Plants for a cardinal tetra biotope.

[George1992]

Hi,

Hope this is posted in the right section.

I'm thinking of converting my 180 litre tank into a cardinal tetra biotope. Can anyone recommend any plants that are found where cardinal tetras are?

I am going to use Indian almond leaves to tan the water and also in an attempt to lower my PH of 7.2 to somewhere in the 6s. This will mean my lighting will be reduced so am limited to more low light plants. Thinking of dirting the tank and capping it with a light sand. My thoughts on plants so far have been cabomba (depending on light levels after the water is tanned), helanthium quadricostatus, amazon swords, amazon frogbit and dwarf sag.

I know that all of these plants are from South America but am unsure if they are actually found in the places where cardinal tetras are.

 

[alto]

This is worth a read (though you’ve likely seen it already)

Building a Biotope Rio Negro

- though I’m rather at the notion of placing Dicrossus maculatus PAIR in a Fluval Flex (even a 54litre seems far too small - the back filter area significantly reduces swimming footprint)
I just can’t imagine this livestock mix being successful long term ... though I’m sure Mike Tuccinardi has several other tank options to move those D maculatus, it seems an unlikely recommendation for such a publicized aquarium article

And how often is D maculatus found in the Rio Negro
Dicrossus filamentosus is reported in the Rio Negro and is considerably less aggressive and smaller adult size

A group of seven wild-collected fish formed the centerpiece of the aquarium and replicated how the fish is most often encountered—in smaller groups as opposed to huge shoals. Another commonly-seen fish in the extreme shallows is the Diptail or Eques Pencilfish (Nannostomus eques), one of my favorites of the genus. A pair of Checkerboard Cichlids (Dicrossus maculatus) and a single Pyrrhulina sp. (a close relative of the Splash Tetra) rounded out the tank’s inhabitants. Immediately upon their introduction to the tank, the fish began displaying typical natural behaviors: Checkerboards eagerly shuffling through the leaf litter, Cardinals forming a school hierarchy, and Pencilfish hovering close together near the surface.

If you’re thinking plants and cardinal tetras, why not do an Orinoco biotope

From Seriously Fish species profile

In the Orinoco system it’s more commonly-associated with habitats known as morichals which tend to contain transparent, clear water and sandy substrates, often with dense growth of aquatic plants or riparian vegetation among which the fish take shelter.