A Slice Of The Amazon

[ALW]

Firstly I don’t if I am posting this in the right section, I suppose it could easily go in either Planted or New World Cichlids. As the title suggests I am aiming to redo my current 20g Freshwater tank. All stocking including both fauna and flora must come from the Amazon region. I will be upgrading form a 20g to something the size of a Rio 125 (Most likely be a Rio 125 to be honest). So about 30g. All my current stocking will be transferred other than the vallis.

My Stocking would look something like:

A Flash Pleco {L204}
A Blue Phantom Pleco {L128}
A pair of Cockatoo Cichlids
Either a Bolivian Ram or German Blue Ram
20 Neon Tetras
10 Glowlight Tetras
1 Apple Snail

Here is where you guys can help me, as I have never really looked into having the native Amazonian flora. So what species am I looking at? Lighting would be coming from a T5 unit with Day and Nature bulbs. Would this be adequate? Is adding CO2 to the tank essential? I really don’t like having gravel as my substrate, so I am thinking to be a natural as possible what about using aquarium soil as my substrate. Would this work? Flow, is there a minimum flow need for planted tanks like there is in Marine? What additives are required and would Tetras Blackwater Extract be suffice?

Sorry for all the questions.

Andy

 

[lljdma06]

I'll get to this in more detail tonight, but for now I'd look into the Echinodorus species. A lot of variety in this group. It would be interesting to create a scape comprised of just Echinodorus species. Entirely possible.

Of course there are othe SA flora species too. I'll scan through Baensch tonight. Still running errands & I don't like making long posts from my iPhone.

I just didn't want you to feel neglected.

 

[ALW]

Cheeky! But yes please

 

[lljdma06]

Firstly I don’t if I am posting this in the right section, I suppose it could easily go in either Planted or New World Cichlids. As the title suggests I am aiming to redo my current 20g Freshwater tank. All stocking including both fauna and flora must come from the Amazon region. I will be upgrading form a 20g to something the size of a Rio 125 (Most likely be a Rio 125 to be honest). So about 30g. All my current stocking will be transferred other than the vallis.

You're in the right section, but I'm sure NWC would love a picture or two of the final setup.

My Stocking would look something like:

A Flash Pleco {L204}
A Blue Phantom Pleco {L128}
A pair of Cockatoo Cichlids
Either a Bolivian Ram or German Blue Ram
20 Neon Tetras
10 Glowlight Tetras
1 Apple Snail

I'd run it by NWC too, but this stocking looks pretty good to me.

Here is where you guys can help me, as I have never really looked into having the native Amazonian flora. So what species am I looking at? Lighting would be coming from a T5 unit with Day and Nature bulbs. Would this be adequate? Is adding CO2 to the tank essential? I really don’t like having gravel as my substrate, so I am thinking to be a natural as possible what about using aquarium soil as my substrate. Would this work? Flow, is there a minimum flow need for planted tanks like there is in Marine? What additives are required and would Tetras Blackwater Extract be suffice?

Sorry for all the questions.

Andy

Flow - Aim for 10x, but I have close to 20x in my tank. Depends on the situation.
Lighting - could I have the wattage of the bulbs in a Juwel Rio. I never know the wattage in these things. US doesn't really carry Juwel tanks.
CO2 - Depends on what you want to grow. It isn't always essential.
Substrate - If you dose via the water column, you can have whatever substrate tickles your fancy. I usually use sand, but other like gravel, doesn't matter. You can use a nutrient rich substrate too.
I love my ADA Amazonia aquasoil. It's great.

How anal do you want to be with this list? I can restrict it to flora from the Amazon region. You have a lot of very nice options. I'd personally would be fascinated with an all Echinodorus tank, but there are other SA species too. A short list...

Heteranthera zosterfolia - stemplant
Alternantera reineckii - stemplant
Gymoncoronis sspilanthoides - stemplant
Echinodorus rubin
Echinodorus red flame
Echinodorus Ozelot
Echinodorus angustifolius - long, narrow leaves
Echinodorus uruguayensis - narrow leaves
Echinodorus tenellus - foreground, narrow leaves
Echinodorus quadricostatus var. xinguensis - smaller with broad leaves
Echinodorus parviflorus - for smaller tanks
Echinodorus osiris - Taller, redder
Echinodorus major - ruffled leaves
Hydrocotyle leucocephala - stemplant
Hygrophila guianenesis - stemplant, big leaves
Limnobium laevigatum - floater, Amazonian frogbit
Myriophylum aquaticum - fine-leaved stemplant (light green)
Myriophylum tuberculatum - another fine-leaved stemplant (red)
Potamogeton gayii - thin leaves
Salvinia auriculata - floating plant

This is just consulting one volume of Baensch and the Encyclopedia of aquarium plants. Good selection, eh? If you have questions, I've grown many of these. Not so much all the sword species, but I have grown swords in general.

 

[ALW]

Thanks ill have a look at those.

 

[ALW]

Flow - Aim for 10x, but I have close to 20x in my tank. Depends on the situation.
Lighting - could I have the wattage of the bulbs in a Juwel Rio. I never know the wattage in these things. US doesn't really carry Juwel tanks.
CO2 - Depends on what you want to grow. It isn't always essential.
Substrate - If you dose via the water column, you can have whatever substrate tickles your fancy. I usually use sand, but other like gravel, doesn't matter. You can use a nutrient rich substrate too.
I love my ADA Amazonia aquasoil. It's great.

How anal do you want to be with this list? I can restrict it to flora from the Amazon region. You have a lot of very nice options. I'd personally would be fascinated with an all Echinodorus tank, but there are other SA species too. A short list...

Heteranthera zosterfolia - stemplant
Alternantera reineckii - stemplant
Gymoncoronis sspilanthoides - stemplant
Echinodorus rubin
Echinodorus red flame
Echinodorus Ozelot
Echinodorus angustifolius - long, narrow leaves
Echinodorus uruguayensis - narrow leaves
Echinodorus tenellus - foreground, narrow leaves
Echinodorus quadricostatus var. xinguensis - smaller with broad leaves
Echinodorus parviflorus - for smaller tanks
Echinodorus osiris - Taller, redder
Echinodorus major - ruffled leaves
Hydrocotyle leucocephala - stemplant
Hygrophila guianenesis - stemplant, big leaves
Limnobium laevigatum - floater, Amazonian frogbit
Myriophylum aquaticum - fine-leaved stemplant (light green)
Myriophylum tuberculatum - another fine-leaved stemplant (red)
Potamogeton gayii - thin leaves
Salvinia auriculata - floating plant

This is just consulting one volume of Baensch and the Encyclopedia of aquarium plants. Good selection, eh? If you have questions, I've grown many of these. Not so much all the sword species, but I have grown swords in general.

Cheers Lissette, the wattage on the Rio 125 is 2x 28 watt high light bulbs. I really would like to use an all aquarium soil substrate. Here is the list of plants i like so far:


Alternanthera reineckii
Echinodorus amazonicus
Echinodorus angustifolius
Echinodorus major
Echinodorus osiris
Heteranthera zosterifolia
Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Limnobium laevigatum
Myriophyllum aquaticum
Potamogeton gayii
Salvinia auriculata
Vesicularia dubyana

Would these be ok under that lighting?

 

[lljdma06]

Yes, though some would say that you'd need to dose CO2. I say, perhaps not, especially if you're going with a soil base substrate. I have 2 X 24 W HO T5 over 16g and I don't dose CO2 at all.

Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana) isn't from the region...

 

[ALW]

Yes, though some would say that you'd need to dose CO2. I say, perhaps not, especially if you're going with a soil base substrate. I have 2 X 24 W HO T5 over 16g and I don't dose CO2 at all.

Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana) isn't from the region...

Oh, cheers i was just going by this http/www.thegreenmachineonline.com/products/aquatics/plants/tropica-potted-plants/vesicularia-dubyana-christmas

Would these two be ok to use or would i still really need to add CO2?

http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlourishExcel.html
http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Flourish.html

 

[lljdma06]

Yes, though some would say that you'd need to dose CO2. I say, perhaps not, especially if you're going with a soil base substrate. I have 2 X 24 W HO T5 over 16g and I don't dose CO2 at all.

Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana) isn't from the region...

Oh, cheers i was just going by this http/www.thegreenmachineonline.com/products/aquatics/plants/tropica-potted-plants/vesicularia-dubyana-christmas

Would these two be ok to use or would i still really need to add CO2?

http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlourishExcel.html
http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Flourish.html

I get ya. See the taxonomy of mosses is confusing. Yes, christmas is from the region, whereas java is not. Their taxonomy is in the process of shifting, so there's a lot of confusing and multiple scientific names running about. I think they opted to change java moss' scientific name, but I can't remember it right now. It's like what they did with the Botias. I can never remember what they call pygmy chain loaches. It is a ludicrous new name that's darn near impossible to remember, yet alone spell. Rant over.

Flourish excel is a Carbon supplement, so no, you woudn't need to dose CO2 gas if you opted for this. Gets a bit expensive, though
Flourish is just trace. I'd use TPN+, it's got everything (Macros & trace)

llj

 

[ALW]

Lissette do you have a link for the TPN+, is it likely to be available over here in the UK?

 

[lljdma06]

Lissette do you have a link for the TPN+, is it likely to be available over here in the UK?

I have to import my bottle from the UK! That's why everybody thinks I'm UK initially, because I buy UK stuff. You can get it at aquaessentials, at least that's where I tend to get it as they ship to Miami, FL.

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/tropica-plant-nutrition-500ml-p-1038.html

The UK peeps may get it elswhere though, so see what they say. Actually, I've been contemplating switching to ADA's all-purpose fertiliser as it's available in the US and it'll save me a load in shipping. Ian's using that one now.

 

[ALW]

Thanks, hmmmm think i may drop the Blue Phantom for the Green Phantom.

 

[ALW]

Think that i might add Eleocharis acicularis, Myriophyllum mattogrossense and Phyllanthus fluitans to th list.

 

[StandbySetting]

I get my TPN+ from Aqua Essentials, Richard who runs it is sound, he'll always sort you out with anything you need, he generally replies to emails fairly quickly too.

 

[ALW]

I get my TPN+ from Aqua Essentials, Richard who runs it is sound, he'll always sort you out with anything you need, he generally replies to emails fairly quickly too.

Cheers Jack i'll keep it in mind. Think that Alternanthera roseafolia should be added to the list. Will the T5 High Lights be ok?