# Going from Africans to an Amazon Biotope



## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi all! It's been a while, I had a kid (now he's 16 months) and I've recently moved, so I had my aquarium for sale, but I changed my mind and decided to keep it, but I'm making changes. I was really bored and jaded with my current 120 Gallon African Cichlids setup, in part due to lack of time and the fact that I didn't add any new fish for almost two years, so I've decided to finally keep the tank and go for something that I really like, an Amazon Biotope with some oddballs. My excitement is now back and I'm getting rid of my Africans in order to make the switch.

What I'm looking for is specifically a Peruvian Amazon River Basin Biotope and these are some of the fish I plan on getting:

Silver Arowana
Black Ghost Knife
Orange Pike Cichlid (Xingu I)
Oscar
???
and I'm open to suggestions please!

I have a few questions, does anyone know what kind of substrate would I need for a Peruvian Amazon Basin biotope? Also, what plants are endemic to that region and of course feel free to suggest fish species. Also, does anyone know where I can get pictures of how the underwater world looks in that area, for aquascaping ideas, as far as how to place the driftwood, plants, rocks (if any), etc. Now, I need some help deciding on the substrate. I want a planted tank and I want it to look very natural. I've researched and it seems like Eco-Complete is the way to go? with a fine layer of sand or fine gravel on top? Some people recommend a layer dead leaves or silica, which is best and more natural for the Peruvian Amazon basin?

My tank is a 120 gallon 60" x 18" x 26" and I know that when some of the fish I want get big I will need to either upgrade my tank or trade them for smaller ones, that's why I'm planning on buying them small.

Thanks in advance!!!

Now, I need some help deciding on the substrate. I want a planted tank and I want it to look very natural. I've researched and it seems like Eco-Complete is the way to go? with a fine layer of sand or fine gravel on top? Some people recommend a layer dead leaves or silica, which is best and more natural for the Peruvian Amazon basin?


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## oTheBeardedFiish (Oct 29, 2013)

Hey! congratulations on the child and good choice keeping the tank. First off im new to the forum and have two years of fish keeping under my belt, so im relatively a newbie especially with what seems like the endless amounts of information out there, but i feel like i can atleast get you going in the right direction here as i mostly keep SA biotope aquariums. First off the arowana will be too big for that size tank, unless maybe it was kept as a single specimen, i think the same goes for the black ghost knife but i could be wrong. Moving on to the pike, im not familar with that specific pike but for the most part they are large growing and very aggressive fish so you may want to rethink that one. On to the oscar, they would do fine in the 120 and you would probably be able to keep up to three of them if you really wanted to but i dont recommend them either since you want a planted aquarium. Substrate wise, instead of the eco complete why not try out some dirt, it a cheaper alternative especially for your size aquarium and it will arguably lead to better results. Now you cant just use any old dirt, you would need to get Miracle Grow Organic Choice. I think its around $10 per bag. You would add about an inch to the bottom of the aquarium and even throw in some bits of red clay. After that you would top it off with a 1-2" cap of the substrate of your choice, most people go with gravel because its alittle less messy but in your case, since you want the amazonian biotope feel i would go with play sand and just make the cap alittle deeper. Then finally throw some almond leaves on top of it all to add that natural yellow tint to the water. Back to the fish, for this type of aquarium i would go with a group of angels, i know for a fact that there is a variant from Peru but i dont want to throw out names without knowing exactly. As for the rest of the fish maybe a large school of corys and a school of tetras. Just an idea and you would defintely have some room left over . Maybe a SA leaf fish? As for the specific pictures of certain stretches of the amazon river, i myself have tried looking up specific regions but to no avail. All i get i the same general "sunken forest" look. Im sure that there are books out there with pictures and info but i cant recommend any because i dont know of any. I honestly think you would be safe with several pieces of driftwood with some branches thrown in. Of course some plants, im just getting into plants now. i dont really know of any plants specifically from peru but how bout some Amazon sword? They originate from south america and provide a nice broad leaf for the angels to lay eggs on. Lastly yes there are rocks are present here. I usually try and match the color of the rock to the sand in the tank. I think it provides a more natural look. Okay all done... sorry for the novel. I hope i helped alittle at least. If you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Thanks a lot for your detailed answer! No need to apologize since you've answer most of my concerns and I have a better idea of where to get started now. I will follow up with updates!


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## hauntingurcoma (Dec 19, 2011)

http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope.htm


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## oTheBeardedFiish (Oct 29, 2013)

You are welcome! if ya have any questions dont hesitate to ask. I know i gave you alot to chew on. Thats a great link by the way. Been looking for something like that for awhile now.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Great link! Thanks to the both of you.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

Quick question... for the rocks I should go with river rocks or beach type of rocks, right? The ones that tend to have a round shape? For a more natural look.


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

I did some research and they are saying that dirt will loose its nutrients after a while and that it could also be toxic because of decomposing organic matter, how can I prevent that it it's true?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

fddlss said:


> dirt


What species of cichlids you are considering :-? , Especially large cichlids like Oscars, pikes, or even some acaras will dig and move substrate around considerably. Never heard of dirt being used in a tank with large cichlids......because I think chances are it's going to end up as one helleva a mess!


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## fddlss (Apr 7, 2011)

I was considering a orange pike cichlid xingu 1, black ghost knife, arowana. I know the tank is small for an arowana, but I will upgrade once it's time to do so. I considered dirt because since I'm doing an Amazon basin biotope I was thinking on adding some plants such as Amazon Swords and Stargrass to make it look more natural, along with some driftwood. The idea was to top the dirt or eco-complete with sand. You are basically saying that if I add any kind of cichlid in there they will dig? In simple words cichlids (any species) and plants don't mix?


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## oTheBeardedFiish (Oct 29, 2013)

Hi, yeah the only way i would use dirt or even eco complete in the aquarium would be if you went the angelfish/tetra route, stuff that doesnt bother the substrate much yanno? The bigger fish will more than likely make an absolute mess of a planted tank. I think that you are either gonna have to choose between big fish or live plants. i could be wrong though about that. Hopefully someone else chimes in. Baaack to the dirt thing. I was just throwing that out there as a cheap alternative to the eco complete. I recently came across Dustin'sFishTanks on youtube and saw he had great success with it. If you want more information about dirt then i suggest you go check him out, because i honestly am not completely sure about the toxicity thing. About the rocks, its really up to you. Im lucky enough to have a stream across the street from where i live. I just go grab some from over there and scrub them off with some hot water. Like i said before i just try and make sure they are close in color to my sand. I think it makes it look more natural. i cant stand when people have black or grey stones in with tan sand. My understanding of sand/gravel is that it is eroded sediment from the larger rocks in the area, so naturally its gonna be the same color. its just one of those things for me. Sorry for the rock rant...


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## oTheBeardedFiish (Oct 29, 2013)

Im sorry im not really sure what you mean by river or beach rocks. Maybe ill try and take a picture of my tank and show you what i have going on.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

fddlss said:


> I was considering a orange pike cichlid xingu 1, black ghost knife


Not really too familiar with BGK as I have never seen them kept with aggressive cichlids. My understanding is that they are rather shy and timid and also scale-less.

I think you might be underestimating the potential aggression of a lugrabis-type pike. They are often considerably more aggressive then the smaller pikes. 
Will it leave the BGK alone? maybe :-? With out too many tankmates, expect the pike's aggression to be directed some where, at least at some point in time.

As well, they are very big and boisterous fish. Excitable in the eating area. Any fish that doesn't know how to stay out of it's way will probably get bitten. I generally would not expect shy and timid fish to make good tankmates for a 'lugrabis'-type pike.



fddlss said:


> In simple words cichlids (any species) and plants don't mix?


Nope. Certainly did not say that. Pike cichlids usually do not eat plants and usually leave them alone for the most part. But it's a big fish that could wreak havoc with your display; might decide to re-arrange the tank to it's liking :lol: Any plants should probably be well secured with rock or what ever. Once it is large, very heavily planted might not be that suitable, as it will need swimming space.


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