question on decor

[perfect_prefect]

currently i have no decor in my 90 with my florida/spotted, northern pike and 2 unknowns. was wondering on what people thought would be good decor/cover for my gar to enjoy.
current pics.

 

[haynchinook334]

floating plants. and a good looking piece of drift wood.

 

[perfect_prefect]

think i should go with live or plastic? ive been on the look out for a nice piece of driftwood while ive been out fishing.

 

[haynchinook334]

i would go plastic.....easier to maintain.

 

[xander]

floating plants, floating branches, too much decor increases chances of broken backs. you might want to try something like this.

 

[Eleven Bravo]

i agree plants would be nice. i would go with plastic

 

[sizors]

definitely 1 good piece of drift wood with maybe 1 or 2 plastic plants

 

[Malawi-]

Nice pics, is it from the camera or is the water cloudy?

 

[perfect_prefect]

is the camera on my phone. water is crystal, there is a window that is right over top of the tank so it was trying to blind my camera.

 

[E_americanus]

that gar's back isn't kinked is it? looks like there could be some damage but that could just be the angle of the shot. the tankmates are also not a great choice for gars...pike and sunfishes generally don't get along well with each other (they will for a bit until massive size differences cause aggression issues) and are too skittish or aggressive to be kept with gars long term.

that being said, some fake plants rooted to the bottom will work, and i have always used water sprite for floating plants. this will block too much light from spooking the gars by giving overhead 'security' to them. bottom driftwood isn't necessary since it will just serve as an obstacle the gar can run into...small pieces are ok though.

don't get your driftwood from a lake or pond or river...buy a piece or get some from another aquarist. the wood one buys at the store is made to go into tanks, the wood in native aquatic ecosystems is in a state of decay and will eventually seriously throw off your whole tank (sometimes much sooner than later).--
--solomon