Slow-move puddle, near Baiyun Mountain in Guangzhou, China
37th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2017
China. Han-Jun Cai
Volume: 100 L
Dimensions: 77x48x36 cm
List of fishes: Consider the small tank size, fish I add only Tanichthys albonubes and Rhinogobius giurinus
List of plants: No plants ecept algae.
Description of decorations: Bigger stone took from the nature biotope, and fine sand.
Description of equipment: A small pump with Qmax 800L/h, filter through a side-room and up-room. with a LED lamp.
Water parameters: Temperature is up to 30℃ these days, an PH is about 6.8
Description of the area surrounding the biotope: Baiyun mountain is one of the most famous mountain in Guangdong province, and is the most important leisure park in Guangzhou city . It’s rich with vegetation of more than 800 species of plant . For people in Guangzhou, it supply more than the clean air, so it got a name “Lung of the Guangzhou City”. And it also bring us clean surface water from many mountainstreams and springs, some aged local people have been drinking for these water for decades. Unfortunately with the scenic area expanded, more and more natural water tunnel has been destroyed or isolated.
Description of the underwater landscape of the biotope: I live near the Baiyun Mountain, and I love to exploit the rest of natural aqua part in it, just hoping to found something exciting, for example, the Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes). Most time disappointed. But one day, when passing through the isolation zone to a little ravine, I came across a small spring well up, there was the puddle in shade of the trees around, with the water moving slowly. Under water there are some branches and fallen leaves. The substrate consists of some bigger rough surface pebbles and fine sand.
Description of the parameters of the habitat: The water is transparent. Temperature of water in Baiyun mountain range from 10℃ to 30℃, depends on the season and weather. PH vary from 5.6-6.5.
List of fishes: Fish I see mostly the Gambusia affinis、 Rhinogobius giurinus and some Rhodeus ocellatus. Didn’t find any invertebrates then.
List of plants: There are some weeds around the puddle , but under water I can find only algae.
Threats to the ecology: In this aquarium, the protagonist is the White Cloud minnow, Tanichthys albonubes I bought from aqua market, the most famous edemic fish species of Baiyun mountain, and first discoveried here. But now it has been disappeared in the mountain, and listed a second-class state protected animal of China. I set up this aquarium do not mean to remind someone something important, or attract pubilc attention. Life is not easy. Here I just want show a nature lover’s willing to bring this lost species home.
Sources of information: 动 物 学 研 究 2004。Dec．25(6)：551—555, Zoological Research CN 53．-1040／Q ISSN 0254—-5853