# Aquascaping regrets?



## lazybones51 (22 Apr 2022)

I'm curious to hear if any of you have any aquascpaing regrets?  Wether it's a piece of hardware you regret buying, or a type of fish/plant you regret adding, or another aquascaping related decision you made.

My biggest regret was adding fissidens moss when I setup my tank. No matter how hard I try, it always ends up in the carpeting plants!


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## Miniandy (23 Apr 2022)

I regret starting out with a planted discus tank. We all know why, but I didn't know 24 years ago. It was a massive PITA  whilst it was working well, about the first year, then depressing when it wasn't until it was stripped down.


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## seedoubleyou (23 Apr 2022)

Not taking my time, that’s  my biggest regret in this hobby.
I’ve burned through some serious money on so many setups.
The next one will be long term, and I’m trying to practice some patience in its setup.


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## Courtneybst (23 Apr 2022)

Probably giving away my Black Ghost Knifefish! Such an intriguing fish and mine was very peaceful, I had it since it was tiny. 

Whilst I wouldn't change anything as I've had fun keeping lots of different fish I otherwise wouldn't have been able to, I often imagine how great it would be having the BGK in the type of scapes I keep now. It's a combo I've never seen before.


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## JoshP12 (23 Apr 2022)

Hmmm …. my largest “regret” forced me to learn a whole of great stuff … though if I wasn’t keen on learning it may have left me upset.  

1) poor tank dimensions - 65 gallons 2 feet deep, 18inches wide, 3 feet long. Plus it was not rimless and had a black bar down the centre.

Absolutely terrible for flow pattern and light distribution. 

Well here’s two more:  

2) putting the tank too close to the wall - terrible for maintenance and setting up equipment 

3) only having one tank <— no where to rehome fish or store fish while you adjust co2 and fine tune it or to rescape. With 2 tanks you can rescape one while the fish hang out in the other and vice versa.


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## john6 (24 Apr 2022)

Similar to @seedoubleyou, rushing into things, not planning spending loads on stuff i didnt need. My Discus tank for example, i just thought hey it needs some plants, so i went out and bought a load of plants that were suitable for a Discus tank and just planted them willy nilly, no planning, no foresight, no nothing. then i find out my sand isnt deep enough, plants just keep floating up, so had to buy some more to put in, Its got no hardscape to speak of, just lots of plants, which although it looks nice to me, it really could have been better if i had thought it through and planned.
My next project will be planned right down to the last drop of water.


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## ElleDee (24 Apr 2022)

I did not anticipate how big many of plants I bought would get, so I put some in front of hardscape that later completely obscured it. And a dwarf sag carpet in a dirted tank is just a headache sooner or later.


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## DeepMetropolis (24 Apr 2022)

Most regrets are a learning phase.. 
Not fixing wood good enough that makes maintenance harder is one I won't make next scapes.
Not buying a bigger tank 😂
And buying Krobia Xingu, well not really a regret I love the fish but they are very hungry type and likes to eat tetras as snacks and even bigger ones as advised as companion fish. Plus they get bigger as I aspected. thinking of ditching them with my upcoming scape but i'm so attached to them now.


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## Sean Scapes (24 Apr 2022)

My aquascaping regrets 
1) not having co2 from the start
2) buying zebra danios and a dwarf gourami for my community tank. They are bullies and chase my other fish around especially when feeding. To date my danios have caused the death of two of their own kind and 2 tetras. The dwarf gourami has caused countless shrimp deaths and the death of my other gourami. Will never buy theses ever again.
3) not having enough hardscape at the start.

but its all learning curves and good experience for the future investments.


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## jamiepearson (25 Apr 2022)

spending on an inexpensive Amazon light, which broke, replacing with another inexpensive Amazon light, which broke, before buying a Chihiros WRGB


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## KirstyF (25 Apr 2022)

Still having to work for a living when just having more tanks to play with would be a much better use of my time. 😂


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## Annie G (31 Jul 2022)

Going overboard with the lighting. It’s easy to get sucked into the more is better mantra. I have tanks with no CO2, lots of ‘easy’ plants and lights that are way too powerful. They are now running at 50% of full power, and I have had to mask off portions of the tanks to keep the really slow growers happy.


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## becks (1 Aug 2022)

Moss, it looks great and grows like a weed….my good it gets everywhere when trimming and you end up constantly having to pull it out


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## Hanuman (1 Aug 2022)

Having started a planted tank. My bank account regrets it, my wife regrets it and my mistresses regret it.
I might end up regretting it if they all leave me (including my bank account).
😘


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## AlecF (1 Aug 2022)

I wish I'd known to use a compost mix under my sand, John Innes, clay, zeolite, etc. I have it in my small tank and the plants seem much happier. I've learnt to see aquarium keeping as more like gardening, and it feels more natural to have soil. I also wished I'd known to use a plastic divider, to stop pieces of ugly aqua clay coming up into the sand. You can change almost anything in a tank, but once the substrate is down it's so much harder – unless you can afford multiple tanks. My dark secret is that I never liked the look of tanks that just use small lumps of clay, and I wish I hadn't started with Fluvial Stratum. The sand on top I love, but better earth below.


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## mrhoyo (1 Aug 2022)

Spending a lot of money on buce and letting it be a BBA farm. They won't be moving in to the next tank.


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## PARAGUAY (1 Aug 2022)

Hanuman said:


> Having started a planted tank. My bank account regrets it, my wife regrets it and my mistresses regret it.
> I might end up regretting it if they all leave me (including my bank account).
> 😘


That's very bad luck, your mistresses taking the wife's side that's rare😂


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## Yugang (1 Aug 2022)

Hanuman said:


> my mistresses regret it


Really? Ever tried planted tanks as an ice breaker in a bar? You must be dreaming young man


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## Yugang (2 Aug 2022)

When upgrading my tank a few years ago, I should not have settled negotiations at any size smaller than my wife's piano.


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## Hanuman (2 Aug 2022)

Yugang said:


> When upgrading my tank a few years ago, I should not have settled negotiations at any size smaller than my wife's piano.


That's where the mistress(es) come handy for a 2nd or 3rd chance....


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## Aqua360 (2 Aug 2022)

I regret nothing, each step taken has been a learning one!


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## RichTea (3 Aug 2022)

After adding new plants I saw two bits of Duck Weed in my tank and thought oh cool free plants! 

Sent from my MI 9 using Tapatalk


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## PARAGUAY (3 Aug 2022)

Sort of no real regrets as@Aqua360 but felt bad about this . Years back a pub mate moved into a apartment and decided to set up a fish tank. Something wasn't right with the fish and one was bullying the others he asked me to take a look  and l kept putting it off ,by the time l went a huge chiclid had taken a huge chunk out of a fancy goldfish still alive! Of course we euthanasiad it. The shop had wrongly told him the Mexican chiclid would be fine with his fancy goldfish . Felt bad for not visiting earlier still regret that


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## Jack B (3 Aug 2022)

AlecF said:


> I wish I'd known to use a compost mix under my sand, John Innes, clay, zeolite, etc. I have it in my small tank and the plants seem much happier. I've learnt to see aquarium keeping as more like gardening, and it feels more natural to have soil.
> 
> . The sand on top I love, but better earth below.


Yes I wish I'd put much more aquasoil under my JBL mandano substrate. At least two inches over the whole base for me next time.


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## LondonDragon (3 Aug 2022)

Tearing down my "First planted tank - Never ending Journal" should have still be running today!!  
Then leaving my new A900 empty in my living room for years before I decided to get back to scaping it!


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## Tim Harrison (3 Aug 2022)

A hiatus from the hobby of 20 or so years during which planted tanks and aquascaping moved on and changed dramatically. It would have been nice to be part of that.


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## _Maq_ (3 Aug 2022)

(1) Too many people involved in 'making an art' of whom large majority have no clue of aesthetics.
(2) Distracting attention from fish, plants and biology towards unnatural creations - landscape emulations, underwater gardens, etc.


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## Wookii (3 Aug 2022)

_Maq_ said:


> (1) Too many people involved in 'making an art' of whom large majority have no clue of aesthetics.
> (2) Distracting attention from fish, plants and biology towards unnatural creations - landscape emulations, underwater gardens, etc.



I think the thread is supposed to be for posting things you personally regret having done or not done in the hobby @_Maq_ ,  rather than a list of things you don’t like about it 😂


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## Geoffrey Rea (3 Aug 2022)

_Maq_ said:


> (1) Too many people involved in 'making an art' of whom large majority have no clue of aesthetics.



Even nature has a sense of humour about aesthetics. Just look at some of its current evolutionarily fittest species:








Wookii said:


> I think the thread is supposed to be for posting things you personally regret having done


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