Ideas for rearranging tank

[CatLover]

I'm wanting to redo my tank. I'm on a very tight budget, but still want a new look. My tank is pathetic ATM, but I have no idea what I can/could do with it. I would like a lot more plants. Right now I have a bunch of lilies that are growing across the top, which I love - I planted those as bulbs, and they've gone so far!
I also have white gravel as substrate (wishing I had picked something different...), a large piece of driftwood, a couple of small pieces of driftwood, a few pieces of black and red slate, a few fake plants, and a large plastic log cave. I have a common pleco that is 13 inches long, so he makes it difficult to rearrange since I have to make sure he can still get around easily without bumping into everything, or having to squeeze between things.

So, any ideas? Cheap plants to try? A new way to situate the crap in my tank? It's always been so drab and unartistic. Help!

The sad, sad 75G. Sorry the pic is so dark.

 

[GSD]

get a background and some bright lighting
leave the substrate its nice!
plant around the driftwood with live plants!
itl be looking great in no time
heres some ideas


http/www.sandyspetshop.com/images/planted_tank.jpg
http/flab.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~komatsu/images/mytank.jpg
http/www.aquariumgarden.com/albums/Tank/...k_19_Mar_04.jpg
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Tanks/Tankpics/tk-adam1.jpg

this one is nice and simple
http/waffleman.fish-forums.com/Aqua081404e.JPG

 

[shuhu]

Since you don't have much lighting you could try growing moss, either on your pieces of wood, as lawn or as a wall on the back, here is how:
http/www.killies.com/Mosswall.htm

Knowing how much Watts per Gallon you have would help to know which other plants could work for you.

You could also build a styrofoam background, there are so many ways to do this but here's one link anyway
http/www.thecichlidgallery.com/article_styrobackground.htm

Hope that will give you some ideas

 

[CatLover]

Thank you! These help a lot

 

[fatguppy]

I think it just needs "tidying up" a bit! Get some suckers for the heater to stick it to the side of the tank. I realise you are on a tight budget, but perhaps some real plants which in the right conditions grow really fast. If you pick the right ones, you will find that they grow within a couple of weeks and then you can nip the tops off, tie them up with cable ties, and replant, only for them to grow again! You need to ask at the lfs for the fastest growers - we have some that we can barely control they grow so fast! however, I like the "natural" look of the tank so don't get downhearted. You can improve it quickly and cheaply.

good luck

 

[White Whale]

Your tank is fine. You just need some big-ass java fern on the sides and back corners as space fillers. Real easy to care for. And maybe a background wallpaper.