Themed Set Up

[aussieant32]

Hi Guys.

I have just been given a 36" x 12" x 16" (LxDxH) tank, its been running for about 5 years and it has everything with it, heater, light etc and an ehiem 3210 i think it was, turns over 400l/h.

Now im not new to the game, i have kept goldfish, malawi's, discus and various communities, bred kribs, kulhis and some mbuna.

Just after some ideas on setting this one up, im thinking 'themed' as in Amazon etc etc.

So far thinking of a river bed theme but im open to any suggestions?

Any thoughts?

 

[anwhyte]

Hi Guys.

I have just been given a 36" x 12" x 16" (LxDxH) tank, its been running for about 5 years and it has everything with it, heater, light etc and an ehiem 3210 i think it was, turns over 400l/h.

Now im not new to the game, i have kept goldfish, malawi's, discus and various communities, bred kribs, kulhis and some mbuna.

Just after some ideas on setting this one up, im thinking 'themed' as in Amazon etc etc.

So far thinking of a river bed theme but im open to any suggestions?

Any thoughts?

am thinking of something similar myself, sand substrate, bogwood, plenty of plants, some small SA cichlids + tetra's up top, catfish down below.

 

[aussieant32]

yer, i have wanted a set up like it for a while, but i just wanted to see some other ideas too? WOuld be a challenge too i think, setting a 'rule' to only buy fish and plants from the area you choose

 

[anwhyte]

yer, i have wanted a set up like it for a while, but i just wanted to see some other ideas too? WOuld be a challenge too i think, setting a 'rule' to only buy fish and plants from the area you choose

yes, would be more challenging than a community set-up, but if you have a decent local fish shop or are happy to order on-line it should be feasable, i was originally planning an mbuna tank but have opted to try an amazon set up instead, hopefully less aggression!

 

[aussieant32]

yer, my mbuna tank was 8 foot, those were the days!!

was great, used a coral sand mix so they used to dig, was great, every time i did a water change and cleaned the sand etc and flattened it out, the main 'digger' almost looked at me as if to say "You got any idea how much work that was?!!?!?" lol

then he would dig all week

wash rinse repeat...

i love it

 

[anwhyte]

yer, my mbuna tank was 8 foot, those were the days!!

was great, used a coral sand mix so they used to dig, was great, every time i did a water change and cleaned the sand etc and flattened it out, the main 'digger' almost looked at me as if to say "You got any idea how much work that was?!!?!?" lol

then he would dig all week

wash rinse repeat...

i love it

good grief! 8ft? I live in a flat, have 2 tanks but nothing over 120litres, my next one will be 200l may well fall through into the shop below (lol). Have 2 kribs that dig a bit. Why did you get rid of the 8 footer?

 

[aussieant32]

it was while i was living in the UK, have since moved back to Australia!

Was also thinking of setting up a Dwarf Puffer tank, heavily planted, does anyone know of this tank is big enough for 2 or 3?

 

[anwhyte]

it was while i was living in the UK, have since moved back to Australia!

Was also thinking of setting up a Dwarf Puffer tank, heavily planted, does anyone know of this tank is big enough for 2 or 3?

from what i've read it would be plenty big enough, i believe you can keep an individual in 6 (uk) gallons, sounds like you have plenty of room.

 

[anwhyte]

it was while i was living in the UK, have since moved back to Australia!

Was also thinking of setting up a Dwarf Puffer tank, heavily planted, does anyone know of this tank is big enough for 2 or 3?

there's an oddball & a brackish forum on this site, they'll know all about puffers.

 

[aussieant32]

nice, i know a friend had 4 and said it needs to be really heavily planted so i will do a bit of research, i just remember him telling me how fun they were!

 

[SJ2K]

Just for a contrast of opinion can i suggest that that large a tank with just a few DP will get a tad dull quite quickly. They've got great characters but the lack of diversity may lose its appeal quiker then youd like. The river bed theme is a good one though, very popular and for good reason. Another conflict of opinion is substrate, i know sand is a very popular option (i have it myself) but when the time comes that I set up my own river biotope ill use small natural gravel. It gives a more realistic look IMO and is easier to keep clean. All personal prefferance just my 2 cents.

 

[aussieant32]

yer thats what i was thinking, i have some nice natural gravel to use, after a bit of research i agree, the DP wont look as good, im sticking with the Amazon Rift!

Thnak you all!

 

[Wills]

Choosing this type of set up is called a biotope and it is possible to narrow it down to getting fish and plants from an exact river - if you want to be very technical!

I have done something similar with my 3 foot though I caved and got some CA cichlids. Also my tank is kind of getting ready for an upgrade to a 6+ foot (depends on what I can find)

But I think if it was me to do it again I would have 2 trios of apistos with a large school of pencil fish or von rio flame tetra. I think for bottom dwellers I would avoid cories as they can sometimes get a bit of abuse if the apistos breed. I think I would look at some medium cats like twig catfish and smaller plecs a big group of some pitbull plecs would look awesome - especially if you could track down some of the spotted ones or the blue ones.

 

[aussieant32]

hmmm, i hadnt thought about pencil fish, top shout, im doing a few fish runs on the weekend (visiting all my local shops to check stock, get prices for plants wood etc) i can picture what i want in my mind, its just bringing it to life!

Thanks for the tips on the bottom dwellers, i like the idea of the pitbull plecs, one of my lfs are very good with ordering so i may be able to get some in.

My Vision:

Natural rock/pebble base, quite well planted, a 'central' piece of wood but more like a tree root style that goes to the top of the tank, and then i may build a natural looking cave or 2

 

[SJ2K]

hmmm, i hadnt thought about pencil fish, top shout, im doing a few fish runs on the weekend (visiting all my local shops to check stock, get prices for plants wood etc) i can picture what i want in my mind, its just bringing it to life!

Thanks for the tips on the bottom dwellers, i like the idea of the pitbull plecs, one of my lfs are very good with ordering so i may be able to get some in.

My Vision:

Natural rock/pebble base, quite well planted, a 'central' piece of wood but more like a tree root style that goes to the top of the tank, and then i may build a natural looking cave or 2

Your forgetting one key element, the TFF Project Thread your going to create with up to date photo diary so we can all watch the progress Sounds like my kind of biotope, id certainly keep an eye out for it.