Building your first tank in the workshop

The workshop is not a settings menu. It is the part of the app where you assemble a scene: pick a tank shell, place scenery, breed a Ranchu, save the result as a preset you can switch back to. Here is the short version.

Start with the shell, not the fish

Each tank shell changes the light more than it changes the geometry. A rimless shallow tank reads bright and clean; a tall cabinet tank reads dim and green. Pick the shell first, then decide on the fish — the other way round almost always ends with a fish that disappears against the background.

Scenery: fewer pieces, better

Three or four pieces is usually enough: one large mass (rock or driftwood), one vertical element (a plant), one foreground detail, and empty space. The empty space is what makes the tank look like water rather than a shelf.

Two rules that save time:

• Keep the centre of the tank clear. Fish swim through it, and the eye needs somewhere to rest.
• Match the substrate to the shell. Pale sand under a dark cabinet looks like a mistake; dark gravel in a bright shallow tank looks heavy.

Breed a Ranchu you like

The Ranchu editor exposes body shape, tail type and colour patches. You do not need to understand the genetics to get a good result:

1. Pick the body shape you want first — it is the hardest thing to notice later.
2. Then adjust the tail; a slightly short tail reads calmer in wallpaper mode.
3. Add colour patches last, and keep them asymmetric. Perfectly mirrored patches look printed.

The free version ships nine skins and lets you breed within them. The full version unlocks the complete set.

Save a preset

Once a tank looks right, save it as a preset. Presets store the shell, scenery, fish and camera. Switching between a work preset and a calm night preset takes one click, and the app remembers which one was active when it last closed.

A recipe that works on a desktop

Rimless shallow shell, dark substrate, one large rock on the left third, a soft plant on the right, three Ranchu with short tails, camera slightly above water level. It survives bright wallpapers, dark editors and everything in between.