[Eldachleich]

*Go Back For Better And Updated Pictures*



I'll admit it.. I'm not crazy about too many tanks.. It weird me out a little when I see 5 tanks in a living room... So why did I buy this 5.5 gallon.. Was it cause I wanted it? Because it was 5 dollars? Did I have a secret plan for it?

Everything about it is something I hate... Its glass, hate that. Its not round in any way. Hate that.. The silicone job is terrible... Hate that. But I bought it anyways.. because I needed it...
I'll also admit, if thats the feeling I'm gonna keep getting every time theres a cheap tank on sale, I might end up with 5 tanks in my living room.

I have another tank. A 6.6 gallon. Its everything I love. Sleek, sexy, beautiful, simple. Yet somehow I feel much more wholly and emotionally invested in this tank. This tank of hate.

When I got home I looked at it and went.. why did I buy this? I could still feel a sort of manic thrill in the back of my neck when I looked at it. It was cheap, which isn't a bad thing. What was bad is that it looked cheap.
So I had a thought. I'm getting a 60 gallon in December, Why don't I practice the look I want, but in a nano? Brilliant I thought.

First things first then.. The background... For my larger tank I planned on doing a dark slate background. So I went out and got some grey slate. Smashed it to bits and started siliconing it on. It looked great. But then the manic thrill crept back into my spine, soon leading to a sort of hilarity.

I couldn't stop. I needed to make it whole, cohesive, clean. All the cracks had to be filled, covered by more slate. Till there was no passage to the glass on the other side. It became an obsession.
I went to bed without a second glance at it... When I woke up... I woke up to one of the worse tragedies to happen to a tank. Aesthetically that is. A horribly done, messy awful in cohesive background.
I'm trying to remain positive. Cheer myself on. It's ok I thought. Just stick some moss or something over the parts you dont like!!
So now my concentration is figuring out what to put on my wall. Fissidens.. Or mini pellia? I'm thinking mini pellia on the wall and fissidens on the driftwood.

 

[DarkCobra]

Actually, I think that looks really cool.

But this is the "hate tank", and if you hate the way it looks, why immediately plan to cover it?

Looking forward to seeing further hatred poured into this. :hihi:

 

[GoldenTetra]

I actually like it to! Its interesting! I can't hate it lol - sorry!

 

[Danno79]

I like it and I enjoyed your well written rant!

 

[Florafish]

Incredible/inspirational background. Here is an idea of how I would continue. . .

. . .and I'm going to make one of these early next week after I get a hold of some slate. Thanks for the great idea!

 

[Alyssa]

I think it is AWESOME! And I lovedddd reading your post!

How thick are the pieces? Because they look fairly thick, which would mean that it might be heavy.

If the pieces are thick, then the only thing I'd mention is - you might want to glue slate on the bottom too as a counterweight for the back for anytime that the tank is empty, because right now it would be more likely to flip over and then crack.

Especially true for the 60 ... that is a LOT of weight hanging on the back wall without a counterweight it might destabilize the tank itself. Also with that much weight on one wall, I'd make sure to constantly check the sides and bottom for leaks so I could catch them early if they happen.

But I think it looks AMAZING!

 

[Craigthor]

I 'hate' you tank too. :0

 

[sewingalot]

Great pull with that title and introduction. Yet, I love the tank. Ship it to me and I'll love it dearly. :hihi:

 

[Eldachleich]

You might see more hate sooner than you think!!! Thats called foreshadowing kids.
Its my hate tank... because.. well.. it just.. The hate.. I'm speechless at the amount of loathing I have for this tank.
Even when this happens.

 

[Eldachleich]

Lol.. im happy you guys all liked it...
Well written LOL!! I'm staring at my grammatical errors with a twitching eye at this very moment.
Ill explain what I'm going to attempt to achieve In a post or two... But mosses arent it... Though flame moss is really nice..
How did you make that so fast? the graphic..
Well... I was inspired by a tank on here that is much larger. He had an awesome slate background... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/90878-110g-w-30g-sump-56k-warning-4.html
I asked him about that.. and he said that the tank was holding up fine, and he didnt have any supports underneath.. its about 1/4 of an inch at the thickest parts...
Lol.. Im happy someone will revel in my hate with me.
xD.. If I start hating it with my entire being I'll be sure to ship it to you..

 

[shrimpo]

Any other live stock beside the Catfish?
I like this tank.

 

[NStarr]

This would be a great novel. :hihi:

 

[Eldachleich]

Lol... sort of planned stock include... a Show quality halfmoon betta imported from Thailand... you know.. to add some class... nothing adds class like imported crap.
Possibly in some sort of gas/orchid/butterfly pattern. An oto or two mayhaps of the zebra pattern. To bring the essence of the wild into the home, think lion king. A zebra nerite, and a school of microrasbora nana... The last one depends on the betta's temperament.
Just a warning... The next part of this tale is going to come in segments...

 

[shrimpo]

Lol... sort of planned stock include... a Show quality halfmoon betta imported from Thailand... you know.. to add some class... nothing adds class like imported crap.
Possibly in some sort of gas/orchid/butterfly pattern. An oto or two mayhaps of the zebra pattern. To bring the essence of the wild into the home, think lion king. A zebra nerite, and a school of microrasbora nana... The last one depends on the betta's temperament.
Just a warning... The next part of this tale is going to come in segments...

Sometimes you can find nice looking betta fish at the LFS, here is a Crowntail that I had long time ago :

 

[Eldachleich]

Oh I agree completely... I get alot of really high quality betta's from petco of all places... but this time.. i want more...
I would like something like these...
http://basementbettas.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/fwbettashm1290102741.jpg
http://basementbettas.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/19.jpg
http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/45612/2968877120103750357S600x600Q85.jpg
However... my heart is holding out for this.. this is the perfect betta for me and my needs... http://basementbettas.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/dsc07926.jpg
And I dont think ill find that.. I think Ihave to order it

 

[Eldachleich]

I felt good after venting all that rage. I felt really good. I slipped into a state of relaxation and peace so deep, that I began to hallucinate. I was in the tank, nothing was right. Everything was wrong. A betta the size of the cosmos appeared from some giant fronds of java fern and spoke to me. I couldnt understand what he said, but all of a sudden I knew... this tank was going to change me. This was meant to heal me.

I woke up suddenly... throwing 2 cats and a kitten in far corners of the room. What was that... and epiphany? Some sort of endorphin induced dream? Perhaps someone had slipped acid into my beef stroganoff. I couldn't be sure. What I was sure of is that I still hated the tank. Once glance and I needed a shower. It dirtied me. I got in and pondered what had happened.

I've been getting cynical at the ripe old age of 19. Nothing is fun anymore. I take enjoyment out of almost nothing that all my other friends do. Was I becoming anti social? Hey Brandon!! Lets go to the club and get so wasted we wake up next ot a pair of tranny hookers we hope we didnt pay for!! No!! Wanna go play real life Mario Kart? No!! Wanna go race skateboards with fireworks strapped to the back? No! Wanna go to the mall? No! In my defense I've never liked that last one.

Naturally this makes me hate alot in life. Very few things still have that.. sparkle. Except Disney, but I wont delve into my overly creepy obsession with Disney. Perhaps this tank was meant to heal me. It was corny sounding. But it made sense. I often found therapeutic outlets in things like this.. Little projects. Normally they faded in an out, but already this hobby has stuck around longer than others. Perhaps this tank was going to be the one I hashed my life out in. Leading me to a peace bringing existance in the future.
Or maybe I just hated the tank, and wanted an excuse to like it. I guess we will see.

 

[Eldachleich]

After dragging myself out of the shower I decided.. what the heck I should get going with this tank.. see where it goes. I got dressed and decided to go driftwood hunting. See.. where I live. Theres a tiny little hill with a water tower on it. In between miles and miles of housing complexes. But dont be fooled.. Not only is there a grove of ancient oaks up there, but theres also a fair amount of manzanita. And whatever I do to this tank, Theres going to be driftwood.

I rounded up one of my guard kitties. Dont be fooled... That monster below has come home with raccoons. I've seen him mentally break and scare my neighbors pitbull with some sort of kitty mind trick. With Dio in hand I went out to brave the patch of California wilderness. Dont let that plant fool you with its pretty autumn colours. Its not autumn. Its still summer our here in socal.

 

[Eldachleich]

I felt the heat before I saw it.. It hit me like a ton of bricks as I opened my door. I hate heat.. another reason for me to just hate this tank.. And I looked out to see pure California gold, pure molten gold. At 7am.. there it is folks... Now the rest of the process was a bit.. challenging... So I didnt bother to take any pictures.. I can assure you that peoples stares As I walked my cat down to road carrying dead branches were priceless..
What I can show you is the haul. Those are oak. I decided against manzanita. And thats Dio reveling in his accomplishment. I have a feeling im gonna hate the cleaning process...

 

[Eldachleich]

Ok... entertaining story formats over.. Because I'm stuck... Im boiling and cleaning the driftwood as I write this.. which.. btw.. is a process I loath...
Found some good pieces...
I also went to leslies and got pool filter sand... Which I hate... Literally... This stuff I;m not even going to use... Is awful looking...
But... heres where I'm stuck... I'm practicing the look I want to achieve in my upcoming 60 gallon... I dont want this tank to be hard to care for. So I'm going with the whole lowlight motif... But I'm super inexperienced with plant species...
So I have no idea what to do with it plant wise... I need all the suggestions I can get...
I know I want fissidens for the driftwood.. and mini pellia for the wall.. I was hoping for some crypts or something. I have no idea. Pleas ehelp with this one..
This is the look I'm going for.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/5992539779_9f3b1cf29c_z.jpg
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/582-jaidexl.html
please help guys... I really want to get this tank going!!

 

[plecostomouse]

narrow leave java fern is used in both those tanks, it grows well in low light setups, however growth is slow