The Small Tank Trio Plan (Feedback Desired!)

[IanB]

Hi All,

I split my time between North Carolina and Louisiana. In North Carolina, I have a 75 gallon high-tech "Amazon-inspired" dwarf angelfish community aquarium full of a wide variety of swords/other echinodoruses. In Louisiana, I have less space, so tend towards small or even nano aquariums. For my new place there I have decided to limit myself to three small set-ups, two sharing a 120 cm stand, and one on a 60 cm stand. I have some general ideas about what I might want to do with each, but would love feedback from anyone!

60 cm stand

ADA 60f aquarium (a shallow tank-- 2 feet by 1 foot by 8 inches tall) with a central rock feature that elevates a peace lily or monstera plant so that only the roots are in the water/soil (and hidden) with bolbitis (if I can source it ethically) growing emersed on top of the rocks and small Anubis varieties (nana petite and golden) on the rocks below water. Sand substrate. I am trying to decide between a pair of gold ocellatus shell dwellers OR staying with softer water that would be better for the monstera/peace lily and doing a pair of kribs. This tank would be low tech, no injected CO2, with lighting provided by a suspended/pendant full-spectrum grow light focused on the monstera/peace lily, with the Anubias living off what filters through. Filter would be a small Oase Filtosmart Thermo 100 that I have kicking around so that I wouldn't need a heater in the shallow tank. Would also have a small atomizer to keep the surface and bolbitis humid/covered in mist.

 

120 cm stand with two set-ups:

Setup 1: Loosely SEA inspired "nurse log" scape in a 45 cm cube

Scape would center on a "log" type piece of drift wood set diagonally across the cube, with the top sticking out above the water. It would be covered in epiphytes, mostly farmed kedagang and other buces, along with moss. Substrate would be aqua soil with Rotala H'Ra behind the "log" for color contrast and fast growth to soak up nitrates. Carpet of marsilea crenata. Crpyt parva clustered around base of log at substrate level. Fish could either be a Burma-inspired crew of Sabwa resplendens, CPD's, plus cleanup crew of amano shrimp, otos, clithon corona OR similar cleanup crew with a ton of chili rasboras to be more of a Borneo thing to fit with the Buce.

Lighting would be 1-2 ONF Flat Nanos that I have around. Filtration would be an Oasé Biomaster 350 Thermo, again to keep heater out. Would have injected CO2.

Setup 2: 60 cm UNS paludarium

Paludarium back wall would be covered in moss with various types of hyrdroctyle climbing up and down. Sand substrate. Some epiphytes on rocks below in water section. Atomizer to keep all misted. Fish could be either a single pea puffer or a small school of true nano fish (toucano or jellybean tetras are two that I enjoy). No need for CO2 or super powerful light. Filtration would be a very small canister plumbed through the bulkheads in the paludarium. Note: this set-up is the least thought-out, but having seen the new UNS paludariums, I really want to play around with them.

 

Anyway, any thoughts on other alternatives? Ways to improve these planned setups?

[IanB]

No one can help me improve fish selections here?! I feel like the paludarium plan, as a whole, and the stocking of the 60 cm shallow are uninspired/unfinished.