Author Topic: PJN's 130 Litre Mekong River (Read 1734 times)

_pjn312_ · « **on:** January 21, 2018, 10:51:42 pm »

The Backstory

So exactly a week ago I inherited a second-hand AquaNano 80/130. This week I've been cleaning it up and finally it has been cleaned (ish) and placed on the stand. The tank has had many uses and inhabitants, from discus to neon tetras. It's apparently a fairly old/rare type of tank so it's been hard to get some information on it such as lighting etc. which shall be elaborated upon more below...

The Machinery/Decor

The tank came with several decorations and machinery, including:

What I believe to be ADA Aquasoil
Some rocks and stones (which allegedly do not change the pH so that's good)
An Askoll Powerhead 301 (one of the older models)
An ADA HL-300 heater (again I think an old model)
An undergravel heater
And some lights, which are impossible to find the wattage of!

The Plan

So as you can probably see from the title, I'm planning on making a Mekong river biotope for my sparkling gourami mainly as they are showing some fair territorial issues. This larger tank will enable them to have more room to roam and help them establish territories, and also help me get more fish

And so there's the info... let the story unfold...

TropicalFishForums

_pjn312_ · « **Reply #1 on:** January 22, 2018, 07:20:31 am »

Here's the tank as it stands, attached below.

My current planting/stocking plan is as follows.

Plants:

Java fern
Java moss
Dwarf and giant hairgrass
Tiger lotus
Crypt. Wendtii

Fish:

Least Raabora
Sparkling Gourami
Dwarf/Khuli loach
Checkered barb

I am aware there may be some agression issues so I am open to suggestions which may help. Also, with my current planting plan will I need CO2?

WBT12 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2018, 07:53:52 am »

Ooo sounds good PJN. Looking forward to following this.

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plankton · « **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2018, 09:51:13 am »

The most aggressive fish there would appear to be the sparklies, so no problem I would think.
I don't think you'll need CO2, don't use the undersoil heater, just in case the glass cracks because of it.

_pjn312_ · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2018, 12:00:49 pm »

Okay, that's good news. Why would the heater break the glass? Just out of curiosity, it seemed to be used by the previous owners with no problem. Still, I won't use it.

plankton · « **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2018, 12:27:11 pm »

I've seen it happen before, unless you have it well sorted with thermostats and cut-offs.
I'm not sure, as long as the soil isn't more than 3" deep, it's needed anyway.

fr499y · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2018, 12:48:35 pm »

Quote from: _pjn312_ on January 22, 2018, 07:20:31 am

Plants:
Java fern
Java moss
Dwarf and giant hairgrass
Tiger lotus
Crypt. Wendtii
Also, with my current planting plan will I need CO2?

Nope. All do fine without co2. Tiger lotus will explode with growth one settled down

_pjn312_ · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2018, 04:14:41 pm »

Alright, thanks folks

I will avoid CO2 but I reckon I'll need ferts - can anyone recommend some brands? Also I've heard tiger shrimp are native in South East Asia so if I'll want to get those then the ferts have to be shrimp safe. In addition, I really like the look of anchor and glass catfish, however would these be suitable? I've heard they need cooler water, so it may not be possible..

_pjn312_ · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2018, 04:16:14 pm »

Also forgot to add - on all the places I've seen for tiger lotus care it says to trim it down to stop getting lillies on the surface. Why is that? Should surface lillies be avoided?

plankton · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2018, 04:28:42 pm »

I don't use CO2 or ferts, and my plants are very similar to yours (don't have the lotus or hairgrass).

Suelo · « **Reply #10 on:** January 22, 2018, 05:16:24 pm »

Re surface leaves, I think (might be wrong) that if you let the lotus produce surface leaves, it only produces surface leaves, and is more prone to getting huge. I've been trimming the surface leaves off my tiger lotus, and it's stayed nice and compact. In fact, it's so compact I'm thinking of moving it forward in the tank, so I can put something bigger behind it.

I had an aponegeton (spelling!?) do the same. I let it produce surface leaves, (i.e. Didn't trim them off), and then it stopped producing any lower leaves. So, all I could see in the tank were stems going up to the surface.

Mr Krabs · « **Reply #11 on:** January 22, 2018, 06:39:45 pm »

As i have actually seen this tank in person and the rock structure pjn has made i think angelfish would look really cool in it, but i know that goes against his plan.

_pjn312_ · « **Reply #12 on:** January 22, 2018, 07:12:26 pm »

I still think the tank may be a little small for angelfish - it's just a little under 3 feet.

plankton · « **Reply #13 on:** January 23, 2018, 09:03:36 am »

Too small really.
You may just get away with a breeding pair and nothing else at all.

Roger · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2018, 05:54:46 pm »

Looking forward to following this log PJN, best wishes

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Author Topic: PJN's 130 Litre Mekong River (Read 1734 times)