Thought I would post a photo of my newest setup, a 90 gal simulating a small blackwater stream in S. America (haven't decided specifically where yet, as some things will need to be changed to make it accurate).
Here are some specs:
Lighting: a couple 80 watt shoplights.
Substrate: sand from a local river with a few handfuls of potting soil and peat underneath in the back left corner for the H. zosterifolia. I guess you can also consider the leaf litter (magnolia) as part of the substrate--it has been innoculated with some freshwater amphipods and larvae from a local pond. This was to get something to help break up the uneaten food that falls among the leaves, help add something to the diet of the inhabitants, get some more natural behavior out of the inhabitants in regards to their hunting/foraging for food among the leaf litter, and just to have some life crawling around in that area of the tank (as it is TEEMING with life in the wild).
Filtration: A Duetto 100 and 50 for water circulation. The 50 might be removed soon.
Plants: H. zosterifolia (stargrass)
Fish: 3 Pterophyllum scalare, 3 Nannostomus harrisoni (hope to increase their numbers soon), and 3 Otocinclus sp.
The dogwood branches used are beginning to get some white fungus from dying tissue, but that always happens. The pencilfish are constantly hunting through the leaf litter, and surprisingly, appear to have a difficult time actually catching their prey!
I am often accused of keeping 'dirty' tanks since I collect most of my own materials and don't worry about detritus and whatnot too much, and my filtration is usually close to non-existent. Guess we'll see how it progresses. Here is a somewhat blurry pic of the tank in its current state:
When you go to collect things for the tank, pay HUGE attention in what plants are growing where, HOW they grow, etc. Look to see where wood and whatnot ends up collecting and in what relation to the shore, what grows around it, etc. Take mental notes and photographs and this will really help in creating a realistic biotope. Don't necessarily rely on traditional aquascaping rules...but what you see in nature, and then play with it to see how well it carries over into an aquarium.
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