Rio Paracon – Amazon
The 26th place in the qualifying stage of the Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2014
Great Britain. Tom Austin
Volume: 300 L
List of fishes: Symphysodon haraldi, Mesonauta insignis, Geophagus altifrons, Dicrossus filamentosus
List of plants: Echinodorus bleheri
Biotope description: The aquarium was set up based on Rio Paracon biotope, a slow flowing semi blackwater habitat. Aquatic vegetation is sparse so I have only added two Echinodorus bleheri, as with most Amazonian rivers there is an abundance of submerged tree roots where discus will converge in large numbers. Also the floor is covered in leaf litter as you can see in my photos I have tried to replicate this where the flow of the water allows.
My 3rd place is Rio Paracon, as it was also done almost correctly, but Tom has to correct the following next time: a) Echinodorus bleherae (correct spelling), to be planted in small groups; b) give a better description (mainly better correct location, as I believe you have it out of my Bleher’s Discus, volume 1, and the river I found the Blue Discus is correctly Paraconí, or Pacoval); and c) void D. filamentosus, as they are not found with discus and not in the Paraconí, only north of the Amazon.
This is the better biotope in my opinion, because the author represented unusual sensibility of the real atmosphere of the Amazon rivers. With no plants in excess, with black water, the right kind of driftwood, correct substrate and rocks… I think that this guy was born in Brazil… Congratulations.