Hey there, I’d give this a 6/10 right now. This is a solid “beginner-plus” tank. You’ve moved past the “clown puke gravel” phase into something that actually respects nature. The white sand looks clean and high-contrast, and using real driftwood/tannins is a massive win for fish health (and aesthetics). It looks like a healthy ecosystem, which is worth more than points for style.
Now for what I would change. Tbh, your tank is giving me a slight “furniture store” vibe. You have distinct “zones” (wood zone, bamboo zone, plant zone) that feel placed rather than grown. It looks a bit like you bought three different starter kits and put them next to each other.
The middle is a bit of a no mans land. In aquascaping, you usually wanna try to group things to create a focal point (left-heavy, right-heavy, or island), rather than spreading everything out in a line. The top half of the water column is pretty empty. Some floating plants with long roots (like Frogbit or Red Root Floaters) would fill that vertical gap beautifully and make the fish feel safer.
Try pushing the wood pieces together to form one larger, more complex “island” structure rather than two separate piles. It creates a better focal point.
With those changes it would probably be atleast a 8/10. 🙂
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Hey there, I’d give this a 6/10 right now. This is a solid “beginner-plus” tank. You’ve moved past the “clown puke gravel” phase into something that actually respects nature. The white sand looks clean and high-contrast, and using real driftwood/tannins is a massive win for fish health (and aesthetics). It looks like a healthy ecosystem, which is worth more than points for style.
Now for what I would change. Tbh, your tank is giving me a slight “furniture store” vibe. You have distinct “zones” (wood zone, bamboo zone, plant zone) that feel placed rather than grown. It looks a bit like you bought three different starter kits and put them next to each other.
The middle is a bit of a no mans land. In aquascaping, you usually wanna try to group things to create a focal point (left-heavy, right-heavy, or island), rather than spreading everything out in a line. The top half of the water column is pretty empty. Some floating plants with long roots (like Frogbit or Red Root Floaters) would fill that vertical gap beautifully and make the fish feel safer.
Try pushing the wood pieces together to form one larger, more complex “island” structure rather than two separate piles. It creates a better focal point.
With those changes it would probably be atleast a 8/10. 🙂