Amazon biotope

[d2hpeter]

Moving to rocks, woods and sand.


Newly Amazon biotope setup. Sand a bit too clean

[benny]

Nice! But I think you should consider removing the java ferns and replace it with leaf litter. More natural.

And if you must have plants, perhaps something from that part of the world as well.

Cheers,

[ranmasatome]

i was going to say.. java not from there mah..

[valice]

Using Hornworts. Small leaves and good for keeping your nitrate in check. Take out the java fern totally, and put in leaf litters as suggested. Then you wouldn't need to add in blackwater extract, which I am guessing you did else the water wouldn't be so teh-o. Those bogwood don't leech tannins as much as other woods.

[d2hpeter]

Using Hornworts. Small leaves and good for keeping your nitrate in check. Take out the java fern totally, and put in leaf litters as suggested. Then you wouldn't need to add in blackwater extract, which I am guessing you did else the water wouldn't be so teh-o. Those bogwood don't leech tannins as much as other woods.

Thanks.
the teh-o is actually a mixture of ketapang 90%/blackwater extract from Tetra 10%. I read ketapang is rich in humic acid and also beneficial for the fishes. And also cheaper than Tetra Blackwater extract.

[d2hpeter]

Using Hornworts. Small leaves and good for keeping your nitrate in check. Take out the java fern totally, and put in leaf litters as suggested. Then you wouldn't need to add in blackwater extract, which I am guessing you did else the water wouldn't be so teh-o. Those bogwood don't leech tannins as much as other woods.

Some guys from AquariaCentral said this....java fern????


I turned my 30gal into an amazon biotope, and did a lot of research beforehand. Its a lot of fun do to, as well. www.mongabay.com was a great resource for biotope aquaria. I have blue rams and a school of rummynose, and a few hatchets. In a larger tank, some angels would be nice, a group of 6-8 cories on the bottom level. Rummy nose would be good with angels because I think they get big enough to avoid being eaten by angels. Lots of driftwood, some java fern and different vals to round out the aquascape. I used red flourite to simulate the high clay substrate, but eco-complete would look just as good.
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[sham]

nice set up buddy!!!!!!!!!!!but remove the java fern
u can use black flat pebbles ...........it looks more natural
best of luck

[wks]

Observe your fish closely and check the pH. Most of our ornamental fish are farm bred (unless your fish are true South American wild breeds), hence they are more used to weakly acidic or neutral water. A sudden plunge in pH (our tap water is very soft, thus very low pH buffer capacity)will stress the fish and the most obvious problem is fin rot.

[torque6]

ya, must add leaf litter to make it look amazonia ")

[juggler]

Interesting setup. But will the angelfish grow too big for the tank?

[bryan]

The angel is totally out.

Considering the size of the tetras, that seems to be a rather small tank. I'd personally go for smaller tetras and some pygmy cory. Or a pair of apistos or ram.

Or you could turn it asiatic with some wild betta,small barbs,rasbora and loach.

[stormchild]

Keep the ferns. They look nice.

[Jervis]

What is the size of the tank?

Yeah... curious about your tank dimensions as it looks unique

[torque6]

Yeah... curious about your tank dimensions as it looks unique

yup. have to agree, hardly see tanks that are constructed with height > width.

[eeeeemo]

hey dude.. i have always wanted to set up a amazonian biotope. but never got enough suitable driftwood for my tank size. i experimented with my sole large driftwood once.. and i found out if you actually tilt your driftwood upside down such that the long part points to the ground instead of the sky.. it looks very natural!! and im pretty sure your angel fish will love weaving through it.. =)

[aquanatix]

hey dude.. i have always wanted to set up a amazonian biotope. but never got enough suitable driftwood for my tank size. i experimented with my sole large driftwood once.. and i found out if you actually tilt your driftwood upside down such that the long part points to the ground instead of the sky.. it looks very natural!! and im pretty sure your angel fish will love weaving through it.. =)

Haha,i had the exact same thought! Your driftwood would really look more natural if it was reversed. It would be nice as it was if it was tied with moss etc...but for this case,the root like feel would help compliment your desired amazon look. Do try it out and see if you like it?Do post pictures if you decide to try!