Like the title said I'm building a 55 gallon freshwater tank community, and I've decided to document the journey here. It's my goal to create something fun and to spark good conversations about the hobby.
So tell me your expirences, stories, cristiscism, everything.
I have purchased a used tank that will need some work and will document that as well, but to start here is my current stocking list. Please excuse the quality of the image. I'm open to switching some species out if there are any suggestions. I'm definently set on the Pearl Gouramis though.
It can be an expensive hobby.
If you're trying to go cheap, you can save money by buying certain soils and sands from Home Depot (or your local equivalent) instead of substrate. Do your research on that before buying. You might be able to buy plant lights here, too, if you're okay with how they look or can make them look good.
Add plants. They look nice, provide hiding spots and naturally filter the water. Shrimp and snails add to the ecosystem. Some people will plant a pothos in the HOB filter for added water filtration and for the aesthetics.
Most of all, know what you want your tank to be before you get started. "Measure twice, cut once" and all that. I usually ignored the planning part and ended up spending a lot more when I changed from wanting a low-tech tank to wanting a hi-tech tank mid-stream.
There are games on Steam that help you design an aquarium (or just use paper and pencil). Dedicated fish stores sometimes have plexiglass sandboxes where you can experiment with hardscape placement.
Edit: I've had multiple peaceful gouramis before, but my most recent one (Blue Dwarf) ending up killing everything else in the tank.
Oh absolutely. I'm not new to the hobby, but I'm getting back into it after many years. Inflation has of course made everything more. I also learned how rare and expensive marimo moss balls are now :(
I'm planning to do white play sand, washed multiple times of course.
As for gourami aggressiveness my research suggested that Pearl Gourami are more peaceful than blue dwarf.
Know any good aquarium games in particular?
Behind Glass: Aquarium Simulator and Aquarium Designer seem to be main ones on Steam. I haven't played Behind Glass and Aquarium Designer is alright, but definitely has some bugs.
Thanks, I've been looking for one because I don't have the means to actually jump into the hobby for real yet. So I'm trying to find a game that's close to the real thing, or at least help me plan my aquarium for the future.