AMAZON BIOTOPE HELP

[twinnies]

hi all
i hav a 45gallon/165L (84 LONG x 44 WIDE x 59 TALL cm)discus display planted tank and i would like to re-aquascape it soon.

i would like it to look really amazonian(eg plants readily available from lfs that are also commonly found in the amazon). i hav diy co2, add flourish excel weekly and hav approx 1.6wpg of light off the top of my head(which is low light). i will prob be doin 2 wc per week instead of 1.

could you all give me some suggestions on the plants i could use and the layout of the tank. i would like a variety of plant and colour.

fish thoughts:
4x red/blue turq discus
10-15x neon tetra
2x bristlenose cats
4x corydora pepper
4x kuhli loach(a bit out of place in biotope)

Plant Thoughts so far:
amazon swords
crypt. wendtti
thin vallisneria
java moss

i am currently thinking of having alot of thin val. as a backbrop, with a branchy driftwood and java moss attached to it. i want the driftwood comming out from the thin val and looking like tree roots or somthing. other plants will be scattered. altho the amazon swords(due to size) will need to be in a corner so it doesnt block the veiw.

also atm i hav one of those backrounds with pics of plants and rock etc on it...do u think changing it to black, dark blue or light blue at top moving to dark blue down the bottom(layers of water) would look better.

cheers

[Apistomaster]

Plants are the exception rather than the rule for a true Amazonian aquatic biotope.
What you are really wanting is a planted discus tank. Not an environment like discus really come from. Few of us go that far.
If we did the water would be less than perfectly clear, most plants would be floating types and there would be a lot of wood and roots in tangles.

[twinnies]

if people could post up pictures of an discus biotoipe it would be much appreciated...

[twinnies]

also wot colour backround would be best for the biotope? i will add more driftwood and less plants

[dizkuz]

This is a biotank we made ...Maybe it will give u some ideas:)
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=58128

Brgd Danne aka Dizkuz
PS sorry for the blur pic!

[twinnies]

thanx for that...hmm...floating plants...i like it(wot type is it? is it south american?)

any others??

[midazolam]

thanx for that...hmm...floating plants...i like it(wot type is it? is it south american?)

any others??

to be an amazon biotope, the plants and fish ALL must be south american species. Otherwise, its just a planted tank

[twinnies]

Hi again.
Thanks for all your info everyone.

to be an amazon biotope, the plants and fish ALL must be south american species. Otherwise, its just a planted tank
Taking this into account i will drop the kuhlis.
Instead i may add a type of ram-bolivian or other?
I understand they need plants in a tank and i will add a bit of plants.
These rams also come from the blackwater streams where discus live so these fish will fit in very well.

What type of floating plants are suitable(coming from the blackwater stream)?
Do amazon swords, vallisneria and anubius occur in blackwater streams?If so what type of val and anubius should i be getting? I understand there is not a large amount of plants in a blackwater stream. I will take this into account when planting the tank and there wont be too much but not too little either.
What colour background is best? I dont want the driftwood blending in to the background. Would this happen with a black background?


if people could post up pictures of an discus biotoipe it would be much appreciated...
Still welcome
THANX EVERYONE AGAIN

[midazolam]

Hi again.
Thanks for all your info everyone.

Taking this into account i will drop the kuhlis.
Instead i may add a type of ram-bolivian or other?
I understand they need plants in a tank and i will add a bit of plants.
These rams also come from the blackwater streams where discus live so these fish will fit in very well.

What type of floating plants are suitable(coming from the blackwater stream)?
Do amazon swords, vallisneria and anubius occur in blackwater streams?If so what type of val and anubius should i be getting? I understand there is not a large amount of plants in a blackwater stream. I will take this into account when planting the tank and there wont be too much but not too little either.
What colour background is best? I dont want the driftwood blending in to the background. Would this happen with a black background?


Still welcome
THANX EVERYONE AGAIN

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showpost.php?p=391686&postcount=34

Probably a reliable source for info on a discus biotope. As far as amazon, you could probably cast a broader net. Ultimately its your tank and what you think is cool. If you like the look of the java moss and stuff then there isn't any reason you can't use it. It just wont technically be an amazon biotope (which isn't a bad thing unless you really, really want an amazon biotope).

[Wahter]

Anubias are native to African. Most Vallisneria are native to Asia (just like java ferns - Microsorum). If you're looking for something similar to Vallisneria that's native to South America, you can look at some Sagittaria.

Amazon swords (Echinodorus) are native to South America and some are even native to North America. Keep in mind, there are lots of man-made hybrid sword plants, so if you're trying to stay with authentically South America, choose carefully.

There's lots of good plant information on Tropica's website:
http://www.tropica.com/

Hope that helps.


Walter

[madfish]

With my tank Im not going for the full biotope Im just trying to keep it with a south american theem. Its not a blackwater river or a whitewater river its a little of both. But as plants go I try to stick with just the south americans but the fish are from all over south america. So when people ask me what kind of tank I have I can just say a south american tank. They ask what kind black or white I can say both. But I dont care what they think Im the one looking at it everyday and I really enjoy the way it looks.

[Joander123]

But I dont care what they think Im the one looking at it everyday and I really enjoy the way it looks.

Thats the most important thing right there. As long as you enjoy your tank, and the hobby... theres no need to worry about anything else :)

[twinnies]

still open to ideas...i would like alot of driftwood and plants so not really blackwater biotope...maybe more amazonian?? ideas welcome