I had a large (and I do mean large!) tree trunk type ornament in my tank that took up almost the entire width of the tank at the bottom. Tigerlily scraped her side on it I think probably trying to swim between it and the glass, so I took it out. Now, I only have a few fake plants in it. It looks so empty now!

I feel like I need to get something else to put in it, but I'm not sure what would be best...don't want any more lost scales. Nearly everything I see at the lfs has rough places on it. I was wondering what all of ya'll have in your tanks? Anybody have just fake plants and no ornaments?

Would love to see pics if you have them!

I've got lots of fake plants and this thing that I call "castle rock" It's a big rocky/mountainy looking thing with holes that the fishies can swim through. I've got a pic of it here but its not really up to date. Since that pic I've added some more plants and arranged it a bit nicer. I've got to get around to taking some new pics of it.

Hi there DG.
I think a bareish tank can look pretty. I've seen it done. My sons' tank has only 2 fake plants and a bare bottom as its so much easier to look after that way. The fish have somewhere to hide but also lots of space. What we did was bought a very busy decorative background screen to attach to the back of the tank. That has a lot of rocks and 3D effect in it.

I too would love to hear what other people have in their tanks..

My fantail liked to hide in the trunk, so I tried to group a bunch of the plants close together to kind of make her a hiding place. My background is kind of busy too...lots of plants on it.

I have ancient ruins and fake plants and the reminents of real ones. Here's what my tank kinda looks like I added more plants (fake ones this weekend) If it looks kinda cloudy it's cause I took the picutres right after a water change before they could redecorate!

I have some live plants & some fake ones! I also have some little bottles & small terra cotta pots! I have different size rocks & stones in there too! It sounds a little willy nilly but I like it!

I have blue gravel and clear glass rocks in my tank. Along with some fake logs and real plants. However my goldies have munched them all away... except for the big leafy ones. So I need to get more. haha.

I love the ancient ruins! I bought several of them last year at Petsmart and they're going in my 75g tank when I get it set up.

I have purple gravel and a black backgroud! I was looking for the "70's" hippie look! Oh well

I also have some live plants, two small terra cotta pots, a feedind dish and a fake log that looks like it has moss growing on it. Its hollow but the back is open to allow for water movement and also I have one of my airstones placed inside so the water moves more! I love the way it came out. Oh, and my other airstone is one of the round disk that sits on the bottom of the tank. I cover it with gravel. Gives a very nice effect.

My fish are still small, but I have a bit of gravel, a couple small plastic plants, a skull ornament and a pagoda, but everything is relatively small so they have lots of space to swim. Here's the thread with pictures in it http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...showtopic=41537

That sounds sooo cool!

Here's a pic of my 125 gallon with white gravel, blue background and 4 plastic plants. I have six Butterfly Telescopes around 3" each. I like for my fish to have alot of swimming room. Some people upgrade to a bigger tank, and then put so many decorations in it that it becomes even less swimming room then they had before. Let the fishies swim!!!!!!!!

haha i am jealous.

I went for river bed look, large substrate -river rock like, and a pseudo piece of driftwood center and in back with very large holes. Lots of fake plants that are cloth material. Lots of place to swim, hide, etc. A small, jasper bhuda sits on a 5" bubble disc in one corner. The tank is a 40g Pentagon.

Still waiting for final phase of fishless cycle. My friend lent me his diggie cam but he doesn't have a bus cord so I will give the cam back to him and he will email me pics.

S~

I'm so jealous too! You know, that tank does look alot like mine does now...just gravel, a few plants and fish. So, why does your tank look so much better than mine?????

Please do post some pics! It sounds beautiful and I would love to see it!!

Hi! I know how you feel... I really like doing japanese-themed tanks but so far, one by one, all my tanks are being reduced to becoming completely bare. Actually, I do not mind it! THe fish are getting bigger and they have beocme the ornaments! I like the barebottom and will probably never add gravel again but possibly a handful of small-medium river rocks as they like to root around for food.

I have gone from this:


to this:


...to having absolutley nothing but two small plastic plants! In fact, right now, the plants are not even in the tank as they are being "cleaned". And the buddha has been relocated back to the tropical tank.

It has been a process of elimination based on tank cleaning - the plants were trapping food, the GF were destroying the (live) moss and clogging the filter, the substrate was clogging the filter and getting stuck in the GF's mouth, and the pagoda - well, being hollow and pointy, went out when I got a Frog's Head GF (with samll eye bubbles)...

So, if you have any ideas, please share! I can't wait to see what you come up with! The tank is a lot easier to keep clean and I am getting used to the look... but I think it still needs something - hidey places and such!


I really want to see your 70's tank, Vmlola!
Mookie - beautiful tank! You guys have really used gravel well, makes me think...

Tastyramen - I like you new avatar! I recently saw that glass GF "bowl" at a kitchen store - they have two sizes - and I am really trying hard not to buy theM!
(although their picture had a Betta fish in it). Where did you see that one?

I have a japanese themed tank. I have a pagoda house, dragon head and some lily type plants in there. I also have small pebbles in natural colors.
Im thinking of getting a 55 gallon and I think Ill do mostly bare bottomed. Ill put take plants in terra cotta pots filled with marbles or little stones to keep the plants in.

Graham.. I like the plant in your tank on the far left. Some kind of Japanese Maple?

Hey Glitter - yeah -It is japanese maple by Fancy Plants - I really like their plastic plants! The bamboo is by them, too and they have ferns and some flowered ones...

Here's my tank.
Green water.. Black gravel and brown glass "pots" with some grass-like plants in them.
http://www.2and2.net/Uploads/Images/tank1.PNG

My water went through a phase of looking like that as well Nattviska. Fortunately it seems to have cleared itself up.

I've gone for as natural a set-up as possible with my current tank. I have pea gravel all along the bottom, with a large slate arch in the middle of the tank, big enough for the fish to swim under and behind it.

There is a cluster of plastic hornwort-type plants on the far left, positioned away from the glass so fish can swim round it, and a plantpot tucked behind them for extra hidey space. The pot is plastic, but I've screened it off with a piece of slate.

On the right hand side I have a couple of silk plants with oval leaves. They move in the current from the filter, and help disguise the filter.

There are also various bits of slate scattered around the tank, covering up plant bases. They also help weight down and conceal the air hose that runs the length of the tank, so there is a constant stream of bubbles rising along the back.

It's taken us several months to get it to a stage where we're happy with it, but I think it looks quite good, and the fish seem to appreciate the fact that there is plenty of stuff to nibble and swim round.

Nattviska ~ I love the brown vase "pots" in your tank. Very creative!

Thanks. I found them in a flower shop.

Wow! Everyone's tanks are beautiful! Mine is SO boring, since the fish will be moving to a bugger home (hopefully) soon i don't want to do much with it yet.

I am very overstocked, still saving up for a 55 or 75 gallon, so I have very little in my tank to give them maximum swimming room. I want a bigger tank SO badly, I want my fish to be able to SWIM and I want to see them SWIM!

All I have is river rock on the bottom and a very small skull ornament that the fish push all ov erhte tank. I tried having plastic plants but the fish shove them around and they end up stuck behind the filters. Unfortunately, I have in-tank filters (Whispers), so that takes up even more of the room in the tank. I had a nive rock ornament in there that had little openings for them to swim through, but the openings were too small for my biggest fish, and she would try and fit her bug butt through it and lost some scales, so I took it out. Once these fish are in their new home I want to get a fancy or two for this tank and dress it up a little.

I am considering bare bottom when I get the new tank for my current fish, but I want an area for them to hide as well.

Here is a not-very-good picture of their current tank (see how very overstocked I am?) :-(

With the rock thing still in and only one filter (now there's two) The white things on the side are nylons stuffed with gravel from their old tank to speed up cycling. They used to live in a 10 gallon!:



Current small picture of the tank (the fish HATE the light, which I only have on for pictures, so they hide under the filters when it is on):



With cat security guard: