Lighting is a single 125W metal halide; filtration is done by a trickle filter with an Eheim 1250 plus a 2215 double cannister. Plenty of current! Water changes are 60l per week of water aerated for a week. ph is around 6.8 and temp 26C
As you can see there is plenty of driftwood, with a large central piece that spans the width of the tank, underneath which are a number of hollow logs. This gives them lots of room to freely move around the substrate while still feeling secure from the cover above. Fish that were shy and retreating in other tanks seem to get a new lease on life in here and readily spend time in the strong current that flows along the front pane of the glass.
Plants consist of self-propagating dwarf tropical lillies that takes the edge of the metal halide quite nicely and are tough enough to survive the catfish digging around their roots, plus a lot of java fern & moss that likewise avoid uprooting.
The fish list is quite extensive and varied, although the majority are of course catfish of some description - these are listed below. Tankmates include a couple of loaches, red eye & pink tail tetras, those red striped flying fox-like rasboras whose name escapes me, plus a very friendly butterfly fish who delights in lurking beneath the lillies and taking flies & roaches from my hand
Ancistrus sp. x 4 (common bristlenose)
Brochis splendens x 5 (3 tank bred, 2 wild caught)
Corydoras adolfoi x 6
C. concolor x 2
C. guapore x 3
C. panda x 2
C. robineae x 4
C. trilineatus x 2
Dianema urostriatum x 1
Farlowella acus x 1
Hemiloricaria sp. x 2
Hypancistrus inspector x 3
Kryptopterus minor x 4
Otocinclus vittatus x 3
Panaque maccus x 1
Synodontis eupterus x 1
S. nigriventris x 1
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.
updated 22/09/05
