My 125g biotopic project

[merc123]

I recently got a 125 gallon tank and am going to try to do a biotopic tank by replicating the lake malawi environment.

Here's some preliminary pics (sorry for quality, it's cellphone)

Right after putting water in, the sand is suspended in the water

After about 8 hours, the sand started to settle

 

[fsc46]

Nice pics! What did you use to keep the slate from falling?

 

[merc123]

Actually most of the slate is free-standing. Some of the "tops" I used HoldFast Epoxy.

Most of the slate I just kept moving the rock around till it "seated" with the other rock. I tried to do it to where when I moved it with my fingers it was stable. I exerted a little bit of force to try to "push" the rocks off and within reason they didn't budge.

 

[sma]

Great looking project.

 

[merc123]

I'm going to build up the right side a little bit higher. The left side is the g/f's side so I let her do whatever. It was a trade off for me. Either she got the left side to do whatever or I had to put fake plants in the tank.

When I get it going I'll put up some better pics with my digital cam.

 

[merc123]

Is there any way to edit my original message?

 

[driftwood]

Nice looking set up!

 

[repair]

Is there any way to edit my original message?

PM me with the changes and I will make them for you.



I'm really interested in this...... I'm thinking about doing a similar set up in my 2200.

What kind of sand did you use?

 

[fish head )'>]

The tank is already looking great. I don't understand "biotopic", what does that mean? How does that shape the decor, substrate and fish choices?

 

[Taz2478]

biotope
Biotope is a coined word proposed firstly in Germany (Biotop) based on Greek bios='life or organism' and topos='place'. So biotope is literally an area where life is living. More precisely, biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat but while the subject of habitat is a species or a population, the subject of biotope is a community.Taking in the wide sense, forests or sea could be biotope but generally biotope is often within the circle of human everyday life. Nowadays, its original meaning as an ecological space itself almost fade away and biotope is widely noticed as a keyword of preservation of the environment.
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nice setup except for the half design lol

looks like play sand and african sand mixed