HARDWARE:
Tank Manufacturer: All-Glass Aquarium Co., Inc.
Tank Volume: 55 U.S. gallons (~208.19766 liters or ~45.79706 imperial gallons)
Tank Dimensions: 48.25" x 12.75" x 21" (122.56 x 32.39 x 53.34 cm)
Stand: All-Glass Aquarium cabinet (probably “Modern Series”)
Lighting: Two 24" 17-watt fluorescent strip lights (or possibly a single 48" bulb), possibly complemented with a discrete array of “lunar lights” (or, albeit less likely, an integrated system, as the “48" Satellite 2x65W SunPaq w/Lunar Light”) – in all likelihood, in conjunction with a full hood assemblage, and all of as-of-yet undetermined make
Heating: Two as-of-yet undetermined 150-watt (fully-submersible) heaters
Filtration: Emperor 400, Penguin 350 B (both utilized with a foam sponge in the intake grid), or an as-of-yet undetermined canister filter
HARDSCAPE:
Primary Substrate: Nine five-pound (2.25 kg) packages of Exo-Terra (“Amber”) Riverbed Sand or three twenty-pound (9 kg) bags of Carib Sea “Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand”
Focal Rockwork: securely stacked rock (as is commonly seen with Rift Lake biotope aquaria) – suggestions for specific minerals are welcome
Focal Driftwood (as an alternative to, or in conjunction with (though accorded greater emphasis than) rockwork): African driftwood (a horizontal-bough formation up to 16 inches in length, or several smaller pieces, 6-9 inches in length, some partially buried in the substrate)
Accent Stones: Large, smooth black river stones (as those depicted here), probably bounding a thicket of Vallisneria at the periphery of the tank
FLORA:
Foreground: either bare, or with Glossostigma elatinoides-carpeted edges giving way to an open central expanse
Midground: Dominated by driftwood/rockwork (across which Christmas moss – Fontinalis antipyretica – or the like may be employed)
Background: loose curtains of corkscrew val. (Vallisneria torta) or similar
FAUNA:
- Poriferans: indigenous North American or Rift Lake sponges (respectively wild-caught and obtained online), possibly anchored to small slabs of sand-concealed slate
- Small bivalves: four golden Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) – likely placed against the front glass (and possibly cordoned off with a strip of plastic or Plexiglas, as is sold for substrate terracing, for ease of observation), or analogous bivalves (e.g., five Nigerian clams (A); five Nigerian clams (B); six orange Mekong mussels)
- Specimen bivalve: One five-inch “shark-tooth mussel” (allowed to burrow freely)
- Burrowing snails: Malaysian trumpets (Melanoides tuberculata)
- Nerite and nerite-analogue snails: A group of six comprised of any combination of the following snails: Nerite A; Nerite B; Nerite C; Nerite D
- Limpets and limpet analogues: assorted “pest” species – Ferrissia spp.; six “abalone snails”; six “Batman snails”
- Assorted Caridean shrimp: ~40 Caridina/Neocaridina spp.
- Atyid shrimp: Two blue mole shrimp, Atya gabonensis, or one blue mole and one A. scabra or one A. margaritacea
- Macrobrachium spp.: Five yellow-banded shrimp (M. duarii)/five red-claw shrimp (M. assamense)/a “menagerie” of eight smaller specimens (ideally including such higher-order breeders as the blue Indian shrimp depicted here)
- Insects: Four sunburst diving beetles (Thermonectus mamoratus)
LIVESTOCK INTRODUCTION SCHEDULE:
- Week One – Following cycle completion (employing Bio-Spira), introduce all Caridean shrimp
- Week Two – Introduce nerites and limpets
- Week Five – Introduce Atyids
- Week Six – Introduce first half small bivalves
- Week Seven A – Introduce second half small bivalves
- Week Seven B (three days after) – Introduce specimen bivalve and Poriferans
- Week Eleven – Introduce Macrobrachium spp. and diving beetles
FEEDING SCHEDULE (WHEN FULLY STOCKED):
- 8:00 AM: Dose Micro-Vert (or similar liquid invertebrate food) for Poriferans, Atyids, and bivalves (specifically direct droplets)
- 10:00 AM: Provide frozen/freeze-dried food for Atyids and Macrobrachium spp. (with the latter, periodically alternate with live food, as feeder guppies or blackworms)
- 3:00 PM: Add powdered generic flake or Cyclop-Eeze for filter-feeders and Carideans
- 6:00 PM: Lightly dose liquid suspension of microfauna specifically for Poriferans
BASIC STATISTICS:
Temperature Setting: 78° F (25.55556° C)
Base pH (without Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand buffering): 7.4
Projected Photoperiod: 12 hours (7:00 AM-7:00 PM)
Water Change Regimen: 15% weekly
All aspects of this projected setup are open to amendment - feel free to voice any suggestions.
Tank Manufacturer: All-Glass Aquarium Co., Inc.
Tank Volume: 55 U.S. gallons (~208.19766 liters or ~45.79706 imperial gallons)
Tank Dimensions: 48.25" x 12.75" x 21" (122.56 x 32.39 x 53.34 cm)
Stand: All-Glass Aquarium cabinet (probably “Modern Series”)
Lighting: Two 24" 17-watt fluorescent strip lights (or possibly a single 48" bulb), possibly complemented with a discrete array of “lunar lights” (or, albeit less likely, an integrated system, as the “48" Satellite 2x65W SunPaq w/Lunar Light”) – in all likelihood, in conjunction with a full hood assemblage, and all of as-of-yet undetermined make
Heating: Two as-of-yet undetermined 150-watt (fully-submersible) heaters
Filtration: Emperor 400, Penguin 350 B (both utilized with a foam sponge in the intake grid), or an as-of-yet undetermined canister filter
HARDSCAPE:
Primary Substrate: Nine five-pound (2.25 kg) packages of Exo-Terra (“Amber”) Riverbed Sand or three twenty-pound (9 kg) bags of Carib Sea “Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand”
Focal Rockwork: securely stacked rock (as is commonly seen with Rift Lake biotope aquaria) – suggestions for specific minerals are welcome
Focal Driftwood (as an alternative to, or in conjunction with (though accorded greater emphasis than) rockwork): African driftwood (a horizontal-bough formation up to 16 inches in length, or several smaller pieces, 6-9 inches in length, some partially buried in the substrate)
Accent Stones: Large, smooth black river stones (as those depicted here), probably bounding a thicket of Vallisneria at the periphery of the tank
FLORA:
Foreground: either bare, or with Glossostigma elatinoides-carpeted edges giving way to an open central expanse
Midground: Dominated by driftwood/rockwork (across which Christmas moss – Fontinalis antipyretica – or the like may be employed)
Background: loose curtains of corkscrew val. (Vallisneria torta) or similar
FAUNA:
- Poriferans: indigenous North American or Rift Lake sponges (respectively wild-caught and obtained online), possibly anchored to small slabs of sand-concealed slate
- Small bivalves: four golden Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) – likely placed against the front glass (and possibly cordoned off with a strip of plastic or Plexiglas, as is sold for substrate terracing, for ease of observation), or analogous bivalves (e.g., five Nigerian clams (A); five Nigerian clams (B); six orange Mekong mussels)
- Specimen bivalve: One five-inch “shark-tooth mussel” (allowed to burrow freely)
- Burrowing snails: Malaysian trumpets (Melanoides tuberculata)
- Nerite and nerite-analogue snails: A group of six comprised of any combination of the following snails: Nerite A; Nerite B; Nerite C; Nerite D
- Limpets and limpet analogues: assorted “pest” species – Ferrissia spp.; six “abalone snails”; six “Batman snails”
- Assorted Caridean shrimp: ~40 Caridina/Neocaridina spp.
- Atyid shrimp: Two blue mole shrimp, Atya gabonensis, or one blue mole and one A. scabra or one A. margaritacea
- Macrobrachium spp.: Five yellow-banded shrimp (M. duarii)/five red-claw shrimp (M. assamense)/a “menagerie” of eight smaller specimens (ideally including such higher-order breeders as the blue Indian shrimp depicted here)
- Insects: Four sunburst diving beetles (Thermonectus mamoratus)
LIVESTOCK INTRODUCTION SCHEDULE:
- Week One – Following cycle completion (employing Bio-Spira), introduce all Caridean shrimp
- Week Two – Introduce nerites and limpets
- Week Five – Introduce Atyids
- Week Six – Introduce first half small bivalves
- Week Seven A – Introduce second half small bivalves
- Week Seven B (three days after) – Introduce specimen bivalve and Poriferans
- Week Eleven – Introduce Macrobrachium spp. and diving beetles
FEEDING SCHEDULE (WHEN FULLY STOCKED):
- 8:00 AM: Dose Micro-Vert (or similar liquid invertebrate food) for Poriferans, Atyids, and bivalves (specifically direct droplets)
- 10:00 AM: Provide frozen/freeze-dried food for Atyids and Macrobrachium spp. (with the latter, periodically alternate with live food, as feeder guppies or blackworms)
- 3:00 PM: Add powdered generic flake or Cyclop-Eeze for filter-feeders and Carideans
- 6:00 PM: Lightly dose liquid suspension of microfauna specifically for Poriferans
BASIC STATISTICS:
Temperature Setting: 78° F (25.55556° C)
Base pH (without Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand buffering): 7.4
Projected Photoperiod: 12 hours (7:00 AM-7:00 PM)
Water Change Regimen: 15% weekly
All aspects of this projected setup are open to amendment - feel free to voice any suggestions.
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Well not so much kicking as hanging out in the sand. Anyways your tank sounds very cool, it almost makes me want to start my own. 
