Lake Amatitlan Near Guatemala Eastern Coast Of Central America

40th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2016

turkey Turkey. Bilal Taha Tasdelen

Aquarium Volume: 140 L
Fish and invertebrates: Cichlasoma nigrafasciatum, C. godmanii, C. sp. (guapote), Astianax fasciates, Tilapia mossambica
Plants list: None
Biotope description: Amatitlan lake is a volcanic lake in south-central Guatemala, fairly close to Guatemala City. It lies in the central highlands, 1,186 m (3890 feet) above sea level.Its maximum depth is 33 m (108 feet) and an average of 18 m (59 feet). The lake is 11 km (7 miles) long and 3 km (2 miles) wide; with an area of 15.2 square kilometers (5.9 sq mi) and a water volume of 0.286 cubic kilometers.This separated the lake into two water bodies with different physical, chemical and biological characteristics. The western basin receives all pollution loads coming from the southern part of the capital city as well as from the whole catchment area via the Villalobos River. The water of the same basin is drained by the Michatoya River, which is used for hydroelectric power generation. Convict cichlids are native to the lakes and streams of Central America. In particular, the species occurs along the eastern coast of Central America from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and on the western coast from Honduras to Panama. Convict cichlids prefer moving water, and are most frequently found in habitats with cover in the form of rocks or sunken branches. The daily water temperature ranged from 26–29 °C (79–84 °F). LAKE WATER QUALITY *TRANSPARENCY [m](4), 1988. Secchi disc: Range; 1.00 2.75 (mean 1.75). Fig. NAM-41-3 Secchi disc transparency. *pH Range, 1988; 6.1 9.1 (mean 8.2 7.9). Fig. NAM-41-4: pH profiles. *SS [mg l-1](3) Range; 395 500. *Fig. NAM-41-5 Total solid profiles [mg l-1]. *DO [mg l-1](3) Range; 4 10. Fig. NAM-41-6: DO profiles [mg l-1]. *COD [mg l-1](3) Range; 1 9. *CHLOROPHYLL CONCENTRATION [mg l-1](4) 1988 Minimum: 0.37, maximum: 2.00, annual mean: 10.75. Fig. NAM-41-7: Chlorophyll concentration profiles [mg l-1]. *NITROGEN CONCENTRATION Total-N [mg l-1](4) Annual mean, 1988; 0.628 (dry season 0.433, rainy season 0.864). *PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION (4) Total-P [mg l-1] Annual mean, 1988 ; 0.44 (dry season 0.62, rainy season 0.32). *CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION [mg l-1](3) Range; 133 168.

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