# Is there such a job as a professional Aquarium Decorator?



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

If there is, I need one. I need advice on how to decorate my new 75. I dont want to keep it bare, it looks empty, I want my Blackbelt to have stuff to look at and interact with so he doesnt get bored and realize he is stuck in an aquarium jail. Besides, he must be lonely in there and stuff to look at that seems likely to exist in his natural habitat would be ideal.

Thanks


----------



## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Yes there are many. Problem is large Cichlids like the blackbelt will destroy most scapes if they dislike them.


----------



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Yeah I cant have any plants, he will rip them out. I was thinking more along the lines of places he can hide, slate for eggs when brezilian brings over his female Jag to breed with him, etc


----------



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Momobobo said:


> Yes there are many.


So how do I find them? are there any here on bca?


----------



## er201 (Apr 21, 2010)

Hit me up with a pm of what you're looking for, natural hardscape and so on. I can probably help you out.


----------



## Lamplighter (Aug 3, 2012)

$500.00 per hour!


----------



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

lamplighter said:


> $500.00 per hour!


lol!

...


----------



## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

leave it bare with one large piece of slate , your fish will appreciate the space to swim more than a bunch of fluff he is gonna rip out anyways , also you start piling up unsecured slate rocks and logs , and your bb gets pissy or scared on time and AVALANCE and then you have to worry about crack... smash ... splash, and that is a cluster f you do not want any part of

just wait till you see my new 120 , the only thing in it is 2 stacks for the overflow and the outlet from the sump, jet black bare bones with sand, it looks sweet, i painted the bottom both sides and the back, boths stacks are jet black too , BIG PIMPIN lol


----------



## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

oh yeah and save your money , if you insist on doing things the hard way , look at all the tank journals on here out of everyones ideas on site you should be able to mimic or replicate one of the other members aquascapes, i mean LOOK there are tonnes of insane aquascapes but just remember none of them are for larger sa/ca cichlids because they ravage everyone and it is HOPELESS unless it is a root system or something fixed and basic


but you gotta ditch the walmart castles and skulls and hot pink and blue plants that stuff makes your tank/fish look wackadoo,


----------



## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I have on my 72g bow front aragonite as substrate and I decorate it with plant pots, fake plants and some rocks.
Here is a pic, maybe u can get some ideas


----------



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

I dont know about fake plants, but rocks and wood and slate are what I want!


----------



## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Here are some pics of my 180g SA cichlid tank when we had just set it up. Ignore the ******* light brackets! I used slate chunks, driftwood and made "caves" out of big plain terracotta pots for them to hide in and terracotta drainage tiles for the catfish to use as hangouts. Substrate is black 3M colorquartz sand, easy for them to dig in.

I used fake plants and so far the fish have mostly ignored them.

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-chat-9/my-180g-set-up-29563/


----------



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

I just wish someone could do it for me. I have no decorating skillz.


----------



## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Where are you located? I love aquascaping as long as no fiddly carpet plants are involved.


----------

