Deep Green Lake Tanganyika Biotope
The 13th place in the qualifying stage of the Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2015
Turkey. Ömer Eliaçık
Volume: 430 L
List of fishes: Tropheus brichardi Malagarasi, Callochromis macrops Red Ndole
Biotope description: The aquarium is biotope set up by the African lake Tanganyika. With this biotope design, I tried to take rocky and sandy areas of Lake Tanganyika and visuality at forefront. I collected my rocks near rivers. The surfaces of the rocks started to be covered with brown algae which is consisted of in the deep rocks of Lake Tanganyika. That rise up naturality very much. However at setting up the aquarium, I took underwater pictures of the Lake Tanganyika to set my aquarium background colour. Using this I tried to give naturality to my aquarium.
The deep green Lake Tanganyika biotope has better rockwork than others in the category and combines more than one species, which is nice.
Great work. I loved the play with lights. In my opinion, the natural rocks of Tanganyika lake are very close to these. Just one point: in the next work, use more details like different sizes of rocks to complete the natural atmosphere.
Although the biotope looks a bit “new” due to the lack of algal growth, the striking design of the rockwork does make it look dynamic and raw, as in nature. The blue-green colored background helps create an illusion of depth and space to some degree, but the illusion is complicated by the mirrored effect on either side. All fish look healthy and have plenty of room to show their natural behaviors.