Gamer's NEW 46 gallon bow front

I got a 46 bow front originally to rehome my 72 stock in, but they're in the 125 now. I shall post pics TONIGHT, after it is dark (better pictures in darkness lol). So patience please cause I know people really care about what my new tank looks like.

The specs:
46 bow front
Aquaclear 110 filter
Marineland single bright LED light 36"
Marineland Advanced LED Light 36"
black sand substrate
driftwood tree
various artificial plants

The stock:
6 male Guppys
2 Flame Dwarf gouramis
6 neon tetras
1 albino bushynose pleco
1 mystery snail

Give it a chance and check back tonight, I think it's a great tank and I don't just say so because IiiiI decorated it.

Update: Recent photo

Updated stock:

2 Flame Dwarf Gourami
5 Male Guppy
6 Neon Tetra
2 Mystery Snails
8-9 Nerite Snails

Plants:

Willow Moss
Java Moss
Java Fern
Anubias
Crypts
Wisteria
Hornwort
Marimo Balls

 

Looking forward to seeing the pics!

 

I am looking forward to taking them. So close, I cannot wait to share. It will be glorious let's hope!

 

How fun!
I'm curious if your flame gourami's are a pair or if both are same sex?

 

I only know I only intended to get one. I wanted one DG, and half a dozen fancy guppies, but these two were the last two, alone in a tank together and I just had to get them!

Full tank shot


The driftwood tree is not yet waterlogged, as you can see below they are being held in place by two pieces of black slate which once the tree no longer floats, I shall then remove the slate rock



and also, the air bubbler in the background has an LED light (multicolored) attached to it, but I'm not a fan of leaving them on too much. So just the airstone part of it is running right now.

 

I have a dwarf flame gourami also and I hope you have a pair. That would be neat. If both end up being males it might not be good for them. From what I understand there might be some horrific fights among them. If they grew up together from a young age (might be in your case) they might do well together. I think two females do okay together. I have my male flame and a male honey gourami and they have been great together in the few months of having them.

Your tank setup looks beautiful. Love your choices of plants. A lot of those plants look real. I have a live tree plant similar to your trunk/branches but it has a live fern attached to it. Got it at Petco.

 

Sunny, I got some pics of the flames for you.

First one:


second one (is his/her mouth ok?):


both (sorry the LED airwand is on):



and here is the pleco gosh I hope he doesn't get too attached (no pun intended) to that slate as it's coming out soon


and some of my gupps

 

Also I just ordered a trio of apple snails on amazon. I perhaps should have searched this site for sellers right here on FIshlore first. But anyway, I'll get pics of them when they've entered the 46 bow.

I'm just wondering if I should get 3 more apple snails 1 1/2"-2" of the albino variety, or get nerites instead?

And I hate sounding like a moron considering how long I've been here, but I'm not the invert expert, so I'm not sure if can mix mystery snails with nerites.

EITHER WAY, the stock will be finalized with the addition of snails.

 

Beautiful photo's. Your DFG looks just like mine. I love seeing mine swim in my tank. That one photo you were questioning about her/his mouth.......I'm not sure. Was he yawning or eating? Does it look like that permanently? If your still concerned you should post in the dx section for some help. I'm no expert on snails either but those apple snails can get real big/huge. I think you can mix snails though. I had some nerites and they didn't live very long. I think about 10 months. I never really saw them "clean" my plants much. I liked them but I think they were on strike. hehe

 

Beautiful photo's. Your DFG looks just like mine. I love seeing mine swim in my tank. That one photo you were questioning about her/his mouth.......I'm not sure. Was he yawning or eating? Does it look like that permanently? If your still concerned you should post in the dx section for some help. I'm no expert on snails either but those apple snails can get real big/huge. I think you can mix snails though. I had some nerites and they didn't live very long. I think about 10 months. I never really saw them "clean" my plants much. I liked them but I think they were on strike. hehe

Do the apples do a good job of cleaning the tank walls and plants?

 

Do the apples do a good job of cleaning the tank walls and plants?

I have no idea for I've never owned one. I've heard/read that they do a great job cleaning. I also have heard/read that Nerite snails do also. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck with mine even though I liked having them in my tank. I say get what you like and see how it goes.

 

I have no idea for I've never owned one. I've heard/read that they do a great job cleaning. I also have heard/read that Nerite snails do also. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck with mine even though I liked having them in my tank. I say get what you like and see how it goes.

Thanks. I am looking at zebra nerite snails.

 

Thanks. I am looking at zebra nerite snails.

I personally like the nerite snails better because they are smaller. The big Apple snails or other kinds, they kind of scare me. haha I don't think I'd be able to pick one up if I had to for whatever reason. They come in beautiful colors but the little nerite snails are pretty with their stripes and dots.

Gamer: Sorry, I just noticed we got off topic with your thread a little.
Back to your thread now.

 

I am considering nerites for my other tanks, for this one, for now I'm going to see how my coming apples do (gold, blue and black/purple), I ordered from InvertObsessions amazon store. I don't need to worry about them munching my plants, don't have live ones.

Oh come on! I don't see it as a thread hijack and even if it is, it's fine. I have more pictures to take anyway so the thread will live for a few more days at least.

And some of the plants do look a bit real IMO, even if not. Like noticing some resemble Banana plant, brazilian pennywort, watersprite, foxtail, I mean, they don't look aweful to me. I let the one that resembles corkscrew val float for the gouramis, but mostly the guppies are hanging out in it.

 

I don't think aquarium snails will hurt/ruin live plants. I did notice the name of some of your artificial plants. Once your tree can stay submerged by itself you should consider leaving in those pieces of slate. It might look nice with them in the back corner somewhere.

 

Yeah good idea on the slate. I have a few small manzanita driftwood pieces floating now too, that the albino bushynose loves hanging from.

My wife has this thing, it's an iPad Air, apparently they've been around for awhile. I decided to try to take pics with that to see if any better. Looks about the same as my phone and Cannon I think.



Yeah I don't know for sure if any snails do eat plants religiously. I've read there's two main kinds of apple/mystery snails sold commonly. One does, the other doesn't so much but may eat the dead leafs.

 

Photo with your ipad air turned out great also. I can't tell the difference from your other photo's though. All very nice.

 

Mystery snails and nerite snails only typically eat dead or dying plant matter not healthy. Except that nerites eat algae. I have mysteries and nerites together with absolutely no problems. One of my 1/2" horned nerites rides around on the mystery snails backs, it's really cute. I don't know how much algae mystery snails eat but I see mine munching along the tank walls all the time, you do need to put in some fresh veggies for them though to make sure they get enough to eat.

Beautiful tank btw!

 

Your tank looks awesome! I love the bowfronts having had a 36 gallon and now a 72 gallon.

As for Mystery snails/apple snail, you do know that they lay tons of eggs and the potential of having at least 100-200 babies at a time? The female can lay a clutch every month.

Nerites on the other hand do not breed in fresh water. They will lay eggs but they will not hatch. And yes, they can cohabit together with no problems.

 

Awe thanks guys for the info and the compliment. Means a lot. *smiles big*

Yes bow fronts are amazing, too. My dream is the 220 bow lol.

 

Awe thanks guys for the info and the compliment. Means a lot. *smiles big*

Yes bow fronts are amazing, too. My dream is the 220 bow lol.

Aqueon used to make a 155 gallon bowfront but they stopped making it
My lfs had one on sale for like $1,300 ( and had the stand and glass hood, etc for extra $$$ ) and at the time I was hemming and hawing ( not realizing that they were trying to get rid of it because they weren't going to carry it any more )
So it was at the store for about a month and when I decided I wanted it, it was gone!

 

I've done that myself with tank sizes that have since been discontinued! So I know that feel all too well.

I've since updated the light strip, Marineland Advanced LED Double Bright.

I've added some snails both apple and nerite, and I've ordered some low intensity plants for a low tech like set up.

Will have pics when they're here.

The stump has been waterlogged.

The tank will for now be half fake planted/haf real planted.

I transported the albino bushynose to the 125 gallon. He killed off one of my snails, I found him this morning feasting on the insides of one that'd been pulled out of it's shell.
He had been aggressively going after my new snails, even though had no algae on their shells.... and I didn't understand fully why, but I don't like it nor would it be a good thing if he developed a taste for them. So I transported him to 125. I will let the nerites clean algae for now. If need more, I'll possibly add a few oto's down the road.

Updated pics this week!!!

 

The second to final result (as I want to add a carpet to the left side)

 

Tank looks great! Nice "tree"!

 

As much as I liked the artificial greenery on it, I am digging the java moss even more. It really has been taking off too, I've had to trim the moss tree, moss rocks and moss branches twice.

Oh and I just realized, it's all real plant, not half artificial as I was going to do.

 

The mosses have grown in some, and continues too, even though I'm trimming weekly, the tree and the rocks!



I have since added 6 glass catfish, and 6 otocinclus.

Lost 1 guppy, my gold snail, and the large purple snail. Everyone else has been fine.

 

Looks great, as usual!

 

That looks really great!