55 Gallon Marowijne River Biotope Build

[SundanceCassidy]

Hi all,

Not sure that this belongs here, so admins feel free to move if need be. I originally posted in Getting Started but decided this made more sense.

Anyway, to the point. As the title suggests, I'm preparing to set up a 55 gallon aquarium, modeled after the Marowijne river in Suriname. (Pronounced Maroni) Its going to be a blackwater tank, no plants, and im trying to replicate the environment as closely as possible but its likely a few corners will be cut. (Namely the wood because im not about to pay upwards of $150 on Surinamese wood) the goal will be to have roots coming from the top of the tank down into the substrate, which will be covered with various forms of debris and leaf litter. As for livestock, thats where I need a bit of help. I know I want a few Pterophyllum scalare as well as a couple Cleithracara moranii/Keyhole Cichlids. My only question is on specific numbers. any suggestions are more than welcome. i would also like a shoal of Dither fish, maybe cardinals or lemons, not sure yet. As I said however, all suggestions are welcome. I look forward to documenting this build here! Cheers.

[mbkemp]

Sounds awesome. Cardinals in black water would be sweet

[V227]

If you want natural dark water, "malaysian" driftwood stains water like no other. It's relatively cheap in my area, $15 bucks for a good sized piece. For driftwood to make hanging roots, I use "manzanita". Expensive, but a little piece goes a long way. You can comparably shop on line for the best buy. As for dither tetras you might consider larger, tougher ones such as Columbians or Buenos Aires. Show your tank photos as you progress.

[SundanceCassidy]

No major progress yet, although a few changes to the plan have been made. i've decided to switch from the Maroni river over to the Rio Tapajo. I plan on having it be slightly tinted. not fully blackwater but noticeably colored. as for stocking ill be keeping the shoal of angels and a shoal of dither fish. (Im thinking Lemon Tetras) And lastly a group of 3 Geophagus Tapajos and a shoal of Corydoras Panda. the decor is staying the same, branches coming down from the top of the tank, along with some large river stones and leaf litter. luckily I work at a fish store so Ill have no problem getting the fish. updates to come!

[Freakgecko91]

Be careful with the pandas, they're super picky on temperatures and prefer it to be on the colder side.