My natural style tanks and biotopes thread

[twentyleagues]

Whatever floats your boat mate.
Just thought I would add the most peaceful large Central american I have kept is petenia splendidia, the bay snook.
Maybe you could build around one of those. May need a bigger tank a couple of years down the road though.

You change avatars like I change underwear! Yes weekly...........
Not related to your thread but needed to be said!

 

[adamsfishes]

Just thought I would add the most peaceful large Central american I have kept is petenia splendidia, the bay snook.

That's actually a really good suggestion...

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Incredible displays Stanz, thanks for starting this thread. Truly inspirational.

Thanks Neil, I appreciate the compliment.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

You change avatars like I change underwear! Yes weekly...........
Not related to your thread but needed to be said!

Yeah my last one wasn't fish related so I got the Mrs to take a picture of me holding a wooden fish.
You change your undies weekly? What you doing building up benificial bacteria down there?

 

[Stanzzzz7]

That's actually a really good suggestion...

Yes I've had a couple over the years and although very predatory, they are very easy going on tank mates half their size.
Just make sure tank mates are no less than half their size. They can swallow big prey with their mouths.
They can also be bullied quite easily by more aggressive centrals.
I wouldn't keep them with parachromis or amphilophus for example.

 

[Matteus]

Thank you all for the really nice comments guys. Really appreciate it.
Robin, you know I'm a huge fan of all your set ups too.
As it is for you, setting up the scape is probably my favourite aspect of the hobby.

I do collect most of the wood myself. I just grab suitable hard wood branches when I'm out and about in the woods.

I recently dug up a large honeysuckle from my garden, complete with root system. I've cut the main cluster of root ball off and left it to the elements to completely die and dry out.
I will be able to use it soon. This is the sort of thing I do for tank decor.
I don't spend any money setting up a scape unless I need a few plants.
I often think collected woods can look a bit more natural looking than some of the shop bought bog woods.
Thanks again for the nice remarks.

Wow. This is outstanding. I agree with all the comments about how your setups are better than anything online. If there are competitions for scaping, I think you could compete on a global scale and possibly win.

How do you determine what is suitable to add to the tank? Have you ever come across anything that was adverse to your tope system, and how did you realize it was bad?

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Thank you Matteus for your nice comments. It's appreciated.

Most of the things I have added to my tanks over the years I have researched to see if they are suitable.
This information does not always come from fish, sites, forums or books.
In some instances I've had to research trees to learn about any possible toxins.
Collecting leaves is relatively risk free.
Most of the compounds held in leaves are released back to the tree before they finally drop from the branch.
As long as the leaves come from deciduous trees and are completely dead, then they will be ok.
The only real thing that makes some leaves better than others is longevity and how much tannin they hold.
I've not really ever had any problems with anything I have added. I steer clear of things that are known to carry toxins, but I do experiment little.
When I add something that I haven't used before and I'm a little unsure, I watch the fish like a hawk.
I've yet to have an issue. Tell tale signs that something was not agreeable would be faster gill movements and fish rising to the surface for air.
If you add anything and witness the fish acting like described. Take it straight out and do a large water change.
Collecting your own materials is a great way to fill a tank with natural looking decor. It's easy to come by, it's also free so your not limited in how much you throw in.
It would cost a small fortune to create some of my scapes with shop bought drift woods.

 

[Matteus]

Thank you Matteus for your nice comments. It's appreciated.

Most of the things I have added to my tanks over the years I have researched to see if they are suitable.
This information does not always come from fish, sites, forums or books.
In some instances I've had to research trees to learn about any possible toxins.
Collecting leaves is relatively risk free.
Most of the compounds held in leaves are released back to the tree before they finally drop from the branch.
As long as the leaves come from deciduous trees and are completely dead, then they will be ok.
The only real thing that makes some leaves better than others is longevity and how much tannin they hold.
I've not really ever had any problems with anything I have added. I steer clear of things that are known to carry toxins, but I do experiment little.
When I add something that I haven't used before and I'm a little unsure, I watch the fish like a hawk.
I've yet to have an issue. Tell tale signs that something was not agreeable would be faster gill movements and fish rising to the surface for air.
If you add anything and witness the fish acting like described. Take it straight out and do a large water change.
Collecting your own materials is a great way to fill a tank with natural looking decor. It's easy to come by, it's also free so your not limited in how much you throw in.
It would cost a small fortune to create some of my scapes with shop bought drift woods.

Wow thank you. I feel like I am still discovering fish keeping, and what drives me in it. I think scaping is also an important thing for me as well. I will have to look more into identifying trees and whatnot.

I went to school for painting and we had large sections taught to us about woods and which ones are hard, soft, etc. I didn’t pay any attention because frankly I couldn’t give a rip. Now that it is tied to saving all sorts of money in fishkeeping, I may have to go back and re learn it all. Lol.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Wow thank you. I feel like I am still discovering fish keeping, and what drives me in it. I think scaping is also an important thing for me as well. I will have to look more into identifying trees and whatnot.

I went to school for painting and we had large sections taught to us about woods and which ones are hard, soft, etc. I didn’t pay any attention because frankly I couldn’t give a rip. Now that it is tied to saving all sorts of money in fishkeeping, I may have to go back and re learn it all. Lol.

If you have oak or beech trees near where you live, they are the only ones I would bother learning about.
Oak if you want lots of tannins, beech if not so much.

 

[Ulu]

I have hi-rez video but a slow connection, and I finally let this thread load completely today while I was busy elsewhere. I was so glad to see it all load.

The photography and the aquariums were both stunning. I really enjoyed them.

I never clean the substrate where I have plants and leaf litter.
I let all the leaf litter rot away and replace when required. Dead leaves hold no protein or sugars that produce nasties as they decompose.
Any fish waste I regard as plant food.
I do large scale weekly water changes . . .

This is how I set up betta tanks and nanostuff but have never made it work on a larger tank. I've been trying to move in that direction as it makes sense and I have resources.

I often think collected woods can look a bit more natural looking than some of the shop bought bog woods.

I buy almond leaves and bogwood etc. A lot of the world's almonds are grown here and since almond leaf is popular I may try the almond wood. Right now all my wood is bogwood or manzanita from the LFS. It is illegal to collect manzanita here where it grows wild, and mostly you see sandblasted grapewood for sale and imported stuff $$$.

All my rocks, though, came from my mom's rock collection, or river rock from my own landscaping.

My Oscar tank has gravel the same size, colors and shape as Oscar poop. He gets siphoned weekly at a minimum.