This is like a pre-journal--I have most of the things that I will need for this project, I just need to find a spot to put it.
When planning riparium displays I have generally used tanks filled to only about 40% with water, using the golden section as a guide for a setup that will leave plenty above-water space for the growth of emersed aquatic plants and marginals. Here is an example of one of those setups, in my 65-gallon tank.
For this new setup I plan to instead use a tank filled almost all of the way to the top. There are a few compelling features of this kind of riparium. For one, the aquarium will have substantially more habitat for fish. The emergent plant growth grown in this way might also have more of a presence in the room than foliage contained behind glass and lend more of a garden pond atmosphere to the setup.
With the idea of enhancing the faunal aspects of this new setup, while also creating a convincing riparium plant display, I am selecting fish with more care. Most of the other ripariums that I have put together have just involved common tropical community fish, such as tetras. I have always liked catfish a lot and I think that a small shoal of cats or a good-sized specimen would be a perfect choice as dominant fetures for this tank. I really want to emphasize the gravel, stone and/or driftwood substrates with the use of a tank having a large footprint and a relatively sparse emersed planted area, a layout that should go well with bottom-dwelling catfish. The picture below, quoted from another hobbyist, gives a good impression of the general look that I am after.
So imagine a tank similar to that one, but not as long and with water filled almost to the top rim.
I have been having fun asking around for stocking suggestions and got some good advice over in another thread that I started (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284913). My preference is currently gravitating toward the pictus catfish (Pimelodus pictus), although I haven't quite settled with this species. The pictus cat is a pretty common LFS offering but a good choice for this idea. Here are some of the useful features of this species:
When planning riparium displays I have generally used tanks filled to only about 40% with water, using the golden section as a guide for a setup that will leave plenty above-water space for the growth of emersed aquatic plants and marginals. Here is an example of one of those setups, in my 65-gallon tank.
For this new setup I plan to instead use a tank filled almost all of the way to the top. There are a few compelling features of this kind of riparium. For one, the aquarium will have substantially more habitat for fish. The emergent plant growth grown in this way might also have more of a presence in the room than foliage contained behind glass and lend more of a garden pond atmosphere to the setup.
With the idea of enhancing the faunal aspects of this new setup, while also creating a convincing riparium plant display, I am selecting fish with more care. Most of the other ripariums that I have put together have just involved common tropical community fish, such as tetras. I have always liked catfish a lot and I think that a small shoal of cats or a good-sized specimen would be a perfect choice as dominant fetures for this tank. I really want to emphasize the gravel, stone and/or driftwood substrates with the use of a tank having a large footprint and a relatively sparse emersed planted area, a layout that should go well with bottom-dwelling catfish. The picture below, quoted from another hobbyist, gives a good impression of the general look that I am after.
trackhazard said:
So imagine a tank similar to that one, but not as long and with water filled almost to the top rim.
I have been having fun asking around for stocking suggestions and got some good advice over in another thread that I started (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284913). My preference is currently gravitating toward the pictus catfish (Pimelodus pictus), although I haven't quite settled with this species. The pictus cat is a pretty common LFS offering but a good choice for this idea. Here are some of the useful features of this species:
- relatively small at adulhood (~4" in length)
- active shoaler
- fairly active during the daytime (but primarily nocturnal)
- attractive and with classic catfish appearance
- hardy
- relatively peaceful
