Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope

Subject: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:30 pm

Okay, pics taken with my cell, but didn't turn out half bad. Lookin' for some leaf litter for the bottom to complete the look. Tank is meant to mimic where the Essequibo River floods the Iwokrama forest in Guyana.

Pic of the entire tank.

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope 90_gal11

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope 90_gal11

Some angelfish pics:

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Angels10

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Angels11

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Angels12

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Angels13

And a not so good head and tail light tetra pic.

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Head_n10

Tank is a 90 gallon filtered by two Emperor 400 filters, and planted with four amazon swords and a stand of vallisneria, which is to be replaced with hairgrass when I get some. Current stock consists of eight striped angelfish (P. scalare), twelve head and tail light tetras (Hemigrammus ocellifer), thirty glowlight tetras (Hemigrammus erythrozonus), two dawn tetras (Hyphessobrycon eos), five Corydoras melanistus and two red tail sternellas (Pseudacanthicus leopardus). I'm lookin' for some Ancistrus hoplogenys and a coupla cupid cichlids (Biotodoma cupido) to round it out.

I so can't wait to get a camera. Won't be long. Mrs. WYite got her cosmetology license after 16 months of school and starts her new job at a salon on Monday. YAY!

WYite

The Turtle Whisperer Posts : 1930

Wooo! Camera time!

I've never seen striped angels like that around here. Nothing but blue and yellow blushing and oddly colored ones. I do kinda like the koi variety with the orange, but even they are near impossible to find around here.

They're even the first reasonably sized fish the 4yr old likes. Amazing.

Subject: Re: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:23 am

Not true wild-type angelfish, which is what I really wanted, but as close as I've seen the past three years. Definitely an aquarum strain. They have an extra stripe here and there and the fins are a bit more developed than true wild-type.

Used to see these all the time 25 years ago. Now they've been pushed out by all the veiltails and various fancy color strains.

WYite

The Turtle Whisperer Posts : 1930

So, sounds like I need to either find a time machine, or start checking Walmarts. Smile

Also, is that the lilac in that tank?

Subject: Re: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:00 pm

Very nice!

Subject: Re: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:50 am

I like all the wood you have included in this tank! Is that something you collected yourself? Usually big chunky stuff is what you find for sale in the shops.

Subject: Re: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Sun Feb 12, 2012 1:54 pm

I "collected" it. It's pieces of a huge, old lilac bush that I tried to transplant from my old neighbor's when I moved out here. It didn't make it in spite of havin' a good portion of the root ball attached.

I chopped it up and it sat in the field for a coupla years and weathered. Then I boiled the smaller pieces and cured the larger ones in a tub. It's 'bout the same weight as mopani, and maybe a bit harder. I'll get some better pics with a camera, but it has a cool grain to it. It's stays a lighter brown with streaks of darker brown and purple running through it. All my plecos love to gnaw on it.

I was a little concerned at the beginning that it might carry harmful chemicals, as lilacs are so fragrant. So I went slow, with cheap, hardy fish at first and monitored it closely. Some of it's been in my tanks for two years now and I've had no negative side effects.

WYite

Subject: Re: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:57 am

Never would have thought of using lilac! I just had a big ol' lilac I had to cut down a year or so ago, would have been a lot of good wood there. Other than that I've got some oaks and soft maples. Have thought about using some weathered oak. Have some reservations about the maple though, there is a lot of sap when you cut it. Probably wouldn't be an issue if it was weathered and cured well, but I hate to chance it....

Subject: Re: Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:57 pm

Looking awesome Ivan!

Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope

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