Making a river tank...

[2cvbloke]

Right, I've just got back from Burnley after visiting a petshop which had a nice collection of tanks & fish (and a Macaw living in the shop saying Hello to everyone!!!), and I spotted something interesting....

It measured 24"x10"x10", and was just a smidge under £17 (about $30), and I instantly thought RIVER TANK!!!!!

My wallet started screaming at this point, so I had to leave it in the shop for now...

So, I got thinking, how would one simulate a river or stream flow?

My thoughts were a pump/filter at one end and the inlet at the other (so the water flows only in one direction for the fish). But what sort of pump would I need?

Next of course is to have a nice even flow, so a spray bar would be good. Then there's tubing, that'll be hidden under the gravel/substrate.

Next, what would a Hillstream loach be OK with as a subtrate in flowing water? Then there's decoration (I'll probably just simulate my local river), maybe cleaned up river stones & pebbles?

oooooh!!! I can't wait to get the tank and build it all up!!!

EDIT:
Added a quick sketch of what my mind's come up with...

[theotheragentm]

Sounds about right. A cannister filter would work, but I'm not sure about a tank that small. Great fish doodle.

[2cvbloke]

Originally Posted by theotheragentm

Sounds about right. A cannister filter would work, but I'm not sure about a tank that small. Great fish doodle.

Cannister as in one with a sponge in the bottom and a pump on the top?

*still not quite with the lingo even after 1 1/2 years here!!!*

[evercl92]

I have a friend who did something very similar to this, using 3 powerheads. Used pvc pipe to make the undergravel flow-ways, with sponge filters on the intake side. His will be for hillstream loaches as well.

[rkilling1]

Setting up a river-tank:

http://www.loaches.com/articles/a-river-runs-through-it

That should help.

[theotheragentm]

Wow, that is really cool. It makes me want to set up a river tank.

[CHBGator]

This is the Best DIY river/stream tank I have ever seen. There is even a video of the tank with fish on the 3rd page where you can see the nice current he has going. Lots of tips to use in this post. http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php?sho...77&mode=linear

[2cvbloke]

Originally Posted by rkilling1

Setting up a river-tank:

http://www.loaches.com/articles/a-river-runs-through-it

That should help.

They looked pretty neat, bigger than what I'm going to use, but still inspiring nonetheless....

EDIT:
I know I've got a TetraAqua book somewhere (came with my Snail tank) which states this, but what is the Inches-per-gallon fish measurement? I just want to know this for when I decide to add more fish to the rivertank once I get it going, thanks!!!

Another EDIT:
I just saw a couple of videos of the previously mentioned stream tank, and it looks amazing!!! there's also another couple of videos of it after a few months and it looks beautiful with it having green things growing in it and a lot of fish...

[Serge]

If you can, take a day trip to the London's aquarium. They have a few set-ups with "river tanks". I was quite fascinated when I saw those in 2005. Not to mention that it is a great aquarium to visit.

[2cvbloke]

Originally Posted by Serge

If you can, take a day trip to the London's aquarium. They have a few set-ups with "river tanks". I was quite fascinated when I saw those in 2005. Not to mention that it is a great aquarium to visit.

The Sea-Life centre in Blackpool probably has some river tank setups too, I haven't been there in a while though...

Just out of curiosity, is it ok to use stones & pebbles taken from the local river as long as I clean them up? I want to make the tank look as real as possible, so getting stones from the river would look better as they're already smooth & worn, along with some bricks and other debris from the old mills that were knocked down a long time ago...

EDIT:
Just thought I'd add an aerial picture of where I went yesterday, it's pretty big for a privately owned pet shop....