Amazon River Tank

**rsulliv6** · 09-02-2009, 01:39 AM

Hey everyone, first off new to the forums and loving all the info I have found, so helpful!

After looking around and searching the forums I finally have decided to post my questions. I really want to do a Amazon river theme with a couple of cichlids, but still be able to have a community tank. I know that is hard, but I have looked at rams, angels, firemouths, the eartheaters.

I would like to have one pair of something. A school of fish, something at the bottom and anything else that will fit.

The other thing is that I do want live plants and am planning on getting some native stuff like Amazonian swords and so whatever I get doesnt need to be a super digger(might rule out the eartheaters). I am going to put some rocks around the plants but I hear things like convicts which i guess are really CA cichlids are big diggers

What are some realistic options for my 55 gallon tank, with a marineland 350 cannister filter??

Thanks so much, this really is a great hobby!

**rich311k** · 09-02-2009, 01:46 AM

Welcome to AC!

You have many choices here. Plant friendly cichlids include apistos, rams, angels, discus, keyholes, festivums the list goes on. I cant swear some of those are not CA cichlids.

Other fish wise you have any tetra you can find, cory cats, many different smaller sized plecos.

All these fish will be very happy in a planted tank.

**Lady Hobbs** · 09-02-2009, 02:15 AM

Hi there Tennessee. Welcome aboard.

I like the look of an amazon tank too and you have several choices given to you already. I'd probably go with smaller fish so you can have a lot of plants, rocks and branches.

**Amazon** · 09-02-2009, 02:23 AM

Small fish community tank

pair of rams
school of tetras
school of corys
BN pleco
heavily planted amazon swords and anubias
driftwood

large fish community tank
pair of angelfish or maybe discus
raphael catfish
twig catfish
larger tetras like black phantom tetras
planted pretty heavily with Anubias and amazon swords
driftwood

IMO blackwater extract looks pretty good in both setups, it also mimics natural surroundings in the amazon.

make sure you add these fish slowly

**thatcichlidguy** · 09-02-2009, 02:43 AM

Welcome to AC!

There are so many choices of different SA cichlids that can be compatable with the endless list of SA community fish. Just not all of them actually come from the Amazon itself. Most are found in the tributary rivers that make up the larger Amazon river system. Most geos will outgrow a 55g and prefer to be in groups (though there are smaller species but they tend to be rare in the hobby), Rams and Apistogrammas are very well suited to that size of tank, Dwarf acaras will fit nicely too ,Laetacara are common and very pretty. They are commonly sold as Curviceps or smiling acaras. Keyholes are a dwarf acara as well and also common. Angels are of course well suited and just about everywhere. Guianacara are a little bigger and a little harder to find, but can be a good addition too.Once you get fish outside the dwarfs though you have to be a little more selective about tankmates since they might start disappearing. Stay with the dwarf cichlids and most every common tetra is do-able, and most all of them will school . They should be kept in groups of at least 8 and large schools are better. Two schools of 10 tetras (your choice) and a few dwarf cichlids, and you'll have a great tank. Just be sure to break up the bottom decor into distinct territories. Dwarfs are generally very peacefull but they are cichlids. They will often display quite a bit of aggression amongst themselves and need individual territories or they will fight eachother for available space.

**thatcichlidguy** · 09-02-2009, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by Amazon

Small fish community tank

pair of rams
school of tetras
school of corys
BN pleco
heavily planted amazon swords and anubias
driftwood

large fish community tank
pair of angelfish or maybe discus
raphael catfish
twig catfish
larger tetras like black phantom tetras
planted pretty heavily with Anubias and amazon swords
driftwood

IMO blackwater extract looks pretty good in both setups, it also mimics natural surroundings in the amazon.

make sure you add these fish slowly

Not the Amazon , but the Rio Negro and other blackwater environs. The Amazon looks like chocolate milk.

**Lady Hobbs** · 09-02-2009, 03:55 AM

Peat pellets in the filter also work and is a lot cheaper.

**rsulliv6** · 09-02-2009, 01:52 PM

Great advice, I think changing the water color would look really neat. What about the firemouths? Will they get to vicious or how would they act with say some of the dwarfs or one angel?

**WhiteDevil** · 09-02-2009, 02:07 PM

A amazon tank isnt just an amazon tank, there are several biotopes within the amazon river basin, and the fish AND plant selection is very limited in the public trade. Plants do not do well in blackwater tanks at all, they have little light to work with and Ph usually from as low as 3.5 to as much as 6.0.

Lady is 100% correct, Peat moss in pure form is the best it will soften the water, raise the acidity a wee bit and will stain the water brownish yellow.

I have a Amazon River Basin Rio Negro tank for my pair of angels.

Mongabay.com is the BEST outlet for amazon river information.

they have plant AND fish species lists however you have to translate them to pet shop terms on your own.

Blackwater tanks are usually light very light gravel and heavier sand bottoms loaded with leaf litter and driftwood, plants in any form minus floaters are rare in blackwater environments. Anubias will not do well at all and the swords well mine is ever so slowly fading( replanting into my big community med light tank). Blackwater does not allow light to penetrate more then a couple of inches MAX at the surface.

I would buy a chunk of Mopani Driftwood and just rinse it and give it a wee lil scrub then put it in your tank, within days you will have tea colored water.

I am trying not to tear down peoples posts but It took me a year to find the right tank and research a natural rio negro(black river) biotope.

The only reason I made my tank a rio negro tank is the fact I am experimenting on if the Angel eggs being in a darn near perfect natural environment will bascially change trade angels into wild types, I am not sure if its possible but I have a hunch that the water chemistry has alot to do with egg development.

This is mine
http://tinypic.com/useralbum.php?ua=...Bit0CEtg%3D%3D

its not done and the oak leaves are out drying out but this is the start, I will get more pics up today maybe if I have time, starting to reside my house and got to remove all my lovely botanics from the yard.

There is a ton involved with making a true blackwater tank.

What you need to do is find out what fish you like and then build them their natural environment. Fish selection has alot to do with this, there are over 200 rio negro species however only a hand-ful are available on the market.

I wouldnt mix firemouths with angels, thats is a accident waiting to happen. Firemouths are very aggressive fish, if you want neat fish stick with dwarf cichs and angels, alot of tetras especially cardinal tetras are 100% native to blackwater and they will school up nice, infact you will find ALOT of brightly colored blackwater fish if you research hard enough.

**Crispy** · 09-02-2009, 06:33 PM

eartheaters are peaceful cichlids, but they'll easily uproot your plants if they're not surrounded by rocks. I highly suggest them. They do well with almost any other non/semi-aggressive cichlids.