Merry Christmas guys,
This week I'm upgrading my tank from a 75L/20US G to a 165L/44US G tank. Within the constraints of a 75L tank I've kept fish for about a year and a half and dipped my toe in the aquascaping pool... and let me tell you, i'm awful at the latter and could use the help of enthusiasts! Aesthetically, my current tank has always looked pretty bad despite my best efforts. It's not a biotope and I just chose plants that are easy to maintain that don't require supplementation. e.g. h polysperma and java fern.
I want to do things different this time, and I'd like to use your help on a step by step basis.
I want to develop an Amazon River Basin Biotope (or at the very least South American) with the following stock:
1 Angelfish
2 Bolivian Rams
15 Black Skirt/Widow Tetra's
I've done a little research and it looks like the following plants would work in this biotope:
Hairgrass or Pygmy Chain Swordplant
Amazon Sword
Brasilian Water Ivy
*Vallisnena Reeds (Eel Grass) either the tortifolia or spiralis kind
**Cabomba
*: I'm big on the Vallisnena species because it looks beautiful and I've always wanted reeds. I'm just not sure how readily available they are.
**: H polysperma is what kept most of the algae away in my current tank. I need a South American fast grower and it looks like Cabomba may be a winner.
So to cut to the chase I need recommendations for both plants and substrate type for a South American biotope. In my current tank I used a combination of white gravel and white silica sand. It was a disaster. the silica sand would always work it's way to the bottom and the hairgrass would always uproot itself. Not to mention it wasn't aesthetically pleasing with the white bolivians I had. As you can probably tell, i'm in over my head when it comes to this stuff. Once we talk plants and substrate then perhaps we can move onto supplementations (CO2), lights (watts per gallon) and all of that confusing stuff.
Cheers guys,
Don
P.S. I plan on creating an aquascape prior to introducing any fish, based on this theory put forward in this article. This may mean it would be OK to supplement like crazy at the start, but then drastically back off once fish are introduced.
This week I'm upgrading my tank from a 75L/20US G to a 165L/44US G tank. Within the constraints of a 75L tank I've kept fish for about a year and a half and dipped my toe in the aquascaping pool... and let me tell you, i'm awful at the latter and could use the help of enthusiasts! Aesthetically, my current tank has always looked pretty bad despite my best efforts. It's not a biotope and I just chose plants that are easy to maintain that don't require supplementation. e.g. h polysperma and java fern.
I want to do things different this time, and I'd like to use your help on a step by step basis.
I want to develop an Amazon River Basin Biotope (or at the very least South American) with the following stock:
1 Angelfish
2 Bolivian Rams
15 Black Skirt/Widow Tetra's
I've done a little research and it looks like the following plants would work in this biotope:
Hairgrass or Pygmy Chain Swordplant
Amazon Sword
Brasilian Water Ivy
*Vallisnena Reeds (Eel Grass) either the tortifolia or spiralis kind
**Cabomba
*: I'm big on the Vallisnena species because it looks beautiful and I've always wanted reeds. I'm just not sure how readily available they are.
**: H polysperma is what kept most of the algae away in my current tank. I need a South American fast grower and it looks like Cabomba may be a winner.
So to cut to the chase I need recommendations for both plants and substrate type for a South American biotope. In my current tank I used a combination of white gravel and white silica sand. It was a disaster. the silica sand would always work it's way to the bottom and the hairgrass would always uproot itself. Not to mention it wasn't aesthetically pleasing with the white bolivians I had. As you can probably tell, i'm in over my head when it comes to this stuff. Once we talk plants and substrate then perhaps we can move onto supplementations (CO2), lights (watts per gallon) and all of that confusing stuff.
Cheers guys,
Don
P.S. I plan on creating an aquascape prior to introducing any fish, based on this theory put forward in this article. This may mean it would be OK to supplement like crazy at the start, but then drastically back off once fish are introduced.