African River Biotope Log
- Thread starter Bluesandtwo
- Start date
Thanks. It's hopefully going to look even better with the additional plants and then the future plant growth. I'll update with more photos in a few days.
I'm very torn on stocking at the moment. Perhaps I could list my ideas and some of you could share your thoughts?
1) 1 African Butterfly Fish. 6 African Dwarf Frogs
2) 1 African Butterfly Fish. 2 Krib Cichlids
3) 1 Jewel Cichlid
4) 1 Leopard Bush Fish
5) 1 Spotted Congo Puffer
I'm going to guess the tank is too small for the leaf fish..?
I think option 2 would be the classic African theme, tank looks amazing BTW.
As stated option 2 is probably the best choice and the classic one. There are alot of dwarf African cichlids that could work besides kribs though. Nanochromis splendens and transventitus are the more " common" ones. Wetspot had splendens last week and I've seen trans there too.
I do believe a leopard bush fish will be to big. Again there are microctenopoma that could work as well.
When I had my Congo puffer she was great. That tank may be a little small for one though if it was longer it may be ok. My schoutdeni was very active and anything less then say a 40b I think would have been too small to contain that level of activity.
I do believe a leopard bush fish will be to big. Again there are microctenopoma that could work as well.
When I had my Congo puffer she was great. That tank may be a little small for one though if it was longer it may be ok. My schoutdeni was very active and anything less then say a 40b I think would have been too small to contain that level of activity.
So, stage 2 is more anubias nana and African water fern setup around the back.. still some more anubias nana petite to add at the front shortly. All very small at the moment and will need time to grow and flourish.
Plus as an experiment... some spider plants above the waterline with roots going down. They are geographically correct but not usually subject to hydroponics; so we'll see.
Plus as an experiment... some spider plants above the waterline with roots going down. They are geographically correct but not usually subject to hydroponics; so we'll see.
Beautiful tank
I usually don't like to make suggestions about species, but....
If your water is neutral or slightly higher in pH these are some other small Afrians often overlooked and you might want to consider.
To me the genus Teleogramma with the species brichardi, or depressum are interesting.
Both are rheophillic and might do best with some extra current, which isn't a bad thing for african ferns.
The two above have been on my wish list for years.
Or ........the cichlids of Lake Barumbi mbo, of which I have kept a number
The genus Stomatepia with species S pindu, mariae, and mongo are active little predators that top out after a few years at @ 6-7"
In the photo below S pindu is above, and another Barumbi Mbu lake denizen is Sarotherodon linnellii.
The iridescent spots on the pindu face, are cephalic pits used to detect prey buried in sand and under leaf litter.
They did well with plants for me in a tank I dedicated to fish only from that lake.
A couple others from the lake are
S mariae (upper)and Konia eisentraudti (lower in the shot below
There is also a species from the lake that eats primarily freshwater sponges in nature, called Pungu macleranie (but takes well to aquarium pellets), and another species sometimes available called Myaka myaka.
I usually don't like to make suggestions about species, but....
If your water is neutral or slightly higher in pH these are some other small Afrians often overlooked and you might want to consider.
To me the genus Teleogramma with the species brichardi, or depressum are interesting.
Both are rheophillic and might do best with some extra current, which isn't a bad thing for african ferns.
The two above have been on my wish list for years.
Or ........the cichlids of Lake Barumbi mbo, of which I have kept a number
The genus Stomatepia with species S pindu, mariae, and mongo are active little predators that top out after a few years at @ 6-7"
In the photo below S pindu is above, and another Barumbi Mbu lake denizen is Sarotherodon linnellii.
The iridescent spots on the pindu face, are cephalic pits used to detect prey buried in sand and under leaf litter.
They did well with plants for me in a tank I dedicated to fish only from that lake.
A couple others from the lake are
S mariae (upper)and Konia eisentraudti (lower in the shot below
There is also a species from the lake that eats primarily freshwater sponges in nature, called Pungu macleranie (but takes well to aquarium pellets), and another species sometimes available called Myaka myaka.
Great suggestions and an exceptionally informative post. Thank you!! I'll be researching everything you named 
So, more anubias nana petite added. Sadly the African ferns are dying back drastically. This may be due to them being tissue grown or possibly just adjusting to new water stats. We'll have to wait and see. I've got a Eheim 300l p/h skimmer on order and I'll aim to flow on them - as pointed out by @duanes these prefer a current.
Failing that, if I see no new growth in a few weeks I'll swap them out for larger species of anubias. I just need to try and be patient!! On the up side I can already see new shoots on some of the anubias and root growth from the spider plants above!
Failing that, if I see no new growth in a few weeks I'll swap them out for larger species of anubias. I just need to try and be patient!! On the up side I can already see new shoots on some of the anubias and root growth from the spider plants above!