Favourite aquariums: Aquaeden’s discus tank

I know very little about it and, whilst it is definitely in the ‘nature aquarium’ tradition rather than a representation of anything you might find whilst out walking in Brazil, I love this tank. It seems to be the work of Portugese LFS Aquaeden (http://aquaeden-shop.net/). The left side of this is what I have in mind for the second ‘zone’ of the long Middle Congo biotope tank I’m planning for my conservatory (more on this later), but with big emersed Anubias or other aroids instead of the Echinodorus and perhaps Crinum instead of the Vallis.

Favourite aquariums: Nanne de Vos’ Cameroon aquarium

A classic aquarium by Dutch aquarist Nanne de Vos. This massive 2100 litres (300 x 100 x 70 cm) tank was created in september 1997 to represent a bank of a small rivulet in the high plateau of Cameroon.

I love the sense of depth and the restraint in the design of both the hardscape and plants, which consist only of Anubias var. nana, normal Anubias barteri, a few African Lotus water lilies (Nymphaea sp.) and some floating plants.

 

The fish population is similarly restrained, particularly for such a large aquarium, consisting only of 5 Pelvicachromis taeniatus sp. moliwe (caught in wild) [2 male, rest female], 4 elephant nose fish, 2 Synodontis batesi, 13 african red eye tetras (Arnoldichthys spilopterus, presumably) and  60 Ladigesia roloffi.

Further detail of this tank can be found online at http://www.goddijn.com/aquarium/jnanne.htm

Favourite aquariums: Tom’s Bucket O’Mud

I’m not a massive fan of ‘nature aquariums’, but I am a huge fan of ‘natural aquariums’. For me the project known as ‘Bucket O’Mud’ by British aquarist Tom Black is one of the best on the web.

The shallow but wide tank gives an amazing sense of depth and, combined with the open top and emersed plant growth, leads you to experience the tank as a natural habitat – with hidden corners and depths to explore. The willingness to let the plants develop and find their own form and space in the tank also leads to a really natural feeling.

It has been extensively recorded, widely admired and highly influential on both the UKAPS and Seriously Fish forums (these are two of the best sites for serious freshwater fishkeepers and are well worth further exploration), and I would encourage you to make a cup of tea, settle in and read the full story on one or both of the following:

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/toms-bucket-o-mud-the-end.14521/

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/forums/my-aquarium/toms-bucket-o-mud/

 

 

 

A resource for African biotopes

The ecosystem and country search facility of Fishbase (www.fishbase.org) provides a fantastic starting point for identifying combinations of fish for biotope aquariums that I think many experienced aquarists are familiar with.

Identifying aquatic plants that are native to the same areas is much harder and seems to rely on hearsay on online aquarium forums as much as anything else. I just came across a great resource from the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt that lists aquatic plants in different parts of Africa as part of a wider guide to African plants. To filter for aquatic plants, you need to hit ‘Browse and Search’, scroll down to ‘Life Form’ under the heading ‘Habit’ and select ‘Hydrophyte’ (or ‘Halophyte’ if you are looking for brackish water or coastal species). Also helpful to untick the ‘Only search for species with pictures’ to get a fuller list. Not sure how complete the database is but provides a great starting point.

You can access the guide at http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/. You can also search for East Africa, Central Africa and Africa as a whole through the links on the homepage.

Favourite aquariums: Catfish and barbs from the Western Ghats of India

River habitats are probably the hardest habitat to replicate in the one aquarium. This design by B. Vergeheyen in Belgium is one of the best I’ve seen. The combination of big rocks and driftwood and the mixed shoal of silvery Sahaydria, Dawkinsia and Barilius barbs is great. Having a mammoth 270x90x70 cm tank also helps create a sense of scale. It is a loose biotope for Horabagrus catfish, but it would also make a fantastic home for a group of Etroplus canarensis.

You can see more on Planet Catfish or the creators YouTube page:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36780&start=20
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCqJOmX2lVZfkBcE-0M0OWMg

 

 

 

 

Succulents and geometry

The beauty of succulent plants is, for me, in their shape and texture. I really like displays where this is accentuated by planting in pots with their own geometric and/or textural interest or where the plants are grouped to created repeated forms and patterns. Retail displays of smaller succulents lined up in individual small pots often do this well and look great compared to more random groupings.

Emersed plants in aquariums

There has been a lot of recent interest in growing aquarium plants emersed, i.e. with their roots in water but the rest of the plant growing above the surface. Most of this interest has been either as a way of establishing aquarium plants before ‘flooding’, as small scale ‘wabi kusa’ displays or rather artificial looking ‘paludariums’ with plants growing in pots secured at or near the water surface. There are fewer examples of using this as part of permanent naturalistic aquarium displays, but this can be spectacular and have a more natural look than conventional planted aquariums. Most plants grown in aquariums naturally grow this way (hence the need for CO2 enrichment to successfully grow some of them submerged – they are adapted for the much higher CO2 concentration in air than in water), and we are more used to looking at natural fresh water habitats through marginal vegetation.

Branch vivariums

I love the contrast that some vivarium and aquarium designs show between the chaos and complexity of a natural plant display and a more formal or abstract setting. The vivariums below illustrate one way of achieving this – through highlighting a single branch or a few branches isolated from their wider setting. The examples without backgrounds or substrate in particular are a high impact way of showcasing epiphytic plants such as bromeliads or miniature orchids or even arboreal animals such as tree snakes and tree frogs.

Hydnophytum antplants

Hydnophytum is one of a range of  plants that have evolved symbiotic relationships with ants. Hydnophytum are tropical epiphytes that provide shelter and protection for ant colonies in the forest canopy in a series of tunnels and chambers in the swollen stem (known as a caudex). In return the ants provide the plant with some defense against herbivores and with nutrients via special glands in the walls of the tunnels. You can see the holes in the caudex that provide access for the ants in the pictures below. There are 55 species, according to the most recent revision, found in South East Asia, the Pacific and Queensland.

The plants themselves are not particularly attractive but I really like the display possibilities that the epiphytic habit allows, in particular the contrast between the random, swollen caudex of the plant and a simple, elegant low profile mount or base. They apparently do fine in cultivation without their ant friends. I’ve actually not found any mentioned of keeping them with ants – could be a fun thing to try in a suitable enclosure if you anyone imports the right sort of ant.

Growing lithophytes on concrete

Australian artist Jamie North (www.jamienorth.com) grows native lithophytic plants on rough, broken concrete pillars, creating some really powerful work. It is easy to see interesting applications of this in the garden or for indoor plant displays, and the combination of polished and rough poured concrete or plaster surfaces could work in a terrarium or vivarium at a different scale. There are a number of tutorials for DIY concrete planters online, but creating the broken surfaces may require a bit of experimentation…