35 G Southeast Asian Biotope Setup

W

Waylander

AC Members
Jun 23, 2006
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Tasmania, Australia
Hi all,

Thinking of a new setup.

Tank:
35 Gallons
28"L by 15"W by 22"H
2 by 24W T5 lights

Flora:
Java Moss
Vals
Crytps

Fauna:
Male Betta
Harlequin Rasboras
Cherry Shrimp
Otos (maybe)

I'm also thinking rocks and driftwood to attach moss to and a sand substrate. I want to have quite dense, overgrown vegetation which the moss should contribute a lot to, with broader leafed crypts and vals growing up to and partially covering the surface, making some shaded sections.

I don't intend for the tank to be heavily stocked. I'm really keen to have the shrimp, because I've enver kept them before and they look really cool. Also the red colour should contrast nicely with the overgrown vegetation. I'm also thinking of getting a blue betta, as that should contrast nicely too.

Bearing in mind that this is still just a plan and nothing has been bought yet, does anyone have any general suggestions or criticisms?

I also have some specific questions:

Will the betta eat shrimp?
Will there be enough light?

Cheers for your time,

Kieren
 
I like the concept for this tank a lot. Considering you're going for a pretty naturalistic look, I think dwarf gouramis would be a better fit, or many of the wild type mouthbrooding bettas, if you have access. Sounds like this would also be a great tank for kuhli loaches. As for the light goes, the vals would likely be slow to take off under just over 1wpg. Crypt balansae, spiralis, retrospiralis, etc would be good approximations, somewhat more suited to low light setups.
 
That sounds awesome, thought about doing that with my 36 gallon bowfront for a while. Bettas might eat the shrimp, it just depends on the nature of your Betta. Also, I think otos are from the Amazon...
 
Otos are indeed Amazonian. The vals are arguable, some sources say they are found in Asia and some sources don't.
But keep in mind that most crypts are from areas where you wouldn't find harlequins or bettas. They tend to be from India and Sri Lanka whereas bettas, some gouramis (blue, pearl, moonlight) and harlequins are from the Malay peninsula. (Thailand, Malaysia.) Some flora to consider if you're being more "proper" would be blyxa aubertii, hygrophila corymbosa and barclaya longifolia. Java moss is found all over Southeast Asia and grows in many different biotopes.



I have a Malay blackwater tank at the moment with harlequins and blue gouramis along with those very plants. Very easy to maintain and really pretty.
 
Thanks guys, not sure why I thought otos were Asian, so I'll forget them. They seem to rarely be available anyway.

I only mean for this to be a rough biotope, leaving room for what I think looks good together. Thanks for the plant suggestions Echo and Inka, I'll look into them. Since the Vals are ambiguous, I think I'll stick with them, because in my mind they're very important for the look I'm going for.

Would a Dwarf Gourami be less inclined to eat shrimp? Because if so I may go with one of them instead.

I'd considered Kuhlis, but the gf doesn't like them, plus the shrimp should hopefully do a good job of cleaning up.

Does anyone else have any stocking suggestions? Species or compatibility wise?
 
Heavily planted, enough shrimp should survive to make a sustainable breeding population, but it's always safer to assume that if the shrimp will fit in the fish's mouth, the fish will attempt to eat it. Keep in mind, that most of the cyprinids you'd consider for this tank will be very effective micropredators. I'd go with the microrasbora/boraras type fish for the best success with shrimp.
 
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