blackwater" biotopes"

That presentation would be great @the prof ,you read about all the uk and other places where fish clubs are having these meets ,auctions ,special guest speakers giving lectures ,great to see we following suit

 

Time and place permitting I would also like to be there.

 

Is there any reason that such a presentation couldn't be held in the cape?

 

Nice tanks. Give me an idea with what to do with my emty tank

 

would also avail myself for such a meeting.now back to the topic of recreating these tanks we see.i like the the idea of the cover over the top with cut outs sounds good.leaf litter.would just about ant suitably thick leaf work or do we have to worry about what would leach out?

 

Yup - cause us CPT guys cant arrange a pi$$up in a brewery. I am pretty sure Dirk will do a talk for us if we ask him nicely and provide the beers.

 

I like the leaf litter look as well. I read up on it a while back. You have to be careful with 'city trees' and pollution from cars. So I don't think these lovely roadside oak trees we have in Kensington are suitable. The leaves are probably covered in a layer of exhaust fumes. (This is actually what put me off the idea) Jacarandas do come from South America so I though they would be appropriate, but can you imagine all those tiny leaves getting in your filter - ugh! When I had Krib fry I put leaves from one of the trees in my garden in the tank, hoping they would find fry sized creature-food on it. Luckily it was autumn and the leaves were dry. They preferred the java moss.

 

Would a good soaking in water not help i wonder?

 

That's a good idea. I've seen the leaves that fall in my pond become skeletons. Here's an article from Tropical Fish Hobbyist December 2010 "Leaves for Aquaria"
http://www.tfhdigital.com/tfh/201012/?pg=71&pm=2&u1=friend

 

thanks jenn

 

I'm not too far off from PE most of the time either, so I'll definitely make my best efforts to be there if it does happen some time!

 

ok back on topic,could this setup work on lets call it a nano?i see an opening for a competition here as well.

 

Ooh, we could have it at the Albany Museam where the Coelacanth is preserved!

 

Hell yeah! A nano would be perfect as then you wouldn't need so much of that expensive drift wood

 

is'nt the wood free on the beach?

 

and while we have the prof here,what is take on leaves as a substrate,must it be oak or beech?why can we never work with just what is at our disposal i have a garden full of trees

 

i think some have some fine river or pool sand first then the leaves athol thats how most of the guys do it

 

thats fine though not necessary im sure

 

@oscar freak rather use black vinyl instead of paint, much easier to remove
than the paint.

 

thanks heinrich,lighting what about a very small, dim light to go under one of those plastic hoods?