I could use some ideas please

[Whitecloudminnowguy09]

So I have this 20g long, low-tech tank. But I want more out of it. I have dragon stone and spiderwood. I am a teen working for money, but I do not have anything steady rn. So I need to work with what I got, not saying buying anything is out of the question, but just implying that I cannot drop 50 for a few pounds of Elephant Stone if you read me.
Plants: Anubias nana, Windelov Java Fern, Amazon Sword, lily bulb, moss ball, val (it's struggling and hidden by rock at the moment), dwarf sag, duckweed, which I just transplanted today, actually, and that is it I think. Very simple and basic plants.

I have access to rocks from a creek, so I can go there and grab whatever the heck I want. I will also get a few more plants soon.

Any advice? I am not a fan at all of the look at this very moment.

Pic below

 

[seangee]

This was my low tech 20 long - one of my faves of all time

Every plant you see is fast growing and responds really well to divide and conquer. The same applies to the tank in my signature pic. Ambulia (limnophila sessiliflora) and Hygrophila (pretty much any variety) are dead cheap and you simply cut off the tips and replant to make more - you can do this weekly in the beginning and have a great display within 6-8 weeks.
(Edit) Tip: Eradicate the duckweed while you can!. For floating plants Amazon frogbit or watersprite are far more manageable.

 

[Back in the fold]

You don’t need to spend a dime . Rearrange your plants and re-do your rock work . Maybe glue some flat rocks together with silicone aquarium sealant and make a terrace . Be creative . Look around outside and copy a landscape that catches your eye . Slope the sand differently . Flat substrate is nowheresville .

 

[jaylach]

I'm not one to often give advice on how another should arrange their decor but...

To me the tank looks too balanced. The central rocks, to me, draw too much attention as a centerpiece and I don't hardly notice the plants. I can't tell you what you should do. I can only say what I would do working with what you have.

As to the rocks I would try placing the larger rocks on one side with their angle directing toward the other side. The big rocks are large enough to hold their own and pointing them toward the other will tend to direct the eye to the other side. The darker rocks I would I would mix with the lighter rocks going from heavier on the lighter rocks to heavier on the dark rocks but not really grouped.

As to the plants... With the red Lilly on the right I'd add an iron supplement to bring out more red as a contrast. Many red plants are more colorful with an iron supplement as the red is largely controlled by iron. I would move the sward close to the Lilly but not right against each other as this will also give more contrast.

Just my personal thoughts to make things seem more natural and, also, give two attention grabbers that are opposed in the tank. In my opinion this would help the eye see the entire tand, not just the rocks.

Again, I'm not saying that you should do this. It is just what I'd consider if it were my tank.

 

[Whitecloudminnowguy09]

This was my low tech 20 long - one of my faves of all time

Every plant you see is fast growing and responds really well to divide and conquer. The same applies to the tank in my signature pic. Ambulia (limnophila sessiliflora) and Hygrophila (pretty much any variety) are dead cheap and you simply cut off the tips and replant to make more - you can do this weekly in the beginning and have a great display within 6-8 weeks.
(Edit) Tip: Eradicate the duckweed while you can!. For floating plants Amazon frogbit or watersprite are far more manageable.

Thanks. And yes I know about the duckweed been playing the game with it for years I can control it pretty well due to my tank parameters surprisingly.

You don’t need to spend a dime . Rearrange your plants and re-do your rock work . Maybe glue some flat rocks together with silicone aquarium sealant and make a terrace . Be creative . Look around outside and copy a landscape that catches your eye . Slope the sand differently . Flat substrate is nowheresville .

Thank you!

I'm not one to often give advice on how another should arrange their decor but...

To me the tank looks too balanced. The central rocks, to me, draw too much attention as a centerpiece and I don't hardly notice the plants. I can't tell you what you should do. I can only say what I would do working with what you have.

As to the rocks I would try placing the larger rocks on one side with their angle directing toward the other side. The big rocks are large enough to hold their own and pointing them toward the other will tend to direct the eye to the other side. The darker rocks I would I would mix with the lighter rocks going from heavier on the lighter rocks to heavier on the dark rocks but not really grouped.

As to the plants... With the red Lilly on the right I'd add an iron supplement to bring out more red as a contrast. Many red plants are more colorful with an iron supplement as the red is largely controlled by iron. I would move the sward close to the Lilly but not right against each other as this will also give more contrast.

Just my personal thoughts to make things seem more natural and, also, give two attention grabbers that are opposed in the tank. In my opinion this would help the eye see the entire tand, not just the rocks.

Again, I'm not saying that you should do this. It is just what I'd consider if it were my tank.

Great advice. I have been adding iron for the lilly, yes it is coloring up good. I will tinker with it more and keep y'all updated! Thanks all

 

[jaylach]

Thanks. And yes I know about the duckweed been playing the game with it for years I can control it pretty well due to my tank parameters surprisingly.

Thank you!

Great advice. I have been adding iron for the lilly, yes it is coloring up good. I will tinker with it more and keep y'all updated! Thanks all

Thanks for the compliment but PLEASE remember that I was, in no way, saying what you should do. I was just saying what I might do. I just saw a lot of potential in your tank photo so gave an opinion but that opinion is mine and has nothing to do with what you may want.

It is your tank and only you can decide what you want it to be. It is like when asked about what fish should be kept. No one can answer that except the fish keeper. If I respond at all to those threads, which is seldom, I tend to just say to figure out what the person wants as a 'center piece' fish and then find other fish that work. You have a lot to work with in that thank but only you can decide what you actually want. The best any of us can really do is to express what we might do which may have nothing to do with what you really want. We can look and say if or if not we like and offer suggeations but the final answer is what YOU like, not what we like. It is your tank and the only opinion that really matters is yours.

 

[GaryE]

One of my hobby friends runs a local store and sells a lot of aquascaping rock. His store is a needed local resource, but isn't exactly raking in money. So I don't say this locally, but I have never bought a rock or a piece of driftwood in close to 60 years of tanks.

I started with my tanks when young and broke, and have been skilled at being close to broke all my life. There are many things you can explore as you go along that will cost you time and effort, but not cash. You learn a little about the trees in your environment and choose hardwood pieces if you have access to woods. You teach yourself basic rock identification and choose interestingly shaped rocks that won't change your water chemistry (or that will, if that's your goal).

Your tanks won't look like the ones online in aquascaping shots, with imported rocks and wood "everyone" uses. They'll look like your tanks.

I think your current tank is great. It just needs patience. It'll grow in. @seangee has excellent strategies to speed things along.

Alas, even in just a few posts, I think I can pick up an issue with you. You seem to be like the rest of us, and that means you'll never be satisfied with how a tank looks. You'll always want to improve, to fiddle with and to change your tanks. If you create the most beautiful tank ever seen, you'll probably tear it down in a few weeks, make it look like the inside of a parking garage and start again trying to make it better!

Don't look for a finished product. Go with the process. The day you say your tank is finished is two weeks before it needs another plant, just over there...

 

[gimme30]

I think your current tank is great. It just needs patience. It'll grow in.

I was thinking the same thing, I like the way you've arranged the rocks. I suppose you could add a plant or two as funds allow to break up the open area, or maybe a vinyl to block the view of the window through the tank-unless that's a reflection.
Otherwise it looks low maintenance to me and that's my jam right there.

Or you could sprinkle a few of these around the tank....

Or maybe not.

 

[Whitecloudminnowguy09]

Thanks for the compliment but PLEASE remember that I was, in no way, saying what you should do. I was just saying what I might do. I just saw a lot of potential in your tank photo so gave an opinion but that opinion is mine and has nothing to do with what you may want.

It is your tank and only you can decide what you want it to be. It is like when asked about what fish should be kept. No one can answer that except the fish keeper. If I respond at all to those threads, which is seldom, I tend to just say to figure out what the person wants as a 'center piece' fish and then find other fish that work. You have a lot to work with in that thank but only you can decide what you actually want. The best any of us can really do is to express what we might do which may have nothing to do with what you really want. We can look and say if or if not we like and offer suggeations but the final answer is what YOU like, not what we like. It is your tank and the only opinion that really matters is yours.

I understand, I come to forums for ideas and suggestions, and they in no way make me do this or that. It is simply ideas and suggestions. I love info from other people because I know no one personally who actually keeps fish, well I would not say no one I have a teen friend, he keeps fish, but not really live plants or anything crazy, just a 20g long with a few tetras. Thank you for the clarification in your post, that is very valuable online, because miscommunication is common due to no body language, or expression in the post it self.

One of my hobby friends runs a local store and sells a lot of aquascaping rock. His store is a needed local resource, but isn't exactly raking in money. So I don't say this locally, but I have never bought a rock or a piece of driftwood in close to 60 years of tanks.

I started with my tanks when young and broke, and have been skilled at being close to broke all my life. There are many things you can explore as you go along that will cost you time and effort, but not cash. You learn a little about the trees in your environment and choose hardwood pieces if you have access to woods. You teach yourself basic rock identification and choose interestingly shaped rocks that won't change your water chemistry (or that will, if that's your goal).

Your tanks won't look like the ones online in aquascaping shots, with imported rocks and wood "everyone" uses. They'll look like your tanks.

I think your current tank is great. It just needs patience. It'll grow in. @seangee has excellent strategies to speed things along.

Alas, even in just a few posts, I think I can pick up an issue with you. You seem to be like the rest of us, and that means you'll never be satisfied with how a tank looks. You'll always want to improve, to fiddle with and to change your tanks. If you create the most beautiful tank ever seen, you'll probably tear it down in a few weeks, make it look like the inside of a parking garage and start again trying to make it better!

Don't look for a finished product. Go with the process. The day you say your tank is finished is two weeks before it needs another plant, just over there...

You nailed it. I lack patience, so when I see my plants are not filling in as fast as I want I think changing the tank somehow makes it better but it does not. I have learned a lot working on a budget, and in a way it is better. Learning to work with what ya got, instead of buying every plant you can get your hands on, and learning what you can use around you from good ole mother nature. I think that is awesome. Thanks @GaryE .

I was thinking the same thing, I like the way you've arranged the rocks. I suppose you could add a plant or two as funds allow to break up the open area, or maybe a vinyl to block the view of the window through the tank-unless that's a reflection.
Otherwise it looks low maintenance to me and that's my jam right there.

Or you could sprinkle a few of these around the tank....
View attachment 375586

Or maybe not.

Thank you! What is that spiky ball thingy it looks pretty sick I might like that in my WCMM 10g tank actually lol.

 

[Back in the fold]

Thank you! What is that spiky ball thingy it looks pretty sick I might like that in my WCMM 10g tank actually lol.

That’s an explosive mine . Various navies use them to wreak havoc on each other . I want one too !

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Mine ornaments? Yes please! I'm picturing an Eastern Altlantic U-Boat biotope tank.

 

[Panda_Monium]

How about a 3D tank backing? I definitely have not had much luck with live plants so, other than the petrified wood, tumbled moss agate stones and a couple of pieces of labradorite, only the fish and substrate are 'real'.
Some people are of the opinion that background can detract from the colours and type of fish you have therefore recommending a black background - and I'm not saying that's incorrect...
My tank is 90cm L x 50cm W x 60cm H, and the backing cost me $25 AUD. (Temu)
I think it provides depth and dimension (& the little orange fake fish give it a few little pops of colour), and the best part is that if I decide to re-design the tank, the backing comes off without damaging the aquarium.
It took some imagination to get it looking as it does now, but my fish seem happy, and I had fun doing it!!
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll do a great job!

 

[jaylach]

How about a 3D tank backing? I definitely have not had much luck with live plants so, other than the petrified wood, tumbled moss agate stones and a couple of pieces of labradorite, only the fish and substrate are 'real'.
Some people are of the opinion that background can detract from the colours and type of fish you have therefore recommending a black background - and I'm not saying that's incorrect...
My tank is 90cm L x 50cm W x 60cm H, and the backing cost me $25 AUD. (Temu)
I think it provides depth and dimension (& the little orange fake fish give it a few little pops of colour), and the best part is that if I decide to re-design the tank, the backing comes off without damaging the aquarium.
It took some imagination to get it looking as it does now, but my fish seem happy, and I had fun doing it!!
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll do a great job!

I've used tank backings but just solid colors, usually black.

I've always wondered if a 3D background could confuse fish by making them 'think' that there is somewhere to go when there isn't. Have you ever seen any indication of this.

 

[otterblue]

I've used tank backings but just solid colors, usually black.

I've always wondered if a 3D background could confuse fish by making them 'think' that there is somewhere to go when there isn't. Have you ever seen any indication of this.

I don't know if it would happen to fish, but here's an example of it for people...

 

[GaryE]

3D backings are extremely rough on coyotes. Don't get one that looks like a tunnel.

If the 3d backing is dark coloured and natural, it can add a lot. I've never seen fish confused by them. What I have seen is fish colours lost in them if the backings are busy or cheesy. I just use black acrylic paint. I have some second hand tanks painted a reflective blue, for lighting, and I think they look bad. Deep deep purple or black are my choices.