# Plant suggestions for Amazon biotope and lots of questions



## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Hi all, got a new place and want to set up a new tank (30 gal). I'm leaning toward an Amazon stream bank, with the substrate starting high on one end of the tank, steadily dropping to the 'stream floor' on the opposite end of the tank. What plants should I stock the tank with? I'm assuming swords, anything else native to South America that would be fitting? I'd prefer not to use CO2, want to start basic.

Whats the best place to buy these plants?

What's the best place to grab some nice driftwood that resembles roots of a tree?

What should I use for substrate? I have a couple bags of ADA Amazonia but have heard mixed opinions of it. I'm thinking mix it with a more traditional pebble substrate?

What's the best/cheapest/free way to grab some stones that won't leach calcium into my water? I've had huge problems finding a friggan rock that won't jack my pH up. I'm thinking head to a local stream and take my pick? Does the pouring-vinegar-over-a-rock trick to see if it bubbles actually work to reveal calcium deposits?

Any help or suggestions here would be appreciated, thank you


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

https://pethelpful.com/fish-aquariums/Creating-a-natural-Amaon-River-themed-aquarium

Have a look at this page.

April would have plants, and maybe driftwood.


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## Lutefisk (Jun 29, 2014)

Another great web resource to find groups of co-occurring SA species is Welcome to Martin and Toms Homepage

There are plenty of cool pictures and descriptions of shallow marginal habitats like what you want to construct. Enjoy!


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Okay thanks for the sites guys, that gives me some good ideas as for plants, driftwood, and layouts. 

Still would like some suggestions for substrate and smooth rocks. Don't need any of the highly dramatic cliffs that ADA totes; just something simple will do.


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## Lutefisk (Jun 29, 2014)

Any landscape supply store should have a decent selection of rock that you can pick up for pennies/kg. I think I've heard NW Landscape Supply (in Burnaby?) recommended here, but I've never been. The stream thing should work too. If you look at how to distinguish sedimentary from igneous/metamorphic rocks (you want the latter), you might not need to worry about acid-testing them. Also, look out for copper- or iron-containing bits, which may look like rust or green rust. Anything that basically looks like granite or basalt should be fine.

For creating slopes in substrate, I've heard good things about filling nylon stockings with lava rock, and using those as a bulk layer that won't become anoxic to the same degree as other substrate would. After that, I'd just spread the Amazonia over the top. I've been running a tank for several years with a substrate of what I was told was used Amazonia, and I like it fine. I don't have any dramatic hills, but there's a bit of a slope, especially in one corner. I can pull crypts up and plant things in without mucking up the water too much.


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Ok so I'm going to do the nylon stocking with pumice or lava rock (I've been told both work well) to build up the slope of the stream bed first. 

I went to April's today and didn't find much that I needed hardscape wise but I did find a niiiiice piece of driftwood that I picked up. I will likely end up ordering specific plants from April after I figure out the layout. She also had some dead fall dried leaves that are a good idea to keep in mind for later.

Lutefisk, do you have any picture of your aquarium?


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## sschlesier (Sep 16, 2016)

This recent video and article about snorkelling a Rio ***** black water habitat may provide some inspiration.

Biotope Video: Blackwater Shallows in the Middle Rio *****


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

That video was real cool. Surprisingly not a whole lot of vegetation at all. I really dig the leaf litter and all the roots and tree trunks everywhere. Thanks for the share


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

Super-Duper resource: The Complete Aquarium by Peter W. Scott.

Disclaimer: I receive no financial or other compensation for mentioning this title. :0)


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## joeyk (May 30, 2016)

Just my two cents on the topic;

NW Landscape Supply in Burnaby is top notch. Went there for some feather rock, and it was cheap, and looks great. (If you don't know about feather rock, I'd HIGHLY recommend looking into it)

If you want to check rocks, the vinegar method is adequate, but I found muriatic acid to work much better. I think I paid under $5 for 1 litre of it from Rona, and I used maybe 1/16 (at most) of the bottle to check about 200 lbs of rocks. 

As far as plants go, I'd recommend taking a look at the Tropica 1-2-Grow plants, as they are grown in a sterile environment and will not bring in pests.


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## Tropica North America (Jun 19, 2016)

joeyk said:


> As far as plants go, I'd recommend taking a look at the Tropica 1-2-Grow plants, as they are grown in a sterile environment and will not bring in pests.


Further to the TC plants, here is a full list of all our South American plants that are available.

071 PCS	Echinodorus 'Bleherae' pot in single package	Easy	Background South America
040 PCS	Lilaeopsis brasiliensis	pot in single package	Easy	Foreground South America
068 TC	Helanthium 'Quadricostatus'	1-2-Grow! Easy	Middleground South America
096 TC	Heteranthera zosterifolia	1-2-Grow! Easy	Supporting plants South America
040 TC	Lilaeopsis brasiliensis	1-2-Grow! Easy	Foreground South America
063 TC	Limnobium laevigatum	1-2-Grow! Easy South America
025 TC	Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'	1-2-Grow! Medium	Foreground South America
142 TC	Potamogeton gayi	1-2-Grow!  Easy Background	South America
037C TC	Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba'	1-2-Grow! Advanced	Background	South America
079 TC	Sagittaria subulata	1-2-Grow! Easy Middleground	South America
049G TC	Staurogyne repens 1-2-Grow! Easy Foreground South America
003A TC	Vesicularia dubyana 'Christmas'	1-2-Grow!	Medium	Foreground South America
023 Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink'	potted Medium	Background	South America
043A Bacopa australis	potted Medium	Middleground	South America
071 Echinodorus 'Bleherae' potted Easy Background	South America
076 Echinodorus palaefolius	potted Medium	Background	South America
068 Helanthium 'Quadricostatus'	potted Easy Middleground	South America
039 Hydrocotyle verticillata	potted Advanced	Foreground South America
040 Lilaeopsis brasiliensis	potted Easy Foreground South America
037 Myriophyllum mattogrossense	potted	Medium	Supporting plants	South America
079 Sagittaria subulata	potted Easy Middleground	South America
049G Staurogyne repens	potted Easy Foreground South America
023 XL	Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink'	XL Medium	Background	South America
076 XL	Echinodorus palaefolius	XL Medium	Background	South America
063 POR	Limnobium laevigatum	portion Easy South America


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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

Nice meeting you at Pat's yesterday! Hope to see photos of your set-up =).


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Npkstyle,

Speaking from my own experiences trying to establish and maintain amazon themed biotopes I've steered away from keeping any live plants. Just going with the right pieces of driftwood or branches, leaf matter(almond leaves?),sand substrate ,and rock work will speak volumes of your setup if done correctly. Not much lighting is needed either but if necessary apply something on a smaller scale. This also depends on the species u plan on keeping as well. Species like tetras,corys, apistogrammas,discus etc thrive in these conditions . With water being so soft here in the lower mainland this is ideal for a biotope u wanna do. I still add minerals to my water keeping my stock happy for growth,breeding etc. Any questions fire away , I currently run an amazon themed setup now and have a few journals on the forum here if u wanna gather some ideas. There's a few other members doing similar setups as well have a look around and good luck with it. Keep us posted on the progress


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Wow thanks for all the responses people. With help from here I've accumulated most of the hardscape that I've envisioned.. going to get lava rock next (and throw them in some nylon socks to build some height).

I've got almond leaves, a couple pieces of driftwood, ADA arizona sand, some normal gravel substrate, ADA amazonia, and some larger natural looking round stones (hagen brand). I set up half the tank (the part that won't be elevated) today and I'm real excited at how this is going to look.

I just checked back at this thread after looking at the Tropica website and am surprised to see a ton of Tropica suggestions! I'm thinking of going with these 2 for sure:
Echinodorus 'Bleherae' - Tropica Aquarium Plants
Echinodorus 'Barthii' - Tropica Aquarium Plants (i realize this is a lab cultivated species but it looks sweet)

As suggested, I'm going to go light on the plants and focus more on the leaf litter/driftwood/sand look.

I will post some pictures probably before I put plants in. I'm assuming the plants I order will take a while to arrive. I think I'll order via April's. In a couple weeks it's livestock time!


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## aprilsaquarium (Aug 22, 2016)

Keep updating. I can order when ready. Corys are arriving also. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Here is the hardscape. I'm pretty satisfied so far. I ordered plants with April today so once those come in I'll be filling it up and doing some massive water changes initially to get rid of the inevitable cloud of dust that will arise from the ADA amazonia. CC welcome


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Looks great! Should fill in a bit once u add your plants. Just a thought, a few larger pieces of stone or rock near the front/back end to cover up any equipment. Liking the litter of the leaves everywhere. What stock u planning on keeping?


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Hey Luke78, I'm hoping the plants will cover most of the equipment eventually when they grow out. I'm also looking for a nice black background so the equipment blends in a bit more too. 

As for stocking the tank, I'm thinking cardinals and likely sterbai corys. If it doesn't seem too crowded with a decent school of those two species, I may add a pair of german blue rams or apistrogrammas.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Great stocking choices NPKstyle. Are you lookzing for a fancy moulded/crafted background ? Or something simple? Personally I just went with black sheet(plastic) background (not painted). Nah you shouldn't be crowded so a few schools would look great. Obviously maintaince is important to keep things stable. For apistogrammas, remember to have more females to male ratio.



NPKstyle said:


> Hey Luke78, I'm hoping the plants will cover most of the equipment eventually when they grow out. I'm also looking for a nice black background so the equipment blends in a bit more too.
> 
> As for stocking the tank, I'm thinking cardinals and likely sterbai corys. If it doesn't seem too crowded with a decent school of those two species, I may add a pair of german blue rams or apistrogrammas.


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Luke78 said:


> Great stocking choices NPKstyle. Are you lookzing for a fancy moulded/crafted background ? Or something simple? Personally I just went with black sheet(plastic) background (not painted). Nah you shouldn't be crowded so a few schools would look great. Obviously maintaince is important to keep things stable. For apistogrammas, remember to have more females to male ratio.


Yea I'm wanting a matte finish black sheet probably. ehhhh yea i tend to like my tanks on the emptier side stock wise but perhaps you're right i'll have to wait and see once the tetras and corys are in. hmmm interesting I'll make sure to always buy more females than males, good to know thanks!


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

They are feisty little cichlids when it comes to breeding.Females can get aggressive against their partners and other females. Against stock, they will chase everybody away from their caves or breeding spots. Lots of hiding spots to claim is a must.


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Alright, a couple nice swords came in from April's and I planted them and filled the tank today... kind of frustrated though as most of the layout ended up floating.. I'm waiting it out for the driftwood and leaves in hopes they will become waterlogged enough to sink themselves. If that fails I may try to tie them down with twine to some rocks. 

Any suggestions on making stuff sink? I've heard boiling it? Would boiling the almond leaves destroy them? Do I just wait?

Thanks (feeling a bit disheartened)


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

You can pre soak the leaves for a bit and then add them in. Keep in mind they will not always stay in a spot u may like. Current in the water caused by power heads, filters, etc will shift them aside. Stock will pick at it too and substrate will end up on it. As for the driftwood apply the same method and leave them in buckets for a bit ,or add stones or rocks on them to hold them down.Tying stuff down works as well but might not look good. Waiting and patience are needed too. It will come together before you know it.



NPKstyle said:


> Alright, a couple nice swords came in from April's and I planted them and filled the tank today... kind of frustrated though as most of the layout ended up floating.. I'm waiting it out for the driftwood and leaves in hopes they will become waterlogged enough to sink themselves. If that fails I may try to tie them down with twine to some rocks.
> 
> Any suggestions on making stuff sink? I've heard boiling it? Would boiling the almond leaves destroy them? Do I just wait?
> 
> Thanks (feeling a bit disheartened)


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## NPKstyle (May 20, 2011)

Ok good news, all the leaf litter sank! I ended up getting some cooking cord and tying the driftwood down, however. Here is what I got so far.... the large space near the heater and bubble filter will be filled with the larger swords when April gets them in (hopefully 2 weeks as per our phone call today).

(I put some amano shrimp and java moss in there just to help cycle, I'm aware they don't fit the amazon theme)


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