"The Amazon" 20 gallon high
- Thread starter mike the zealot
- Start date
Brobro - yeah the plants are all plastic, I've wanted to do some real planting for about a year now, but I'm waiting to move out of my in-laws =P
depthC - thanks! And I don't think the angel will outgrow the tank honestly, and the pleco is a bristlenose, it seems like it's done growing now at about 3". I am considering switching her (the pleco) for 2 otos however.
beaver - there's 13 fish in that tank hehe.
1 angel
1 pleco
1 blue ram
5 rummy nose tetra
5 cardinal tetra
they're just hiding from the camera
depthC - thanks! And I don't think the angel will outgrow the tank honestly, and the pleco is a bristlenose, it seems like it's done growing now at about 3". I am considering switching her (the pleco) for 2 otos however.
beaver - there's 13 fish in that tank hehe.
1 angel
1 pleco
1 blue ram
5 rummy nose tetra
5 cardinal tetra
they're just hiding from the camera
Thats the exact look I'm going for in my 45 pentagon. I am please to see that you can make plastic plants look that good because I have to use plastice in mine as well. Right now it is cycleing.
You angelfish will be perfect in there. They need atleast 10g per adult fish so your doing great! A single angel always works out well. May I ask if what kind of wood is that and if it is anchored or not?? I am going to referance this pic. every time I go to buy something for my 45, thanks a lot for posting it!!
You angelfish will be perfect in there. They need atleast 10g per adult fish so your doing great! A single angel always works out well. May I ask if what kind of wood is that and if it is anchored or not?? I am going to referance this pic. every time I go to buy something for my 45, thanks a lot for posting it!!
Thanks!
I ordered the driftwood from
aquariumdriftwood.com
I got the medium size centerpiece. It was shipped to me soaking wet and sinks by itself. I'll definitely be ordering from them again for future aquarium projects =)
I ordered the driftwood from
aquariumdriftwood.com
I got the medium size centerpiece. It was shipped to me soaking wet and sinks by itself. I'll definitely be ordering from them again for future aquarium projects =)
I moved it to my brother in-laws tank, and I'm glad I did now. The little cardinals aren't hiding anymore, and the new otos went right to work on all the hair algae that my lazy pleco was neglecting. I do have a close up of the angel here somewhere though..... lemme find it...
I saw some full grown ones at the LFS for the first time ever, and IMO they're really too big of a fish for a 20g. I'm going to offer it to my father-in-law tomorrow, and if he doesn't want it, it's going back to the LFS for more of that precious store credit hehe
I saw some full grown ones at the LFS for the first time ever, and IMO they're really too big of a fish for a 20g. I'm going to offer it to my father-in-law tomorrow, and if he doesn't want it, it's going back to the LFS for more of that precious store credit hehe
Well, another update:
went out today and got a male and female Apisto. cacatuoides (cockatoo.) I took one look and couldn't help myself. David assured me that they would be fine with my single female blue ram, so I gave it a shot. currently they're hiding out amongst the "plants" (together!) The male and my ram had a bit of a pissing contest, where the ram would like try and get him to flinch, funniest thing I ever saw, she just kept jumping at him, in cenitmeter increments, and he held his ground (she's about twice his mass I'd say). If they're still hiding tomorrow I think I may put them in the 55g all by their lonesome and see if they make some babies hehe
went out today and got a male and female Apisto. cacatuoides (cockatoo.) I took one look and couldn't help myself. David assured me that they would be fine with my single female blue ram, so I gave it a shot. currently they're hiding out amongst the "plants" (together!) The male and my ram had a bit of a pissing contest, where the ram would like try and get him to flinch, funniest thing I ever saw, she just kept jumping at him, in cenitmeter increments, and he held his ground (she's about twice his mass I'd say). If they're still hiding tomorrow I think I may put them in the 55g all by their lonesome and see if they make some babies hehe
Hey, I love that peice of driftwood. I was looking through a book I have thats all about recreating the different natural environments of fish and figured I'd mention what it says for the type of amazon tank (this would be amazon acid pool) that has cardinals (or neons, but it looks liek cardinals to me ) it says to try red stone chippings on the bottom to enhance the "acidic ambience" and to use floating plants such as water lettuce, and also anubisas and hygrophilia. (If you don't want live, try to find some of these in plastic) I know a lot of people don't like the color, but it says to try and find a piece of drift wood that will tannin-stain your water for the true look of the region's water.
Your tank looks great and I assume you know most of what I just told ya, but hey, this book is sooo way cool. If anyone's got any questions about what should go in specific themed tanks, just ask!
) it says to try red stone chippings on the bottom to enhance the "acidic ambience" and to use floating plants such as water lettuce, and also anubisas and hygrophilia. (If you don't want live, try to find some of these in plastic) I know a lot of people don't like the color, but it says to try and find a piece of drift wood that will tannin-stain your water for the true look of the region's water.Your tank looks great and I assume you know most of what I just told ya, but hey, this book is sooo way cool. If anyone's got any questions about what should go in specific themed tanks, just ask!
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cool, what book is that? I'm going to be tearing this tank down and turning into a full planted tank, I'd be really interested to know what the "actual" Amazon looks like =)
the tannins are cool I think. The wood I got is awesome, it gives the water a nice mellow color, which I didn't even notice until I accidently did a 100% water change (ever forget about your syphon? =P) , but I noticed the new water was too bright, it didn't look right anymore hehe.
I'm also building a 55 gallon Amazon tank and up to this point I was thinking, darkish substrate, LOTS of plants, and then I was going to try and get some type of moss to grow all over the big chunks of driftwood I was going to get. I'm buying these from aquariumdriftwood.com as well. I'm going to special request a 16" tall stump with about 3 foot roots going off in one direction. I'm a big fan of the rule of 3rds, so on the other end of the tank I'm going with some more of those rocks I found at the local rock dealer imported from Brazil 20 years ago, they're really cool. He calls it "moss rock" because it's like moss that's been encased in clearish granite, with some crystals growing out.
I'd be down for trying red rock substrate if I can find em, and if they're small enough to be suitable as a bed for the plants. I live in central oregon, so all of our natural rock is pretty much grey volcanic. But heck, half the fun is finding the stuff and then talking them down on the price =)
Thanks for the post Leopardess, any more info you have would be great!
the tannins are cool I think. The wood I got is awesome, it gives the water a nice mellow color, which I didn't even notice until I accidently did a 100% water change (ever forget about your syphon? =P) , but I noticed the new water was too bright, it didn't look right anymore hehe.
I'm also building a 55 gallon Amazon tank and up to this point I was thinking, darkish substrate, LOTS of plants, and then I was going to try and get some type of moss to grow all over the big chunks of driftwood I was going to get. I'm buying these from aquariumdriftwood.com as well. I'm going to special request a 16" tall stump with about 3 foot roots going off in one direction. I'm a big fan of the rule of 3rds, so on the other end of the tank I'm going with some more of those rocks I found at the local rock dealer imported from Brazil 20 years ago, they're really cool. He calls it "moss rock" because it's like moss that's been encased in clearish granite, with some crystals growing out.
I'd be down for trying red rock substrate if I can find em, and if they're small enough to be suitable as a bed for the plants. I live in central oregon, so all of our natural rock is pretty much grey volcanic. But heck, half the fun is finding the stuff and then talking them down on the price =)
Thanks for the post Leopardess, any more info you have would be great!
No problem! Your ideas sound pretty good to me! If your drift wood doesn't provide enough tannins to get the look back, you could pick up some of that stuff that they sell that gives the water that color, they also have something called black tetra water, but i think that is darker than you really want.
More info for the one I started telling you about was it says to try to find brown or red leaved plants. Naturally, the bottom floor is a mix of fine mud and sediment, but in the aquarium, use silver sand or a lime-free substrate with different materials mixed in. Black quartz or colored gravel, alon with reddish colored substrates will work.Drift wood should look "rought" and "natural", not smooth or precleaned (this is the jadi wood). Use peices vertically to represent exposed or broken tree trunks/roots and some horizontally to look like live roots. Rather than water lettuce, you could also get by using Azolla, Salvinia, or Riccia species. An algae eater/scavenger is suggested, such as the Hoplostercum species or the slender armored catfish (callichthys callichthys). You could also add in red eye tetras to the shoals, or pencilfish, penguin fish, harrison's pencilfish, or the dwarf pencil fish, beckford's pencilfish (these are all good for midwater swimmers)silver hatchetfish for the surface. a "megalechis thoracata" makes a good bottom dweller.
Also, in the picture, great picture btw, the red chippings are spread out on top of the sandy subtrate, just to cover the color, so you could plant anything in it... also, use broken pieces of driftwood on the bottom to simulate decaying peices of fallen wood.
The book is called "Aquarium Designs: Inspired By Nature: How to recreate a wide range of real world environments in your home aquarium." It was 27.95 at Barnes and Nobles I would really encourage anyone to get this book, it has everything from a lake malawi tank to a congo whitewater tank. Way COOOL!
One other type is a Flooded Amazon Forest tank. It uses a pH of 6-7, medium/low hardness. The two importnat factors for this one are overhanging vegetation and "forest debris" across the substrate. It suggests using a sand bed over which black gravel is used to add texture. then a fine grained, gray planting medium is spread over it randomly to imitate the debris on the bottom. It suggests siliconing brownish cork bark/bark to a piece of glass designed to fit to the bottom of your tank (so you can take it out or whatever). It uses "alternanthera reineckii", "New Zealand grassplant "lilaeopsis novae zelandiae", hairgrass (spread out sporadically throughout the tank), pygmy chain sword, and some sagittaria species. also... star grass for a bushy look. a water hyacinth to help block light and provide hiding spots at the surface, uses Jati wood for drift wood and suggests using fake plants that "hang" into the top of the tank, or use a house plant that doesn't mind the moisture. Fish for this include piranhas,pacus, arowanas, and silver dollars, cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, black widows, hatchet fish, angel fish, discus, corydoras, and the Farowella group of catfish aka twig catfish. There are a few more fish and plants but i don't know if you even care...
I also have info for:
Chinese Mountain stream
Central American Stream
Central Amerian River
Australian river
european river
european lake
flooded amazon forest
amazon acid pool
downriver amazon
congo white water river - so awesome looking
west african stream bed
lake malawi
a darkened cave
southeast asian swamp - these two use bamboo !
southeast asian stream
indian river
mangrove swamp
brackish estuary
If there are any you, or anyone want to know more about, I'd be glad to type up what it says for ya very sooooorrry this was soo long.
More info for the one I started telling you about was it says to try to find brown or red leaved plants. Naturally, the bottom floor is a mix of fine mud and sediment, but in the aquarium, use silver sand or a lime-free substrate with different materials mixed in. Black quartz or colored gravel, alon with reddish colored substrates will work.Drift wood should look "rought" and "natural", not smooth or precleaned (this is the jadi wood). Use peices vertically to represent exposed or broken tree trunks/roots and some horizontally to look like live roots. Rather than water lettuce, you could also get by using Azolla, Salvinia, or Riccia species. An algae eater/scavenger is suggested, such as the Hoplostercum species or the slender armored catfish (callichthys callichthys). You could also add in red eye tetras to the shoals, or pencilfish, penguin fish, harrison's pencilfish, or the dwarf pencil fish, beckford's pencilfish (these are all good for midwater swimmers)silver hatchetfish for the surface. a "megalechis thoracata" makes a good bottom dweller.
Also, in the picture, great picture btw, the red chippings are spread out on top of the sandy subtrate, just to cover the color, so you could plant anything in it... also, use broken pieces of driftwood on the bottom to simulate decaying peices of fallen wood.
The book is called "Aquarium Designs: Inspired By Nature: How to recreate a wide range of real world environments in your home aquarium." It was 27.95 at Barnes and Nobles
I would really encourage anyone to get this book, it has everything from a lake malawi tank to a congo whitewater tank. Way COOOL! One other type is a Flooded Amazon Forest tank. It uses a pH of 6-7, medium/low hardness. The two importnat factors for this one are overhanging vegetation and "forest debris" across the substrate. It suggests using a sand bed over which black gravel is used to add texture. then a fine grained, gray planting medium is spread over it randomly to imitate the debris on the bottom. It suggests siliconing brownish cork bark/bark to a piece of glass designed to fit to the bottom of your tank (so you can take it out or whatever). It uses "alternanthera reineckii", "New Zealand grassplant "lilaeopsis novae zelandiae", hairgrass (spread out sporadically throughout the tank), pygmy chain sword, and some sagittaria species. also... star grass for a bushy look. a water hyacinth to help block light and provide hiding spots at the surface, uses Jati wood for drift wood and suggests using fake plants that "hang" into the top of the tank, or use a house plant that doesn't mind the moisture. Fish for this include piranhas,pacus, arowanas, and silver dollars, cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, black widows, hatchet fish, angel fish, discus, corydoras, and the Farowella group of catfish aka twig catfish. There are a few more fish and plants but i don't know if you even care...
I also have info for:
Chinese Mountain stream
Central American Stream
Central Amerian River
Australian river
european river
european lake
flooded amazon forest
amazon acid pool
downriver amazon
congo white water river - so awesome looking
west african stream bed
lake malawi
a darkened cave
southeast asian swamp - these two use bamboo !
southeast asian stream
indian river
mangrove swamp
brackish estuary
If there are any you, or anyone want to know more about, I'd be glad to type up what it says for ya
very sooooorrry this was soo long.
haha no way! Thanks so much Leopardess! Ideas are forming as I read this post =)
I'm running to Barnes&Nobles tomorrow
for fish, I'm playing with the idea of transferring all the ones currently in my 20 gallon to the 55 and adding a few to make the stock list:
1 discus
2 Apistogramma cacatuoides
1 german blue ram
5 rummynose tetra
5 cardinal tetra
2 ancistrus
3 Corydoras adolfoi
2 Otocinclus
I'm running to Barnes&Nobles tomorrow
for fish, I'm playing with the idea of transferring all the ones currently in my 20 gallon to the 55 and adding a few to make the stock list:
1 discus
2 Apistogramma cacatuoides
1 german blue ram
5 rummynose tetra
5 cardinal tetra
2 ancistrus
3 Corydoras adolfoi
2 Otocinclus
Hey all
If you want a nice looking Amazon tank, get some peat, stuff it in a stocking, and then hang it over the edge of a 10gal bucket and fill it up, leave it over night and by morning you've got an almost exact replica of the Amazon River's water. The peat gives it an awesome darker tinge that the fish love because it not only lowers the ph (which tetras/discus love) it also has hormones which prompt the fish to breed.
I also have a orange/red-clay base (a nutritious substrate for the plants) with dark gravel on top, it's important to get dark gravel as light gravel with reflect the light up into their eyes and discolour/distress the fish.
post more questions if you'd like more info
Luca.
If you want a nice looking Amazon tank, get some peat, stuff it in a stocking, and then hang it over the edge of a 10gal bucket and fill it up, leave it over night and by morning you've got an almost exact replica of the Amazon River's water. The peat gives it an awesome darker tinge that the fish love because it not only lowers the ph (which tetras/discus love) it also has hormones which prompt the fish to breed.
I also have a orange/red-clay base (a nutritious substrate for the plants) with dark gravel on top, it's important to get dark gravel as light gravel with reflect the light up into their eyes and discolour/distress the fish.
post more questions if you'd like more info
Luca.