50 gallon amazon

Here we have a 50 gallon aquarium display portraying  a take on the Amazon River Basin. This by no means is a biotope of South America, in fact, most of these plants aren't even from the South American region. The plants were selected to mimic the look and feel of the natural environment of the river basin. The Vallisneria in the background is a tall grass that spreads laterally and forms meadows in nature. The Vallisneria species used here is a narrow leaf variant which is not native to the South American region. But using this narrow leaf variant was intentional as to not take away from the depth of the layout as well as to keep the plants proportional in size to the display. 

In keeping proportion, the foreground plant is a dwarf hairgrass, which can also be found in certain regions of South America. To continue with the theme of the grasses, Java fern was used in the center space due to its narrow and pointed leaves.

Other components that contribute to this Amazonian theme are the driftwood and fish. The driftwood is perfect for this display with its thick branches that help characterize the bottom of a river basin. Moss is used to create a more natural look for the driftwood. The terophyllum scalare (angelfish) are wild caught and native to Peru. Their long vertical fins and dark brown stripes work well with the tall narrow leaves of the plants. 

Flora: Vallisneria nana, Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine' (Java fern), Taxiphyllum barbieri (Java moss), Cryptocoryne pygmea, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Cryptocoryne beckettii, Eleocharis acicularis