Holiday Bichir Project. Advice wanted/needed

[aspear]

This holiday season, i want to do this on a fairly low budget, as a kind christmas present to my fish and myself.
As of now, I have a 135 gallon tank, with river rock bottom, flourescent lights, some floating plastic plants, and a HOB tetra filter doing about 500 gph.

availible too my use i have, 3 500 gph external pumps, an overflow box, various small tanks, and some fine ootlic sand(about 80 lbs).

i have some ideas, but what would some of you do with these resources, and a couple hundred dollars in budget?

Thanks in advance for advice, ill keep this posted with any progress made.

Alec

 

[aspear]

Also, some stocklists of bichirs and other tank mates would not go unappreciated.

Alec

 

[aspear]

ok, im gonna lay out what im thinking, and let the criticism flow. haha

-i want to replace the gravel with sand
-make a spray bar across the bottom, to keep it clean, and get better flow.
-make a sump or attempt a diy canister filter for all the filtration...maybe run carbon in the HOB
-i would also like to up surface agitation to avoid using airstones

for stocklist i have no clue what im doing yet...i want to do as close to a boitope to and african river or lake as possible, so im open to stocking and aquascaping advice.

Alec

 

[King-eL]

As for sand get a brown or tan sand as red is unnatural if you wanna set up a close African bio-tope. Large drifwood and maybe some smooth rocks. Anubius for plants and you can just do goodle seach for the info for plants as there are many variaty for anubius plants and easy to take care and will also need low lights. Might as well search for other species of African plants. You can also attached the anubius to your driftwood or rocks to make it look nice. Might as well add some floating plants as well to prevent the anubius from having algae bloom on the leaves.

 

[aspear]

what is a good floating plant?

 

[King-eL]

Here is a list of African plants.

SIMPLE FLOATING PLANTS
Azolla africanas (tropical Africa)
Azolla nilotica (Eastern africa)
Azolla pinnata (africa)
Azolla filiculoides 9Africa
Salvinia natans (Northern Africa)
Ricciocarpus natans (cosmopolitan)
Ricca fluitans (cosmopolitan)
Lemna gibba (cosmopolitan)
Lemna pauciocostata (cosompolitan)
Lemna minor (cosmopolitan)
Lemna Angolensis (cosmopolitan)
Wolffia arrhiza (middle and south africa)

TRUE FLOATING PLANTS
Eichhornia crassipes (egypt)
Eichhornia natans (africa)
Trappa natans (eastern africa)
Utricularia vulgaris (north africa)
Utricularia platytera (nigeria)
Utricularia neottioides (africa)
Utricularia stellaris (africa)
Utricularia flexousa (africa)
Utricularia foliosa (africa)
Utricularia exoleta (africa)
Utricularia gibba (africa)
Utricularia neglecta (africa)
Najas minor (africa)
Najas pectinata (africa)
Najas falciculata (africa)
Najas graminea (africa)

FERNS
Ceratopteris thailctroides (cosmopolitan)
Bolbitis heudelotii (ethiopia-south africa)
Marsilea diffusa (tropical africa)
Ceratopteris cornuta (africa)
Ceratopteris pteridoides (cosmopolitan)
Ceratophyllum demersum (africa)
Ceratophyllum submersum (cosmopolitan)

MOSSES
Riccia fluitans (cosmopolitan)
Leptodictyum riparium (cosmopolitan)
Riccia rhenana (cosmopolitan)

ROSETTE PLANTS
Anubias hastifolia nigeria cameroon ziare ghana togo
Anubias afzelii (senegal,guiena,mali )
Anubias congensis (west africa, congo river)
Anubias nana (west africa, congo river)
Anubias lanceolata (west africa, congo river)
Anubias nana (west africa, congo river)
Anubias frazeri (west africa, congo river)
Anubias coffeeolia (west africa, congo river)
Anubias barteri (west africa, congo river)
Anubias giantea (west africa, liberia cameroon ivory coast)
Anubias heterophylla (senegal,cameroon)
Anubias pyaertii (senegal,cameroon)
Anubias gilletii (west africa)
Blyxa radicans (africa)
Blyxa orzettrum (africa)
Crinum calamistratum
Crinum natans (cameroon)
Crinum tortifolia (africa)
Eleocharis minima (tropical africa)
Eleocharis parvula (africa)
Aponogeton distachyus (south africa)
Aponogeton abyssinicus
Aponogeton pusillus (africa)
Nymphaea alba (algeria,tunis)
Nymphaea lotus (east africa)
Nymphoides indica (tropical africa)
Vallisneria spiralis (central and east sudan)

PLANTS WITH LONG STEMS
Brasenia schreberi (west africa)
Hydrilla verticillata (cosmopolitan)
Hydrocotyle vulgaris (northern africa)
Hyrgrophila corybosa (senegal)
Myriophyllum spicatum (central africa)
Myriophyllum verticillum (africa)
Nesaea pedicellata (east africa)
Nesaea crassicaulis Africa)
Potamogeton perfoliatus (africa)
Potamogeton crispus (africa)
Potamogeton lucens (africa)
Potamogeton natans (africa)
Potamogeton malaianus (Africa)
Potamogeton schweinfurthii (africa)

STEM PLANTS
Ammannia gracillis (tropical africa)
Ammannia senegalensis (senegal)
Bacopa crenata (africa)
Bocopa monnieri (africa)
Lagarosiphon major (south africa)
Lagarosiphon muscoides (south africa)
Lagarosiphon cordofanus (africa)
Nitella gracilis (cosmopolitan)

 

[aspear]

Thank You King-eL!
will the anubias need any special ferts. or anything?
sorry, i really am completely new to plant in the aquarium

 

[King-eL]

Thank You King-eL!
will the anubias need any special ferts. or anything?
sorry, i really am completely new to plant in the aquarium

No not really as long as your bichirs and other fish provide the fert for them.

 

[aspear]

ok thanks.
what would you say a good stock list would be? besides a good variety of bichirs

 

[King-eL]

ok thanks.
what would you say a good stock list would be? besides a good variety of bichirs

You can go with African species of anabantidae. Maybe medium species of African barbs and you might wanna add an African pike odoe. But the life span is short around 5 years.