When making a river tank you want a simple design where the main focus is the fish. Most tanks you see have large river rocks and smaller pebbles and sticks to fill up the space, and occasionally one or two small plants. I will be including a video at the end which gives a great visual representation of what I designed.
Fish for River Tanks
When putting fish inside a tank you must pick ones that fit the design of the tank along with fitting the needs of the tank. In this tank, we will be using two different types of hillstream loaches of your choice. One should be like the image above as they will help clean plant life and rocks and the other should look more like the image below. the ones with be more active and give diversity and help with larger messes and the sand and gravel that will be used for the ground and base around the rocks.
Tip: When making this tank let it sit and cycle for a week or two so that algae and bacteria can build up for the fish to eat
Decor
When decorating this tank you want to add large river rocks with smaller pebbles and a grave underneath to add detail and texture to the tank. add sand to fill in the edges around the tank and make sure to have it slope upwards toward the back of the tank. Once you have rocks down you can place sticks around the aquarium and then use plant and fish-safe glue to lock them in place.
Tip: For a better look when setting up the wood place the sticks so they go above the rim of the tank
Best Plants for River Tanks
Plants are one of the most important parts when it comes to building a river tank and help add the realisticness needed to get it there.
For plants, we will use 3 different types. the first one will be Anubis, a plant that can grow above ground and in the water. this will make for a unique addition to the tank as to can plant them to help guide the water for the tank but also place some higher up so it’s half out half in to add some dimension to the river tank.
The next plant to add will be some moss, almost any kind can work so it’s really up to you. how ever when adding moss make sure to place small amounts because it will grow fast and also make sure to spread it out.
After that add some Vallisneria to the back of the aquarium near the pump, this will grow long and look wonderful in the flow. But Make sure to cut it when it gets too long so it doesn’t cover the rest of the tank and obstruct the view.
Tip: For adding plants like the Anubis Use plant and water-safe glue and attach them to the rocks or wood to keep them in place
Maintenance
This tank is made up of cleaner fish so the tank should already be a pretty clean tank in the first place so you won’t need it. although the decor and plants will be clean, the water won’t be so you will need a nice filter with a strong pump to help filtrate the water. along with that pump adding a wave maker for the tank will be key in helping move the water and add a better look to the tank.
luckily you won’t need a heater since river tanks are cold water. Although having a thermometer would be important to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. A glass scraper would be one other thing I suggest getting for when your glass gets gross.
When making something so beautiful it’s important to do it right. making a fish tank is no exception.
If you are just starting a fish tank and are looking for a little more help and are confused about some of the steps you can look at my article where I explain the very basics of starting a fish tank right. https://grayson.whitcombs.info/blog-post-aquarium-guide/.
If there is anything you think I missed in this article please let me know in the comments.