Publication2 med aquascape Publication1cs complete | Page 99

sponge. Two powerful pumps draw the water
through; this gives me a maximum flow rate of
8000 LPH, providing a strong enough current that
Riverine cichlids will appreciate.
I quickly learned that Tomocichla tuba can be very
quarrelsome amongst themselves, so therefore
needed a distraction. Keeping to the biotope
theme I decided to add a group of Neetroplus nem-
atopus (neets). Neets are a feisty little cichlid that
inhabits lakes Rivers and Streams of Nicaragua and
Costa Rica. They live sympatric with T. tuba in fast
flowing Rivers and Streams so can make ideal tank
mates. They can be quite rough with conspecifics
and other fish, so make sure you have a large
enough tank and plenty of rock work!
the formations in an aesthetically pleasing way,
but by following planted aquascaping designs, we
can apply the same basics principles.
When creating rockscapes I prefer to use the gold-
en rule ratio or mound shaped composition.
Also when creating rock formations, we need to
take the inhabitants into consideration by provid-
ing holes and crevices for territory, spawning and
escape routes. Tomocichla tuba need spacious
tanks, so I have also provided plenty of open
swimming space. If keeping T. tuba, I wouldn’t use
anything smaller than 200cm in length.
This aquascape doesn't follow any particular aq-
uascaping rule, only to try and represent a rocky
inspired river tank. The aquascape is finished off
with optionally adding beech tree branches pene-
trating through the surface of the water.
Aquascaping
As I mentioned earlier, the T. tuba biotope is main-
ly a rocky affair. Rock aquascapes can be quite diffi-
cult to represent, as you may need to place the
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