as long as the fish are clean and healthy and appropriately stocked, it looks fine
SverreAV on
Too much fake stuff for my taste but to each their own I guess. I’d spend more on plants and hardscape and less on fake decorations.
maxru85 on
I guess it is a matter of taste.
I don’t like anything artificial in my tank, but that’s me 🤷♂️
Cautious-Junket2038 on
I personally don’t like anything fake/artificial/something that doesn’t look natural in my tank. So i would probably plant it with real plants so that both i and fish are happy
HispanicNamek on
What are you going for here? That’s what really matters. In my personal opinion your tank isn’t crappy but there are some practices here I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. For 1 it looks like your sponge filters is kinda hanging I would make sure it sits on the ground properly. Also is that big box another filter or a heater you should only need one of each? Another thing is there are a lot of different kinds of fish which isn’t necessarily bad but you have a lot of social fish that might appreciate more of their own kind. Realistically though your tank is great as long as you’re making consistent water changes and allow the bacteria to grow in there for the nitrogen cycle to work properly you should be fine.
Technical_Network898 on
Only thing i dislike is the colour of the gravel. I love the pirate stuff. Your tank is cool!
DCsquirrellygirl on
I am assuming YOU like it. It looks clean and healthy, I like the bright blue (most people here won’t), I know that sometimes real plants can be hard. I had tanks when my kids were smaller like this, they LOVED it, the fish were fantastic, and I really liked the bright colors. I still have a pirate ship somewhere we had for years that an upside catfish lived in!
The thing about fishkeeping is it’s personal and every setup and tank is unique. It’s what your skill level is, what your goals are, and how much time and money you can put in to the hobby. Make something you like, can handle the care of, and make changes as things evolve in your situation. I think you have a good start to a great tank!
NotMyGovernor on
it’s clean so certainly the opposite of crappy.
Currently mine is a swaying sea of angel hair algae because my dwarf frogs keep eating everything that eats the algae lol.
mcdjdeath on
I highly recommend looking into real plants
Atheist_Redditor on
No, it’s great.
Reddit will hate it because so many people here love “natural” tanks. But I set up a tank after taking years away from aquariums and I had so much fun mixing red and black gravel, selecting fun decor that matched, finding hiding places…it was awesome. I had a red/black themed tank so I also had red and black fish. I freaking loved it. Reddit hated it. But my fish were healthy and thriving.
The ONLY thing that I DO recommend are some real plants or moss balls. They will suck up nitrogen and help keep the tank healthier overall.
Keep doing what you like with this tank man. Fuck Reddit’s opinion because most often, Reddit’s opinion sucks.
xDeadlyAFx on
It’s neat, kind of a kids cutesy theme to it.
But tbh nothing is uglier than poorly maintained tanks.
Yours is clean and clear, and that looks alot better than a 200+ gallon tank with all the sparkle that someone is too lazy to clean
Healthy, happy fish > Design
Catfsihnig on
People are in a craze about plants and having a tank look natural. I like plants and natural decorations like driftwood and rocks and whatever. However as long as you have enough space for the fish and the water quality is good, idc what you do to ur tank. Those fish are fine with artificial plants, they’re really only a risk to fish big enough to choke on the fake leaves
Trade-Deep on
not crappy, but a bit dull – needs more nature
TheWooSkis on
My issue is that it will never really settle. Unless you allow all the bright colours to go dull and green and covered in biofilm, which is what most stable tanks are, it’s just you don’t see it so much in more natural tanks. Plus real plants etc help to stabilise and help filter the water.
This will either look like this and be unstable, or be grimy and look unkept to try and be stable. As long as you are happy cleaning and regular water changes and dosing with chemicals.
PickForeign on
Do you like it? If yes then be happy..
Why seek validation?
Specialist_Door_9521 on
Honestly, as long as you like it and the animals are happy it’s fantastic. Don’t let anyone talk down to you. Who knows maybe the next one will be a planted tank.
_buneamk on
So far away from nature, it’s just a personal taste: for me they are just plastics 🙁
Fallingup99 on
it looks clean, i like the spacing of the items in the tank. that being said, not a fan of the blue gravel, no live plants is a huge L for me… the cords are not hidden well, and it looks like it belongs in a kindergarden class.
DaRaggaman on
I think artificial plants and ornaments ruin a tank. Try to keep it as close to nature as possible. What I never understood is when people spend 20-30 quid on overpriced plastic ornaments when they could use that on some live plants, then go to literally any forest/stream/river get some rocks and pebbles, wash them off, then you’ve got a decent basic scape. Each to their own, but you’ll find your water params stay nicer and fish happier.
Hot_Possible7403 on
As long as you like it and the fish are healthy, who cares?
It doesn’t look like you have anything in there that’s way too oversized, and even though the plants and decorations are fake the fish still have places to hide.
I would prefer real plants, rockwork, and some driftwood, but as long as you’re not tormenting your fish by putting them in tanks 5 sizes too small and neglecting basic care you do you man.
DarlingVirus on
I would have personally moved the bubbler behind the sunken ship so that it looks like it just sank…
dannoNinteen75 on
It’s nice and clean. Retro looking. But not my task
Positive-Diver1417 on
Not crappy. I can tell you take good care of it. With those colors, my first instinct that it was going to be a Mario Bros themed tank, which could be fun, too. 🙂
23 Comments
as long as the fish are clean and healthy and appropriately stocked, it looks fine
Too much fake stuff for my taste but to each their own I guess. I’d spend more on plants and hardscape and less on fake decorations.
I guess it is a matter of taste.
I don’t like anything artificial in my tank, but that’s me 🤷♂️
I personally don’t like anything fake/artificial/something that doesn’t look natural in my tank. So i would probably plant it with real plants so that both i and fish are happy
What are you going for here? That’s what really matters. In my personal opinion your tank isn’t crappy but there are some practices here I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. For 1 it looks like your sponge filters is kinda hanging I would make sure it sits on the ground properly. Also is that big box another filter or a heater you should only need one of each? Another thing is there are a lot of different kinds of fish which isn’t necessarily bad but you have a lot of social fish that might appreciate more of their own kind. Realistically though your tank is great as long as you’re making consistent water changes and allow the bacteria to grow in there for the nitrogen cycle to work properly you should be fine.
Only thing i dislike is the colour of the gravel. I love the pirate stuff. Your tank is cool!
I am assuming YOU like it. It looks clean and healthy, I like the bright blue (most people here won’t), I know that sometimes real plants can be hard. I had tanks when my kids were smaller like this, they LOVED it, the fish were fantastic, and I really liked the bright colors. I still have a pirate ship somewhere we had for years that an upside catfish lived in!
The thing about fishkeeping is it’s personal and every setup and tank is unique. It’s what your skill level is, what your goals are, and how much time and money you can put in to the hobby. Make something you like, can handle the care of, and make changes as things evolve in your situation. I think you have a good start to a great tank!
it’s clean so certainly the opposite of crappy.
Currently mine is a swaying sea of angel hair algae because my dwarf frogs keep eating everything that eats the algae lol.
I highly recommend looking into real plants
No, it’s great.
Reddit will hate it because so many people here love “natural” tanks. But I set up a tank after taking years away from aquariums and I had so much fun mixing red and black gravel, selecting fun decor that matched, finding hiding places…it was awesome. I had a red/black themed tank so I also had red and black fish. I freaking loved it. Reddit hated it. But my fish were healthy and thriving.
The ONLY thing that I DO recommend are some real plants or moss balls. They will suck up nitrogen and help keep the tank healthier overall.
Keep doing what you like with this tank man. Fuck Reddit’s opinion because most often, Reddit’s opinion sucks.
It’s neat, kind of a kids cutesy theme to it.
But tbh nothing is uglier than poorly maintained tanks.
Yours is clean and clear, and that looks alot better than a 200+ gallon tank with all the sparkle that someone is too lazy to clean
Healthy, happy fish > Design
People are in a craze about plants and having a tank look natural. I like plants and natural decorations like driftwood and rocks and whatever. However as long as you have enough space for the fish and the water quality is good, idc what you do to ur tank. Those fish are fine with artificial plants, they’re really only a risk to fish big enough to choke on the fake leaves
not crappy, but a bit dull – needs more nature
My issue is that it will never really settle. Unless you allow all the bright colours to go dull and green and covered in biofilm, which is what most stable tanks are, it’s just you don’t see it so much in more natural tanks. Plus real plants etc help to stabilise and help filter the water.
This will either look like this and be unstable, or be grimy and look unkept to try and be stable. As long as you are happy cleaning and regular water changes and dosing with chemicals.
Do you like it? If yes then be happy..
Why seek validation?
Honestly, as long as you like it and the animals are happy it’s fantastic. Don’t let anyone talk down to you. Who knows maybe the next one will be a planted tank.
So far away from nature, it’s just a personal taste: for me they are just plastics 🙁
it looks clean, i like the spacing of the items in the tank. that being said, not a fan of the blue gravel, no live plants is a huge L for me… the cords are not hidden well, and it looks like it belongs in a kindergarden class.
I think artificial plants and ornaments ruin a tank. Try to keep it as close to nature as possible. What I never understood is when people spend 20-30 quid on overpriced plastic ornaments when they could use that on some live plants, then go to literally any forest/stream/river get some rocks and pebbles, wash them off, then you’ve got a decent basic scape. Each to their own, but you’ll find your water params stay nicer and fish happier.
As long as you like it and the fish are healthy, who cares?
It doesn’t look like you have anything in there that’s way too oversized, and even though the plants and decorations are fake the fish still have places to hide.
I would prefer real plants, rockwork, and some driftwood, but as long as you’re not tormenting your fish by putting them in tanks 5 sizes too small and neglecting basic care you do you man.
I would have personally moved the bubbler behind the sunken ship so that it looks like it just sank…
It’s nice and clean. Retro looking. But not my task
Not crappy. I can tell you take good care of it. With those colors, my first instinct that it was going to be a Mario Bros themed tank, which could be fun, too. 🙂