# Amazon or African (NOT rift lake) - Help me decide



## tophat665 (Sep 30, 2006)

Hey there folks.

I recently acquired a 110 gallon high tank - 48x18x30. Big tank. Tall. I'm a big guy, but I still can't touch the bottom.

I've got two possible ways to go with this: Amazon (angelfish centered) or African River Margin (Bichir or Ropefish centered), and i am waffling.

On the one hand, I know pretty well how to set up an Amazon tank.

On the other hand, I haven't heard of many folks doing an African tank that wasn't rift lake cichlids.

Note that regardless of how I do this, there'll be a heaping helping of driftwood, and a ton of plants involved. Filtration will be provided with an Eheim 2229 wet/dry, and an Eheim 2217 or comparable (Should turn the tank over 5 times per hour).

The stock list for the Amazon tank I made up long ago:

8 Juvenile silver or Half black angelfish (To be reduced to 4 or 6 as pairs form)
1 male and 2 female dwarf sunset platies (for fry production and a dash of color)
8 Diamond Tetras (Already have them in my 55 gallon amazon tank - growing out from 3/4" long)
8 Silver or Marbled hatchetfish (added last when the tank is stable)
5 Callicthys callicthys or Brown Hoplo or Flagtailed Porthole catfish
1 Banjo Catfish
2 Albino Bristlenosed Plecos (Already have these in my 33 gallon neon tetra tank)
1 Gold Nugget pleco

If I were to go toward the African tank, the stocking would start here:

8 to 12 Congo Tetras
2 African Butterfly Fish
1 Male & 3 Female Swordtails (green if I can get them, red wag or Pineapple if not)
3 Leopard Bushfish
Then I would need to make some decisions (I know I can't put all this in there)

2 Senegal Bichirs or 2 or 3 Ropefish, or one Bichir and one or two ropefish. Getting a polypteride is is what this tank is really all about.
One or more African Brown Knifefish or none at all or One or more peacock eels?
A pair of Kribs or Jewel Cichlids or not?
Catfish? Some sort of Syno? Do I need a janitorial crew? What about a Bristlenosed Pleco for Algae patrol?

I'd love to do them both, but that's just not going to happen, not in this house (not with this wife).

So what say? Amazon or African? If you said African, (or even if you said Amazon but had 2 cents to kick in) what do you figure for the exact stock on the tank?


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

well i like the sound of the first.Amazon.
would the lady of the house not like her own aquarium.


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## tophat665 (Sep 30, 2006)

willow said:


> well i like the sound of the first.Amazon.
> would the lady of the house not like her own aquarium.


She has a 33 with Neons, Pygmy Cories, a red wag platy, and a pair of small albino bristlenoses. She doesn't want to work as hard at this as I do. (I have 7 other tanks, not including her tank or the 110. One of those is a 55 gallon tetra and cory tank.)


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I'll vouch for the African for a new change.:mrgreen:

I doubt placing a Senegal bichir in that type of tank will do any damage with the possible exception that they might eat the swordtails. Go with synodontis for the bottom. Kribs are much better option than the jewels. Are these Jewels, _Hemichromis bimaculatus_?:blink: I've had these before and they are very aggressive.

African:
15 Congo Tetras 
2 African Butterfly Fish 
1 Male & 3 Female Swordtails (green if I can get them, red wag or Pineapple if not) 
3 Leopard Bushfish 
2 Bichirs/2-3 Ropefish
2 Kribs
Possibly 2 Synodontis species-I prefer the Synodontis eupterus. Bristlenose are out of this league.


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## tophat665 (Sep 30, 2006)

Lupin,
What do you think of an African Brown knife in place of a Syno eupterus? Would a tank like this need a clean up crew, or am I putting yself in a position to have to do a daily gravel vacuum without it?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

tophat665 said:


> Lupin,
> What do you think of an African Brown knife in place of a Syno eupterus? Would a tank like this need a clean up crew, or am I putting yself in a position to have to do a daily gravel vacuum without it?


It's up to you. I don't see a problem with it except it may prey its smaller tankmates but I would prefer the synos as they do help clean up the leftover foods and are much safer to keep with Congos and swordtails.


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

gosh that's a lot of tanks.
well good luck with your quest.


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## tophat665 (Sep 30, 2006)

Thanks. The longer I think about it the more I like African. I need to get a couple good Tiger Lotus, some bolbitis, African Onion Plant, Ammania, and the usual suspects (Vals, Java Moss, Java Fern).


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

tophat665 said:


> Thanks. The longer I think about it the more I like African. I need to get a couple good Tiger Lotus, some bolbitis, African Onion Plant, Ammania, and the usual suspects (Vals, Java Moss, Java Fern).


Polypterus are addicting.:mrgreen:

Good luck with the setup.


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## tophat665 (Sep 30, 2006)

Lupin, I keep looking at your sig and thinking "I am Dyslexic of Borg. You will be asslaminated."

I am Polypterus of Borg?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

tophat665 said:


> Lupin, I keep looking at your sig and thinking "I am Dyslexic of Borg. You will be asslaminated."
> 
> I am Polypterus of Borg?


LOL..Tophat.:lol: Yes, you are.


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