Under the Oaks along the St. Marks River Natural Bridge

_th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2020

Volume: 110 L
Dimensions: 76x30x45 cm
List of fishes: Lucania Goodei, Elassoma Okefenokee, Etheostoma Fucimorme, Palaemontes paludosus
List of plants: –
Description of decorations:  Substrate consists of an oak branch, twigs, leaf litter, fine sand, and crushed coral.
Description of equipment: The only equipment used is a zoomed nano canister filter.
Water parameters: The tank temperature is 22 celsius
Additional info: Water changes are done to remove detritus as needed.

INFORMATION ABOUT BIOTOPE:

Description of the area surrounding the biotope: The St. Marks River is a river in the Big Bend region of Florida that begins in eastern Leon County, Florida and flows 58 km through Leon and Wakulla counties into Apalachee Bay, a branch of the Gulf of Mexico. It has a drainage basin of 3,000 square km in size. It has one significant tributary, the Wakulla River. A few miles south of its source, the river snakes under a natural bridge and disappears underground for about a kilometer. The river emerges at a spring with a discharge of over 12,000 liters per second to pass over a stretch of rocks, forming rapids.
Description of the underwater landscape of the biotope: –
Description of the parameters of the habitat: –
List of fishes and invertebrates occurring in the nature biotope: Lutra Canadensis, Alligator Mississippiensis, Apalone Ferox, Pomoxiss Nigromaculatus, Morone Saxatilis, Ameirus Nebulosis, Lucania Goodei, Elassoma Okefenokee, Etheostoma Fucimorme, Palaemontes paludosus
List of plants found in the nature biotope: Potamogeton pectinatus, Ceratophyllum demersum, Lemna valdiviana, Brasenia schreberi
Threats to the ecology: Unfortunately, the St. Mark’s river is in danger of chemical runoff. This runoff creates areas without oxygen, algal blooms, and fish kills. A power plant for Florida’s capital, Tallahassee sits directly on a northern portion of the river. The runoff is exacerbated by weather events. For example, a recent hurricane was so strong that it blew entire house frames into the river.
Sources of information: –