Amelia's 65g Rescape

**ameliaaahx** · 09-12-2012, 08:42 AM

So, I've had my 65g 4ft tank setup for about 4 months now. I've never really known what I wanted for it so the stocklists have swayed from neons and swordtails to yoyo loaches and congo tetras, to kribs and cories.

The current stocklist is 4 swordtails, a rainbow shark, a platinum gourami, 16 harlequin rasbora, 13 sterba's cories, 3 male kribensis and X number of kuhli loaches.

After neglecting it for the past month while I have been moving, I have decided to rescape the tank and rebuild it from the bottom up. Finally, I think, I've settled on what I actually plan to do with this tank.

This tank does not seem to support most plants well, so I'll be chucking out everything except the Dwarf Sagittaria, Java Moss and Water Sprite as floating plants. I hope to get my hands on some Java Fern but it's pretty expensive around here. I plan of tossing the current driftwood in favour of some branchy stuff and adding piles of slate to act as caves for my kribs and future catfish/plecos. Might throw some terracotta pots in there too. I plan on rehoming almost all of the current stock, except the Kribensis, and stocking with some oddball catfish (a Featherfin Syno, Chocolate Raphael or group of Upsidedown Cats), plecos and a Golden Severum. Further than that I have no plans. I may leave it at that for simplicities sake. I have considered Black Angelfish, a Firemouth, Sajica Cichlids, Blood Parrots and Keyhole Cichlids for this setup but at the moment I'm playing it by ear, and will determine what else if anything I decide to add once the rest of the tank is "finished".

The tank as it currently stands (sans-fish and with a lot less wilting plants).

Let the rescape begin.

**ScottishFish** · 09-12-2012, 08:47 AM

I like that piece of wood you've got there

hope you get this one set up just how you want it

**coarb34** · 09-19-2012, 07:41 AM

What ever you decide to to with the 65 g it will look good.

**ameliaaahx** · 09-19-2012, 09:15 AM

Thanks coarb!

**KevinVA** · 09-19-2012, 03:45 PM

Looking good, Amelia! Like that piece of driftwood. Are you going to put a background up? Looks like my tank did when I didn't - my wall color is a sand/tan color, so it made the tank look a lot lighter.

**ameliaaahx** · 09-20-2012, 08:54 AM

I've scraped that piece of driftwood. It's so big and heavy and impossible to work around, and bits of it keep breaking off and making mess. I bought it from a fish store but I think it was actually meant to be a reptile log.

There is a background, it wasn't up when I took this photo. It's just a picture of aquatic plants. But I plan on changing it to the background I just got for my 45g of slate.

Still not sure what I want to do with this tank. I really like the idea of a biotope SA/CA tank based around a Severum but then I don't know what I'd do with my Kribs. Ahh, dilemmas.

**KevinVA** · 09-20-2012, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by ameliaaahx

I've scraped that piece of driftwood. It's so big and heavy and impossible to work around, and bits of it keep breaking off and making mess. I bought it from a fish store but I think it was actually meant to be a reptile log.

There is a background, it wasn't up when I took this photo. It's just a picture of aquatic plants. But I plan on changing it to the background I just got for my 45g of slate.

Still not sure what I want to do with this tank. I really like the idea of a biotope SA/CA tank based around a Severum but then I don't know what I'd do with my Kribs. Ahh, dilemmas.

What bits keep breaking off? The bark? If that's the case, that's at least pretty normal with Mopani driftwood. If it's the actual wood, then you're probably right.

Good luck with trying to figure out what you want to do. With so many choices, it's really difficult to make a decision. ;P

**Gogi** · 09-20-2012, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by ameliaaahx

I've scraped that piece of driftwood. It's so big and heavy and impossible to work around, and bits of it keep breaking off and making mess. I bought it from a fish store but I think it was actually meant to be a reptile log.

Lol i was going to comment on that awesome dragon looking driftwood too. It looks like malayasian driftwood, thats what I have and little pieces do break off. I just use the broken parts with java ferns. I tie em down to it. My plecos keeps the big pieces nice and clean.

I also have some BP and they are fun to watch.

**FPF77** · 09-20-2012, 02:12 PM

I feel your pain. After more thn three decades of keeping fish, I'm not sure I've ever been totally satisfied with anything I ever set up. For me, seeking perfection is a big part of what keeps me going.

Golden severum are probably my favorite cichlids. You can't go wrong building something around one.

Best of luck with the re-design.

**ameliaaahx** · 09-27-2012, 04:58 AM

UPDATE!

So I finally got around to attacking my tank. Here's a shot taken a few days before the rescape:

Stocklist: 1 Rainbow Shark, 4 Swordtails, 3 male Kribensis, 13 Sterbai Cories, 8 Kuhli Loaches and 1 Platinum Gourami.

And a photo taken just after the 'scape:

Excuse the hazy look, it was still a little murky from all the mucking around and moving things and I took it on my phone. Will get a better one in the next few days.

What I've done: Cut out almost all of the plants except the sagittaria, which I've pruned. Scrubbed the driftwood and rocks and added a couple more bits of slate. Cleaned the crap out of the gravel -- literally. After being heavily planted for so long I'd been unable to do a proper gravel clean around the back parts, and it was filthy. Done 3 consecutive 50% water changes and gravel cleans to get the water and substrate absolutely pristine.