Suggestions Welcome!

I Obtained a Tank from Stormer(Thanx Stormer) and would like the members of this forum to come forward with suggestions on what type of tank i should make this into.

Dimensions are as follows.
1220 x 45 x 46

No Canopy has been build yet,no lights has been bought,no gravel has been added.
Maybe something exclusive?
So many ideas,I do not know where to start.

 

My Suggestion:

PFP as substrate capped with black gravel
Densly planted with ONLY 3 or 4 types of plants. (Fast growers and easy growers)
1 school of 40-50 neons/rummynose/cardinal
1 school of cory's.
1 pair of angels.

My 2c

Rgds
Ashley

 

Mmm something different. Pebbles as substrate, with plants that can can handle bit of a flow
and try to imitate a river bed.

 

How about a nice mudskipper tank, with a raised bank, (Blacklisted) If the bank is raised high enough you can even put smaller species of bards in the pond.

 

Do this . . . .it's like just Java Moss.



Maybe you can make your own rocks with a mix of polystyrene balls and cement? The glass might crack with just normal rocks.....

Then you can add the fish zoom suggested

 

Defnately not java moss in that setup. Doubt seriously you would be able to get that look
with java moss. Maybe some spiky mossanchor moss and some pellia. Good idea though.

 

Lol...all moss look alike. So what do you suggest Vis? Can someone get this look with the right kind of moss?

 

Yeah should be easy if you can source the right moss. The scape and rock
will need some good attention though.

 

Been looking at Flame moss and Xmas moss....I think it is doable. Going to be a pain mounting the moss though.....but its worth it.

Will do well with 20+ trial fish or Cardinals if you can get them cheap

 

I like the suggestions.
Won't the Angels chow down on the Neons?

What type of fish will go with such a setup.I can think of Hillstream Loaches.

 

My two choices.Problem with Malawis is the Hundreds of species and sexing them.


Central American Rocky Lake Biotope

Recommended size: 250 l ( 54.975 ga )
Description: Central America has several great lakes like Atitlan, Managua, and Nicaragua.
The lakes are rocky with hard, alkaline water.

The cichlids in these lakes are generally very territorial and aggressive and should not be combined in the same with peaceful species such as livebearers.

Lake Nicaragua is a large freshwater lake; it covers an area of 8264 sq. km and is the largest lake in Central America. In places the water will reach depths of 84 feet, and it was once well known for being a haunt of Caribbean pirates who would enter the lake through the San Juan River. This river leads directly to the Caribbean Sea.

As expected with rocky lakes, the water is very hard (15-25DH) and alkaline (7.5-8.2).
Temperatures range from 24-27 deg C.

Setting up the tank
The main décor in this tank is large, sturdy rock structures. Smaller tanks may struggle to provide enough space so a minimum tank size of 250 liters (55 gallons) is recommended.

Add the rocks first to build up your structure, and then add the sand around the rocks to form the substrate. The main reason for this is fish tend to burrow in sand; this will cause your rocks to topple if placed on top of the sand.

Water current needs to be kept low, turn down the outlets on your filters to replicate this.

Plants for the tank
Plants will struggle to survive in these alkaline, hard water conditions. Any that does will be destroyed by the cichlid inhabitants making it useless to attempt any planting at all.

Fish for the tank
Loricarids (armoured catfish) make for good substrate cleaners, these catfish like plenty of swimming room combined with hiding places if required. Many of the different species will only grow to a maximum size of five inches but be careful if adding two males to the tank.

Pimelodids (naked catfish) can also be added, these species will grow larger in size but with a 55 gallon tank this should not be a problem, Probably the most well known member of this family is the pictus catfish, if kept it should be housed in small groups.

Livebearers are one of the hardiest fish species, this makes them very popular with fish keepers and there is a great deal of choice. Bear in mind that cichlids are also going to be added to this biotope so the smaller species could be seen as food, select your inhabitants carefully. Sailfin mollies belong in this group and are extremely hardy, tolerant of a wide range of water parameters, and fairly easy to breed if you choose to do so.

Cichlids that can be added are convict cichlids, red devil cichlids, Texas cichlids and so on. It may be advisable to research the cichlid species you are interested in to try to get some of the less aggressive species. Some of the species will grow large like the jaguar cichlids so bear this in mind when selecting your tank.


Lake Malawi Biotope
Recommended size: 250 l ( 54.975 ga )
Description: Lake Malawi was formed 1-2 million years ago. This geologically young, rocky lake of the East African Rift is about 375 miles (604 km) long and 53 miles (85 km) wide, making it the ninth largest lake in the world.

The lake is bordered by Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. This lake is dominated by cichlids, most of which are endemic to the lake. Over 280 cichlid species have been described, although estimates of up to 500 cichlid species have been made. The largest group of Cichlids found in this lake is the Haplochromines with over 120 species and 48 genera. Among the Haplochromines, are the Peacock Cichlids of the genus Aulonocara; the Mbuna, a large group, including the genera, Cynotilapia, Labeotropheus, Labidochromis, Melanochromis, and Pseudotropheus; and the larger piscivores of the genera Cyrtocara, Nimbochromis, and Sciaenochromis.

Water
pH 7.8-8.6, 6-10 dH, 23-28 °C (72-82 °F)

Tank
Provide plenty of rockwork and caves with hard alkaline water with a pH of at least 7.8. The bottom substrate should be of a material that will aid in the pH buffering capabilities of the water. Good substrate choices could be Dolomite or crushed coral to aid in buffering the water. Tankmates should be from the same area and be able to fend off their attentions.

Plants
Vallisneria is the only commercially available species, but Anubias and Java Fern are also suitable if the aquariast is willing to bend the biotope rules.

Fish
Lake Malawi cichlids (Mbuna, Peacock cichlids, Others), Synodontis