Post up photos of your NON-planted show tanks!!

3220 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by phorty, Jan 24, 2011

phorty

Discussion Starter · Jan 11, 2011

Okay, folks, so I'm giving up on having plants in my Angel/Bolivian Ram tank. I simply don't have the time for the upkeep- pruning, rearranging, and battling algae is killing me now that I have a newborn. And while I'm usuallly not a quitter, I've decide to convert to a non-planted tank. PLEASE PLEASE, let's not turn this into a thread where you are convincing me that I should give it another go. I've had the tank for over a year and I loved it while it was working but it required too much time which I don't have.

I've seen many beautiful tanks that don't have plants. I love the look of some African Cichlid tanks with the stacks of dark colored rocks. And the Discus tanks with gorgeous Manzanita wood running all over are very pleasing. But most Angel show tanks are planted. I want a high impact/low maintenance tank with my angel pair as the centerpiece. Let's see your NON-planted show stopping set-ups!!!

Here is YouTube of my tank when it was doing okay:

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Number6

· #2 · Jan 11, 2011

I don't have photos but one of my favorite SA setups was nothing more than oak leaves, driftwood and one really tall single rock (in place of a breeder cone). Angels and apistogramma were the inhabitants.

There are quite a few options!

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Totalimmortal363

· #3 · Jan 12, 2011

That brings up a question I've had. How could one put leaves in the bottom of a tank, would they not decompose and add to the bioload?? it looks soo good but is it really feasible for a long term thing?

NVM I searched and figured it out.

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Louie13

· #4 · Jan 12, 2011

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TheFishGuy

· #5 · Jan 12, 2011

Plastic plants, is that ok?

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phorty

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 14, 2011

Good stuff, people. Keep 'em coming! I love the blackwater look and the plastic plants aren't my thing but look great in your set-up.

I guess the challenge I'm thinking about is how to block sight lines without plants which has been important in helping to keep a peaceful tank of cichlids from my experience.

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TheFishGuy

· #7 · Jan 14, 2011

Breaking line of site is key! That tank pictured is "L" shaped and works well for just that. If you look closely that's a breeding pair of oscars on the right by the stump. They reside in the small part of the "L"

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pomi

· #8 · Jan 14, 2011

Maybe you like this kind ?

It's an older photo. Now the tank has schools of Cardinal Tetra and Imperial Tetra added with the Angelfish.

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Louie13

· #9 · Jan 18, 2011

A masterpiece Pomi. As I've told you before, this belongs in the AGA!

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phorty

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 18, 2011

Yeah, that sure is a beauty! Let's see some more!!

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clgkag

· #11 · Jan 18, 2011

Pomi that tank is amazing. :thumb:

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iwishihadmorefish

· #12 · Jan 19, 2011

here is my 55 gallon fake planted tank
with keyhole cichlids and some community fish

stocking
3x keyholes
3x clown loaches
4x serpe tetras
1x rainbow shark
1x honey gourami
1x bristlenose pleco
3x columbian tetras
8x various platys

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naegling23

· #13 · Jan 19, 2011

My tank is planted, so I wont post any photo's.

With the rams and angels, I would suggest going to blackwater route with a school of tetra's. A few pieces of driftwood, some leaves, and tea stained water can look absolutely stunning.

Plus, in a blackwater tank, some low light plants like java moss or java fern can still be in there. You can also float plants on top like hornwort or lillies which will block light from getting to the bottom of the tank.

Good luck, and post some pictures when you get everything set up.

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phorty

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 24, 2011

Keep them coming. I know there are Discus people on here...

As a sidenote, my tank appears to have at least temporarily stabilized and the plants are doing okay for now so I'm holding off on scraping the planted tank.

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