So help me with some serious fresh water planted setups.

sounds cool, and in one of the gentler modes it could be a worthwile experiment as you have them already

Im sure many fish species would appreciate it (swim against it just like SW fish do for entertainment)

a shoal of 50 or more Tetras would look awesome IMHO

Steve

 

A large shoal of Tetras would be cool. Cardinals and Rummynose look awesome in planted tanks their reds absolutely shine. A good subtle colored fish to go with them is Lemon Tetras their yellow becomes very strong in the planted tank. You will get two different body types from these three. They all reside in different areas also. Rummies more to the bottom, Cardinals a little above them and the Lemons in the middle. Pencilfish and/or Hatchetfish make great top dwellers.

 

I thought you would like to see the tank from about 2.5 years ago.



The only artificial thing is the hollow log on the back

 

Thanks guys.

My favs were Harlequins... they really schooled tightly. Black tetras looked really velvety. Danios were really active up top. I loved my loaches.

 

Rainbow fish (Melanotaenia sp.) are flashy and active. IMO they are some of the most colorful FW fish.

 

When my tank was running well... my fish all had that velvety skin look not like shinny scally fish look. That is what I liked... fresh tropical can look very nice and very coorful, they are just a lot smaller that the marine fish we commonly keep.