What an excellent thread!
Does anyone keep a tank, like say a 20G, that is essentially a farm tank for plants? i.e. Aquascaping is of no concern, it's simply a place where keeping a variety of plants growing is the primary focus. Just curious, as I could see my 20G evolving into this role as I move up to a large tank. Makes me really wish I'd bought a 20L rather than the 20H actually, but live and learn... should have read Rex's section on tanks before I bought mine.
As seems common with many starting out, I've initially suffered from collectoritis and have stuffed as many various plants in my small tank as budget and space have allowed. I think it has to be really hard to get away from wanting to try a variety of plants, hence, my desire to perhaps make this tank a
farm tank so to speak, where I can swap plants in and out of as I evolve an aquascape in a large tank. Would seem a good use for a tank that is perhaps kept available for fry, or a hospital tank maybe. If a hospital tank, you'd want to be careful and treat any plants transfered back into your main tank obviously. Just thinking out loud here...
Anyway, I am definitely in Scolley's "Hopeful" category, but my instinct is to look for ideas, wherever those might be... others' tanks, nature, etc... and draw my inspiration. Start with inspiration and a loose plan, and let it evolve from there. But that's just my gut feeling, and I certainly have a lot to learn. Can't wait to move up to a big tank though! I'm sure my aquascape will change more than a few times when I finally do.