River tank

[Zoolander]

This is totally random but you guys know how it is when you get an idea for a tank. I was down at the river this morning and was watching a pool with small fish, snails and a crawdad when it occured to me that a river tank would be kind of fun. After doing some quick research online it appears I'm not the only one with this idea. I would like to mimic what I saw this morning with some of the snails, a crawdad and maybe some mosquito fish or a tropical feeder fish that for the life of me I can't remember the name of (brown Tetra looking fish with a white underside and red fins).

 

Anyway, anybody on here have a tank like that? Originally I was thinking I would need a chiller but apparently people keep these habitats at room temp with no issues. I'm thinking of looking for a 20 or 30 long or maybe a breeder tank since I don't need a lot of depth.

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

[Hoss]

You might think about trying to produce some laminar flow by giving it a small sump and a high powered return pump, with the overflow on the far end of the tank from the return...you know, to simulate the whole "river" thing.

 

I've thought about this from time to time and it'd be difficult to keep it from just turning into a freshwater tank rather than a river system...I'd say go collecting and get some live river sand and rocks from an actual river so that you can introduce some of the more interesting organisms that you would find there like caddisfly larvae, and maybe some water striders for authenticity. Perhaps some driftwood as well...lets see...newts...minnows...frogs?...whatever you do stay away from the LFS for this one. I say if you're gonna do it then go all natural.

[Zoolander]

That was my thought, too. Everything that goes in this tank will be caught. Same with the substrate, all out of the river.

 

In regards to the pump, I think it's the best way to mimic the river. I am looking for a 20 long and will just have inlet at one end and outlet at the other.