Creating a biotope tank

[eleNt]

I'm deciding on my first biotope tank and I need some help. I'm torn between an 87 litre Fluval Vista for kubotai rasboras or a 130 litre Aqua One Horizon for African tetras. Both tanks will be near my kitchen and living room, and I want to create a habitat that makes my fish happy.

The Fluval Vista will have a daytime-nighttime mode, which is perfect for a blackwater setup. I'll add driftwood and leaf litter to mimic the kubotai rasboras' natural environment. There might be some plants in the river, but I won't be adding any to this tank.

The Aqua One Horizon is a different story. It doesn't have a daytime-nighttime mode, but it's bigger and can hold more fish. I'll add Anubias and other African native plants, and the livestock will be Congo tetras and African moon tetras.

Which one do you think I should choose?

[willie32]

I'm deciding on my first biotope tank and I need some help. I'm torn between an 87 litre Fluval Vista for kubotai rasboras or a 130 litre Aqua One Horizon for African tetras. Both tanks will be near my kitchen and living room, and I want to create a habitat that makes my fish happy.

The Fluval Vista will have a daytime-nighttime mode, which is perfect for a blackwater setup. I'll add driftwood and leaf litter to mimic the kubotai rasboras' natural environment. There might be some plants in the river, but I won't be adding any to this tank.

The Aqua One Horizon is a different story. It doesn't have a daytime-nighttime mode, but it's bigger and can hold more fish. I'll add Anubias and other African native plants, and the livestock will be Congo tetras and African moon tetras.

Which one do you think I should choose?

I'd say the 130 litre tank is a bit too small for the Congo tetras you're looking at - they'd thrive in a bigger space, around 250 litres or so. A 120cm tank would give them the room they need.

How about considering neon rasboras for the 130 instead? They'd do well in a larger shoal, which is more natural, and you could potentially add some tank mates to keep them company.

If you want to create a true biotope, I'd recommend checking out this profile: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/m ... o-kubotai/. It lists the fish species and plants that are found together in the wild, which would be really helpful for your setup. There are some great plant options in there too.

[boomer]

When using a tank light with different modes, be mindful of the daylight period, it's crucial for photosynthesis but needs to be balanced with nutrients to prevent algae growth. This period can vary, typically around eight hours, but may be more or less depending on your setup. A "dawn/dusk" period before and after, with less intense light, should be limited to about half an hour. Although this light is ineffective for plants, especially low-light slow-growers like Anubias, algae can still take advantage of it. The remaining time should be total darkness, though any ambient light in the room may impact this.

[eleNt]

When using a tank light with different modes, be mindful of the daylight period, it's crucial for photosynthesis but needs to be balanced with nutrients to prevent algae growth. This period can vary, typically around eight hours, but may be more or less depending on your setup. A "dawn/dusk" period before and after, with less intense light, should be limited to about half an hour. Although this light is ineffective for plants, especially low-light slow-growers like Anubias, algae can still take advantage of it. The remaining time should be total darkness, though any ambient light in the room may impact this.

To be honest, I'm still considering the timing for the nighttime mode in my tank, given my country's time zone and the fish's natural habitat. Since the 87 litre Fluval Vista has this feature, I'd like to know the best time to switch it on to simulate a natural day-night cycle for my kubotai rasboras.