• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Going biotopish

JeffK

JeffK

Member
Joined
7 Feb 2017
Messages
95
Location
Netherlands
Hey everyone,

Long time lurker and admirer of all your great looking tanks here. Although I have found my niche elsewhere, I'm impressed by the knowledge of the people from this forum.

I hope by sharing my tanks and exchanging information, we can help eachother further in this amazing hobby.

While I have three tanks, only one is really up for show, and recently I've been trying to make videos rather than taking pictures. While blackwater biotopes are beautiful to see, the low light and darker water make it very hard to take decent pictures. Filming isn't much better, but there's a better chance of capturing the right moments.

Now, this is my first attempt at videomaking, so the quality isn't amazing, but here you go (you might want to turn up your screen brightness):




Tank: Akvastabil Fusion 130
Dimensions: 130W x 50D x 50H cm
Lights: 2x Fluval Aqusky
Filter: JBL Cristalprofi 1502e
Inhabitants: Microctenopoma fasciolatum, Congochromis dimidiatus, Distichodus decemmaculatus, Distichodus sp. Lefini, Phenacogrammus aurantiacus
Plants: Crinum calamistratum, Pistia stratiotes

I do bi-weekly water changes with 100% RO water.

I know you guys like plants, but the Distichodus make it their life mission no plants survive in this tank. So far, the only plants they've ignored, is the Crinum. The floating plants survive, but their roots never fully develop. Even Anubias end up getting eaten.

Thanks for watching and reading, everyone!
 
That looks great, good choice of fish too.

Those distochodus sp lefini are something special.

Cheers

Conor
 
I always enjoy biotope tanks, I worry there'd be algae struggles with such low plant mass? But prehaps that's compensated for by low light..
 
Great looking tank - I really have an ever increasing love of these shadowy, low light habitat style tanks with structural leaf litter etc, and is really how I'm thinking of going myself when I next redo my tank.

Its a shame your Distichodus eat all the plants - if they eat Anubias, then I can't suggest anything that might be safe. That said, Seriously Fish suggests these fish grow to 75cm in the wild and up to 40cm in an aquarium, so it might be you need to move them on in due course, and can add more plants then? EDIT: Scratch that, I was looking at the wrong Distichodus sp.
 
Great looking tank, love those Phenacogrammus aurantiacus, there’s a good article in Amazonas magazine about Congo tetras
“Blackwater Uk” has some African botanicals you might like
 
Your profile image of a microctenopoma ansorgii? is a beauty.
 
Paul27 said:
Looks really nice
Click to expand...
Thanks!

Conort2 said:
That looks great, good choice of fish too.

Those distochodus sp lefini are something special.

Cheers

Conor
Click to expand...
They really are something else. They are normally quite grey/silverish, but when the lights dim or when they're excited they get this beautiful red glow. I guess it has a purpose in their wild habitat, because they supposedly come from blackwater streams and creeks. If I remember right, most predators can't see red in the darker tinted water.

Regent said:
I always enjoy biotope tanks, I worry there'd be algae struggles with such low plant mass? But prehaps that's compensated for by low light..
Click to expand...
Yeah, the lower light intensity helps. Any algae that does appear, would get eaten by the Congochromis and Distichodus. In my other two tanks, I still have the standard lights that come with the tank. I fill these up with floating plants, to keep algae at a low. I don't mind a bit of algae though.

mort said:
Beautiful fish collection. I don't know if you've seen this thread Congo Swamp Monster (750l biotope) but you seem to share a love of the same area.
Click to expand...
Yes! I have read through that thread a couple of times. I hope to move away to a bigger house in the not so distant future, with a special room for my tanks. If I have enough space (and money), I'd love to do a similar project.

Wookii said:
Great looking tank - I really have an ever increasing love of these shadowy, low light habitat style tanks with structural leaf litter etc, and is really how I'm thinking of going myself when I next redo my tank.

Its a shame your Distichodus eat all the plants - if they eat Anubias, then I can't suggest anything that might be safe. That said, Seriously Fish suggests these fish grow to 75cm in the wild and up to 40cm in an aquarium, so it might be you need to move them on in due course, and can add more plants then? EDIT: Scratch that, I was looking at the wrong Distichodus sp.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, please do! I love blackwater tanks x aquascaping.

I'm sure you have heard of Tannin Aquatics? Their blog posts are always a great read. Fairly sure the authors are members of this forum aswell? I like their style, combining blackwater tanks and aquascaping.

Yeah, these Distichodus stay relatively small, so I'm safe! Although, there's not much info about Distichodus sp. Lefini. Some say they are an underspecies of D. affinis, some say D. noboli. Might even be regular D. noboli. So far, they seem a bit too small for D. noboli, but I've only had them for about a year or so.

There's another dwarf Distichodus, called Distichodus teugelsi. They're quite like Distichodus decemmaculatus, perhaps even more beautiful. I've had them in the past and absolutely adored them, but I lost them due to a very hot summer two years ago.

Steve Buce said:
Great looking tank, love those Phenacogrammus aurantiacus, there’s a good article in Amazonas magazine about Congo tetras
“Blackwater Uk” has some African botanicals you might like
Click to expand...
Oh shoot, might end up subscribing later today...

I know. I've been waiting for a similar shop to open up in The Netherlands, because the shipping costs are quite steep. So far, only a few of their botanicals have made their way overseas.

noodlesuk said:
Lovely looking setup, nice to see something different from the usual nature aquascape, amazing biotope you have, the fish seem so at ease.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Yeah, the fish seem very relaxed. Most fish are in with more than a few companions, so that's probably another reason they feel safe.

Paul Kettless said:
My kind of tank that, to me thats exactly how I would image them in there natural environment
Click to expand...
Distichodus and Phenacogrammus are mostly found in streams and rivers, while Microctenopoma appear in backwaters where there's lots of leaf litter (with sometimes top water not even visable) and Congochromis should appear a little in between, grazing on the aufwuchs that grow on the rocks. I do however like to think that these fish might come across eachother every now and then. And in the end, as long as the fish do well and feel safe, it doesn't really matter.

castle said:
Your profile image of a microctenopoma ansorgii? is a beauty.
Click to expand...
Yes! I keep them in one of my other tanks. I'll post about them too some day. When they're flaring, they are absolute stunners.

The fish pictures is a juvenile. Grown up males have even cooler looking fins.
Microctenopoma ansorgii 1.jpeg
 
Lovely! Maybe the fact you can't keep many plants give a more authentic look!
 
So, I set up a new aquarium last week. The water is still a bit cloudy and it's nowhere near done, but the fish seem to like it so far. They've upgraded from 125L to 250L, so twice the space.

Anyway, a picture of the tank and a few photo's of two special fish species; Neolebias ansorgii and Neolebias trilineatus.

DSC_0755.jpg


test (1 van 1).jpg


test2 (1 van 1).jpg


test4 (1 van 1).jpg


test5 (1 van 1).jpg


test3 (1 van 1).jpg


test6 (1 van 1).jpg


test7 (1 van 1).jpg
 
JeffK said:
Hah, thanks Tim! The cloudy water did give a nice effect.
Click to expand...

The tank looks superb. The turbidity of the water does make it look really natural. I've read that the Biotope competition guys will often add a bit of powder or clay to the water before photographing to give it that feel and bring out the shafts of light through the water etc.

How did you create the aged/detritus covered look of the wood and plants? It makes it look like a lake/river bed formed over years, not two weeks! Awesome stuff!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top