Mangrove Forest Brackish Riparium

[hydrophyte]

Tank looks GREAT! I really want to get into this in our new house one day!!

*subscribed*

Thanks Allen! Riparium setups are nice because you can have a nice luscious planted display without having to mess with careful fertilizer dosing and CO2 and algae growing all over the plants.

I especially like this setup. There are so many weird plants that grow as mangroves in brackish estuaries. I hope to track down a few more of them.

 

[hydrophyte]

This is really cool. Here are the stilt roots on the Pandanus tectorius. This is my favorite plant in here.

 

[hydrophyte]

I have a new magazine article published about the riparium setup in my 50-gallon tank. This is a fully freshwater tank, but it's a good illustration of riparium plant growing methods.

This one appears in the July 2012 Issue #3 of Aquarium International, the online magazine for iPad with downloadable pdf's. Download the current issue with my article right here...

PDF Issues - Aquarium International the Freshwater Magazine

My article starts on page 67.

Cheers!

 

[BigAl07]

Way to go!!

 

[hydrophyte]

Thanks again Allen.

Hey Allen I'm shipping a bunch more stuff on Saturday. I'll be in touch.

 

[BigAl07]

Thanks. No rush just whatever works for you bud

 

[hydrophyte]

I'm trying to get this tank into better shape. The plants are looking good, but it needs more fish.

I have been watching AquBid for more native US killis because there is a seller there who catches them in Florida. They include some really cool little fish. There is currently an auction for Lucania goodei. This is an especially pretty fish that resembles white cloud mountain minnows. It's funny it's not a popular aquarium fish--people just don't appreciate native US fish.

I am trying to figure out the habitat preferences of L. goodei. I have run into some sources that cite it as using brackish habitats, but most describe instead clear freshwater streams as preferred habitats.

Look at this Creative Commons (http://eol.org/data_objects/17428292) picture of L. goodei.

 

[hydrophyte]

This picture is from another setup, my 50G riparium, a freshwater setup, but I want to share it quick here because it is really cool.

Lasia spinosa is a crazy-looking swamp aroid from Southeast Asia. I've been growing it for some time in that tank and a couple of weeks ago I noticed it developing a floral spathe! It opened up and I got a few pictures. It is really stunning and with a strong scent of ripe bananas.

 

[larrypueblo]

This so interesting very nice plants Humm maybe some thing new 2 try

 

[hydrophyte]

Good timing finding this thread! I have some really cool brackish Killies from FL. I just hatched a bunch of Kryptolebias marmoratus that I plan on building a very similar set up for.

Hey SubRoas do you have any more news on these? I sent you a PM over on AC I think. These would be a really cool addition to this tank.

 

[hydrophyte]

I just ordered some surprise new fish for this setup. I hope they will get here OK probably on Monday.

 

[hydrophyte]

Somebody on Facebook linked this interesting video of a brackish estuary habitat in Mexico with mollies and cichlids. You can see some Acrostichum leather fern growing along the edge of the water...

Brackish Biotope - YouTube

 

[hydrophyte]

This is just a quick bookmark with some botanical stuff about mangrove swamps...

Introduction

 

[carlfike]

This all sound really cool. You're beginning to inspire me lol.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[hydrophyte]

This all sound really cool. You're beginning to inspire me lol.

Hey thanks!

Here's the box opened with fish inside. They got here 100% alive and in great shape. The seller used breather bags packed with yarn and lots of water. Now the fish are going to quarantine. I will try to get pictures.

 

[hydrophyte]

I haven't been back to this thread in a while!

I took this setup apart, cleaned everything and then put it all back together.

Here's the tank empty again.

Here's a quick shot, kind of dark, with substrate, water and plants.

The airstone was temporary. I was using all-new water and I wanted to pH-balance and mix in the salt faster.

There are some great plants and fish in there!

 

[hydrophyte]

I got a quick snapshot to show the fish selection in here. You can see the Poecilia latipinna, Fundulus confluentus and Cyprinodon variegatus. The Jordanella floridae are shy and they hide whenever I go near the tank.

I really like these C. variegatus.

 

[BigAl07]

There are some great plants and fish in there!

That tank looks SWEET! You're giving me all kinds of ideas for a project I want to tackle in our new house.


Your selection of fish are VERY nice. Well done