Setting up a natural looking tank

[Sartak]

Hello all ,

I am currently trying to decide how I would like to remodel my cichlid tank, I have decided to go with a natural look so to say when I look at it I want the feeling that I am looking at the bottom of a riverbed or such to pop to mind.

I am not a big fan of sand so I (slightly off the theme) have decided on a dark hunter green gravel. I am making a cave system in one side of the tank that is being built from rocks I collect while walking through the river (salt river) during the summer with the kids. I thought adding the memories to the tank would make it feel my special to them as they help me select the stones each year (every year we throw out the old and get new) I am going with driftwood and driftwood roots on the other side to give the idea of a tree ect might be over growing into the side of the water.

Plants - This was a hard call for me because I dearly love live plants but the cichlids only detroy and mangle them. I am forced to resort to fake plants (not thrilled) but with the huge selections I am sure I can make it work out the way I want. Not to mention I guess fake plants are less demanding then the real thing.

I am on a very strict budget so the more I can do by collecting the Rocks, Wood and such in nature (FREEBIE) the better it will all be. I have been considering the idea of even collecting the gravel for it from the river which would make it VERY natural and the large rocks I get from there go well with it as they are only larger versions. I am undecided on it all.

Any ideas, or suggestions would be of great help. Thank you.

Also how exactly do I prepare driftwood collected in the wild for a tank without worry of contaminating my babies water?

 

[Lupin]

to MFK!

First of all, what fish do you have? This is very important to know so we can figure out the right plants for your setup.

As for your driftwoods, simply boil them or bake them to sterilize them. I boil mine before putting in the tank. If the pieces are far too large for a boiling pot, then I simply pour hot water on it and wash with salt and tap water. Driftwoods can leach tannins which make your aquarium look tea colored but there is no harm done in the process. Depending on your KH and GH, your pH might simply decrease although if your water is hard, the pH will hardly decrease at all.

If you do plan to collect gravel from your local river, please make sure the river is free of pollutants that can destroy your fish.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

You could try Anubias or Java fern - only very few fish mess with these.

HarleyK