol, looking for the contemporary look,
Thanks

 

[chrisbassist]

what sort of thing are you interested in? what do you mean by the "contemporary" look?

if you were talking about architecture i might have a clue what you mean, but i don't quite know what you mean refering to a fish tank.

places to start:

look at doing a biotope. a true discus biotope would have very few plants, since not much will actually grow in the parts of the amazon where they are, it would however have roots and stones etc, check out other biotopes.

set up a setting from a movie or cartoon, i've seen spongebob scenes, someone was talking about doing a star wars tank. ancient egypt themes etc...

real life settings: going very simple you could have a sand substrate, get a piece of slate or something paint a line down the middle and place it in as a road going through the desert, simply place a mini road sign to complete the effect. or go a step further and put a car model in on the road.

replicate a famous setting (and surrounding area): the eiffel tower, the las vegas strip, an ancient greek temple, an underwater liberty island (with statue of liberty)

not so famous settings: a building you particularly like make a model and have that as the design, maybe a diner, leaving all the windows open will make it a fun place to play for the fish...

so, even though i don't really understand what you want, hopefully i've given you a few ideas.

 

[byrnezee]

what sort of thing are you interested in? what do you mean by the "contemporary" look?

if you were talking about architecture i might have a clue what you mean, but i don't quite know what you mean refering to a fish tank.

places to start:

look at doing a biotope. a true discus biotope would have very few plants, since not much will actually grow in the parts of the amazon where they are, it would however have roots and stones etc, check out other biotopes.

set up a setting from a movie or cartoon, i've seen spongebob scenes, someone was talking about doing a star wars tank. ancient egypt themes etc...

real life settings: going very simple you could have a sand substrate, get a piece of slate or something paint a line down the middle and place it in as a road going through the desert, simply place a mini road sign to complete the effect. or go a step further and put a car model in on the road.

replicate a famous setting (and surrounding area): the eiffel tower, the las vegas strip, an ancient greek temple, an underwater liberty island (with statue of liberty)

not so famous settings: a building you particularly like make a model and have that as the design, maybe a diner, leaving all the windows open will make it a fun place to play for the fish...

so, even though i don't really understand what you want, hopefully i've given you a few ideas.

Thanks for the tips
I quite like the idea of a real life setting, could possibly replicate a map from Call of Duty
I realise now that the idea of radically changing the layout of the tank with the fact I have fish in there is going to be a daunting task lol, and one I may have to consider. lol I may even look to the idea you have of ancient egyptian theme.

Thanks for the ideas, I'll do a bit of research

 

[Assaye]

Before you consider anything too contemporary or radical, consider the affect the environment will have on the fish.

Fish are actually very wild by nature. They look for predators, they need places to sleep and hide. They are affected by how much light they get (and what direction they get it from), what colour their gravel is and whether or not they have a background on the tank. Tiny details, but they can make all the difference between healthy fish and stressed, sickly fish.

A few examples:

In nature, most sand in lakes and streams is quite dark. Many fish have adapted to be dark on top and lighter under, in order to camouflage with the sand and sky. Take this away from them by giving them very light (or even white) sand, and they will become stressed.

Many fish also come from dark water, with lots of roots and plants to hide in. Take these fish and out them in a sparsely planted tank with a few "set pieces" (such as pirate ships and arches) and they don't settle or thrive as well as they should.

Many decorations designed to look good are also fairly fish unfriendly. They are rough, or have small holes to get trapped in, or moving parts that crush. Some leak dyes into the water or flake off paint.

In a fish tank you are creating everything the fish need to thrive and be happy. The environment needs to fulfill their needs for safety, darkness, day and night and shelter before it's fulfills yours.

That said, one can be very creative as long as their needs are met.

While you are in the mood for research, have a read of our resource centre.

 

[byrnezee]

Before you consider anything too contemporary or radical, consider the affect the environment will have on the fish.

Fish are actually very wild by nature. They look for predators, they need places to sleep and hide. They are affected by how much light they get (and what direction they get it from), what colour their gravel is and whether or not they have a background on the tank. Tiny details, but they can make all the difference between healthy fish and stressed, sickly fish.

A few examples:

In nature, most sand in lakes and streams is quite dark. Many fish have adapted to be dark on top and lighter under, in order to camouflage with the sand and sky. Take this away from them by giving them very light (or even white) sand, and they will become stressed.

Many fish also come from dark water, with lots of roots and plants to hide in. Take these fish and out them in a sparsely planted tank with a few "set pieces" (such as pirate ships and arches) and they don't settle or thrive as well as they should.

Many decorations designed to look good are also fairly fish unfriendly. They are rough, or have small holes to get trapped in, or moving parts that crush. Some leak dyes into the water or flake off paint.

In a fish tank you are creating everything the fish need to thrive and be happy. The environment needs to fulfill their needs for safety, darkness, day and night and shelter before it's fulfills yours.

That said, one can be very creative as long as their needs are met.

While you are in the mood for research, have a read of our resource centre.

I have 2 plecos, a common catfish, 2 clown loach, sucking loach and a load of little fish lol
The 'gravel' that I have at the minute is tiny peices of slate. The design of the current tank is pretty much your petsathome special;
2 Castles, 2 Sunken Bells, Little Anchor, fake Bogwood, and two Air Pumps. The background I have at the minute is just a plain black sheet.
The more I change the tank the more stress I'm gonna cause to the fish, what would be the best way to make any sort of change, without causing too much stress to the fish?

Thanks Again