75 Gallon Amazonian Build

Hi Everyone,

I want to share my aquarium build with you and get your opinions! This is my second ever aquarium, I started my first one last year and I had no idea what I was getting into. I want to try to build a community tank with an Amazon river theme since my first attempt at it wasn't the best.

This will be a planted tank with driftwood, rocks, and a combination of soil and sand as the substrate. I plan to re-home my current fish once the tank has cycled. That will be 11 neon tetras, 8 albino corydoras, and 2 bolivian rams. I also plan to add some Angelfish, but I'm not sure how many will fit comfortably yet. I seeded this tank with some filter media and rocks from my other tank, and I started adding some fish food to allow some ammonia to build up to start the cycling process. I'm holding the Anubias on the driftwood with fishing line, and the driftwood is being held down with rocks. Here's a summary of what's inside so far:

The Tank + Equipment:

• 75 gallon Clear for Life Acrylic aquarium 24" H x 48" L x 15" W
• Eheim 150 watt heater
• Fluval Aquasky 2.0 48"-60"
• Fluval 407 Cannister filter

The Plants:

• Vallisneria
• Anubias
• Red-leaf Ludwigia
• Amazon Sword

The Substrate:

I used ADA Aquasoil Amazonia on the bottom and then covered that in Super-naturals sand. I really want to have sand since the cory's and the Rams love it in my current tank. I think it makes the tank look more natural as well. There are some rocks that are being used to hold down one of the pieces of driftwood.



The Fish (eventually):

• 11 Neon Tetras
• 8 Albino Corydora Catfish
• 2 Bolivian Rams
• 4-5 juvenvile Angelfish

If you have any recommendations on stocking other than this, let me know! I think I can probably add some more tetras but I don't want it to get too crowded. I realize I might have to return some of the angels if there is aggression or a mated pair, I'm not sure if a 75 gallon with all of these other fish would be enough room. Thanks for reading!

 

I think it looks VERY good!!

The focal point for me, is the driftwood in the middle. I like how it points upwards a bit with plants to each side! I think the Amazonian river theme was executed excellently. =)

 

I assume this tank will be faux-blackwater, is that correct? Rams will not survive in true blackwater conditions and the cories are questionable. If you plan on having an amazonian blackwater look with whitewater parameters then no worries

 

Nice, I'm a big fan of driftwood with plants. : )

 

I also plan to add some Angelfish, but I'm not sure how many will fit comfortably yet.

I would say about 6 in a 75, but with lots of cover, without, probably lower. I just made an article on their care recently, it is almost completely from my own experience (Except for the natural habitat and stuff like that, that I can't do anything about, like lowest ph): Angelfish Care

And you can probably add some more tetras and cories. (Though I would suggest cardinal tetras as they are more hardy).
Also, did you use fluval stratum for the whole thing!?!?!? Wow!

 

I think it looks VERY good!!

The focal point for me, is the driftwood in the middle. I like how it points upwards a bit with plants to each side! I think the Amazonian river theme was executed excellently. =)

Thank you! I actually bought that piece of driftwood before I even knew which tank I wanted! I’m happy to hear you think it’s well executed

I assume this tank will be faux-blackwater, is that correct? Rams will not survive in true blackwater conditions and the cories are questionable. If you plan on having an amazonian blackwater look with whitewater parameters then no worries

Correct the parameters will mimic whitewater with pH around 6.8-7.

I would say about 6 in a 75, but with lots of cover, without, probably lower. I just made an article on their care recently, it is almost completely from my own experience (Except for the natural habitat and stuff like that, that I can't do anything about, like lowest ph): Angelfish Care

And you can probably add some more tetras and cories. (Though I would suggest cardinal tetras as they are more hardy).
Also, did you use fluval stratum for the whole thing!?!?!? Wow!

I’ll check out the article thanks! It’s not Fluval stratum but it’s a similar soil called ADA aqua soil. How many cardinals would you suggest if I already have the 11 neons?

 

I like it. You might eventually find that you need some supplementary filtration. Also depending on your local climate and whether the room is heated you might need extra wattage for heating.

 

Thank you! I actually bought that piece of driftwood before I even knew which tank I wanted! I’m happy to hear you think it’s well executed

Correct the parameters will mimic whitewater with pH around 6.8-7.

I’ll check out the article thanks! It’s not Fluval stratum but it’s a similar soil called ADA aqua soil. How many cardinals would you suggest if I already have the 11 neons?

20-25 in total imo. I am talking not based on filtration, but on what can fit comfortably.

 

Correct the parameters will mimic whitewater with pH around 6.8-7.

That's clearwater. Whitewater can go up to a pH of almost 8 and is so rich in sediments you can't see anything.
The soil will likely drop the pH for a few months, so keep an eye on that. After 2-3 months your parameters will likely start to shift.

The stocking is ok, usually I'd say no dwarf cichlids with Corydoras, but with Bolivian Rams there should be little to no problems.

If you already have Neon tetras, leave it at that, only stock up with cardinals when the neons have reduced to less than 5 naturally. If you want to stock them up in general, I urge you to quarantine them and then limit the neons to 20 specimens. Just don't mix neons and cardinals from the get-go.

For the Angels: Either get some extra driftwood (something with thinner twigs that can fill out a lot of the open spaces and best even breaches the surface or wait until the plants have grown in. Otherwise the tank as it is is still too open and bright for them.

Funnily enough for many of the plants it might not be bright enough. The tannins keep a lot of the light bandwidth from the plants, so don't be surprised if the Vallisneria or the Ludwigia won't grow as much as you wish. You might find waterlilies and lotus interesting. Tiger lotus is, just as the Anubias an african plant but is a great stand-in for South American water lilies, which are very common where angels occur. The plant community in angelfish biotopes is called a "Nymphea community" often times. two of those would definitely give the tank the necessary shading and cover aswell.

 

That's clearwater. Whitewater can go up to a pH of almost 8 and is so rich in sediments you can't see anything.
The soil will likely drop the pH for a few months, so keep an eye on that. After 2-3 months your parameters will likely start to shift.

The stocking is ok, usually I'd say no dwarf cichlids with Corydoras, but with Bolivian Rams there should be little to no problems.

If you already have Neon tetras, leave it at that, only stock up with cardinals when the neons have reduced to less than 5 naturally. If you want to stock them up in general, I urge you to quarantine them and then limit the neons to 20 specimens. Just don't mix neons and cardinals from the get-go.

For the Angels: Either get some extra driftwood (something with thinner twigs that can fill out a lot of the open spaces and best even breaches the surface or wait until the plants have grown in. Otherwise the tank as it is is still too open and bright for them.

Funnily enough for many of the plants it might not be bright enough. The tannins keep a lot of the light bandwidth from the plants, so don't be surprised if the Vallisneria or the Ludwigia won't grow as much as you wish. You might find waterlilies and lotus interesting. Tiger lotus is, just as the Anubias an african plant but is a great stand-in for South American water lilies, which are very common where angels occur. The plant community in angelfish biotopes is called a "Nymphea community" often times. two of those would definitely give the tank the necessary shading and cover aswell.

Thanks for the suggestions! I was thinking of adding tiger lotus when I saw some in my LFS, so today I caved and bought some, hopefully they’ll grow up and give some cover for those angels!

 

The Vallsneria was enough to make me love this lol.

i love biotopes!!

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I was thinking of adding tiger lotus when I saw some in my LFS, so today I caved and bought some, hopefully they’ll grow up and give some cover for those angels!
View attachment 792204

You're welcome!

 

Any updates?

I’m planning something similar and want to know what you ended up doing re: stocking.

 

Correct the parameters will mimic whitewater with pH around 6.8-7.

awesome! Nothing wrong with middle of the road Solimoes white water.

 

I haven’t kept up with the updates but I figured it’s probably better late than never! The aquarium has transformed quite a bit in the last 10 months. I now have 3 angelfish, 2 juvenile bristlenose plecos, the 2 Rams, 12 neon tetras, and 8 cory catfish. The catfish were the first to go in and one actually laid eggs! None hatched unfortunately I don’t think they ever got fertilized. I slowly introduced my fish from the other tank, and then bought the Angels. Two of my first ended up dying, and I have no idea why ☹️ The parameters were always good, there may have been some bullying by the other Angels and the rams. I did add a third angel and just today 2 bristlenose plecos! The plants have grown in a lot more and there is a bit more algae growth then I would like, but overall I’m happy with the tank. Let me know what you think or if you have questions!

 

As far as the bristlenoses go, once they get older, if they're both males they'll probably have some problems with territory.

 

It is looking good and you have a nice selection of fishes. I would like to see more tall plants at the back ideally. Hopefully the angelfish with behave themselves...

 

As far as the bristlenoses go, once they get older, if they're both males they'll probably have some problems with territory.

Yeah I was thinking that could be an issue, I didn't realize how large they actually get full size. They are thick boi's lol. I'll keep an eye on them as they grow and possibly rehome one if it becomes a problem.

It is looking good and you have a nice selection of fishes. I would like to see more tall plants at the back ideally. Hopefully the angelfish with behave themselves...

My angel's are really well-behaved! They never start any fights, actually the Rams are still the boss of the tank and will chase the angels away sometimes. Never get's very aggressive though. Any recommendations for some taller background plants? I had some algae issues so I trimmed the val and swords a bit, I'm hoping they grow back fuller.

 

Vals are good for the back, but you could also try some fast growing stem plants like Hygrophila, Limnophila, Cabomba or Heteranthera for example. More plants = less algae issues. You could also try some floating plants, the provide shade and use up nutrients quickly so are good for preventing algae.

 

Did a bit of rescaping today! One bristlenose died 2 days after I got him. I acclimated them very slowly and no issues with water parameters and the other one is fine, so I guess he was sick Picked up a little super red longfin bristlenose as hopefully the final edition to the tank! I had been looking for one so I couldn’t pass him up, might have to move one of the bristlenose once they get big.

 

I recently transported and rescaped my tank after moving about 5 miles away. It was a super long process but totally worth it!

I set up my old 36 gallon at the new place so I had a place to but the fish during set up. I used filter media from the 75 gallon and let it run about 2 days before putting fish in. Ammonia and nitrite were zero. Ph about 7.4

Over a few days I transported the fish in a five gallon bucket or bags. I was a little nervous about catching them without hurting them but it was pretty easy once the plants and things were out.

Next was cleaning out the 75 gallon. I saved my valisneria, Amazon sword, and Anubias and gave it a stratum/water soak and scrubbed off Algea. I tried to save most of the substrate but my aquasoil was mixed with the sand. I added a base layer of fresh soil and then put my leftovers on top after rinsing.

I wanted to keep the same theme but executed better this time. I got a lot more plants because I found out after the first time planting heavier seems to be better. I attempted to create some more depth in the tank too after seeing a lot of aquascapes on Fishlore and other sites. My first try ending up as a pretty flat substrate level.

Using the same cycled filter I figured I could start adding fish after a day or two and I did, with a slight ammonia reading (seemed very close to zero) I got some emperor tetras this time and I plan to return the neons after losing about 4 of them. I have continued to have about a 0.25 ppm ammonia rating after adding all my fish. I’ve read a lot of places this could be because of chloramine in the tap water. I use prime as a conditioner every time. Sure enough, after testing the tap with the API kit it has a 0.5 ammonia reading. It seems like my cycle is still in tact as ammonia goes down, and I have 0 nitrite and 5-10 nitrates. But I’m curious to hear everyone’s opinion. I’m going to take the water to get tested soon.

The fish all appear to be fine but I’m monitoring closely because of the ammonia reading.

it’s Day 5 of tank operation today and this is what it looks like!

I would love everyone’s opinion on additional stocking if any. I have 3 angles, 2 Bolivian rams, 8 corydoras, 8 emporer tetras, and 1 baby bristlenose. I’m about at capacity but I want to add a few more emporers.

 

I recently transported and rescaped my tank after moving about 5 miles away. It was a super long process but totally worth it!

I set up my old 36 gallon at the new place so I had a place to but the fish during set up. I used filter media from the 75 gallon and let it run about 2 days before putting fish in. Ammonia and nitrite were zero. Ph about 7.4

Over a few days I transported the fish in a five gallon bucket or bags. I was a little nervous about catching them without hurting them but it was pretty easy once the plants and things were out.

Next was cleaning out the 75 gallon. I saved my valisneria, Amazon sword, and Anubias and gave it a stratum/water soak and scrubbed off Algea. I tried to save most of the substrate but my aquasoil was mixed with the sand. I added a base layer of fresh soil and then put my leftovers on top after rinsing.

I wanted to keep the same theme but executed better this time. I got a lot more plants because I found out after the first time planting heavier seems to be better. I attempted to create some more depth in the tank too after seeing a lot of aquascapes on Fishlore and other sites. My first try ending up as a pretty flat substrate level.

Using the same cycled filter I figured I could start adding fish after a day or two and I did, with a slight ammonia reading (seemed very close to zero) I got some emperor tetras this time and I plan to return the neons after losing about 4 of them. I have continued to have about a 0.25 ppm ammonia rating after adding all my fish. I’ve read a lot of places this could be because of chloramine in the tap water. I use prime as a conditioner every time. Sure enough, after testing the tap with the API kit it has a 0.5 ammonia reading. It seems like my cycle is still in tact as ammonia goes down, and I have 0 nitrite and 5-10 nitrates. But I’m curious to hear everyone’s opinion. I’m going to take the water to get tested soon.

The fish all appear to be fine but I’m monitoring closely because of the ammonia reading.

it’s Day 5 of tank operation today and this is what it looks like!

I would love everyone’s opinion on additional stocking if any. I have 3 angles, 2 Bolivian rams, 8 corydoras, 8 emporer tetras, and 1 baby bristlenose. I’m about at capacity but I want to add a few more emporers.

that is looking really nice but i would strongly suggest that you add more plantsto the back

 

Yes some taller plants at the back would be good. If the plants grow in well you may find the emperor tetras breed and you will have more without buying any more. This has happened in my tank, admittedly it is bigger and very densely planted, but it also has six large angelfish and two pairs of Laetacaras so I was quite surprised that a few have managed to survive and grow up.

 

that is looking really nice but i would strongly suggest that you add more plantsto the back

Thanks, where do you find plants that are already that tall? I have some val planted back there but it hasn't grown in quite yet.

Yes some taller plants at the back would be good. If the plants grow in well you may find the emperor tetras breed and you will have more without buying any more. This has happened in my tank, admittedly it is bigger and very densely planted, but it also has six large angelfish and two pairs of Laetacaras so I was quite surprised that a few have managed to survive and grow up.

Nice! I would love to see them breed, I had my cory's lay eggs but they never were fertilized. Any reccomendations on where to get valisneria that is already that tall?

 

As well as the Vallisneria, many of the stem plants grow tall quickly, Limnophila and Cabomba work well for me and also have dense fine leaves where fry stand a chance hiding out. You could also add some water lettuce or another floating plant, the roots provide good hideouts too.