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This is my pond theme tank:



Plants are fake, tank is 2 gallons and houses a male betta. He will soon have some shrimp friends to play with.

I know how much you people like picking other people's tank's apart so hop to it! [/font]

I'd suggest losing the plants behind the frog, and using just the grass like looking ones....also don't have any plants resting across the top, a pond wouldn't have that...plus I think this is one case where the plants somewhat detract from the theme.

^_^

My first impression what is the theme? Is it a frog pond?

There seems to be just too much there, I counted four different plants, one pink flower, looks like a blue glass base, at least two diferent coloured rocks, and finally a speckled green/yellow frog. Also one fish.

I fully realise it is difficult to do some thing different.

To me a theme is "An idea or topic which will create a discussion" In that there is no thought of design, or pleasing to the eye. I am not refering to you tank theme just the word and my interpretation of the word "Theme"

I did not mean to be too critical but just putting in my imput.

One excellent point is that it is an excellent photo and fully shows your ideas. Well done on that presentation.

Keith

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the betta will eat the shrimp

Actually, my Betta leaves them alone. I've kept shrimp with my Betta before and never lost one to it.

Gary

As for tank, kinda busy. Try some live plants in place of the fake ones and your Betta will tank you for it. Try some Water Wisteria or Anubias.

Gary

Having helped out with the tank in chat....( yes yes, chathead @your service ) ..... the idea is a pond....pink flower is a lilly pad, blue glass marbles the "water" and the plants IMO should be ones you'd see on the side of a pond.

^_^

Where is Falstaf on this one?

Falstaf????

Add a background, i think green or blue would look nice on it.

Hi there!!

Sorry back to classes and my teaching schedules are a real night mare.

Ok here is what I think, generally the frog is like to big for that tank, but since it's the center piece we can work around it.

First I would place a sheet of metallic wrapping paper in the bottom if the tank in the outside of of course so it can reflect light back up and the crystal beads stand out and give you that water effect you are looking for.

Then I would take out the needle like plants or move then to where the rocks are (shore) that will make them look more as surface plants than having them to close to the frog.

Also I would take out the plant that is in the front besides the frog, it looks like it's sitting on the plant instead of in the water.

I would move the lily pad near the (shore), rocks and maybe do another lily leave our of foamy comes to mind, and place it under the frog, this will give him his own sitting leave and will make more understandable the concept of top of the water, instead of underwater.

An finally and this just came out of the top of my mind right now as I was thinking on a background. Real plants! maybe place a couple of pots with plants in the back of the tank,(outside) this will add a little depth and will also make it look more natural. Or maybe a blow up of a photo of a pond shore.

I really like the concept!

[span class="edited"][Edited by Falstaf 2004-08-06 00:26][/span]

i think for a more natural shoreline you could throw in some porus rock and plant java fern on top of it along the edges, then pull out the big artificial plants and take the sugestion of real plants in the background. Add a bit of fine brown gravel between the porus rock and the blue, sprinkling the gravel into the porus rock somewhat. I think the frog is a bit big in the tank, if you're willing to take that out i've got another idea. Take a peice of driftwood that forks out a good bit before the bottom, and throw it in the tank with the "V" facing down, then plant a dwarf anubias inbetween the two forking parts of the branch, with a little of the brown gravel previously mentioned.

From a completely different angle, and one that takes the entire project much farther, I think it would be neat to strip out everything outside of the blue beads and some java moss around the edge. After that set it inside of a 30 gal tererium with frogs and mushrooms, along with a dense moss growing along the bottom. The effect would be a beta floating above a pond in a tererium, and if the dirt around the bottom of the tank were built up right, you could grow the moss on an incline so that it would end up about 1cm below the top of the java moss.

Just a couple ideas there, the seccond is pure fantasy maybe, but i think it would look good

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-06 00:58][/span]

Or even better shoreline simulation, corkwood. I'm more into the NATURAL looking tanks though.

Gary

I'm more into the NATURAL looking tanks though.

Funny how people insist on forcing a tank in a certian way...the whole idea is to have a fun themedtank...not a natural tank planted tank.

^_^

To each his/her own Babel. Everyone will always have different views. Though, I would definately add some live plants to the fray to make it more "pondlike". Even the following do well in Aquaria setting;

Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinth and Azolla Carolina.

Gary