what would make my tank more interesting?

Gomez · Post by **Gomez** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:31 pm

so my drift wood wont rot in my fw tank right?
is it the salt that makes it rot?

Rocker · Post by **Rocker** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:37 pm

It will rot over time but its the salt that can accelerate the process in a BW tank.

messy_da_legend · Post by **messy_da_legend** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 5:49 pm

i have re scaped the tank now, with the plants taken out, and i have switched to coral sand. a few more rocks were added, but thats not the final positioning yet. the slate is yet to come out of the back of the tank and will be replaced with a plain black background in due time. more rocks will probarbly be stacked up at the back to fill it in a bit, hopefully creating a few "shelves" and caves for shelter. i may add some fake wood branches as well

Before:

After:

perek · Post by **perek** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 5:52 pm

Im thinking of picking up some coral sand for my GSP tank

messy_da_legend · Post by **messy_da_legend** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 5:53 pm

it really brightens up the look of the tank, i think its great stuff so far

perek · Post by **perek** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 5:57 pm

EWW what is that btw?
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/ ... ure017.jpg

messy_da_legend · Post by **messy_da_legend** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 6:12 pm

lol its a cut up bit of shrimp food! i think is was pregnant because it had eggs all over it and the gobies seemd to love them! the puff liked it as well!

puffernuke · Post by **puffernuke** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 7:47 pm

i would now finds a buch of silk plants to replace the ones you took out. I really like a lot of plants, personally. and also some oyster shells one other sea shells would add to the bottom.

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 7:55 pm

i kinda like the big piece of slate against the back.

You can click the tank in my sig to see a larger view of my tank.

The brackish period between freshwater and marine is kind of a pain decoration wise. no suitable plants and driftwood is a no no.

Those pictures you liked from wwm look awesome though. If you could get something like that goin i'd be jealous.

YBeNormal · Post by **YBeNormal** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:53 pm

I started with a semi-SW look from the start with silk versions of SW plants , crushed coral and calcium-based rocks. The rocks I started with are now being used as base rock for the LR piles. You can save a ton of money by planning ahead rather than decorating for FW then replacing everything as you increase the salinity.

lisalisa · Post by **lisalisa** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 9:58 pm

YBeNormal wrote:I started with a semi-SW look from the start with silk versions of SW plants , crushed coral and calcium-based rocks. The rocks I started with are now being used as base rock for the LR piles. You can save a ton of money by planning ahead rather than decorating for FW then replacing everything as you increase the salinity.

I did the same for my GSP tank...you're so smart!
:15:

messy_da_legend · Post by **messy_da_legend** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 2:01 am

x0rtrunks - how big is that tank? the mangroves in there look great. is it freshwater?

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 3:30 am

The tank is a 33 gallon and currently at ~1.012 SG heading upwards. It houses a single 4 inch GSP. Filtered with a whisper 60 gal HOB and a fluval 304 canister.

The mangrove roots are from petsmart. They have lots of different sizes and looks to choose from. Deffinately worth looking into for decorations since real driftwood is out of the question.

Soon I'll be setting up a 55 gallon and I think I might start fresh with some base rock in prep for live rock, because by the time the tank stand is completed, I could probably be at full marine. And as has been said, planning ahead for a tank's final state is a good idea.

messy_da_legend · Post by **messy_da_legend** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 3:38 am

it looks great!
when raising the salinity, is there a point where i would need to add extra stuff e.g. a skimmer, live rock, or will my fluval 205 and internal juwel filter suffice?

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 3:51 am

thanks!

Things change when you get to full marine. Canisters and HOBs can quickly become nitrate factories without careful regular maintance and it is recomended you remove them for normal use and instead rely upon the live rock and a good skimmer to do the filtration work and powerheads for current.

Some still use HOB filters for water polishing and mechanical filtration.

I'm sure others with far more experience will fill you in with more details and point you to more information.

When you start to realize the time and money commitment puffers can be, you start to wonder what the heck you were thinking when you bought that 4$ fish.

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what would make my tank more interesting?