KentFishFanUK

This tank is absolutely amazing! I love it it's even better than what I had pictured in my mind. Best stream tank I've ever seen! What size tank is it? When you say you need significant height gain what do you mean exactly? Did you ever make a thread with your process? Will have to look through your posts and see if I can find one haha. If you didn't but have pics of how you did it I'm sure everyone would love to see!

Any hydrologists out there who could point me in the right direction for learning about flow in aquariums? I'm trying to figure out ways of setting up a fast flow hillstream type set up and just wondering if there's a method to setting up hardscape etc to control the speed and direction of the flow (without just trial and error). Won't be setting up the tank until I move so got plenty of time to figure it out but I love learning anyway

Good to have a first hand report @Guppysnail! I actually bought a spixi snail some time ago to help deal with ramshorn overpopulation (didn't want assassin snails as didn't want them to breed or go for my nerite) as I read online that they eat other snails sometimes but it was hard to know whether it was actually eating any of them as I had so many and information about it online is sparse. The ramshorn population has stabilized now and I'm not overrun but whether the spixi had any affect I have no idea, it's still a cool snail either way (other than regularly playing dead making me worry only to find it playing dead the other side of the tank another day)

I got some moina eggs very similar (though from a guy in Europe on eBay whereas these are from Thailand I believe) and they seem very easy - I have them in a small tank just to feed as an occasional treat so not producing large amounts or anything. The culture crashed at one point and I just left it alone then noticed it recovered and started producing more again. It's slowed down now I think because it's getting colder and I don't have them heated. I think you can pretty much feed them straight away but if you're doing the yeast method then only feed a small amount (I've just kept them in a green water type set up and not used yeast). From what I understand they are much easier/hardier than daphnia.

Very nice! And yes I love them no matter what they are but for the GBP equivalent of $90 each I hope they are what they were sold as!

L236 (at least that's what it was sold as!)

A rare sighting of one of the newest inhabitants:

I have a long list of 'someday' fish but the ones at the top for me would be indostomus crocodilus/crocodile toothpicks (or one of the other almost identical indostomus species), elassoma okefenokee/okefenokee pygmy sunfish to keep in a pond (are these illegal to export from the US? or maybe they are illegal to import to the UK or something because I can't find them anywhere). But my main one is biotoecus opercularis (or the very similar biotoecus dicentrarchus) which seem to be difficult to find in the UK and don't even have a common name - hard to say why I love these so much by all accounts they aren't hugely colourful and probably more difficult to keep than anything I'd usually consider but been in love with them since I first discovered them online. I have a couple LFSs on the lookout for me for if they become available from their wholesalers but no joy yet. Pic for prosperity: So cute!

Figured I should make myself a record of my new tank (and show it off to whoever sees). Starting at the bottom including aqua soil in bags: Then some hardscape: Adding some epiphytes: Then some other plants: More plants and leaf litter: Top it up and it's done!: Some other shots and fish: and that's my South American River inspired nature aquarium!

Where do you get yours? I've never seen it in shops and can only find it from Germany, do you have a UK supplier?

I think planet catfish is where I saw they like it warmer, aquarium co op and seriously fish are my go to's but weren't on either of them

@Guppysnail oh also how do I choose the right size caves for them? They apparently grow to around 4.5"

As in livestock? I have a nerite snail and a spixi snail and some pink ramshorns but they leave all my other plants alone

Thanks! How big are those caves? Hard to picture scale but if they are quite small should be able to hide them. Also can I ask an unrelated question, in your first pic is that blyxa japonica? If so what's your secret? Each time I've tried it it's just melted away and disappeared within days.

That's good I have most of those anyway. I actually turned the temp up a little because I read online they like it warmer?? How do I find out for sure, any trusted source for temperature etc?