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Beautiful fish and tanks! The other fish I really love from Congo are the larger and more unusual lampeyes - Plataplochilus especially. They would seem to combine well with many of your fish. The Phractolaemus are fascinating! I had the chance to add them to my swamp monster at one point, but...

I challenge anyone on here to read much of this and not start thinking about a Borneo paludarium: The rainforests of Borneo & Southeast Asia My favourite thing on the web!

I was a bit surprised to log in today and see my very old swamp monster thread on the forum landing page! I spent a nice hour going back. Some very happy memories. The tank was stripped down back in April/May last year as I moved house in August. We are now in a rental property as we complete...

Jeff, Beautiful tank and fish choice. aurantiacus are one of my favourite fish. My swamp monster referred to above is in the process of being taken down in anticipation of a house move. I’ll keep my schoutedeni puffers (would be a wonderful addition to your tank if you can find any) and a few...

They were probably 3cm when I got them. Now probably 4cm. The main reason I think these two are a pair (I also have a 3rd) is that the slightly larger, greyer one has developed a very far abdomen, so I think she is gravid. Others have suggested that body shape, more contrasting colours and the...

Full tank shot. I’m in the process of taking out the biggest piece of work (under the left hand edge of the TV) and moving the wood on the far left over to the same place. This should leave much more swimming space in the tank and I think give a much stronger design. Any thoughts welcome!

And here are some recent photos of some of my favourite fish in the tank: I think a male /female pair of Tetraodon schoutedeni. Very fat female behind.. one of my male Plataplochilus ‘Mayombe’

Hi, just started a rescape to make more open space. Meanwhile my Anubias heterophylla have decided to flower..

Thanks!

Congochromis have never done really well for me, even before the Hemichromis were in the tank. always shy to the point that I wasn’t sure they were getting enough food...

Thanks! There are two JBL e1901 externals on the tank. The inlets are in the back corners and the outlets cross over and are further into the tank. I also have two maxxspect gyre pumps at each end of the tank. They run at about 50% and have masses of power...

Thanks. I love Plataplochilus! One of my favourite fish! Beautiful and constantly active. I’ve not seen any problems with the ansorgii. The ansorgii have big problems with the Hemichromis, who seems to recognise them as fry predators and are super aggressive when they see them. To be fair my 3...

thank you!

Current shape of the swamp monster. Regaining its swampiness after the rescape. Current stocklist: About 20 Hemichromis sp Moanda. 3 adults, 17 babies. This is the 5th group of babies. They are machines. 2 Pelvicachromis subocellatus ‘Matadi’. They have also bred in the tank. 3 Tetraodon...

Fantastic work with the wood placement! Couldn’t really be better! I would think about moving one of the filter pipes to get some flow, though. I think you will end up with v little flow at the left hand side in a 5ft tank, even with a very punchy filter. I have two gyre pumps in my 10ft as...

Some action from some of my Poropanchax luxophthalmus today

I had two pairs of Hemichromis sp ‘Moanda’. I now have 2 pairs and 40 3/4” babies. This is supposedly one of the more peaceful jewels, but the parents protected a full 6-7 foot of tank length quite happily, they and the cloud of babies cruised around the tank leaving a foot or so of ‘fish soup’...

I thought there might be some residual interest in my Congo project...? I have now completed a massive rescape after a combination of new baby driven poor maintenance, a stupid original design decision (the rock like on the left trapped detritus at massive volumes), a power cut whilst on...

I hadn’t! Thanks so much for sharing. I loved it. The tank is ticking along. It has been a bit neglected with the arrival of our third child earlier this year, and has some algae problems - I think from filter maintenance getting too infrequent and detritus trapped in the ‘hill’ on the left...

Thanks all. I’m quite happy with it and have achieved most of what I wanted to. Don’t have any major plans at this point. I want to swap the fern on top of the tree trunk and continue to build out the emersed growth. On the fishy front, I have lost a few of the original louessense killies...

And a couple of videos...

Photos earlier this evening, in case anyone is interested in how this has evolved. Now home to a group of almost 30 Poropanchax luxophthalmus and some Crypt. wendtii. So a fair way from a biotope at this point!

Ha. Under the tank is a dolls house, a zoo for cuddly animals, bike parking, car parking, a football locker, artist materials storage and a cache of plastic projectiles....

A better full tank shot this evening.

Thanks John. Lovely video. Would love to get hold of more of the Platas. I’ll need to keep an eye on all the killi egg trading boards!

Latest full tank shot and series down the length of the tank. Since the last update I started taking off floating leaves from the lillies late Nov and have let the Bacopa and Myriophyllum take over the main section, have added some more Crinum calimastratum, a couple of java fern and had a...

This is the Plataplochilus that I have have always assumed was Male. The others don’t have the causal fin extensions or the red in the fin. A couple of other (bad phone) shots from today: This is the younger of my two Male Pelvicachromis subocellatus. This one was born in the tank last...

Will get a better shot of the Plataplochilus that I think is male. He has some fin extensions and some colour in the dorsal fin. 3 females would certainly explain my lack of breeding success!!

Thanks John. Nice to see you on here. I’ve been watching your success with Plataplochilus on the Lampeyes Facebook group, and I am looking out on Aquabid for eggs to be available. Good to know what mine are - the very shallow part of my tank was designed as a refuge for baby killies so that they...

A baby Pelvicachromis subocellatus ‘matadi’, finally escaped from mum. Probably ~8-10mm. Ammannia flowering

Yep. The Floscopa is not a particularly attractive plant, and definitely needs trimming. I’m growing more of the Ammania out above the waterline, which is far more attractive. On a more positive note the Floscopa does root easily when I’ve trimmed and replanted it. The palm grass also needs...

I’ve added further groups of killies from various breeders from online auctions, a group of tetras from Pier Aquatics, and some wild caught cichlids and catfish that Abacus Aquatics bought in for me from Europe, and the swamp monster is now close to fully stocked I think, at least unless/until I...

Thanks. I think it now coming along well. Thank you.

A few full tank shots today. I’m quite happy with the tank and not far off getting how I want it. Still want to put some more emersed plants in and soften some of the transitions between different section. Fish stocking is also not far off complete. I hopefully have a couple more pairs of dwarf...

Babies! :) Love is in the air in the swamp monster. I was getting worried about how well the Pelvicachromis subocellatus ‘Matadi’ were settling, as they had gone to ground when they went in and I’d not seen much of them. Today I discovered why as the female popped up on top of the tangle of...

I am super excited to see this develop. A huge group of tetras is going to look amazing. As you probably know rummynoses and serpae are going to create very different looks. Rummynoses are active swimmers that are more likely to form a conventional shoal and move together around the tank...

I’ve found the growth of lillies in my tank to be quite unpredictable. They are all ‘standard aquarium’ N lotus/zenkeri and some kick out 6 inch pads on thick stalks once a week or so and others stay much smaller. The ones in the flow actually kick out the longest and thickest stalks. After...

Love your big tank! I like that you have started with a group of fish species that you wanted to keep and have looked to build a both natural and beautiful environment for them. Exactly what I have tried to do. I just wish I had your discipline in avoiding too many plant species and in stopping...

Thank you for sharing. What a fabulous and inspiring adventure.

A few new additions to the family. A pair of Pelvicachromis subocellatus ‘Matadi’, who have taken up residence in a knot of branches on the right hand side of the tank and hunkered down. They take an occassional explore around a 1 foot radius but won’t go much further yet and won’t go into the...

I’ve spent the last hour or so looking at George’s other recent YouTube videos on the back of this post. The idea of combining glowlight tetras and green neons was particularly inspiring!

Some beautiful aquariums. I liked number 5 best. Huge kudos for the skill involved in putting these together - it is vastly ahead of anything I’m capable of! I would have loved to see more originality, though. Not sure there is much that we haven’t seen before? I’m in a contrary mood!

The tetras were all shoaling nicely together this evening and so I made a couple of videos. Quality is horrible, but they probably give a better sense of the tank than any of my photos. I really need to learn to take good/acceptable aquarium photos and videos. Any suggestions of sites that give...

Things I’m planning in the next month or so 1. I’ve been peat filtering to help settle some rather skittish wild caught tetras but I am now planning to take out the peat and replace it with purigen to get back to bright clean water.. 2. Neatening up the far right where the Floscopa has gone...

Good point. Thanks! There is a lot of scattered twigs but could definitely be more eg in front of the left hand water lilly. There are really two piles of stones that are quite distinct and would be better integrated a bit more. You are also right that I need to build a clearer transition...

Updated full tank shots and shots along the tank, a solo shot of one of the male Aphyosemion louessense and a group shot of the pair of Enigmatochromis, one of the louessense and part of the group of Phenacogrammus deheyni. I have just got the tank back in order after a month away. Not too much...

That Phyllanthus is amazing!

I’ve exchanged emails with Johnny Jensen, who runs the aquariumphoto.dk, site since writing this. I’d missed that his site already lists sp fantastique as a synonym of deheyni. He has had this confirmed by Melanie Stiassny, who has worked extensively on Congo fishes, so it should be quite...

I wonder if the fish currently being marketed as Phenacogrammus sp fantastique are actually Phenacogrammus deheyni? There is almost no info on deheyni anywhere but the photo under that name on aquarium photo.dk aren’t very different to mine or to the pictures that Phenaco Congo, a Congo...

I doubt it, at least not a native one. I think it is spicatum, which is invasive everywhere as far as I can tell, or matogrossense, which as far as I know isn’t...

I think the TV is going to stay! Thanks for your continued interest though, Marcel!

Ha! I am imagining the face of a decorator coming in to do that job... I do like that fern coming out of the top, though!

It is Myriophyllum

Very happy with the right hand side after a trim and water change today. The big wood section is also getting there. The rest needs work!

Really like that wood in that tank! Well done.

It is Hydrocotyle verticillata. Not from the right region for my tank, but I got bored trying to get the mini Eleocharis to grow in the foreground :oops:

...and I am still tempted to add a pair. I’ve only lost 1 fish from jumping - one of the Phenacogrammus fantastiques that was always a bit of a loony and super skittish.

I would have to take the floating leaves out every 2-3 days to eliminate the dark spot and I am far too lazy in my pruning to do that. I’m trying to add some density behind the lillies on the left and slightly to the right and on the first ‘step’ of the rocky terrace.

Thank you Petra!

Thank you Saffa

The enigmas enjoying a rare moment of marital harmony...

Some recent photos. On the aquascaping side I’m still working on replicating some of the same mix that I have in the right as undergrowth under and behind the lillies on the left. I’m trying to do this selectively to have a lighter feel and more open space on the left, and to have the different...

Fabulous tank! Will be sad to break it down. I could provide a good home for some of that wood it is surplus to requirements! :)

Current state of the tank. I think it is starting to come together. Main changes are to the right hand side. I am going to introduce the same combination of Myriophyllum and Bacopa to the left of the large bogwood and some twigs and perhaps a large piece of bogwood on the right.

Just found this rather lovely underwater video of the Lufubu River. I'm aiming for a natural look and still felt the need to fight off the algae! It makes me think I've added far too much complexity in my mix of plants and basically cutting and pasting the mix of vallis and Nymphaea with some...

Female and Male Enigmatochromis. They’ve actually been pretty outgoing but retreated to the back of the tank when I pointed my phone at them. The lady fish has been showing off her plum coloured belly from time to time :)

Something like this??

What do I do after I collect green leaves? I assume I need to dry them before I check them in? Do I just stick them in the garage for a while until they dry out or can I put them in the oven on low? I'm in central London.

I am going to wait until the Floscopa on the right have established themselves as emergents and I’ve put some plants in shower caddies on the right. I can then reintroduce some more floating plants on that side and will have a lot of cover...

I suspect all surface dwelling fish have evolved to jump as a defence against attach from below, so I think I have the choice to either leave that part of the tank empty or to take a bit of a risk. I’m a bit more willing to do that with killies than butterflyfish

So I broke the bank and bought another 4 Phenacogrammus sp. ‘red’/‘fantastique’/‘phantastique’/‘red makoua’ (all seem to be the same fish), 6 Phenacogrammus aurantiacus, and a lovely pair of Enigmatochromis lucanusi. It is nice having cichlids at last! The tank is starting to feel a bit busier...

I thought it was strange that I had some long calls to the Congo on my bill

Thanks. I’ve at least not been brave enough to change the angle of the TV since the tank was installed in case it jumps off the bracket.

Good to know. May well try a pair!

It is a great shop! Sadly not quite as convenient for me. I had a pair of Betta channoides from there that I loved dearly and lived for a number of years in a 12” cube that was so overgrown with Cryptocoryne and peat stained that I hardly saw them.

I’ve never kept them, but could be a good add. I think I need to make some more caves and structure for future cichlids in any case - a bit short of hiding places for much more at the bottom level right now This is an excellent idea! Not sure I can do it now, though - the bank is mostly a big...

Thanks zozo. I think ‘natural’ is the polite word for ‘scruffy’, but that is what I am going for!

Thank you! It is finally getting to a point where I am happy with it.

Some pics of the tank today. Full tank shot. Now looking quite well grown in, and the algae problems have more or less disappeared - took a lot longer than I expected, I suspect because the failure of most of the emersed plants I had growing from the substrate added a bunch of nutrients that...

Some pics of the tank today. Full tank shot. Now looking quite well grown in, and the algae problems have more or less disappeared - took a lot longer than I expected, I suspect because the failure of most of the emersed plants I had growing from the substrate added a bunch of nutrients that...

Great. Abacus have some aurantiacus and some more ‘red makoua’ in stock so will likely grab some more in the next week or so. I’m also tempted by a pair of Enigmatochronis lucanusi

The fish are doing well. I am long overdue sharing some pictures! Currently the tank houses: 8 Enteromius fasciolatus 9 Phenacogrammus sp ‘red makoua’ 4 Phenacogrammus aurantiacus 2? Microsynodontis sp 4 Microctenopoma ansorgii 5 Otocinclus vittatus One of the Microctenopoma under the...

The tank is now doing well and I’m starting to be happy with it. Most of the submerged plants are growing well. The emersed ones other than the Setaria and the maidenhair fern have passed away. Will have another go with some shower caddies behind the wood and on the right hand side in the next...

Just caught up with this journal after some time. What an awesome achievement!

Thanks, as ever, zozo. So the Anubias leaves gradually 'harden' to lower humidity rather than different leaves emerge.. I will have to put a couple of A. heterphylla or hastifolia in a spare small cube in the garage for a year or so!

One of the Anubias in my open topped tank is flowering. This one was sold as Anubias minima, which according to the Crusio 1979 revision is a synonym of A barteri var glabra. Any tips on encouraging Anubias to make the leap to emersed growth when grown open topped - other than superhuman...

I think I am. My algae problems have largely abated, at least in most bits of the tank, and so I've started dosing macros, trace and liquid carbon more consistently and upped the light levels a bit. Hopefully this won't lead to a massive resurgence in algae but to faster growth in my plants...

I love this! I have 3 Anubias heterophylla that I am hoping will grow emersed. One at the top of the pile of Anubias on the large piece of wood, one on a rock on the far right and one in the very shallow section on the far left. The latter has suffered a lot from the lack of humidity but...

Updated full tank shot and series of pictures down the length of the tank - usual caveat/embarrassment at quality of photos applies! A bunch of changes since the last update. Most notably the Juncus clearly failed (as Darrell predicted) and has gone, and the large Anubias at back left has also...

I have grown Salvinia before. Will get hold of some. Guess I am guilty of thinking that all floating plants are the same and dead easy.

Thanks! Super thoughtful post. I was probably a bit impatient. I have 6-7 floating leaves on the Nymphaea now, so that seems to be going well. As you say the grasses on the right are a bit confused - I seem to have some that are doing well and some that aren’t of the same species next to each...

Can anyone suggest what might be going wrong with my plants? The Anubias and Pistia are melting and the Eleocharis and Cyperus that were growing well have stalled. This seems to have been triggered by me reducing the light levels rather dramatically (to ~50% if max output for 2 hours with a...

Thank you! The plants on the right are a mix of ‘pond grade’ Eleocharis acicularis and Juncus effusus It is crazy how much more you get of the same Eleocharis species you get for your money when they are sold as pond plants rather than aquarium plants!

Thank you! I’m not sure it is even one of my favourites as it stands! If I can get the emersed part to work (really need some new plants and am a bit short of ideas... the Aeschynomene will help when it arrives), the waterlillies established and keep the hair algae in check then I’ll start to...

Yes, a sump would probably have been a better option, but I was too lazy when planning this to think about how to design the overflow with the very limited space I have behind. Plus I already had the big Eheim. I also need to keep a bunch of space under the stand for my kids’ stuff! Maybe once I...

Thank you. They are A80s. Equipment so far is: 5x Kessil A80 Tuna Sun w Kessil Spectral Controller 2x 300w Hydor in-line heaters 1x Oase Biomaster 600 thermofilter 1x Eheim 3e 700 filter 1x Inkbird itc306 temperature controller Next purchases will be an automatic top-off as there is a lot...

Finally some pics of the area around the large root, which is starting to look like what I want, and the Phenacogrammus aurantiacus.

Latest as of earlier today after removing the Pteris cretica and a lot of dead emerged leaves from the Anubias barteri glabra. Have started to get a bit of green hair algae in places despite not having bright lighting at the moment and the Pistia are going a bit yellow. I suspect a lack of NPK...

I do have an amazing wife!!!! I’m not sure I would describe her as ‘understanding’ why I am doing this, though!

Thank you all for your interest and advice. Digging almost makes me as nervous about Hemichromis as their aggression. I could have 6” fish and still be working within your 20x rule! I think staying on the smaller end of things will work better, though.. Does anyone have experience with either...