Amazon Biotype

[Phenz]

I'm looking to set up an amazonian biotype aquarium, the tank is cycling at the moment and i want to have;

1 angelfish
2 blue dwarf rams
and a bunch of neons.

The tank is 20''x14''x21'' and i was looking for suggestions on aquascaping it with amazonian plants?

Nothing thats too hard to look after.

 

[Neal]

Amazon swords?
They look quite good and I find them the easiest plant i've ever owned.

Neal

 

[Phenz]

The guy in the shop told me they need a lot of light and they'd be too tall for my tank.

the lighting i have is
2x11w PL - thats the spec, from the manufacturers website, kinda confused to what it means though.

i need some shorter plants for the front of my tank as well?

- this will be my first time aquascaping, taller plants in the back, tall bit of bogwood in the middle, shorter plants at the front?

i've seen aquariums where the back wall is entirely amazon swords, is that recommended?

 

[Neal]

They don't need high light at all. I have a 13W light over a 20G tank without a reflector, and my amazon sword is healthy, lush and massive. They do grow rather thick, but not that big, and they can be cut. How big is the tank exactly?

Neal

 

[Chad14]

I'm looking to set up an amazonian biotype aquarium, the tank is cycling at the moment and i want to have;

1 angelfish
2 blue dwarf rams
and a bunch of neons.

The tank is 20''x14''x21'' and i was looking for suggestions on aquascaping it with amazonian plants?

Nothing thats too hard to look after.

I think you might find your neons dissapearing with an angel in the tank,they have a taste for neons

 

[RadaR]

Not nesacarily. This is one of the things that has no definet answer. Some Angels eat Neons and others do not. Helps if the Neons are full grown and the Angels have grown up around them.

Tank sounds like a cool idea Have a look here and here.

 

[Phenz]

I know about the neon vs angel situation and i'm pretty sure that it'll be fine if i get large enough neons or a small enough angel, if the angel does eat all the neons, then i'll invest in some larger tetras. the tetras are going to be my initial fish and being a first timer with no delusions, they're cheap, fairly hardy and hopfully they'll do well - but if they don't due to a mistake/inexperience, its not a criminal loss.

the tank is 20 gallons, pic below. really like the look of amazon swords - probably put them at the back to hide the filter and possibly a tube for an airstone if i get one.

I'd like to have a few different looking plants, if possible, different leaf shapes, different heights, densities, colours etc.

 

[Phenz]

I was thinking possibly,

Amazon swords back left

Heteranthera_zosterifolia (stargrass) back middle

Alternanthera reineckii (rosaefolia) back right

eleocharis-parvula (dwarf hairgrass) front right

bacopa australis, front left

from what i've read, all these plants are native amazonian and are fairly easy to look after. Having never kept an aquarium before, i was wondering if anyone can forsee any problems with this choise. I have no idea if any of the plants are hard to come across or tricky to look after?

 

[RadaR]

All sounds good but Dwarf Hairgrass is quite tricky apparenty. Aspecially in a tank like yours with such height.

 

[Phenz]

do you know whats 'tricky' about it?

 

[RadaR]

Sorry i cant remember. I think it just needs loads of light and CO2 and nutrients. Ask George Farmer because he'll know and he has kept it.

 

[lljdma06]

I'm looking to set up an amazonian biotype aquarium, the tank is cycling at the moment and i want to have;

1 angelfish
2 blue dwarf rams
and a bunch of neons.

The tank is 20''x14''x21'' and i was looking for suggestions on aquascaping it with amazonian plants?

Nothing thats too hard to look after.

I think you'll be better off not putting an angelfish in your tank. It's too small. Stick with the rams and neons, and you'll still have a lovely Amazonian biotope. They also sell smaller species of Amazon swords to look into. How many gallons is your tank?

llj

 

[Phenz]

the tank is 20gallons and tall.

 

[lljdma06]

the tank is 20gallons and tall.

All the more reason not to put an angelfish in there. I understand they like tall tanks, but when a fish can have a body length of 4-6inches fully grown, a 20g is just too small. And I'm not even considering how tall these fish can get. Very impressive fish, but for a much larger tank, IMO. I would stick with tetras and maybe a small group of rams. A group of otos are also quite nice.

With the height in mind, you could probably get away with some of the smaller species of Echinodorus.

Echinodorus bolivianus- 4.7inches
Echinodorus horemanii- 10inches
Echinodorus parviflorus- 10inches
Echinodorus uruguayensis- 10-12 inches or more
Echinodorus "Red Flame" or "Ozelot green" or Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius - 16inches

There are more, but these should satisfy a search for now. I do not have much experience growing Amazon swords. I think I had 1-2 plants way back when I started this hobby 18 years ago. They didn't do well. I didn't know what I know now and I didn't have enough light or nutrients. Amazon swords appreciate a good substrate and the addition of root tabs. They also like a good source of iron. Under the right conditions, they can become very unruly. IMO, anything but the smallest specimens would be too large for a 20g aquarium. As for your other plants, Alternantera reineckii does pretty well with lower light levels and CO2 injection. I grow mine at 1.4 WPG. Bacopa also does well, but I would put the Bacopa in the background of your tank, along with the A. reineckii. Then, have a small specimen Echinodorus or two in the midground. Your foreground is limited. Dwarf hairgrass is tricky to grow. It is tricky because it is a relatively slow grower and prone to being covered with algae. Not a great plant for a beginner. I don't know what your plans are for this tank regarding lighting and CO2, so I can only make an educated guess.

An easy plant to consider from the region is Hydrocotyle leucocephala (Brazilian pennywort). It is virtually indestructable and will do well with lower light levels and possibly no CO2 injection. It is an easy plant to base and entire scape upon and you would really need little else to create an "Amazonian" feel to the tank.

If you're considering lower light plants, moss is always an excellent choice for the foreground. Moss pretty much grows everywhere in the world, so even if your specific species of moss wasn't from S. American, you would still be ok. Really, if you're into low-maintenance, a tank with just Pennywort, moss, some great pieces of wood, and a school of tetras would really be all you need.

Sorry for the length, hope this helps a little.

llj

 

[Phenz]

i've drawn up a prospective plan of the plants that i would really enjoy having in my tank.

i have no idea if this is possible/feasable but from what i've researched, most of the plants do well in lowwer lighting, are quite hardy and very easy to look after.

1: amazon Sword, probably whatever the local fish shop has because i need a few plants to get my tank started and the rest of the plants will probably have to be ordered as they're harder to get a hold of.

2: Heterantera Zosterifolia - Seagrass.

3: Alternantera Reineckii - Roseafolia

4: Bacopa Australis

5: Hemianthus Callitrichoides

6: Echinodorus 'Aquartica' (dwarf amazon sword)

7: Hydrocotyle Leucocephala - Brazillian Penywort

8: Echinodorus angustifolius

i think i'll probably have to get the lfs to order these in from Tropica, or i might be able to find some in stock and then work out if i want to have the full inventory of 8 plants.

As this is going to be my 1st aquarium, is my planting plan reaslistic?