Hi, I just came across this site and forum on plantedtank.net
I hope both will thrive...
I've been living in Africa (both West and East Africa) for the past 18 years. Before moving to Africa, I had a series of planted freshwater and marine tanks.. I'm now in the planning phase for a new tank.
The dimensions will be 120cm x 60cm x 50cm. At a 25cm distance from the backwall, the tank will be divided lengthwise by a 25cm high glass pane. This area will be filled with soil and will replicate an African stream/pond bank with papyrus, waterferns, etc.
The front of the tank will not be planted (no aquatic plants are available at our lfs anyway. Instead, it will get a thin layer of sand, several large pieces of driftwood and river cobbles. There will, however, be floating plants (most likely Nile cabbage).
There will be a powerhead to create current; but no heater and no light. The tank will be placed next to a large window facing South / West. It is very bright all day and receives full sunlight most of the afternoon.
I still face several obstacles: there are some problems in having the tank built, as the particular glass in unavailable at the moment. And I don't know what fish I can place in the tank, once it's finished. I would like to have native fishes from the Kenya Highlands, that could cope with wildly fluctuating temperatures. However, nobody seems to know what species were native before the introduction of trout, tilapia and guppies...
The water in Nairobi is soft; so Rift Valley cichlids are out of the question. If worse comes to worse, I will need to heat the tank and go with West African fishes (if I can find them).
My progress so far: I have some nice large pieces of driftwood soaking. And I already have 2 types of cyperus growing in a plastic basin on the patio. By the time the tank arrives, the soil will have been submersed for several months. So, I anticipate no problems...
So much for my project. I'm looking forward to following all the discussions.
I stumbled upon your post I've been looking for driftwood all over the place and the ones available are sold at ridiculous prices. Did you get yours from the wild? And where from? Please do let me know.
And by the way I know a person that sells a wide variety of cichlids and many other fish, plants and other products.
