30g West African Coastal Stream

[WhistlingBadger53 9]

This tank isn't built yet, and possibly won't be for a while: I still have to re-home the Inle fish (the blue Gourami is going in the hillstream tank; anybody want some rosy Loaches?), collect tree roots and rocks, order plants, get the thing built, and let it settle in for a while before it's ready for fish. But I've been talking with @GaryE , our resident West Africa expert, and I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do. Since I have a lot on my mind, I'm going to drop some info here just for my own reference.

Basic setup:
30 gallon, glass cover, 100w and 50w heaters (I'll probably take out the 50)
River tank manifold with a 100 gph pump, for a nice, slow, linear flow.
No filter except foam prefilters on the rtm intake
river rocks and roots arranged to form a variety of caves and hiding spots
Branches along back, simulating tree roots growing into the water
Mixed Black Sand/Play Sand substrate
Temperature c. 75F
Tap Water GH:

Plants:
Assorted anubias attached to the woodwork, possibly growing emergent
A bolbitus on the upstream side (probably only one--I hear they get quite large)
Congo, willow, and/or phoenix moss
Probably a tiger lotus or two if the current proves to be slow enough

Critters:
A pair of taeniatus cichlids, exact species will depend on what's available when the time comes.
A few Aphyosemion killis. Again, exact species tbd.
Amano shrimp and assorted snails. We'll see how long they last...
Probably no schoolers in this tank; I think just the cichlids and killis will be quite striking.

OK, enough for now. Just a twinkle in my eye at the moment. Stay tuned.