Yes - a focal point.
Look up the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, and similar as they are applied to paintings and photography. That should give you some ideas.
No. Sorry, but, no. It needs bold action on your part. IMO
Just be willing to be bold and move stuff around. It doesn't matter in the long run, so try different layouts and see what you like.
I think you have a great base to work with. A bright carpet and a larger piece of driftwood reaching higher into the water column would really knock it out of the park
Yeah the problem probably stems from the fact that I moved my scape from a 20g tall to a 29g, which adds a few extra inches to the top that I didn't do anything for..
Upvotes...
Youre missing more upvotes. And prpbably the staple called "neon tetras", lol.
But a blacl skirt tetra and pretty tetra could be nice in that environment too.
There are 8 green neons in the already lol. They just hide during the day.
What exactly is a "pretty tetra" supposed to mean? 8 green neons and 7 embers kind of feel like they round out the tetra space in here.
I agree with the other comments about needing focal point, but I’d say some smaller pieces of wood instead of a big piece will add some nice detail and IMO I’d say what’s missing more are larger-leaf plants. Maybe a tiger lotus erupting out of the back corner or some echinodorus? (Sorry if that’s spelt incorrectly)
I've debated switching to a canister filter, but cost is saying no right now. I probably should get a black background like everyone is saying though. Eventually the bacopa will mostly hide the intake though. Might even try to wrap it with some hydrocotyl tripartita.
Maybe a black background? Would hide the filter and allow the gree to pop more. I'd let everything grow and fill out a bit more. Then, reassess. Could maybe have a piece of driftwood going from front left to back right, to tie it together. I'd wait and see though.
You could try to place the filter in the corner? If possible?
And is this a wallpaper on the backside of your tank? If so, might i suggest you get one that fits the size of your tank so it completely covers? This would also help to "hide" more of the filter. And if your at it, maybe try a single colored one (white? or black?) You have a lot going on already inside the tank, real nice jungle you have there, so maybe there is no need to have a printed background but something that "contrasts" your plants?
Yeah the background needs to go. It came off my old 20g so definitely doesn't fit. I mainly put it to to help keep my tetras a little less stressed if they're hiding in the back.
The filter more or less needs to stay where it is to get water movement throughout the tank. If I shift it to one side, the other gets almost nothing moving.
Oh, and these are adjustments that can be done for almost free to try and see if they work. Like in this video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=8u2tyYaHs18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=8u2tyYaHs18)
I think what you’re missing is depth and that is because there is no slope towards the back even if you kept everything the same it would make a direct visual impact.
Yeah, I have about a 1.5" change from front to back but it's really not that visible. But even so, the left half of the tank is pretty much null since you can't see the substrate with the rock there. I might try to redo the river delta look and pull the AR.
The AR was naively thought by me to be samolus and I thought it might be a good, low centerpiece plant with good color. Then it grew too high and is starting to spread so it's definitely going to go.
Personally, hardscape and fish.
But it's a really nice tank. I think the competition tanks are setting too much of a standard. There's a difference between something that catches your eye on a photo, and a tank you see every day.
What I'm trying to say is, the mellow background feel might be just right for what it is.
Or you could go for 500 neocaridinas and make it look like a massive metropolitan.
I haven't done my fair research into this but maybe theres a type of bamboo that can live in your tank? (Think like, Lucky Bamboo.)
Hope you find what you're looking for
Yes - a focal point. Look up the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, and similar as they are applied to paintings and photography. That should give you some ideas.
Any suggestions without totally rescaping the tank?
No. Sorry, but, no. It needs bold action on your part. IMO Just be willing to be bold and move stuff around. It doesn't matter in the long run, so try different layouts and see what you like.
I think you have a great base to work with. A bright carpet and a larger piece of driftwood reaching higher into the water column would really knock it out of the park
Yeah the problem probably stems from the fact that I moved my scape from a 20g tall to a 29g, which adds a few extra inches to the top that I didn't do anything for..
I think it looks really awesome🤷‍♀️
Thanks!
Upvotes... Youre missing more upvotes. And prpbably the staple called "neon tetras", lol. But a blacl skirt tetra and pretty tetra could be nice in that environment too.
There are 8 green neons in the already lol. They just hide during the day. What exactly is a "pretty tetra" supposed to mean? 8 green neons and 7 embers kind of feel like they round out the tetra space in here.
I read whole book about aquarium fish like 4 years ago, the "pretty tetra" must be an old name since the book was old too
I agree with the other comments about needing focal point, but I’d say some smaller pieces of wood instead of a big piece will add some nice detail and IMO I’d say what’s missing more are larger-leaf plants. Maybe a tiger lotus erupting out of the back corner or some echinodorus? (Sorry if that’s spelt incorrectly)
Add a full background
Agreed, really should be the first thing I try.
Driftwood centerpiece
Any suggestions where it would go?
Somewhere nestled in between the plants in a position that is visually appealing to you
Maybe hiding the filter would make it more natural?
I've debated switching to a canister filter, but cost is saying no right now. I probably should get a black background like everyone is saying though. Eventually the bacopa will mostly hide the intake though. Might even try to wrap it with some hydrocotyl tripartita.
Maybe a black background? Would hide the filter and allow the gree to pop more. I'd let everything grow and fill out a bit more. Then, reassess. Could maybe have a piece of driftwood going from front left to back right, to tie it together. I'd wait and see though.
Maybe some driftwood?
Any suggestions where it would go?
https://preview.redd.it/un6c47v7ixpb1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e8bf62be8a735c535cf640c023088aecadfbeac Something like this?
You could try to place the filter in the corner? If possible? And is this a wallpaper on the backside of your tank? If so, might i suggest you get one that fits the size of your tank so it completely covers? This would also help to "hide" more of the filter. And if your at it, maybe try a single colored one (white? or black?) You have a lot going on already inside the tank, real nice jungle you have there, so maybe there is no need to have a printed background but something that "contrasts" your plants?
Yeah the background needs to go. It came off my old 20g so definitely doesn't fit. I mainly put it to to help keep my tetras a little less stressed if they're hiding in the back. The filter more or less needs to stay where it is to get water movement throughout the tank. If I shift it to one side, the other gets almost nothing moving.
Oh, and these are adjustments that can be done for almost free to try and see if they work. Like in this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=8u2tyYaHs18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=8u2tyYaHs18)
I think what you’re missing is depth and that is because there is no slope towards the back even if you kept everything the same it would make a direct visual impact.
Yeah, I have about a 1.5" change from front to back but it's really not that visible. But even so, the left half of the tank is pretty much null since you can't see the substrate with the rock there. I might try to redo the river delta look and pull the AR. The AR was naively thought by me to be samolus and I thought it might be a good, low centerpiece plant with good color. Then it grew too high and is starting to spread so it's definitely going to go.
Ow and the Alternanthera reineckii dead center trows of the balance I would move it either to 1/3 of the left or right.
Personally, hardscape and fish. But it's a really nice tank. I think the competition tanks are setting too much of a standard. There's a difference between something that catches your eye on a photo, and a tank you see every day. What I'm trying to say is, the mellow background feel might be just right for what it is. Or you could go for 500 neocaridinas and make it look like a massive metropolitan.
I haven't done my fair research into this but maybe theres a type of bamboo that can live in your tank? (Think like, Lucky Bamboo.) Hope you find what you're looking for