# River themed aquarium



## AnhBui (22 Jan 2019)

I am tempted by an idea of creating a mimic environment that reflects a river bed. Warning this is not a cool nice and crystal clear nature aquarium


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## tam (22 Jan 2019)

I like it! Which crypt (?) is it you have right in the back? It looks great swaying in the flow.


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## zozo (22 Jan 2019)

Looks nice..  And the soundtrack sounds like a rafting 20 x turnover too..


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## DutchMuch (22 Jan 2019)

lmao that music
dubstepp or something with a "cool calm and collected aquascape" LOL

unexpected!


looks great!


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## dw1305 (22 Jan 2019)

Hi all, _


AnhBui said:



			mimic environment that reflects a river bed
		
Click to expand...

_Very nice.





tam said:


> Which crypt (?) is it you have right in the back? It looks great swaying in the flow


It looks like <"_C. crispatula balansae"> _or close.

cheers Darrel


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## AnhBui (22 Jan 2019)

zozo said:


> Looks nice..  And the soundtrack sounds like a rafting 20 x turnover too..



That’s from iMovie music library


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## AnhBui (22 Jan 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, Very nice.It looks like <"_C. crispatula balansae"> _or close.
> 
> cheers Darrel



It’s not balansea but I cannot tell exactly. I know they can be found in some areas along Vietnam’s borders with China, and in China too


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## Andrew Butler (22 Jan 2019)

AnhBui said:


> I am tempted by an idea of creating a mimic environment that reflects a river bed.


I love the look and if you do then do it.
Dave @Aquarium Gardens started one a little while ago.


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## AnhBui (22 Jan 2019)

tam said:


> I like it! Which crypt (?) is it you have right in the back? It looks great swaying in the flow.



I found this source and it does contain some information. It might be but I cannot tell

https://crypts.home.xs4all.nl/Cryptocoryne/Gallery/ton/ton.html


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## AnhBui (22 Jan 2019)

Andrew Butler said:


> I love the look and if you do then do it.
> Dave @Aquarium Gardens started one a little while ago.



Yes, it’s my home tank


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## zozo (22 Jan 2019)

AnhBui said:


> I found this source and it does contain some information. It might be but I cannot tell
> 
> https://crypts.home.xs4all.nl/Cryptocoryne/Gallery/ton/ton.html



That's one of the best Crypt documentations to find.. Good to see he's back again, few months ago it was off line.. 

But definitive ID will be tad difficult for many Crypts, lots do look a like and than you need a flower to be 100% sure.. Without it, it might stay a best guess..


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## AnhBui (22 Jan 2019)

zozo said:


> That's one of the best Crypt documentations to find.. Good to see he's back again, few months ago it was off line..
> 
> But definitive ID will be tad difficult for many Crypts, lots do look a like and than you need a flower to be 100% sure.. Without it, it might stay a best guess..



It seems second that guess. I bought these crypts from local collector, and he said his source is from our upper northern part


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## AnhBui (23 Jan 2019)

So you have watched my result on YouTube. And here is the story behinds this tank

I had my house renovated, and it started November last year. It was the reason why I came so often to my friend’s office for work progress. One day after we finished our regular project status update, I saw his huge manzanita log in his office corner. By asking him I was totally aware he just let it there and had no plan for it. By that time I told him my initial idea for a botanical influenced aquarium, then asked him to buy his log. My heart was jumping with joy when he agreed, even generously offered to join the project

This log is 160cm long, and weighing around 20kg. So the common sized 150cm aquarium would not fit. Cut or trim it down to fit 150cm was not my option. Also I could not rescape my 125x50x50cm for the purpose

There was only one option left. Sell my 125cm aquarium set and order new 160cm tank and new stand from Aqua Minh Long

My idea is aiming to mimic a river bed so I choose sand, river pebbles (various size) and plants which can grow without aqua soil.
My experiment with cryptocoryne has seconded that idea. The experiment is not complicated but simply planted the crypt. flamingo in sand, let the mysterious crypt to grow freely off the substrate and in the water column. After few months you would see their new dangling thin roots in the water. And it would create more natural look

I had my tank delivered to my house late December. I bought roughly 30kg large to small sized pebbles, 20kg light yellow sand and started scaping 









First tryout 





Laying sand





Scaping hard. You are seeing a series of my tryouts during several days with some twists here and there





















Final scape flooded





Next step is simply adding african and tiger lily, mysterious and flamingo cryptocoryne 









With these pictures you are seeing how my tank is layered. First sand, second small, crushed pebbles, manzanita and other driftwood, then medium to large pebbles , and finally the log on top









Since my tank is slightly oversized, I cannot use common lighting hanging kit. In stead I ordered a custom built kit from this guy





Btw he sells his products worldwide. So if you’re interested, you can contact him through his page  https://www.facebook.com/dalab.vn/

So basically I

- Reuse my filters, lighting, co2 kit
- Buy new tank, stand and lighting hanging kit

And in summary 

Tank size: 160x60x60cm
Lighting: Maxspect Razor 175W (set at 70%)
Filter: Eheim classic 600, Fluval fx6

Plant:
Cryptocoryne flamingo 
Unidentifiable Cryptocoryne (mysterious)
African lily
Tiger lily
Java fern needle leaves 

Fauna
Various rainbowfish species
Various corydoras species
And anglefish


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## Marc Davis (23 Jan 2019)

Awesome. Really really like it.

"Warning this is not a cool nice and crystal clear nature aquarium" - i respectfully disagree. i think its about its up there with as nature aquarium as you can.


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## Tim Harrison (23 Jan 2019)

AnhBui said:


> I am tempted by an idea of creating a mimic environment that reflects a river bed. Warning this is not a cool nice and crystal clear nature aquarium



Nice video and natural scape. Watched it on mute listening to Para for Curva & Anna Naklab instead, a much more relaxing experience


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## AnhBui (23 Jan 2019)

Marc Davis said:


> Awesome. Really really like it.
> 
> "Warning this is not a cool nice and crystal clear nature aquarium" - i respectfully disagree. i think its about its up there with as nature aquarium as you can.



I am glad you like it. Yes my ultimate goal is to set it up as close as nature. However this it not exactly the famous and popular ADA nature aquarium style. I choose to set it up to be a dark water aquarium


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## AnhBui (23 Jan 2019)

Tim Harrison said:


> Nice video and natural scape. Watched it on mute listening to Para for Curva & Anna Naklab instead, a much more relaxing experience




Thank you Tim. Great suggestion. This is my new video with more relaxing, inspirational music


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## Steve Buce (23 Jan 2019)

Great looking tank


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## aquacoen (23 Jan 2019)

Great tank! Really like the plants moving in the flow of your filter, great atmosphere!


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## 19Lee81 (23 Jan 2019)

Wow!!.. what a tank you have created there, who needs T.V. with a work of art like that!!.. excellent work!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AnhBui (27 Jan 2019)

Happy weekend folks. This is it before weekly maintenance. I do love the tannic look, more importantly fishes are showing off their natural beauty and behaviour


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## Daveslaney (27 Jan 2019)

Fantastic tank.
Like looking into a tropical river.


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## AnhBui (28 Jan 2019)

Daveslaney said:


> Fantastic tank.
> Like looking into a tropical river.



Thanks Dave

Watching these fishes under tinted water really means something


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## DutchMuch (28 Jan 2019)

Definitely on my Top 5 biotope scape lists.

Absolutely Fantastic job so far.


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## Sick1166 (28 Jan 2019)

excellent


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## Marc Davis (30 Jan 2019)

Really like it. Wish the wife was a fan of blackwater.


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## AnhBui (7 Mar 2019)

Feeding my fishes with mix of frozen bloodworms and dry food has really paid off.


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## Tim Harrison (7 Mar 2019)

Wow, they look incredibly healthy, really vivid colours.


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## AnhBui (7 Mar 2019)

Tim Harrison said:


> Wow, they look incredibly healthy, really vivid colours.



Most of them are doing fine except cardinal tetra. They just have been relocated from my friend’s tank since last Saturday. I am seeing some of them partially lost tail or dorsal fin. Let’s see if this rescue mission successes


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## DeepMetropolis (8 Mar 2019)

Rofl, was listening to some spaced out chill drum and bass and for me this was heavy enough then I watched the comments and put the sound on... But your thank sure does look amazing! that it isn't plant oriented doesn't bother at all it look really natural it is a great tank just to stare at the fish for hours..


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## AnhBui (14 Mar 2019)

Pleasing time after weekly maintenance


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## sciencefiction (14 Mar 2019)

Great looking tank with some really nice and healthy and happy looking fish.


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## TBRO (15 Mar 2019)

Looking fantastic, great wood work. Love how the tetras shoal. T


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## AnhBui (16 Mar 2019)

sciencefiction said:


> Great looking tank with some really nice and healthy and happy looking fish.





TBRO said:


> Looking fantastic, great wood work. Love how the tetras shoal. T



Thank you


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## CooKieS (16 Mar 2019)

Nice tank.

Tetra schoal because they are afraid of the pterophyllum?


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## AnhBui (16 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Nice tank.
> 
> Tetra schoal because they are afraid of the pterophyllum?



Not really. Their appearance just to wake tetra’s instinct up


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## AnhBui (27 Aug 2019)

Crypt has melted its old leaves and settled on the new tank. Despite the low nutrition and no co2 injection this plant has developed  so well. I would say I am successfully mimic its natural habitat.

Minh Long contacted me last week, asked for permission to come by and take photos of my tank.

Below are some outcomes of our 1.5 hour session. Bear with me the watermarks

 https://www.facebook.com/559838189/posts/10157280243918190?sfns=mo


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## Arana (27 Aug 2019)

Great photos


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## AnhBui (28 Aug 2019)

Below is cinematic version


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## Fisher2007 (28 Aug 2019)

Great tank!  I love the high tech planted look normally but absolutely love this set up.  A video of the full tank from a distance would be fantastic to see


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## AnhBui (29 Aug 2019)

Fisher2007 said:


> A video of the full tank from a distance would be fantastic to see



Yes, that’s on the plan. In the meantime enjoy below full tank shot


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