I'm really excited to share with everyone what I have done so far and what i will be doing in the weeks to come. I will start out by giving everyone a bit of backround to what it is I am trying to accomplish . I am attempting to recreate an South American river Biotope.
Stocklist
Wild Heckel Discus x6
Bleeding Heart tetra x6
Corydora Sterbai x6
Cardinal Tetra x20
I'm possibly thinking of also adding a few Rummynose tetra or some black neon tetra. I do not want to overcrowd the tank so we will see how it works out with what is there so far.
The Tank
The tank is a 180 Gallon Marineland tank 72''x24''x24'' with a black painted pine stand. Purchased at Big Als Aquarium services in Mississauga , ON. No I did not purchase all the ridiculous stuff inside the tank
Tank finally delivered to my Apartment ! taking residence in the living room next to the couch for optimum viewing of course
Filtration
So , I decided I would go with two Fluval FX 6's . I know some of you may be thinking "Why didn't you go with a sump ? " My honest answer is this , I just really like the FX 6. I like the look , also have quiet it has been and plus lots of great reviews. I have done sump before and just wanted to try something new that's all.
Aquarium Backround
I decided that I would purchase a 3D Aquarium backround from a dealer in Canada who imports them from aqua-maniac.com . The specific backround I went with is called the "amazon 3D backround , which is what you will see in the picture below. it Should be arriving in the next two weeks. I will be hiding everything behind it , holes will be drilled to allow for maximum flow through the backround.
Substrate
Bomix natural beach sand purchased from Rona here in Toronto. also went with Estes Spectrastone Gravel , doing a mix of the two.
Decor
To keep it natural looking I decided to stick to just wood for decor. Manzanita wood to be precise. these are the exact pieces that I am using .
the first two had to be trimmed down to fit in the tank , those pieces may end up as litter in the substrate or , suspended as a root system into the water
not sure yet , we will see.
The Prototype
Quick photoshopped mock up of how the aquarium might look. it's quite funny to look now that I think of it...
actual photo's
Water is completely full of tanins' at the moment , but thats okay , Im only on week two of my Fishless cycle. sorry for the quality of the photos lol.
So this is what I have so far , in the next few weeks , I will be adding lighting which is still to be determined at the moment and also some hanging plants
on the glass top , roots dangling into the water. However I will need to find something that isn't poisonous to these two.. who i'm sure will have a hay day once they see the plants...
And also some floating plants and possibly a few in the tank....
What do you all think so far ?!
Stay Tuned for more
Stocklist
Wild Heckel Discus x6
Bleeding Heart tetra x6
Corydora Sterbai x6
Cardinal Tetra x20
I'm possibly thinking of also adding a few Rummynose tetra or some black neon tetra. I do not want to overcrowd the tank so we will see how it works out with what is there so far.
The Tank
The tank is a 180 Gallon Marineland tank 72''x24''x24'' with a black painted pine stand. Purchased at Big Als Aquarium services in Mississauga , ON. No I did not purchase all the ridiculous stuff inside the tank
Tank finally delivered to my Apartment ! taking residence in the living room next to the couch for optimum viewing of course
Filtration
So , I decided I would go with two Fluval FX 6's . I know some of you may be thinking "Why didn't you go with a sump ? " My honest answer is this , I just really like the FX 6. I like the look , also have quiet it has been and plus lots of great reviews. I have done sump before and just wanted to try something new that's all.
Aquarium Backround
I decided that I would purchase a 3D Aquarium backround from a dealer in Canada who imports them from aqua-maniac.com . The specific backround I went with is called the "amazon 3D backround , which is what you will see in the picture below. it Should be arriving in the next two weeks. I will be hiding everything behind it , holes will be drilled to allow for maximum flow through the backround.
Substrate
Bomix natural beach sand purchased from Rona here in Toronto. also went with Estes Spectrastone Gravel , doing a mix of the two.
Decor
To keep it natural looking I decided to stick to just wood for decor. Manzanita wood to be precise. these are the exact pieces that I am using .
the first two had to be trimmed down to fit in the tank , those pieces may end up as litter in the substrate or , suspended as a root system into the water
not sure yet , we will see.
The Prototype
Quick photoshopped mock up of how the aquarium might look. it's quite funny to look now that I think of it...
actual photo's
Water is completely full of tanins' at the moment , but thats okay , Im only on week two of my Fishless cycle. sorry for the quality of the photos lol.
So this is what I have so far , in the next few weeks , I will be adding lighting which is still to be determined at the moment and also some hanging plants
on the glass top , roots dangling into the water. However I will need to find something that isn't poisonous to these two.. who i'm sure will have a hay day once they see the plants...
And also some floating plants and possibly a few in the tank....
What do you all think so far ?!
Stay Tuned for more