# Amazon biotope advice



## Fabulous Jack (Dec 12, 2014)

For substrate: Dark sand or fine gravel or even Fluorite Black. I don't recommend Eco-Complete since it's sharp-ish, Fluorite, fine gravel, and sand are all rounded and with bottom-swimming fish, that's really important since Cories have sensitive whiskers. 

For wood: Trees are everywhere in the Amazon so dead branches (driftwood) should litter the floor of the tank.

For plants: Amazon sword (obviously ), A. Reineckii, Water Stargrass, Pennywort, and I think Christmas moss? are all plants that are typically found in an Amazonian setting. The problem is if you're not running a tank made for plants, these plants won't thrive. Amazon swords are heavy root feeders so you need to feed it root tabs and A. Reineckii is a red-leaved plant which means it needs high amounts of light to maintain that color. Don't know too much about stargrass but Pennywort and Christmas moss are easy to keep though. 

For fish: Most tetras, bristlenose plecos, pencil fish, guppies, hatchetfish, dwarf rams, angelfish are all native to the Amazon


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

Thanks for the detailed suggestions Jack! 

I have been looking at substrate today. I would prefer something that is dark in color or black and must be rounded grain. I have ruled out the Caribsea Tahitan Moon Sand because of the rough edges that can be found on some grains. I checked out the Fluorite black sand and although it looks like a great choice it is also $25 for each 15 lb bag. To get a good slope I estimate I need at least 3 to 4 bags at a considerable cost - no good. I am leaning toward finding a pool filter sand because it is so cheap, maybe something that is a darker brown or at least a good beige. So long as it is not white I could be satisfied.


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## Squrl888 (Oct 3, 2014)

CaribSea has a nice sand called Sunset Gold. It is really small and soft. Kinda of a brownish-tan color.
I think Sterbai cories do like warmer water than most cories. I would look more into them on planetcatfish.com
You can go with plants or no plants. A lot of Amazonian waterways have very little plants, just sand, driftwood, and tannin-stained water. If you decide to go with plants you could also make it more realistic by not putting too many varieties of plants in the tank. Nature usually doesn't look like a dutch scape. XD But this is all up to you!
You can use peat in order to stain the water and reduce your GH and pH. This may be very helpful for fish health. I have an assumption that tannin-stained waters are better for fish health. Less bacteria growing in them.
You could add oak leaves or almond leaves, or other leaves to your tank. They will sink and the cories will like hiding around in the leaves. They will also help with staining the water and lowering GH and pH.


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## Fabulous Jack (Dec 12, 2014)

I know Home Depot sells bags of industrial play-sand. I heard they have sand that's darker but not sure on that, might be worth to check it out?


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## Zoidborg (Jan 29, 2014)

Ive used my 50 Lb bag of Pool Filter Sand on 4 aquariums and still have 1/4 left. It costs $10 but its white, not sure if pool stores sell a dark version.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

I would love as dark a sand as possible because corydoras live in the muck and I want to try to recreate that feel with the tank. I saw a video of about 100-200 cories in their natural environment and it was a two foot deep river with a deep bank full of tree roots on one side and a wood lined, mucky mud looking shallow sloped bank to the other side. I know a soft substrate is important, but I don't want a tank full of stewing mud so a dark sand would be next best. 

I am definitely putting driftwood in the tank. I would like to use some type of native South American wood if possible. I'm still looking into native woods. I might try a blackwater tank because I have oak leaves readily available. I'm not sure that Sterbai Cories are blackwater though...

I think I will keep plants to a minimum because there aren't many found in these shallow rivers. I was thinking that floating Amazon Frogbit would provide good shade and then maybe one other type.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

I was having fun looking for Corydoras in the wild too. Loved the video with all the Corydoras. 

Medium brown muck, lots of wood and leaves and floaters sure. I also saw young lilies sprouting with bright red leaves. Perhaps you could use a lily?


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## cgorges (Sep 9, 2014)

If you want a dark sand substrate look into black diamond blasting sand. $9 for a 50lb bag. Ive got it in my 75 gal planted. I have peppered, juli, skunk, and habrosus cories along with kuhli loaches. All love digging in the sand and all have healthy long barbels.


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## Squrl888 (Oct 3, 2014)

I really like that you decided to set up a tank like this. It can be fun planning out a habitat for your fish and making it come to fruition.
I think your idea of adding frogbit is great! I remember reading that a lot of the amazon is dark stained waters and driftwood and a great deal of floating plant mass.
You should look into Red root floaters (Phyllanthus fluitans) and Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) for other floating plant ideas.
Red root floaters are beautiful and native to the Amazon basin. Water lettuce was not initially native, but due to human spread water lettuce grows throughout waterways in tropics throughout the world. If you look at pictures from the Amazon you can see the waters full of water lettuce. So I guess it would be an accurate plant for a biotope that's set in the present day. Hahaha.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

cgorges said:


> If you want a dark sand substrate look into black diamond blasting sand. $9 for a 50lb bag. Ive got it in my 75 gal planted. I have peppered, juli, skunk, and habrosus cories along with kuhli loaches. All love digging in the sand and all have healthy long barbels.


I looked up diamond blasting sand and it says that stuff is coal slag and the picture of the product labels it as a blasting abrasive. These things make me think that this might not be an ideal substrate for a soft bellied fish. I appreciate the suggestion but if I'm going to go cheap I'd rather end up with a lighter sand than a risky substrate.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

I am looking forward to getting my first biotope started and I appreciate the suggestions from everyone!

I like the idea to use a thick floating plant mass and after seeing the red root floater I am sure that is exactly what I need. If I went with a blackwater or slightly blackwater tank those red root floaters would add at least a bit of color. The Amazon frogbit and some red root floaters would be a great start.

I want to get some driftwood to toss on the tank bottom part submerged in the sand and then maybe a good branch or two to angle into the water. I can't find South American driftwood anywhere so I am considering Manzinita. Does anyone know of a South American driftwood?


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## Fabulous Jack (Dec 12, 2014)

I don't know any either, but I frequently see people using Manzanita, Malaysian, and Mopani for similar tanks


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## Squrl888 (Oct 3, 2014)

A black sand that comes to mind is Fluorite Black Sand. Also Tahitian Moon Sand.
Idk how good Tahitian Moon Sand is for cories.
I have heard multiple cases where people keep soft bellied fish on Black Diamond blasting sand and they have no problems. It seems that poor water is what causes cories to lose their barbels, not really sharp gravel. However, I don't have hard proof of this. Sharp stuff probably isn't good for them anyway, but like I said it seems that people have successfully kept cories and loaches on the blasting sand.
As for the wood, you can always find your own in some woods near where you live. Most deciduous woods like oak/maple work well. You want to find wood that is old and dry. The bark should be sloughed off already, although it may be okay to use wood which still has the bark attached. Don't use any pine/cedar/yew or any wood that has a distinct pine or chemical odor.
I think finding real South American driftwood will be hard. I remember reading a South American biotope that George Farmer set up. He sourced a lot of things from South America...but one thing he didn't source was the driftwood. 
I think Malaysian driftwood might look good in a South American tank. Also Manzanita. But again, if you want to save money you can just look into collecting your own wood. I found a nice piece recently and will be adding it to my tank.


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## cgorges (Sep 9, 2014)

fishhes said:


> I looked up diamond blasting sand and it says that stuff is coal slag and the picture of the product labels it as a blasting abrasive. These things make me think that this might not be an ideal substrate for a soft bellied fish. I appreciate the suggestion but if I'm going to go cheap I'd rather end up with a lighter sand than a risky substrate.


I can see where you might be concerned, but if you read around on this forum as well as other you will find out that black diamond absolutely does not harm fish. I feared the same thing and did extensive research before making the decision. The particles in black diamond are no more abrasive than the silica in sand can be. If a soft skinned, scaleless Kuhli is happy burrowing in it, it definitely will not bother any fish. With a 29 gallon using actual aquarium substrate is a far more affordable option. With my 75 I needed 100lbs of sand so that pushed me toward the blasting sand as it was far more cost effective.

Bump: fishhes, what kind of bike are you rocking in your avatar?


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## nawilson89 (Nov 17, 2014)

Could maybe using dirt be a good choice? Not sure if anyone recommended it or not.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

If were to use black diamond blasting sand, which grain size is commonly used? Their website lists 5 different grain diameters. I assume a smaller grain is best but I have read that too small a grain diameter causes anaerobic gas pockets to form under the surface, like with play sand.


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## Riceman (Nov 17, 2014)

Maybe a river bank undercut made of foam for something to hide under,
my Corydorus Swartzi's like to hide under the vegetation a lot.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

I found a recommendation to use grain size 20-40 if I decide to go with the Black Diamond Blasting Sand. After what I have read about it, I don't see any reason not to either. It sounds like plenty of people have been growing plants in it and housing bottom feeders without problems. 



Riceman said:


> Maybe a river bank undercut made of foam for something to hide under,
> my Corydorus Swartzi's like to hide under the vegetation a lot.


I agree, I was thinking that I should provide some kind of hiding place. A river bank is what I'd like to try to simulate, but there are some space limitations in my 29 gallon tank. I was thinking about maybe finding a stump or larger split branch to position in the tank and then carving out a nook in the sand. I want to add some discarded wood around the tank floor as well , so that could add some shadows to duck under especially if I add some leaves. The problem is finding good driftwood and also that it all seems to be quite expensive. I suppose if I am saving on substrate...

I have never done anything with foam and I am not familiar with the process. Do you need to glaze or waterseal the foam after carving it?

Bump:


cgorges said:


> I can see where you might be concerned, but if you read around on this forum as well as other you will find out that black diamond absolutely does not harm fish. I feared the same thing and did extensive research before making the decision. The particles in black diamond are no more abrasive than the silica in sand can be. If a soft skinned, scaleless Kuhli is happy burrowing in it, it definitely will not bother any fish. With a 29 gallon using actual aquarium substrate is a far more affordable option. With my 75 I needed 100lbs of sand so that pushed me toward the blasting sand as it was far more cost effective.
> 
> Bump: fishhes, what kind of bike are you rocking in your avatar?


Thanks for the advice. I did look around a bit more and am convinced that the substrate itself doesn't cause any harmful effect. 

The bike is an 09 Yamaha FZ1 that I stripped naked. It's a sweet bike, but I live in the midwest and can't ride for the next couple months so here I am.


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## Riceman (Nov 17, 2014)

I made a foam background out of 1" thick pink insulation foam, 
used spray adhesive glue to build up the thicker areas and painted
it with interior latex house paint then siliconed it to the glass.

edit:leave the back of the foam raw so the silicon sticks
or else the buoyancy of the foam could peel the paint off the foam.


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## cgorges (Sep 9, 2014)

Ah yes. Nice bike. Im from Wisconsin, I feel your pain. Ive got a 2009 vulcan 900 custom special edition, an 1981 yamaha xs850 bobbed wi suicide shift an a 1982 virago 920 street fighter both I built, and I just bought a naked 2000 yzf600r that needs some work. Gotta love a fish tank for a winter hobby.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

I have a planned layout for this tank in my mind. Now, I just need to find all the supplies and take the time to put it together.

I plan to use the Black Diamond sand to create a sloped bank that I will cover some Manzanita branches with. Depending on the amount or branches I receive I will cover the floor with it and maybe angle a piece in from the top. I think that a heavily wooded ground surface should give the Cories plenty of hiding spaces. I want minimal plants and probably won't use anything planted, but I want to use Amazon Frogbit and Red Root Floaters to cover the water surface and block some light. I am also thinking of mimicking the blackwater conditions by tossing in a few oak leaves that I collected in my backyard yesterday.

I found a store in town that was selling Black Diamond blasting sand in the 20-40 grain size, so I scooped a bag of that up - about $9. I found an online store (Blooms&Branches) that sells cheap Manzanita branches that are meant for craft purposes, but should work great in a tank. They are even cleaned and sanded! I plan to order a four pack of branches ranging from 12-30 inches for $50 shipped. Now I just need to find the aquatic plants... 

Does anyone know someone willing to sell some Amazon Frogbit (_Limnobium laevigatum)_ or Red Root Floaters (Phyllanthus fluitans)?


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

*It begins...*

Ok, so I have a started tank now! I am using the Black Diamond sand and I secured some Amazon Frogbit and Red Root Floaters for the plants. I have added lots of oak leaves to the tank floor which I think looks pretty good and goes a long way to establish the muddy river bottom look. I decided against the Manzanita branches from the craft website (too small diameter branches) and instead ordered some thicker branches from another online provider that should be arriving midweek. 

The tank has been up for a little over a week in which time I have been adding flake food while dosing Seachem Flourish and Stability to get the bacteria started. I added a couple ghost shrimp (Amazon native species) last night to combat any unwanted growth that may occur and to serve as the "canary in a cage". So far, they seem pretty content.

I am wondering if adding fish prior to the addition of the driftwood is a good idea or not? I am getting a bit anxious to see fish in the tank. I'm going to the LFS tonight to grab some plants for another tank and if they have any Sterbai Corys in stock I'm not sure that I could stop myself from buying a couple.


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## Kirbalicious (Nov 10, 2014)

Oh man you're off to a great start! I've been thinking about an amazon biotope myself. Will be following this


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## Crazy Bunny (Jul 23, 2014)

*I am about to change to Biotope soon.*

Your water too clear... need to tan it..


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

Crazy Bunny said:


> Your water too clear... need to tan it..


Yes, I agree with you. I was planning on doing a blackwater tank and for that I need much darker water. 

I added several Manzanita branches a few days ago and the tannins leaching off have darkened the water considerably. I removed most of the leaves because they were starting to grow fungus, but now the driftwood has fungus all over it. I am looking into getting a couple snails that eat fungus so they can keep that stuff in check. It looks like they will have to be a non South American species though because the only S.A. snail I could find is the apple snail and they are huge.


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## hcarvalhoalves (Nov 9, 2014)

You know, Amazon biotope isn't necessarily blackwater... there's all kind of water bodies there, from muddy flooded areas to blackwater river basins to clearwater creeks.

Check out the videos from this guy, he has multiple underwater footage (mostly from Venezuelan side, the Brazilian side has more blackwater):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzzJU810AIk&spfreload=10

Some tips from someone who loves accurate biotopes though:

- The soil there is actually sand with a mattress of organic matter. I guess your black substrate still looks fine if you go with leaves on the bottom though.

- Oak leaves are odd, in Amazon there's only lanceolated (lance-shaped) leaves. You can try indian almond leaves (I know it's popular for aquarium there), but the dried leaves from most fruit tree that isn't citric and doesn't have a white sap is also safe for aquarium. It's okay if it grows algae and fungus on it as long as you're doing TPAs.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

Thanks for the advice hcarvalhoalves. 

I wanted to replicate the habitat of the Sterbai Corydora which is the muddy river bottom you described. The video I had seen showed a driftwood strewn shallow river with a thick mud across the entire bottom. I want to mimic these conditions, but I don't think a thick layer of anaerobic mud would be good for an enclosed system so I chose black sand. I thought the leaves would help provide shelter and add to the cluttered river bottom look. I am adding a lot of driftwood once the wood is properly conditioned.

I am finding that I need to make substitutions on a lot of things because I cannot find a South American variety. For example, I could not find a South American driftwood so I am using Manzanita instead. I am using oak leaves because I had a backyard full of them (free!).

I have removed leaves due to the fungus growth. You stated that it is okay to have fungus growing on the leaves if I do TPAs. What is a TPA?


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

If you're having problems with leaf fungus, make sure you only get leaves that are crisp and dry and crackly. I do that, and I've never had more than just a few traces of fungus on the leaves I add. 
Amano shrimp seem to like fungus.


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## hcarvalhoalves (Nov 9, 2014)

fishhes said:


> I have removed leaves due to the fungus growth. You stated that it is okay to have fungus growing on the leaves if I do TPAs. What is a TPA?


Sorry, TPA = water change. As long as you're doing water changes there's no problem, the fungi are doing the hard work for you, you just keep exporting excess nutrients in the water. At a certain point the leaves get transparent and brittle and whatever leftovers sink to the bottom.

Like Betta132 said, shrimps will eat fungus, as well as some fish (Ottos, Plecos) and snails.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

Betta132 said:


> If you're having problems with leaf fungus, make sure you only get leaves that are crisp and dry and crackly. I do that, and I've never had more than just a few traces of fungus on the leaves I add.
> Amano shrimp seem to like fungus.


I collected the oak leaves last month (December) in Iowa, so they had been off the tree for at least a month give or take a few weeks. They were brown, but they didn't exactly crackle. I don't know, do you have to oven dry them or what?

I might have overreacted when I removed all of the leaves from the tank, but I didn't have anything in there to combat the fungus. I wanted to keep the tank all South American species so I put some ghost shrimp in there to eat the fungus. They didn't eat any of it so I went out and collected the MTS to do the deed. We will see what happens...



hcarvalhoalves said:


> Sorry, TPA = water change. As long as you're doing water changes there's no problem, the fungi are doing the hard work for you, you just keep exporting excess nutrients in the water. At a certain point the leaves get transparent and brittle and whatever leftovers sink to the bottom.
> 
> Like Betta132 said, shrimps will eat fungus, as well as some fish (Ottos, Plecos) and snails.


Thanks for the clarification, I'd never heard that before. I've seen some write PWC (partial water change) but not TPA. Is that a Brazilian thing?

Anyway, I took the leaves all out for now. I figured I had better start the tank out more gradually and once the tank is running for a while put them in one at a time. I do like the idea of letting them just rot away at the bottom. I just need to be sure it doesn't become a big polluted mess so I need the bacteria performing well.

I like the idea of putting Ottos in the tank. They are a good South American species that could fill the role nicely. I need to wait for the aquarium parameters to even out first and then I'll get a few of them... if I can find them.

Here is the tank at the moment.


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## hcarvalhoalves (Nov 9, 2014)

Nice wood.

Yeah, TPA is "Troca Parcial de Água"... I forgot to translate by habit!

Remember what I said about leaves. I believe you'll have less problems with fruit tree rather than oak. We use guava or almond leaves down here. These doesn't turn into a fungus ball and decompose slowly.


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## fishhes (Oct 18, 2014)

Most of the wood I got has finally sunk so I took an hour tonight and arranged it in the tank. Probably won't be the last time I do that, but I think it looks good for now. I have a couple more wood pieces that I could put in there, but the tank floor is already starting to look full to me. I want some open areas for the cories and I am still planning on adding some leaves later. I would love to try using guava or almond leaves to keep the biotope as genuine as possible, but they don't grow in my backyard. It's much easier and cheaper for me to collect a big garbage bag full of them than to pay for leaves 20 at a time. Maybe I'll start buying leaves at some point, but i think I'll try using oak again when the tank parameters zero. Still a lot of wood mucus, but I have snails and ottocinclus to battle it now. 

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I might start a tank journal for this one.


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## Spiritus-Ichthus (May 24, 2020)

If you want plenty of tannin in the water get some Mopani wood and skip the leeching out phase of keeping it in a bucket full of water for 6 to 8 weeks like I usually do. I've done several Amazon tanks but I'm just not too big a fan of tea colored water, so I change water in the buckets every day for 8 weeks, after that they'll still produce some tannin but nothing my filters couldn't handle. You can use the Mopani as is though, it will sink immediately but be prepared for some deep brown tea water. 

The Amazon is a very l-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng river and you can find a huge variety of habitats along its path, more than just the acid pools, regular blackwater pools, river bank, and mid stream mud bottom with plenty of driftwood, there is much in between, and as for "biotope correct" I still have to see anyone build a tank with water the clarity of cafe au lait, which is what probably the majority of the Amazon's water looks like. 

If you want substrate that's great for soft bellied fish, and you're not afraid of the cost plus shipping I'm about to place about 80 lbs of GRO-PRO Freshwater Planted Aquarium Substrate, Soft Belly variety (which is similar to their Natural Amazon variety) by aquariumplants.com in my new 75 gallon Amazon '"inspired" tank. I'm using it as cover for my base layers of rough lava rock, covered by gravel. 

The lava rock is as media for bacteria, which will help filter, and to promote root nutrient flow for my Amazon Swords, the gravel will ensure that the rough lava rock will not easily get to the surface through the soft belly substrate. I like my substrate thick for planting. Especially so since this is going to be more of a jungle tank with plenty of plants, rocks, and driftwood. It is "inspired" because I will use Anubias, Java Fern, Nymphea Lotus "Red", and some other non-indigenous species, besides a variety of Swords, Broadleaf Chain Swords, and South American bunch plants to re-create the look and feel of a jungle river.


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