Tributary on the right bank of Xingu river, Porto De Moz, Brazil
_th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2020
Volume: 1200lt
Dimensions: 200 x 70 x 75 cm
List of fishes: Symphysodon aequifasciata, potamotrygon leopoldi, potamotrygon motoro, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum, Peckoltia sabaji
List of plants: Pistia stratiotes , Epipremnum aureum (out of the water)
Description of decorations: Malaysian driftwood, fine white quartz sand, Greek limestone.
Description of equipment: The aquarium runs with a sump filter, 110x 60x 50, 2 power head ( sicce syncra 3.5, aquanova N-RMC 4000) Shego temperature controller with 2 Shego Titanium heater 600w, ledzeal malibu 400.
Water parameters: Temperature 31-32c, pH 5.8-6.5, GH 3, KH 3, NH3 0 , NO2 0, NO3 20
Additional info: This a show tank in my store, people usually see the aquarium from the other side. I have covered the front side of the aquarium with a black fabric to take pictures and video. Typical syphysodon aequifasciata is the name for all the discus except Heckel and green. In Xingu the only discus found is a Golden variety that many call Symphysodon sp. 2 and it is the species that it can only be found at Xingu and Cameta rivers. In this aquarium is about 7 pieces of this fantastic fish wich is hard to find and the other pieces is brown and blue and it has paired with golden variety. At the moment there are 3 pairs in this tank. Potamotrygon is my breed, I use this tank to growth the babies and then move them into their main tank for them (10.000lt).
INFORMATION ABOUT BIOTOPE:
Description of the area surrounding the biotope: -1.928016, -52.172086
This small tributary is coming from the right side of the Xingu river, approximately 20klm from Porto De Moz. White beaches and trees everywhere, in high season many trees is in the water creating a fantastic place for discus spawning.
Description of the underwater landscape of the biotope: White sand like all lower Xingu. and trees in the water. No underwater vegetation. Crystal clear water. Low flow part covered with Pistia stratiotes. Pistia and trees create the perfect light condition to spawn in this crystal clear water.
Description of the parameters of the habitat: In July pH is 6.55 and temperature 27.9-28.5C, conductivity 21μs/cm.
List of fishes and invertebrates occurring in the nature biotope: Symphysodon aequifasciata, potamtrygon leopoldi, potamotrygon motoro, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum , Peckoltia sabaji, arapaima gigas, cichla temensis, , Bryconops alburnoides, Geophagus argyrostictus, Hemiodus vorderwinkleri, Leporinus fasciatus, Leporinus tigrinus, Moenkhausia heikoi, Retroculus xinguensis, Scobinancistrus aureatus, Serrasalmus manueli, Serrasalmus rhombeus
List of plants found in the nature biotope: Pistia stratiotes
Threats to the ecology: The biggest problem for this ecosystem is the Belo Monte dam.
Belo Monte with its deforestation and altered river flow have accelerated the regional effects of climate change.
More than one-half of the Xingu Basin is classified as indigenous area. Gold miners, loggers and others have invaded most of the protected areas. There are no large national parks that protect wetlands of any size in the Xingu Basin. The headwater wetlands are largely under the control of indigenous groups but surrounded by agricultural lands. The three most extensively deforested regions in the Xingu Basin are (1) the region peripheral to the headwaters, the region around São Felix do Xingu in the middle stretch and the region along the Trans-Amazonian highway near Altamira in the lower reaches. Most of the Xingu Basin is still inaccessible by road and the Santarém-Cuiabá highway, the main north-south link, skirts only the western edge of the valley. Large soybean farms are found from the headwaters in the Cerrado to near Altamira above the large mouth-bay of the lower course. Other than roads the Belo Monte Dam at the Volta Grande Rapids near Altamira has been the main focus of infrastructure development in the Xingu Basin.
Most mining concessions in the Xingu Basin are for gold, though there is also interest in iron, zinc, cassiterite, copper and phosphates, among others. Illegal gold mining operations have damaged many small streams.
Sources of information:
https://eol.org/pages/210945
https://www.loricariidae.info/
https://www.gbif.org/
https://www.gbif.org/
https://www.gbif.org/
https://www.gbif.org/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
https://news.mongabay.com/
https://news.mongabay.com/
https://www.reef2rainforest.
http://amazonwaters.org/
Bleher’s Discus Volume 1
Chapter 5 – page 240