White Cloud Biotope

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I posted a week ago about fancy goldfish or white clouds and I think I'll go with the white clouds + a few cherry shrimp to clean up the bottom. Well here it is, 20 gal long w/ penguin 300. I crammed 6 scrubbies in front of the penguin filter and it actually makes the biowheel spin faster; we'll see how it does when it gets more clogged with debris. I completely redecorated it, took out all the feeder minnows. painted the back and bottom black. took out all the native plants I had in it, but left one that was pretty alright looking. Currently cycling it with 6 ghost shrimp. Maybe next week I'll add some white cloud minnows.

So what do you think? Any suggestions?

 

[fatherof5]

I would use black gravel to finish off the tank

 

[RESET]

So that is going to be a bare bottom tank? The WCMM like a stream type setup so the filter placement on the end is good. I don't see a top and these fish will jump when startled. The mountain stream biotope also has more plants in it. I know from experience that they are more likely to breed when there is a heavily planted or mossy area. The female chooses a spot and the males display for her then she chooses one to take into her "nest". I used java moss in my tank and the fish had all kinds of paths bored thru it. Your caves may serve as this purpose but with nothing for the eggs to fall into, they may get eaten.

 

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i plan to add javamoss. i had a bunch of hornwort in there but I didn't like how the leaves fall off and clog the filter. i'm probably going to leave the bottom bare to make cleaning easier.. i guess it's not really a "biotope" per say but close to it.

the top has 2 glass pieces on it.

i don't really like how the rocks are setup. i just kind of did it in random order. anyone have any suggestions how I should set them up?

 

[Dark Jester]

Dunno, I kindof like the rockwork. Definately looks more natural when it's random. The more organization you add, the less natural it will feel.

I'd probably add a thin layer of black gravel or sand though. Would break up the uniformity of the smooth bottom.

 

[Gearhead]

Black sand is easy to clean as all the debris stays on the top. I think it would look fantastic in that tank also.

 

[kurare]

To make things stand out, white/yellow sand against a black background would surely make things stand out, a thin layer will keep cleaning easy, something for the glass shrimps to sift through as well. Also, if you're looking for a stream effect, throw in a powerhead. The HOB will just create a weak waterfall/surface agitation imo

 

[Dark Jester]

To make things stand out, white/yellow sand against a black background would surely make things stand out, a thin layer will keep cleaning easy, something for the glass shrimps to sift through as well. Also, if you're looking for a stream effect, throw in a powerhead. The HOB will just create a weak waterfall/surface agitation imo

I think a black substrate would work better than white or yellow to make the inhabitants stand out a bit more. Glass/Ghost Shrimp disappear against light colors, and the White Clouds have a light color to them as well. Cherry shrimp would probably show up equally well on either.

Not sure which Penguin filter he has, but my Penguin 350's can direct the water flow depending on the water level. If the water is low you get the waterfall effect, but the more you fill it the more outward current you get. A powerhead would get you a bit more more underwater movement, but not sure it would be needed.

With shrimp you probably will want to cover the Penguin intake with a sponge or mesh net. Baby shrimp are small enough to get sucked through the default strainer (assuming you are planning on the cherry shrimp reproducing).

 

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the penguin 200 i have on there is the same way as you describe Jester. right now i have the water level high so there's a pretty good current in there.

I think a powerhead may be overdoing it. Would probably be too much current.

I'm thinking about doing a mix of red sand, black sand, and sand sand. maybe 70 percent black, 20 percent red, 10 percent sand. That would look pretty good I think. Maybe add a few quarter - half dollar size river rocks in the mix too.