How do you like your aquarium set up Gaudy, Natural or Bare?

[redtailfool]

My setups are bare, minimalist.. the only decor i would use are a couple
of slate, some rocks and driftwood. I like to keep the bottom bare so maintenance is easier.. no buildup of poop! plus i like the focus to be on the fish and not the tank..

Just a matter of personal preference. No wrong or right here.. so what is yours???

[piranha45]

Natural-to-Gaudy. I deplore bare tanks, they are just so BORING. Yeah the fish really do stand out, cuz there's literally nothing else to look at! And the fish has no territory to claim and defend, nowhere to run and feel secure if frightened, no chance to avoid bright light sources if it so pleases...

I like to give myself the impression that the fish are living in something that is at least slightly akin to their natural environment; there's plenty of hiding spots and caves and cover for them to hide in when they lose battles or get freaked by going-ons outside the tank. Watching fish behavior is at least half the fun in keeping fish, and you don't get that in a bare tank.

[redtailfool]

Thats why i put in "toys" for my fish to play around in even though i keep
bare bottom tanks. a small dw there, a few slate stones here... keeps the rays happy.

[WckedMidas]

i like both. ive had bare bottom, sand bottom, pink gravel bottom, and natural pebble bottom like i have now. Sand ruined my filter. pink gravel just sucks girlfriend at times idea. creekpebbles are cool but it hard to vacume them up. my 65 gal ive allways bassicaly kept it with large stones i have enuf to do ccaves continusly from front left corner around the back to the front right corner if i want to or i can do duble caves. on top each other

[CentralMayhem]

what fun is a bare tank. aquascaping is almost as much fun as fish keeping.

[WckedMidas]

bare tanks are good for when you have large fish. for instance my tsn is pushing the 18 inch mark. when ever i put large rocks in or make a cave he lands up running into it and hurting him self. hes blind in one eye . and almost went blind in other eye from raming into ****. so they do have there purpose. also some fish like rays have tender bellys and can easly get damage from ruf surfaces.

[redtailfool]

Yeah i like the way sand looks but i hate it when its time to service the filters...
theres sand EVERYWHERE.. not to mention it will ruin your impellers and other filter parts...

[WckedMidas]

when i tried the sand i had three brand new magnum filters. 1 mag 35 with biowheels, 1 reg mag 350 and a mag 220 it ruiend the houseing and impellers on all three filters noisest dam thing u ever hear and im worried gonna start leaking on me from the grooves in the plastic houseing

[Neo Baron]

the only tank i use sand w/ is my reef but i have every thing a planted tank, show tanks and my feeder tank is bare so u can count that i guess.

[Maelgwyn]

I've only had natural tanks... Bare tanks aren't very often seen over here, and most people either set up natural or gaudy tanks...


Just my 2c!

[rayman45]

wll out of my 6 main tanks
2-bare 90G and 20L
1 with just gravel 75E
2-natural 55 with gators and 30 (days and frt)
1- dads oscar tank

i like bare
but my mom barks at me b/c they look ulgy

[pufferking]

i like mine natural or bare depending on tank size

[shovelnose]

I prefer Natural/gaudy but for maintenance sake bare is the way to go.

[guppy]

Plants, plants, more plants, rocks, small gravel.

[piranha45]

but everything eats the plants!

[joc38]

[I]I like setting up my aquariums according to the type of fish i have in them.The more natural the better.

[rollerboy244]

my new tank i compromised-i like natural gravel fairly fine but wanted plants in my first tank--so i got a medium grade natural fairly thick --now i regret because i changed my mind mid-setup[fish wise],expensive mistake with the tunze substrate heater,i only have plants on one end of my 180---and even with weekly gravel cleaning-loads of trapped fish excretia.
my new tank i have fine gravel,not sand fine thinly layered--attractive but more service friendly-plants are nice but whats good for plants isn't always good for fish.a plant tank with a few fish is a future project.i thought i would be the last to say this but some of the silk plants coming out are fairly realistic--not to mention worry free--plus i like good turnover in my tank at least ten times per hour---which makes life a little tough for most plants without a high nitrate level

[Corydoras]

For me, I prefer a well planted 'natural-looking' tank. The emphasis is on nature -- to be as natural as possible. Which means to say the focus is the entire setup and not the individual florals or faunas. In other words, I will not use bright colored stones or mix guppies and cardinal tetras together. :)

[shoefreak03]

i like the sand look but prefer the bare for the ease of cleaning and scooping out poop.

I think i would only go with sand if i ever get myself a show tank, hopefully by the end of the year.

[redtailfool]

I am looking for twig like driftwood that extends from the floor to the top of the tank
I dont want a large base so theres room for my rays. A lof of german ray hobbyists use that driftwood. Wonder where i could find one..

[thesnakeguru]

Cool thing about sand setups is they look AWESOME, easy way to do it is use a wet/dry filter, this type of filter only skims water off the top water of the tank so it doesn't stir up the bottom and leaves the sand where it is supposed to stay...on the bottom. Just a thought I have had 75 gal running in this manner for awhile now...works really well.
Later,
Brad Baysinger

[thesnakeguru]

I like the tanks to simulate exactly where the fish come from, I even went so far as to look up native plants and then order the synthetics that are exactly what the fish would have around in wild.
It might be a little obssesive, but everyone has got thier thing I guess.
Later,
Brad Baysinger

[guppy]

I like the tanks to simulate exactly where the fish come from, I even went so far as to look up native plants and then order the synthetics that are exactly what the fish would have around in wild.
It might be a little obssesive, but everyone has got thier thing I guess.
Later,
Brad Baysinger
You got it, if you let them get seriously overgrown and then trim out display areas you now own a "dutch natural".

[neoprodigy]

currently all my setup are bare....... it might be boring... but it works for me...

[slapper]

I want my fish to be comfortable and secure in the home I've created for them. I can't imagine that hapening in a bare tank. Knowing my fish can do at least some of the things they would be doing in the wild is worth the extra work for me.

[slapper]

Snakeguru what kind or cichlid is that in your avatar. It's georgous

[dragonscale]

I started with a bare tank. Then shifted to gravel with driftwood, rocks, etc. Although that looks much better, I'm going back to bare tank setup again, at lest for a while. Heard that driftwood will slowly decay over time and eventually cause problems with the fish. Any comments on that?

[truman]

bare tanks

budget and lower on the maintainence... I keep fish not tank-scapes.

:screwy: :y220d:

[redtailfool]

I started with a bare tank. Then shifted to gravel with driftwood, rocks, etc. Although that looks much better, I'm going back to bare tank setup again, at lest for a while. Heard that driftwood will slowly decay over time and eventually cause problems with the fish. Any comments on that?


If the driftwood was bought from a store, then its been fully treated and should not leech or rot in the water. The only effect a driftwood would give is that it may lower your ph a little.

But if you picked up a driftwood at the beach or somewhere else, then you may have a problem. Try boiling them in hot water and soak them for a few days to really clean them out.

[M|L]

I've tried all, natural, gaudy, bare.... and I must say I prefer bare (no decorations), either with substrate or without.

[dan888]

I'll prefer natural looking tank. Although it will takes more maintenance, but it is worth the effort.

[Steve_89]

I keep my tanks bare. Either just a thin layer of sand or none. I always have a feature peice of drift wood though and some rocks scattered around the tank.

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

i like my tanks to have atleast a little bit to look at besides the fish my avatar is a picture of my managuense cichlid

[buddah101]

Snakeguru what kind or cichlid is that in your avatar. It's georgous
Black Belt Cichlid Veja... something.... faciata LOL! I'm sorry, i'm not very good in Latin.

[buddah101]

I like a more natural set~up. It's a lot more work but I feel it makes the fish feel more secure. I'm not really in to the Bare~bottomed "utilitarian" type set ups, although they probably are a wonder to clean though!

[Polystigma]

I guess it depends on the fish. I like to go as natural as possible. But if I am keeping fish that tend to do their own arranging, like mbuna or oscars, I'll go with a natural looking, but minimalist tank.

Ted

[nick]

sand or river rock (usually natural colored) with soem driftwood low light plants (java moss , java fern, riccia , duckweed , bulb plants)


kool fish is a must lol

[iheartfishies]

With whatever is disconinued and/or chipped/broke at work that I buy for a buck. :)

[I_Luv_Cichlids]

heres a pic of my tank its pretty good looking IMO

[DiXoN]

I keep my tanks bare. Either just a thin layer of sand or none. I always have a feature peice of drift wood though and some rocks scattered around the tank.


thats how i keep mine but i may add some plants i like change every now and then.
dixon

[redtailfool]

thats how i keep mine but i may add some plants i like change every now and then.
dixon


That makes 3 of us. Thats how i like it. Driftwood , barebottom, with a slate rock or 2.

[Phtstrat]

I'm a big fan of natural looking tanks.

I just like the feeling that I have exotic fish, but I have somewhat replicated their natural environment, the one that evolution has engineered them for.

[piranha45]

i will cram all the caves and hiding ornaments i can into the tank, unless i were keeping large fish that wouldn't utilize them (ie rays arrows atfs)

[zongling]

Actually now I'm keeping the ST and they are huge.

So they themselves are a attraction and my tank is empty. Very very low maintenance.

I saw some bros here put gravel and looks good. Just wana to know how much maintence is needed and the effort when WC?

Cheers.

[wardie]

i have a central American look but water chem similar to Amazon due to most of my fish .I was just wondering if you can get those awful lasers anywhere else,the ones that sit at the bottom shining stupid shapes or the ones desgised as a light house and spin its laser. Also they are suposed to act like a UV steriliser??? i dont think itll do much

[Ph0etus]

I like planted tanks. They just look nicer IMO.

[piranha45]

i have a central American look but water chem similar to Amazon due to most of my fish .I was just wondering if you can get those awful lasers anywhere else,the ones that sit at the bottom shining stupid shapes or the ones desgised as a light house and spin its laser. Also they are suposed to act like a UV steriliser??? i dont think itll do much
Those things are for aesthetic use only. I see them for sale in wal-mart alot.

[rayman45]

with my old 90G tank
i had a regular laser pointer
fish chased it all day

[dayday]

well i have a natural small rocks and a piece of drift wood and i like my water clear with a natural look my kgmxkamfa loves it would post a pic but still learning how thanks

[DON PEDRO]

I prefer a natural looking tanks. i like having the idea that i created a home that will best suit my pets. Plus i think it looks alot better then having a bare tank. Sure maintance is a ***** sometimes but its well worth it for my pets.

Just wondering what does Gaudy mean?

-Don Pedro :cheers:

[guesswho2005]

My setups are bare, minimalist.. the only decor i would use are a couple
of slate, some rocks and driftwood. I like to keep the bottom bare so maintenance is easier.. no buildup of poop! plus i like the focus to be on the fish and not the tank..

Just a matter of personal preference. No wrong or right here.. so what is yours???

I like my MF tanks bare, But i do go for a well planted show tank. I always try to duplicate the enviroment my tank will focus on. I feel a natural tank set-up promotes natural behavior. but thats me

[purechink]

i prefer a semi bare tank.. i like substrate and a driftwood or rock and that's it

[Kutty]

All my tanks except my hospital/quarantine tanks are designed according to the fishes' natural habitat/biotope. That way the tanks look much nicer and more natural.

[amindbesideitself]

semi-bare in my 55 gal..much easier for maintenance and my oscar is not shy and very in-your-face..so he has no reason for hiding and probably wouldn't hide even if i gave him a place to... in my 20 gallon..its pretty gaudy for my baby oscar, pleco, and ropefish to hide in.

my 30 gallon will probably be semi-bare whenever i find room to set it up. *sigh* :shakehead

[redtailfool]

I like my MF tanks bare, But i do go for a well planted show tank. I always try to duplicate the enviroment my tank will focus on. I feel a natural tank set-up promotes natural behavior. but thats me


Thats cool and its true. I want to be able to duplicate a stingray biotope before
when i had smaller rays but then i found out that stingrays live in silty , muddy areas of the river .. wont translate well in the aquarium :)

[rtbguy782]

natural with live plants and everything makes it look more realistic

[magic]

Id go for natural or bare depending on type of fish.

[The TRUST]

I've tried all kinds. I personally like the bare but I have sand in mine now with a few river rocks.

[bluedempsey]

water and no problems

[CooyaFNQ]

I keep my oscars in a reasonably bare tank, just some gravel with a few rocks as they tend to bump into things, mainly when they were younger, chasing each other. Have settled down now. My african tank has lots of gravel & rocks to make caves. I like to watch them dig and defend their little bit of territory, most of the fun. They all have such different personalities. I do paint all the backs of the tanks black though, personal preference

[redtailfool]

I like blue backgrounds better. But i def agree with cichlids like Os with pebbles to play with.

[Rockie]

Black blackgrounds to all 3 sides :)

[sen_jie]

i prefer red sand with drift woods. and give that nature feeling... looks so calm...

[guppy]

Background of dark gray textured slate, dark blue "Crazy Paint", or crumpled tinfoil depending on the fish and tank, rock features on sand and gravel, rock or wood caves and overhangs, lots of plants. Pain in the butt to maintain but I like it.

[butane216]

I'm a natural guy personally ( no comments you pervs *haha*)...
but a quick thingy on backgrouns, I have a solid black background purchased from the LFS, i have problems with water getting betwene it and the glass... I'm loking for suggestions on #1 a better dark background or #2 a better way of securing the damned thing....

:feedback: :cheers:

[redtailfool]

I'm a natural guy personally ( no comments you pervs *haha*)...
but a quick thingy on backgrouns, I have a solid black background purchased from the LFS, i have problems with water getting betwene it and the glass... I'm loking for suggestions on #1 a better dark background or #2 a better way of securing the damned thing....

:feedback: :cheers:


Try putting soapy water on the back of the tank and then apply the background.
It will stick and the color will stand out more as compared to just taping it.

sen_jie - i noticed a lot of asian mfk use red sand ... it looks good but i wonder
who started that look and why? I see it a lot in Japanese tanks..

[sen_jie]

Try putting soapy water on the back of the tank and then apply the background.
It will stick and the color will stand out more as compared to just taping it.

sen_jie - i noticed a lot of asian mfk use red sand ... it looks good but i wonder
who started that look and why? I see it a lot in Japanese tanks..
haha i think its becoz singapore love to copy japan set up. coz most of those japanese love to use red sand.

as for mi, i got 2 different type of sand for different tank. in the endy tank i love to use red sand as the ST's colour is very contrasting by using this type of sand.

for another tank, which i used to keep LDA 33 and some catfish, i used ADA soil with some brown sand to create a mystery biotope. together with the driftwoods i find it very natural and pleasing to my eyes

[redtailfool]

sweet sen_jie.

I noticed that red sand does bring out the endichleris color and pattern more.

[sen_jie]

some photos of my other tank. (plz bare with my ugly phototaking) photos taken using nokia hp.

[freshwatermorayeel]

i like my tank

[DeLgAdO]

i think its good to have a substrate because during a power outtage if you tank is bare you aint got no bacteria to eat the fish waste, so they'll poison themselves alot sooner.

[sen_jie]

after water change... i did some rearrangement in my tank set up. do comment

[guppy]

I like it but needs more plants.

[sen_jie]

i am bad at keeping plant.. lol. tat is y i dun dare to add more.. even nana plant can die in my hands.. so... i think keeping driftwood will be a better choice for mi hahaha

[guppy]

I guess if that doesn't work you can use fossilized wood, chuckle.

[sen_jie]

I guess if that doesn't work you can use fossilized wood, chuckle.
wats that? care to show me some pics of those woods? thank bro

[kido]

i like both as well.. but i must agree that bare bottom tanks are very easy to clean so most of mine are bare bottomed w/ lots of driftwood & rocks for decor :) .. others i put gravel as substrate only especially for flowerhorns.. but i've got one plastic planted tank and its hell to clean :mad:

[guppy]

wats that? care to show me some pics of those woods? thank bro
fossilized wood is wood that died a long time ago and has had the wood replaced by stone.

[DeLgAdO]

fossilized wood is wood that died a long time ago and has had the wood replaced by stone.

you really are a guppy, guppy. Its called PETRIFIED WOOD!!, GOD!! GET IT RIGHT!!!!

j/k man, its all good.

[guppy]

petrified wood is fossilized.

[sen_jie]

wow.. somwthing new i learnt today.. BUT... do ur have a pics of it? lol

coz i still dunno how it looks like.

[DeLgAdO]

here ya go sen

[sen_jie]

here ya go sen
oh... ok... actually i got 2 of such things in my tank too :headbang2 :grinno:

but without knowing wat it was :hitting:

i alw called it "rock"

[repair]

I don't have any bare tanks but I have thought about it for some of the breeding pairs but I think the tanks look so much more like home with rocks gravel and plants.

I like to think that the fish are giving me a look at them in their home but I'm all for what makes YOU happy.

[spryandspringy]

I only use natural colors, but I really enjoy aquascaping. I must admit that I recently purchased a cheesy, campy ornament for my convict tank (Atlas, holding a globe that spins), but that doesn't mean I'm going to start buying day-glo pink gravel and divers who swim around the tank hooked up to an air hose.


I knew one newbie who was so excited about putting a bunch of bright white gravel in the bottom of his tank. I told him that he might want to replace it, as it would accrue algae and look worse and worse over time, but he said he'd just bleach it when that happened. :screwy:

After he killed off two tanks full of fish using this inspired technique, he gave up and gave me his tank. :rofl:

[rumblesushi]

I like minimalist tanks, but I HATE bare bottom tanks.

Sorry but I think they look horrible, and also what fish in it's natural environment sits on glass? :D

My preference is natural brown gravel with an undergravel filter, and rocks and wood. No plants.

[Meniscus]

I like the natural setup. I use a light brown gravel, some natural dark grey rock to make caves with, and some plants (fake). Black background on the tank too. I think it makes the tank look nice and the fish still stand out, have places to he hide, make territories etc.

[Dargath78]

I like natural looking but for big tanks with messy fish I would go with bare.
Petrified wood is all I have for rocks in my one aquarium. Love them.

[I3u11he4d]

My setups are bare, minimalist.. the only decor i would use are a couple
of slate, some rocks and driftwood. I like to keep the bottom bare so maintenance is easier.. no buildup of poop! plus i like the focus to be on the fish and not the tank..

Just a matter of personal preference. No wrong or right here.. so what is yours???
natural is the way to go,it looks more appealing to have a fish in its natural surroundings and it probably does alot of good for the fish also.the fish seem to act more natural in planted or rocky aquariums,hiding,hunting,sleeping etc.....they dont seem to be as nervous ither.I can see the attraction for a bare tank under some situations,i.e. large goldfish or other large fancy fish.for any other fish i'd want them in as natural setting as possible.just my opinion,but in the end isn't that all that counts :screwy:

[redtailfool]

Cool. Theres no right or wrong answers here btw.

But your points are very much valid.

[Bichirman]

Tanks require alot of maintenance, and bare tanks are best for that, but I look at the tank 7 days a week, and only clean it 1 day a week, so I want it to look good. I prefer planted tanks to toy littered tanks....except maybe in a child's room, what kids doesn't like Mickey Mouse scuba diving in their guppy tank?
I do use alot of stone and drift wood to aquascape, but for my coral based brackist tank it is only hardy fake plants. Does anybody know of any brackish water, alkaline 8.5, plants??