Tres Chimbadas lake, Tambopata oxbow, Peru
37th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2018
Poland. Bartłomiej Paśnik
Volume: 54 L
Dimensions: 60x30x30 cm
List of fishes: Moenkhausia sp, Apistogramma sp.
List of plants: Pistia stratiotes, Utricularia sp, Panicum sp.
Description of decorations: The substrate is sand, covered with roots, deadwood. The substrate consists of mud with overlaying organic matter and vegetation in varying states of decomposition.
Description of equipment: Aquael FZN 3, Led 30W 6500k
Water parameters: Temperature is 26°C, pH is 6, GH is 1-2°dH, KH is 0°dH.
INFORMATION ABOUT BIOTOPE
Description of the area surrounding the biotope: Lake was created by the meanders of the Rio Tambopata. Located in Tambopata National Reserve, 211m above sea level. The southeastern part of Peru is arguably the most biodiverse place on the planet. Oxbow lake is a crescent-shaped lake formed when a river changes course. In lowland Amazonia where soft alluvial soils dominate, meandering rivers gradually shift due to erosion and sediment deposition. Oxbow lakes typically form when loops in the river become so extreme that the main channel erodes a new straighter route, leaving the river bend apart from the river. As time passes, the oxbow lake becomes increasingly distant from the main channel. This lake is 2 km (1.25 miles) long, 800 m (2,600 ft.) at its widest point and 3.5 m (11.5 ft.) at its deepest.
Description of the underwater landscape of the biotope: The substrate consists of mud with overlaying organic matter and vegetation in varying states of decomposition. There is a fair amount of submerged wood. Waters are of a dark green colour. Oxbow lakes in this region have considerable aquatic plant growth. Most conspicuous are free-floating plants including Eichhornia, Pistia, Salvinia, Victoria cruziana, and Bladderwort (Utricularia foliosa), which grows densely and extensively in the lakes. The lake is surrounded by reeds. There are thick floating plants where the lake narrows.
Description of the parameters of the habitat: The pH is in ranges from 5.4-6.8 while conductivity is 40-68. pH and conductivity rise during the low water period. Temperature is 24 to 26°C.
List of fishes and invertebrates occurring in the nature biotope: Potamotrygon motoro, Thoracocharax sp., Aphyocharax sp., Moenkhausia sp., Hemigrammus ocellifer sp., Serrasalmus rhombeus, Piaractus brachyponus, Crenicichla semicincta, Mesonauta festivum.
List of plants found in the nature biotope: Eichhornia, Pistia, Salvinia, Victoria cruziana, Utricularia foliosa, Echinodorus sp., Vallisneria, Panicum.
Sources of information:
https://fish.mongabay.com/
Book: “amazon headwaters: rivers, wildlife, and conservation in southeastern peru”
https://goo.gl/maps/
http://www.gotambopata.com/en/