# Aquascaping for Dummies



## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

Well I currently have a 125g tank full of juvies that i hope to in the near futures become breeding groups. 
The stocking of now is going to be all mbuna 
-Demasoni
-Flavus's
-Hongi (8/27)
-White Top Hara's (8/28)

Well my question's are about the best ways to aquascape, when you are planning on having to net fish on a regular basis (holding female's, to many males...). Right now i like the look of the tank with just a boat load of river rocks along the center, but I know when the time comes to start netting fish its going to be a BIG pain in the anal fin. It is a show tank, so I dont want to just put some pvc and clay pots in it and call it good. I would love to here what you guys/girls have done to aquascape a show/breeder, and not dred having to net a fish.

Thanks WIll


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

that looks like a sweet rock setup/tank.... personaly i decided that if they ever bred that i would just let the fry be consumed ...i would have thought that you either go for a show tank or you have a breeding tank...its one or the other because with that great rock layout i think you are going to have a lot of greif with breeding.

but maybe with all those gaps the fry might make it there anyway :fish:


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

i think it is a good idea and if your going to breed the rocks could be good just trap the fish in between the two sides of the rock and put a net on one side and something to block the other exit and wait for her to go in the net thats what i do with my show tank it seems to work fine. good luck with it though


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## damo83 (Oct 29, 2004)

I have the same dilemma... my mbuna breeding tank is also a display tank in my lounge room.
I'm thinking of replacing the many smaller rocks with 2-3 large rocks which will hopefully still look good but also reduce the number of hiding spots when I try to catch holding females or excess males.

Cheers
Damo

PS. the current rock structure looks awesome :thumb:


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## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

thanks, guys. I thing the idea of a couple large rocks with a few smaller one might work.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

Do one thing, and do it right. If you want to breed fish, have breeder aquariums. If you want a nice display tank, you'll either have to tear it down everytime you need to net a fish, or you won't have a well decorated display tank.

Of course, if somewhere in the middle works for you, go for it. I just never have understood aquariums that were somewhere in the middle. Have a functional tank, or have a beautiful tank. That's just me though. I'm weird.


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## ice_9 (Jul 19, 2006)

Ok...here's the middle of the road reply. Hows 'bout 1 fairly large stone at one end, placed so that you can get a tank divider in and limit the amount of area that you have to chase fish.


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## Slummies (Sep 1, 2008)

love your tank.

one question, what kind of sand u using?


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## gaqua (Apr 11, 2008)

From an aquascaping standpoint, you want odd numbers of piles of rocks, or you want to create something interesting to the eye.

There are four main styles, you can play with them as you want.

There's the gap in the middle, pile in the middle, one side high and one side low, and the "uneven piles" (3, 5 or 7 large rocks or rock piles)

Here's some MS paint examples:










You want to avoid even numbers of rocks because it creates odd amount of whitespace, which is what you REALLY end up looking at, and it's disconcerting.

Also, you want to try and keep everything in thirds. Ever hear of the "rule of thirds" for photography? Google it if you are unfamiliar. It basically states that if you divide a picture/painting/piece of art into thirds vertically and horizontally, you place something at every point. So 1/3 the way across the tank and 2/3 the way across should be focal points, as should 1/3 the way up the tank and 2/3 the way up.

Anyway, hope this helps. You have a beautiful tank and stand and I love the color of those rocks.


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## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

just regular home depot play sand


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## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

Thanks Gaqua, Im just really trying to figure out how to combine form and funtion, being able to have easy access to fish aswell ad it still looking like a show tank


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## Philg (May 14, 2007)

Great advice Gaqua


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Love that tank! Cool that it can be viewed from both sides :thumb: I'd leave it just as is. I really don't see it being that much of a problem catching the fish. Like another poster said, when the fish goes in a hole in the rocks, have a net in front of the hole and a net behind. May be easier if you have a helper or super long arms :lol: Also don't be afraid to get your hand and arm in the water. Alot of times I use the net in my right hand and my left hand to herd the fish into the net. Maybe easier said than done but I'd at least try it before I changed it cause it sure does look good the way it is.


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

I agree with Dewdrop, love that tank. Sometimes you can catch a female before she is ready to drop eggs and if you can catch a male you can put them both in a 10gal to do the deed. Unless you want to sell the fry, I'd take my chances. Sometimes holding females are easy to catch, usually not for mbunas, but sometimes.


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## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

Thanks for all the compliments :thumb: . I would like to sell fry, as another hobby or something to do. I went and got some big rocks, i have about 10 large flat rocks stacked in the tank and then i went ahead and added some PVC fittings that i glued sand too and barried them a little in the sand. Its a toss up between this and the river rock, but this has a lot better function for what im tryin to do with the tank and I think it still looks good.


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## mcorbeil (Jan 16, 2007)

You could always go with a minimalist look. Just substrate and a few "low" to the sand rocks (up to 6-8 inches) in height. Make it appear as if it was a small slice of Malawi. If you have enough fish in there the aggression should be spread out. This worked great in my mbuna tank and spawning was continuous. A lot of people may claim that packing it with rock work is the way to go, but sooooo hard to catch those holding females! :dancing: :fish: :fish: Besides the less rock you have in there, the more water you have = more stability and longer times between water changes.

Like the old saying goes, sometimes less is more =D>


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## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

I tried the minimalist (sp?) and one i added some 2" P. Polits there was 2 much chasing for my liking so i put in some of the river rock i had just on the top and imbetween the large rocks. It will take some effort to catch mothers, but not ass much as the big clust pile. I Will post pics soon.


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## Nor Cal Cichlid (Oct 24, 2007)

new aquascape, with a bad camera man. :?

Night


















Day


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

just athought, you could glue a few rocks together so when you need to remove fish 4 or 5 rocks come out as easy as one.


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