New 55 gallon, bog theme.

[SKjEi o2]

Hello all,

I got a 55 gallon tank for Christmas. I want to do something new and have decided to make my theme a bog styled aquarium. Slow water flow, lots of driftwood, subdued lighting, somewhat *murky* water.

I was thinking about doing a biotope but don't know which region fits the bill. Also since I want this tank to have lots of plants and little lighting, what are some plants that thrive in low-light situations?

Thanks for the help. Please PM me with questions.

Oh and if anyone has done something like this, could you share pictures?

This is what I have so far... I only have light on one side of he tank for. "spotlight" effect.

 

[azmodan]

Crypts, Anubias, and Java fern all do fine with subdued lighting. Try googling "amazon river biotope" for some really great low light tanks.

 

[SKjEi o2]

Thanks that is exactly what I am looking for. The Amazon biotope seems a little too broad for my liking, is there a similar biotope with less species?

 

[azmodan]

Try "Asian black water tank" or "amazon black water tank". Adding specific countries is good too.

 

[SKjEi o2]

Is there a way to make blackwater other than continuously adding driftwood?

 

[Jev12]

Indian almond leaves or tannin extract...and I think oak leaves and banana leaves can be used as well but I'm not one hundred percent positive on that maybe someone with a little more knowledge in that field will chime in

 

[azmodan]

Yeah Indian almond leaves (and other types of leaves), alder cones and peat moss can all help for that effect.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Have you thought about doing a native tank? That could fit your bog theme.

 

[SKjEi o2]

Native?

 

[SKjEi o2]

I found out what a native tank is. The only problem is that it's winter right now where I live. Plus I've heard it's difficult to acclimate a wild fish to captivity. Good idea though.