Planning a river tank.....

[ruthcatrin]

& looking for some ideas & suggestions!

In a couple months I will be moving into a HOUSE (& not an apartment) where I can expect to live for a very long time, so I can finally do a larger tank, so I've settled down to start planning. It probly won't happen right away, possibly not till next tax return, but as soon as we're in the house I plan to start picking up the peices needed to put it together.

Planning on a 75g tank, and I've already saved the river tank manifold directions from here to my computer for setting that up.

Planning on small river rock substrate with a selection of larger rocks through out the tank for algae growth & places to sit.

Currently the only planning for fish though is to do a group of at least 10 hillstreams, possibly two groups, (haven't decided which ones yet), a similer group of corys, but that leaves me with a bunch of space, ideas on what other loaches (or other fish in general) to put in? I'd prefer nothing TO large/agressive, but I'm open to suggestions......

[andyroo]

You never hear much about this sort of thing, but think about a SA knife-fish of some sort. Many of them are adapted to heavy current, and they're beautifully graceful and full of personality. A few bamboo or PVC chunks amongst the rocks to hide in- lovely.
Glass cats are in a similar pile- they relish a little flow, and rarely get it.
Stay away from any sort of grumpy botia... they don't get on.
Pagio for among the cobblestones.
And plants. Plenty of plants.

I sound like an interior decorator..... "Lovely"... "Fabulous".....

[ruthcatrin]

i'm vaugly familer with knife fish, though I'd not realized they liked current, and glass cats, but whats Pagio?

[turtleguy146]

SAE's love currents. They are active and happy in just about any environment, but they really enjoy a strong flow. My larger ones like to sit on a rock about three inches directly in front of a 450 gph powerhead returns. It is impressive.
River and stream gobies like it too. I had a stiphodon somehow suction himself inside the return itself, so you could just see his tail blowing around out the end of the nozzle.
White clouds are great too.

[ruthcatrin]

hadn't thought of the gobies, but then everyone pushes the brackish ones....definetly white clouds, or a similer minnow, in a nice big school!

[Diana]

Fresh water Gobies, Darter Tetras and similar fish are also substrate fish. For upper water fish White Cloud Minnows are the first to come to mind, but there are also several Danios that would work well, too. Just not the long finned forms. In a larger tank, perhaps one of the larger species.
Rainbow fish can also handle a current, but you might want to do a little research to choose the right one. Some are more often found in lakes, others in slower rivers.
http://members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/