Tank Planning

[guppyguy]

Just curious how much time people spend planning their tanks before actually setting them up. There is a wide range, from people with big fish rooms whose tanks are all bare bottom to those with large show tanks with lots of plants and hardscaping. Does the size of the tank make a difference in how long it takes to plan for you ? What other factors affect your planning process?

I think I fall more toward the long-term planning end of the spectrum. I aim for my tanks to have lots of plant growth and like to landscape natural-looking hiding places out of rocks and driftwood. It takes me a while to find the right pieces and accumulate desired plants species.

[gabor129]

I used to plan a lot more how the tanks look ecstatically, however now I tend to look for what are the fish needs are, and go by that. With that said, I still try to work the fish needs into something that I would enjoy too. It is a bit more time consuming and a lot of trial and error, however the final results are a lot more satisfying. It can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for me to plan and build a scape for a tank.

[lesfromlakeshore]

Well I will say you two are two of the best I know . Both of you do outstanding job and all your tanks look amazing .

[gabor129]

Thank you Les, you are too kind. I'm sure your tanks are great too, like to see them sometimes.....?

[lesfromlakeshore]

I don't plan a tanks layout as much as I would like . I usually just set up a tank and then slowly add to it until I feel that the requirements of the fish are met and I like the way it looks . I problem I have is the amount of tanks I have it's hard to really give each the thought they require to really make them pop . Something that Gabe and Glen seem to have mastered.

[guppyguy]

Feb 13, 2016 15:56:42 GMT -5 lesfromlakeshore said:

Well I will say you two are two of the best I know . Both of you do outstanding job and all your tanks look amazing .

Thanks Les I really appreciate that.

[jeffyguy]

I think I when I plan out a tank I take a good few weeks. I do alot of research for the fish needs and then I build. I love aqua scapping

[jeffyguy]

I wish I had more tanks just to aqua scape for fun. In fact we should consider a bowl show contest where we do an aqua scape on site

[lesfromlakeshore]

Feb 24, 2016 16:15:57 GMT -5 jeffyguy said:

I think I when I plan out a tank I take a good few weeks. I do alot of research for the fish needs and then I build. I love aqua scapping

That's the way to do it .

[lesfromlakeshore]

Feb 24, 2016 16:17:21 GMT -5 jeffyguy said:

I wish I had more tanks just to aqua scape for fun. In fact we should consider a bowl show contest where we do an aqua scape on site

That would be interesting for sure . Would take a bit of planning and a few " wet suits "

[guppyguy]

Feb 24, 2016 16:15:57 GMT -5 jeffyguy said:

I think I when I plan out a tank I take a good few weeks. I do alot of research for the fish needs and then I build. I love aqua scapping

I always find planning out the tanks and taking your time always works out best. And I right there with ya I love aqua scaping too.

[guppyguy]

Feb 24, 2016 16:17:21 GMT -5 jeffyguy said:

I wish I had more tanks just to aqua scape for fun. In fact we should consider a bowl show contest where we do an aqua scape on site

This would certainly be fun.

[Xander]

Wishing I'd have put more thought and planning into my substrate - the more I look at my silk plants, the more I want to replace them with some live ones, haha.

[phish]

I'm usually too anxious to get the fish in the tank so my planning is most often rushed. What I do have though in all my tanks are under gravel filters underneath a layer of gravel. And of course, all my plants are silk or plastic which makes planning much easier. I usually rearrange the structure in the tank every couple months. Add or remove plants, decorations, caves, etc. Except for the cave that my Red Tail Black Shark lives in. He'd protest if I ever got rid of his cave.

[goatmeal]

I have 2 tanks but only one is really planted. I have changed it a few times and I think I put a couple of days of thought into what I want to do next.