Amazonfish's 47 gallon

[Amazonfish]

The water is more clear today. I'd really like to know what I can put on the very left side. Right now, I have some crypt. wendtii "red" in front of the crypt. balansae, but it's just hiding there. There seems to be a big open space under the wood. Should I fill it?

Here's a picture from 5 minutes ago:

And a close-up of the left side:

[Amazonfish]

No comments? C'mon...I'm so sad, see?

To recap... here are my questions:

1. Any criticism or suggestions are welcome.
2. What to put under the wood on the way left side
3. I'm still up to moving things around. That includes the wood. Is there a different position that would look better?
4. How can I make this better?

[Lindo]

I really like the layout. Personally I would let it grow in a bit. But then I too move things about too often as am impatient

Its a lovely tank.

[jhoops]

Your tank looks awesome! The pterodactyl was definitely unique and cool, but I like your new choice of driftwood better. It looks more natural and "flow-y". As for suggestions, I agree that as it grows in your tank will look superb.

[mynameisjonah]

I also believe you should let things grow in, and see how the tank evolves by itself. Your set up is looking incredibly nice for an initial set up! Cories would be a great addition, especially for their sand sifting habits.

[mybrotherdarrell]

I love your set up so far! I love how the crypt? in the back left is growing up around the branch - very cool. But I agree that something is missing from the left side under that driftwood. I think a plant that isn't green would look great there. I feel like my eye is getting drawn toward the right side of the tank with the pink, yellowish, and orangey plants over there. Your driftwood is so pretty, you should highlight it with some color.

I think it's going to look fantastic when it grows out a bit.

[THaehn]

I really like this tank. I agree with everyone else who said leave it alone for now. Its really difficult to keep our hands out of the tanks but it will be worth it with your aquascape.

I am a big fan of the Laetacara dorsigeras. I did some research on these little guys and I think I found what my next tank will hold. I have always wanted to get into cichlids and these seem like a good starting point. Anything you can tell me about them would be appreciated. And great looking tank!

[Amazonfish]

thanks everyone for the comments! There are a few changes, but not enough to post another picture yet. Maybe next week

Here's what has changed:

1. All my anubias (nana and petite) rhizomes rotted. None of them were in the sand, and I've had some of these for a year now! I'm upset because I really want anubias for this scape. I have no idea what killed them.

2. Another thing that I thought could possibly be related to the anubias problem... I think that the wood is partially rotting. Does anyone know what type of wood this is? a lot of the crevices are growing some white fuzzy stuff. I've had the wood for 4 months now. I love the wood, but I don't want it to negatively impact the fish and plants. Any ideas on if this is normal or not?

3. I moved the crypt wendtii forward (the one that was in the back left)

4. The plants have grown! The rotala and ludwigia arcuata (i think) have both grown about 2.5 inches each.

There's a LOT of debris floating around in the tank, so I'm starting to think that my two filters aren't enough. I'm going to clean one out tomorrow and see if it improves things. I'd love to have an eheim 2217 in here. My favorite filter ever.

Anyway, I'm sorry that I don't have any pics today! I know that that's the most interesting part of journals, so I'll have some up next week.

If anyone has any insight on the anubias and/or wood, I'd love to hear about it.

[Amazonfish]

Originally Posted by THaehn

I am a big fan of the Laetacara dorsigeras. I did some research on these little guys and I think I found what my next tank will hold. I have always wanted to get into cichlids and these seem like a good starting point. Anything you can tell me about them would be appreciated. And great looking tank!

They are definitely cool fish. It's really neat to watch the 7 of them interact. They change colors (from that pale white to dark purple) in a matter of one to two seconds! I think it's amazing. They flare their gills at each other and lip lock sometimes, too. I'm still waiting on a pair though With 7 fish in there, there must be at least one male and one female! It's been about 5 weeks though, and no pair yet! I can't tell you much else about them though, because it's the first time i've ever kept them. What I have realized though, is that they REALLY like the tank planted. They were in there before I added any plants, and they didn't look entirely comfortable. Now they're really enjoying their tank. They're not picky eaters, and I really like that. i feed them NLS pellets and they'll take them from the surface or from the bottom of the tank.