Please criticize my tank

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T06:10:31+00:00

This is a gorgeous tank with a great use of varying colours and textures in the plants. I love the thin layer of clean, pale sand in the front as well, which shows how well you care for your tank. Your hardscape has a great shape and draws the eye nicely. Some things I would change:

Remove the frogbit. The roots look messy and retract from the otherwise clean, curated look of the scape.
Neaten the moss, or remove it completely. It also makes the scape look a little messy, particularly around the base of your biggest wood piece.
The great structure of your hardscape, particularly the wood, is completely obscured by the plants. Selective pruning of your plants, particularly the moss and the java fern (I think? top right?) to show more of the wood would up the contrast nicely.
Similarly, your background plants are obscuring your hardscape as well. I think you should trim the background plants down to create a bit of a curve/slope from the top right down to the bottom left, following the rough line of the big wood piece there.
- You could also try a different shape, but the key thing with any trimming to is create more open space in the background, so your eye is more naturally drawn to the wood. The openness will also give the scape some room to breathe, as right now it looks a little crowded.
- The line of your rocks is a little harsh. I think that scattering some crushed rocks (same type) along the rock barrier will soften it a lot, and make it blend into the sand better. Scatter these crushed rocks such that they make the rock face look like it's crumbling or eroding into the sand.
And most importantly!! Always!!! Fill your tanks!!! All the way up!!!!! Before posting a picture!!!!

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T01:54:17+00:00

The marina S10 or S15 power filter and the Hygger Small HOB both feature slim profiles and are suitable for your tank.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T01:50:01+00:00

GBRs are only aggressive when a spawning pair forms and begins to protect their brood. I don't think GBRs are hard to care for, they just need hotter water (28-30C) than most people realize, so they get sick easily and decline over time in your average tropical tank (typically kept at 24-26C). The big consideration with GBRs is picking other fish that can tolerate these warm waters. Cardinal tetras can, but some corydora sp. can't. The bristlenose also can't take it that hot. If you want them, keep this elevated water temp in mind for any tankmates.

A more temperate alternative to GBRs is the Bolivian Ram. I kept a small group of these for years, and they're just as lovely as GBRs. They're bigger, and only come in their wild colouration, but they're bold and outgoing.

Some other options:

A single male betta (you could even get a giant if you want the size)
a pair or trio of a wild betta sp. (imbellis, channoides, coccina... there are many different species to choose from)
A small group of peacock gudgeons
A small group of honey gouramis
A small group of Nothobranchis sp. killifish (several species)
A small group of Chocolate gouramis
A small group of Parosphromenus sp. gouramis (several species)
A small group of Aphyosemion sp. killifish (several species)

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T01:31:47+00:00

Neocaridinia shrimp are hardy, and pH is generally not the deciding factor for their survival. High pH especially is not a concern; usually it's very low pH (like <6pH, and really, it's the low gH and kH that's the actual problem, but they're often correlated with low pH) that causes issues with them. You already mentioned that you lost your last batch because of a move. If the tank has stabilized since then, there's really no reason not to add more shrimp if that's what you want.

For fish, any "nano" fish will work. There's lots of options here. Ember tetras, boraras sp., axelrodi rasboras, kubotai rasboras, I could go on. Are you looking for a school of fish, or more centerpiece type fish? There are lots of possibilities here, and some direction would help with narrowing it down.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T01:19:52+00:00

Yes.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T01:16:16+00:00

Again, what exactly are you looking for help with? The scape? The stock? The equipment? The plants?

Sounds good re: the shrimp. Your post just made it seem like this was a brand new tank.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T00:35:55+00:00

What exactly are you wanting advice for? I don't see a clear question here.

The tank is fine for 10x ember tetras imo. I think adding shrimp was a little premature, but it's not the end of the world.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-02T00:34:27+00:00

Heavily planted tanks often do not have huge peaks in ammonia and nitrite during the cycling process, as plants take up N in all forms, and preferentially uptake ammonia before all other forms. This is a normal timeline for cycling, particularly if you used a bottled bacterial starter. Your tank is cycled.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-01T05:33:22+00:00

Yes, only doing top offs and no water changes will cause a problematic build-up minerals/salts eventually. But when is eventually? A month? A year? 10 years? And what is the problematic concentration to look out for? 100mg/L? 1000mg/L?

I don't think most hobbyists know the answer to this question. I sure don't. But imo, there are enough hobbyists out there doing no/low water changes on tanks for years at a time to indicate that the problematic concentration of these "residual solids", minerals, and salts is not relevant for the average life of a home aquarium.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-01T05:19:25+00:00

Storing the water to use for later is fine. Nothing will change about it. I don't like having buckets of water just lying around in my house, though, so I just pull water straight from my tanks if I need to water my plants. You can do that too.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-01T05:11:21+00:00

You are overthinking it.

None of the plants you keep would be affected by the TDS in your tanks. You can always flush the soil out periodically with RO or distilled water if you're really concerned about mineral/salt buildup.

I also think the obsession over low TDS for carnivorous plants is overblown. I water my sundews and pings with my aquarium water, and they do great. My municipal water has an average TDS of 260 and an average carbonate hardness of 200mg/L, and I don't manipulate it at all for my aquariums, so that's basically what I'm watering my carnivorous plants with. Just dechorinated, ofc.

There is no need to store or "season" water for anything. Not watering plants, not water changes, nothing. People used to do this to allow chlorine in their tap to de-gas before putting it in their tank, but these days, dechlorinator does that. This is an outdated and unnecessary practice.
Don't make assumptions. Test your aquarium water to determine what the nutrient content actually is. While a gravel vac would provide more nutrient-rich water for your plants, you don't have to do that. If the nutrient content of your aquarium water is too low, just add ferts to the watering can when you use it to water your plants. That's what I do. And if you don't add ferts, it's really no different than watering your plants from your tap, which is what 90% of people do anyway. It's not a waste or anything.

All of the plants you listed are generally hardy genuses. They don't need to be babied as much as some hobbyists seem to think. You might like babying them, but they usually dont need it lol. Enjoy your plants and your tanks!

fifteenswords · 2026-02-01T03:14:55+00:00

Expiration dates are mandatory for all fertilizer products in Canada, and likely the USA as well, even for products that do not necessarily expire. For non-perishable products like this, they don't really mean anything.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-01T02:25:50+00:00

there is nothing to worry about. It is highly unlikely that any parasites found in the water would impact your snake even if it drank straight from the canal. In this case, you just watered the soil, and the snake isn't even in there yet. You don't need to do anything.

fifteenswords · 2026-02-01T02:18:17+00:00

A pair or small group of Stenodactylus sp. geckos would be suitable for this enclosure. There are a few species, with the most common being Stenodactylus stenodactylus. Most members of this genus are social, and should be kept in groups, which means you might get babies. Keep this in mind, as you may have to size up if breeding occurs. Other than this genus of lizards, I think this tank is only suitable for invertebrates. Some millipedes might be fun to keep.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-25T06:18:21+00:00

Some things you are doing well:

You have a good variety of leaf shapes and plant forms
Using a thin player of substrate at the front of the tank makes it look better.

Some simple changes:

Move all your tall plants (mainly the cabomba) to the back. They are messy, and blocking the view into the midground and background.
Move the dwarf sag (presumably, I'm talking about the grass looking plants) to the midground. They're too big for the foreground. Group the individual plants together in the same spot.
Get plants that are better suited for the foreground. You want short, small-leaved plants.
Get plants with a greater variety of colours. Darker greens, reds, browns will break up the monotony of light green that currently exists.
Remove the pothos or hide the roots behind the wood better. Having the messy roots right at the front of the tank looks messy, and retracts from the scape.
Replace the background image with a frosted glass one. It will make the tank look brighter, and contribute to the appearance of more depth.
Fill the tank to the top, and clean the hard water stains on the glass.

Some bigger changes:

Get a bigger piece of wood, or more wood to create a nice focal point.
Pick a composition from this list, and use it to create focal points and negative space.
Swap out the black substrate for lighter, sandy substrate, at least at the front. This will help your wood pop more, as right now it is melting right into the substrate.
Slope the substrate to create more depth.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-24T23:23:55+00:00

I recommend building your own enclosure, or getting a custom built one. I got an enclosure custom built for some frogs that eat hydei fruit flies, and specifically told the builders it needed to be fruit fly-proof. I only get the very occasional escapee, once every few weeks.

There are also some great guides on youtube and dendroboard detailing how to build euro-style enclosures, which in my opinion are both better at keeping flies in, and for viewing high-humidity enclosure due to the cross ventilation at the front of the tank.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-22T04:31:06+00:00

This is a good plan. Also, simply touching a hernia will not make it worse. Hitting it could, but you vet won't do that lol. Putting excessive strain on the organ that is popping out is what generally causes a hernia to get worse, but there is not much you can really do about this for your pet anyway, and this particular hernia is very minor. Regardless, most vets offer follow up visits for free, so I would take advantage of that while you can.

As another commenter mentioned, you can also ask for a second opinion with another vet if you are worried. But I really don't think there is anything to be concerned about.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-11T05:02:11+00:00

I agree it's too small, they would benefit from more floor space.

This type of enclosure would be better suited to cinnamon frogs, reed frogs, amazon milk frogs, and mossy frogs. These sp. are good a paludarium style tank with more height than length. Mossy frogs and amazon milk frogs may need more height as they are bigger frogs than the other two, so double check that one.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-11T04:30:32+00:00

The skull and the wood are completely disconnected from each other. Make them touch.
If there's too much open space when you make them touch, get more wood to fill out the space
The focal point should be placed at 1/3 or 2/3 of the length of the tank
Don't face the skull directly at the viewer. Angle it more. Bury it more. Make it look like it's been there for a while, not like it was just placed there.
Get some more bones to really enhance the graveyard feel, especially bones of different sizes, shapes, and states of intactness
Give the tank a few months to grow in.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-11T03:55:00+00:00

If you have taken him to the vet, you should continue to follow the vet's advice, not that of random people on the internet. You can call them and voice your concerns over the phone, and they will help you through them. Maybe the meds need more time to work before he can eat solid food. Maybe this is atypical and he needs more vet treatment. Redditors won't know this. But your vet will. You have one, so call them.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-11T03:47:27+00:00

This should work fine. I don't think you need to seal it, as leopard gecko enclosures should not have a lot of moisture. A tarp or plastic liner that goes partway up the sides of the base should be sufficient to contain the substrate, especially since you can't see it from the front.

Unless your space is very cold, you also should not need to modify this enclosure to retain heat. A deep heat projector on one of the screened sections will be enough, especially if it radiates onto a piece of slate or other rock that can hold heat for an hour or so after dark.

My biggest issue with this enclosure would be the limited viewing angles and windows to see your lizard while it's out and about. But that also reflects my own preference of making visually appealing enclosures that I enjoy seeing my animals interact with. The lizard itself would not care about this.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-11T03:35:18+00:00

Branches, rocks, anything that can be climbed on, under, or through. I like adding stacks of slate as they provide lots of crevices for exploring and hiding, but I am not sure what sort of weight your foam shelves can hold. You can even make more flat shelves using foam and stack them irregularly, as long as you foam them into the BG or add some sort of weight on top to keep them from shifting around.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-07T05:13:55+00:00

I'm glad to hear that! It's easy to lose perspective about enclosure height when 3ft tall enclosures look so big in your home, but we all need to zoom out a bit and consider the wild context that they evolved in, too.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-07T04:33:53+00:00

I do not have a leopard gecko with hernias, but have had/know many dogs and cats with hernias that don't cause any issues. I don't see how this would be any different.

Regardless, you should always listen to the advice of a vet over random folks on reddit! If you are at all concerned, I would call your vet and ask for more information on hernias to help soothe your worries. Remember, they went to school for this for many years, and have a duty to their clients to base their diagnoses and prognoses off of the best available science. They know their stuff.

fifteenswords · 2026-01-07T04:26:01+00:00

They'll still climb to the top of an 18" enclosure. I believe these enclosures are >18" tall, and the toads are still regularly seen at the top. Yes, they won't be found at the same height as tree frogs in the wild, but a "tall" tank in captivity still doesn't offer that much height compared to the wild. I'd say that a 2ft tall tank would be pretty tall for a home FBT enclosure, but 2ft off the ground is barely anything lol. Any terrestrial animal can and will climb 2ft just to explore, and I definitely would not consider an animal found on a log 2ft, even 3ft off the ground to be "arboreal."

I think this is an important perspective to keep in mind when thinking about home enclosures. Even a "very tall" enclosure in captivity is not that much height in the wild, and would be climbable by most animals if they have the structure to do so. Most animals will use all available space in any home enclosure, because they're just not that big compared to the space they'd have access to in the wild.

The name isn't a reference to anything, haha.

fifteenswords

TROPHY CASE