+240g amazon biotope

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Forester

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 20, 2011
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Silver Spring Maryland
Hi everyone I'm planning on starting a 240g or bigger for an amazon biotope this summer but I've never had a really big tank before so I'm not sure how take care of it. For example what filter/s would be good, how much I should change the water, what substrate, what decorations and plants etc. I have a few fish I would really like to have but other wise I don't know what fish I want to have that come from the amazon or it's tributaries. Here are the fish I know I want to have;

1 silver arowana
4 amazon ropefish
1 gibbeceps plecos
1 albino tiger Oscar
2 blood parrots

Thanks for all the advice
 
Ropefish....They need a quiet tank. Usually a species only. They're relatives (correct me on this, guys) of seahorses, which I have studied a bit further in detail.

Arowana will outgrow that tank in 1-2yrs max...
Dunno about the others.
I would do a bigger tank...and keep the arowana and about 50 random tetras.
 
"amazon ropefish"? Unless this is a name for something else, ropes are from Africa...blood parrots are only half from the Amazon lol, the severum half. Ropefish aren't related to seahorses (you thinking of pipefish?)

I run 2 Fluval Fx5s on mine. Change 50% once a week.
 
Pipefish. That's it. Thanks...

I would do an fx5, a sump...sand, lightly planted, and water changes twice a month maybe?
 
I know blood parrots are only half from the amazon and I'm fine with that, I have two ropefish now in a 75 and there not timid at all also I'm pretty sure I read on the Internet that there are amazon ropefish and the ones I have look like the amazon ones. thanks I'll remember the fx5 and I'll have some tetras and what other bigger fish could I have. Thanks
 
There are no ropefish from the Amazon. They are part of the polypterus family that is entirely confined to Africa. Not trying to rag on your idea or anything, I'm just saying if you want a pure Amazon tank...you could just do what I call the "jungle river" tank and have all those fish...

Why have the Fx5 and a sump?
 
Variety.
Fx5 for mechanical, sump for bio


If I'm not making sense...I've had a long day. :D
 
Nah it makes sense, I like having a back-up. Maybe it's because I'm used to marine set-ups, but usually people have sumps to hide the filtration. You should be able to do both bio and mech with either style.
 
A sump is (usually) a small tank that goes under your big one. It acts as a filter, as well as often holding equipment like heaters. In order to get a sump, you need to have the tank drilled, where they put a hole in the side. You fit a bulkhead and overflow box to the hole. Water drains from the tank into the sump, then is returned by a pump. The trick is you need a big enough sump to hold the draining water from the main tank when the pumps are off. I'd say a 75 gal minimum.
 
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