African Or Amazon - Help Me Decide

[tophat665]

Hey there folks.

I recently acquired a 110 gallon high tank - 48x18x30. Big tank. Tall. I'm a big guy, but I still can't touch the bottom.

I've got two possible ways to go with this: Amazon (angelfish centered) or African River Margin (Bichir or Ropefish centered), and i am waffling.

On the one hand, I know pretty well how to set up an Amazon tank.

On the other hand, I haven't heard of many folks doing an African tank that wasn't rift lake cichlids.

The stock list for the Amazon tank I made up long ago:

• 8 Juvenile silver or Half black angelfish (To be reduced to 4 or 6 as pairs form)
• 1 male and 2 female dwarf sunset platies (for fry production and a dash of color)
• 8 Diamond Tetras (Already have them in my 55 gallon amazon tank - growing out from 3/4" long)
• 8 Silver or Marbled hatchetfish (added last when the tank is stable)
• 5 Callicthys callicthys or Brown Hoplo or Flagtailed Porthole catfish
• 1 Banjo Catfish
• 2 Albino Bristlenosed Plecos (Already have these in my 33 gallon neon tetra tank)
• 1 Gold Nugget pleco

If I were to go toward the African tank, the stocking would start here:

• 8 to 12 Congo Tetras
• 2 African Butterfly Fish
• 1 Male & 3 Female Swordtails (green if I can get them, red wag or Pineapple if not)
• 3 Leopard Bushfish

Then I would need to make some decisions (I know I can't put all this in there)

• 2 Senegal Bichirs or 2 or 3 Ropefish, or one Bichir and one or two ropefish. Getting a polypteride is is what this tank is really all about.
• One or more African Brown Knifefish or none at all or One or more peacock eels?
• A pair of Kribs or Jewel Cichlids or not?
• Catfish? Some sort of Syno? Do I need a janitorial crew? What about a Bristlenosed Pleco for Algae patrol?

I'd love to do them both, but that's just not going to happen, not in this house (not with this wife).

So what say? Amazon or African? If you said African, (or even if you said Amazon but had 2 cents to kick in) what do you figure for the exact stock on the tank?

 

[parker313]

I would go with Amazon as I think angelfish make stunning show tanks. I don't know much about the African fish that you have listed. I would say to take a look at the water requirements for each set of fish and see what most closely matches your tap water. The better your water suits your fish, the happier the fish will be.

 

[orange shark]

I second the amazon tank

 

[tophat665]

Let me add to this that Filtration will be an Eheim 2229 (Got one Thursday, full of media, $100. Score!) and an Eheim 2217 or comparable cannister filter (Rena f'rinstance.)

There's going to be a bunch of driftwood and a ton of plants, though which plants exactly will depend on which tank. I'll put 260 watts of compact fluorescents over it (2 x daylights, 2x plant spectrum)

I would go with Amazon as I think angelfish make stunning show tanks. I don't know much about the African fish that you have listed. I would say to take a look at the water requirements for each set of fish and see what most closely matches your tap water. The better your water suits your fish, the happier the fish will be.

Point taken about the water. However, both biotopes have just about the same parameters. My water is a little hard for either (12-15 dGh), but peat and driftwood generally take care of that in about a week.

That Angels make great show tanks may be the telling point, since this will be in my living room. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Puffdaddy]

I would like to see a African bio-type personally especially with the Knife fish and Congo Tetra, which are beautiful. Although with the size of your tank you sure could make a stunning Amazon bio-type with Angels and Discus, heavily planted. Tough choice.

 

[tophat665]

I would like to see a African bio-type personally especially with the Knife fish and Congo Tetra, which are beautiful. Although with the size of your tank you sure could make a stunning Amazon bio-type with Angels and Discus, heavily planted. Tough choice.

Really tough choice. The Third option is to skip the plants and go with 2 Oscars, a Jack, and a Common Pleco, but that is a distant third choice behind these two.

 

[GobyMaster]

I say Amazon. Maybe you could add a Black Ghost Knifefish in a tank that big, not sure.

GobyMaster

 

[tophat665]

I say Amazon. Maybe you could add a Black Ghost Knifefish in a tank that big, not sure.

GobyMaster

Thanks. BGK won't work. It might pick off the tetras after dark, and would surely pick off the adult dwarf platies.

 

[Esfa]

Deffo African.

 

[CAC]

I think there are alot of amazon bio-topes going on (including myself as of tomorrow) so I think it would be cool to go with the african one. Not sure what plants would look good, or fit in with an african mind you...
With an amazon tank you do however have some more options for "pretty" showy fish, like all the colourful cichlids and such. I say african!

 

[dcfeeiv]

i always find odd ball fish really interesting and makes people go what the hell is that?! and that usually means more to me than a flashy bright cichlid. the rope fish and bichir are really neat fish that definatly do that so i would go with african