New tank format decided...now for ideas.

[mattrox]

Festivums too!! Emperor tetras!!! Big Amazon Swords, little Amazon Swords, Medium Amazon swords

 

[mattrox]

Don't confuse Central American Cichlids with SA Chichlids Mitch. They have different water conditions in the wild.

 

[BrianNY]

An Amazon biotope is great Jchillin. The problem I see with the specific plants in the link you posted is that most of them require high light. My suggestion is to make your first planted tank with low light plants only. It won't be a true biotope, but you will gain valuable experience without spending a fortune and driving yourself crazy.

 

[mitche8359]

Don't confuse Central American Cichlids with SA Chichlids Mitch. They have different water conditions in the wild.

Which cichlids that I meantioned were not from SA? The main way I determine the geographic location of a species is by the row that they are located in at the LFS. AA has rows specifically set up by region of the world.

 

[mitche8359]

I agree with BrianNY. Low light plants. I haven't researched the biotope on the link you posted, but I suspect that some of them require high light. Looks like the tank is over 100g. About the same length as my 55 and the same height but twice the depth. That would make a great planted tank. I've been thinking my 55 isn't deep enough.

Some of the plants on the page such as the Myriophyllum elatinoides and Mayaca fluviatilis are bunching plants and pretty high maintenance. If they grow well, you are pruning, if they grow really well, the propagate, if they don't grow well, they get leggy due to cellular elongation and are pulled after a few weeks. I had some cabomba in the tank, still do, but was replacing it every couple weeks because it simply isn't getting enough light to grow well in my tank.

Notice that other tank also uses CO2. If I remember correctly, if you go high light, you pretty much have to add CO2 to keep everything in balance.

You know a school of angels would look nice. I saw a tank of Angels at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. I was happy to see that the 8 year old angels in my tank, 55g, were the same size as the angels in what looked like a 300g tank.

I should see if I can take a picture of a tank at our AA. I love the tank, it's a SA theme, but has Java moss in it? Two nearly black long veiled angels with some corries and other fish. They use a very fine gravel for the substrate and has some drift wood in it as well. Next time I go I'll try to remember to take the camera.

 

[Jchillin]

I posted the biotope link as a way to share with everyone an example of the plant/livestock that can be achieved.

I in no way want to replicate that in it's totality (as I mentioned before, low maintenance plants are all I want at this time).

 

[mattrox]

snip "From what I've heard and been told by the LFS a lot of the SA ciclids, like Jack Demseys, convicts, etc, are not community fish. I haven't had any of them since college, though it seems the room mate had a convict in my community tank and nothing turned up missing."

Convicts
http://www.petfish.net/convict.htm
http://www.petfish.net/convict.htm

Jack Dempsey
http://www.centralpets.com/critterpages/fish/freshwater_fish/FWF4509.shtml
http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=3157

Some Central American cichlids come from hard-water limestone streams. I have seen some successfully kept in African tanks with no problems.

 

[mitche8359]

I see what you are talking about. I read your post as not to confuse SA cichlids with African cichlids. Thanks for the clarification. The row of tanks at the LFS must be SA and Central America.