How much decorations is too much?

as my tank cycles I have a lot of time to stare at it & think. I know without fish it's very bare & Lonely looking, but how much decorations/plants should be in there? My tank is 30 US gallon, I have gravel on the bottom, 4 silk plants in one corner, a small bridge n the middle, a piece of fake coral in the middle and a "hollow" Log covered in silk plants on the other side. My back wall has a bubble wall on it and the heater is in the corner. Filter intake is in the middle. My plants are quite short, so I may be able to get taller ones, but is there a general rule on how much to add? I Have a few open spaces and am not sure the fish would like them!!

 

Depends on the fish you get. Some like lightly planted/decorated tanks while others like (and may require if you ever want to see them (i.e. they will always hide under what little there is to hide in) densely planted/decorated tanks. A combo of both is usually best for a community tank while a species tank (a tank with only 1 type of fish in it) can be dialed into the exact needs of that type of fish. In the community tank add the decorations where you think they make the most sense in the tank. Make sure if there are openings that the fish have a clear path through both sides, because they like to dart between them and if they do this in a panic they could dart in and then collide with whatever is blocking the path on the other side. Then place the plants in a front to back type orientation. In the front or foreground of the tank you should plant smaller grasses/plants. The mid section should get medium height plants and the back should get the tallest plants. Depending on the type of fish, you might even want to either get plants for the back that are even taller then the height of the water so that the tops float and provide some top cover for fish to hide and play in. Or some floating plants will work as well. This kind of layout will give you the best open space in the front section of your tank, so when the fish don't feel like hiding they will play in this area and give you the best show. When they want to hide, they will have plenty of places to do that in the back of the tank. Again it depends on the type of fish you get, but this is the general makeup of decorating tanks. Granted, it's your tank, decorate it however you like but these are just some suggestions I've gotten from some of the professionals that plant using live plants (I prefer fake at the moment myself just for ease of maintenance and they look pretty realistic these days too).

 

Like Luniyn said, it does kind of depend on what fish are in there, but I do like to leave open space like paths through decor and plants and caves. Our betta tanks are more lightly decorated with a cave or 2 and plants to give them room to do 'laps', our platy tank is more heavily planted to give them hiding spots and our mahachaI betta tank has 3 caves and 7 plants in it with pathways around everything since that type of wild betta is more timid. Watch out for decor with sharp edges on the inside or outside and decor that moves - those are cute, but if you have fish with a lot of finnage or bottom feeders, they could be a bad idea.

what fish are you thinking of putting in there?

 

I'm hoping to have a small school of Neon tetras, a Gourami and other then that I don't know. My daughter has her heart set on one Betta, but I have told her that it may not be a good idea. She likes them for their colours and their fins but I have told her they may not work well with others in the tank and I'm not having a tank for one fish. She also likes guppies but I don't want to have babies as well, I don't really have room for another tank

 

Well you can get guppies, just be sure to get all males. Aside from that, the neon tetras and the single Gourami will be nice together. Just be sure to get a Dwarf Gourami because the regular Gourami's can get in the 5"-6" range and may or may not start to think of the neon's a snacks, plus the Dwarf Gourami's are said to be a little more peaceful of the bunch. Gourami's like to have a nicely planted tank and a cave of some sort (can just be a piece of driftwood (real or fake) with a tunnel routed out in it for them to dive into) to hide out in. They also like some floating plants or something along the top of the tank (like the overgrown plants I mentioned above) to help them feel safe and feel like it's a good home (they build bubble nests in these floating plants when they want to mate, so just having them around even when they aren't interested in building a nest just makes them feel like it's there if they need it). The neon tetras also like some planting in their tanks, but make sure to give them a bit of open space so they have room to school and zoom around when they are in a playful mood. A cave isn't so much needed for these guys but a densely planted corner or section to the rear of the tank would be appreciated. One thing to note about both of these types of fish is that they do not handle a cycle well, so be sure to be as patient as possible before getting them and be finished with your cycle before you introduce them to the tank.

As to what else you could get, I would look to a more bottom dwelling fish to liven up that part of the tank as the neon's and the Gourami will hang out in the mid to upper parts of the tank more except when they retreat to the their cave/planted hideaway. Again the Cory Cats I mentioned (think it was one of your posts?) would work, oto's are cute little guys (only get to be 2" max) and would work as well. Don't let a store clerk say "how about a pleco" (those fish you see suction cupped to the sides of the tanks). Those things may start small, but they grow to be MUCH bigger then your 30 Gal will be able to handle. However, a dwarf pleco or could be another option. Or you could go a different route all together and try you hand at shrimp like the Amano shrimp. Lots of options out there.

 

If you got a Betta, they can be compatible with cory cats (panda cory cats are cute for a little girl) and oto cats.

Some x-ray tetras might be cool in your tank with guppies and gourami.

 

the oto's look quite nice they also clean a bit too don't they? the shrimp kinda creep me out tho, they look so spider-like and I have a huge phobia *shudders* I was contemplating snails, but I read through the snails board and they kinda scared me off of them, I didn't realize that they bred so quickly like that . I think I may grab some tall ones and maybe another hidey hole, it's amazing what's in the shops, not much hiding places, just decorations and plastic looking plants. Wal-mart surprisingly had the best looking decorations and silk

 

the oto's look quite nice they also clean a bit too don't they?

Yep the oto's will clean off algae that builds up on your tank (well it won't have a chance to build up with them in there actually ).

 

Cherry shrimp look more like tiny lobsters if you'd like those. Seriously, otos are great algae eaters.. the work hard and are fun to watch darting around. Every now and then you might drop in a piece of veggie (like a zucchinI or cucumber slice) for them to supplement their diet.

 

I went & bought some more plants :-[ but I could not help myself, I will add them later.. Had a look at a few of the fish at the pet store, I so can't wait to add fish!! I think an algae eater would be good, I tried to place the tank as best as I could, but it is close to a window and does get some light thru the blinds at the end of the day so I am afraid algae may grow

 

If you go with the oto's then get at least 2 if not 3. They like a little company.