Riffles of Huang Rou Creek, Nantou , Taiwan

_st place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2022

Volume of aquarium: 220 liters

Dimensions of aquarium: 137x50x25 cm

List of fishes: Candidia barbata, Acrossocheilus paradoxus, Formosania lacustre, Macrobrachium asperulum, Rhinogobius candidianus, Rhinogobius rubromaculatus

List of plants: There are no aquatic plants in the habitat.

Description of Decorations and Substrate: All the elements used in this aquarium, such as branches, leaves, stones, substrates were collected from a wild stream. The shape and color of the selected stones and sands are the same as the habitat. The elements mentioned are used for aquarium landscaping after disinfection. In order to restore the real appearance of the habitat to the greatest extent, I use large stones and 18000 L/H pump to build the landscape of the riffle area and to create a strong enough flow for Formosania lacustre . The substrate is mixed with stones and sands of different sizes to restore the appearance of the original stream bed as much as possible. Ultimately, the arrangement of the branches creates a hiding space for the fish, and the fallen leaves can be good shelters and food sources of the Macrobrachium asperulum.

Description of Equipment: The aquarium is equipped with a SUNSUN JDP 18000 filter, 3 NETLEA AT1 PRO 30 W 8500K LED lamps ,and 2 led lamps for illumination. The color spectrum of NETLEA AT1 PRO is closer to the sun. Through setting the mode of the light to simulate sunrise to sunset.

Water Parameters: Temperature varies with the seasons 22° C~27°C、pH is 7.5、gH is about 8

Additional Info: Water changes once a week 30%. Through the control of light intensity, the stones and pebbles are covered with enough algae to become one of the food sources for Acrossocheilus paradoxus and Formosania lacustre. I hope this fish tank will let more people know about the beauty of mountain stream in Taiwan.

Aquarium video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nO1cmqeciI-GIK4LS2-wbfXIw0OhxAHr/view?usp=sharing

Description of the Area Surrounding the Biotope: Huang Rou Creek is located in Ren’ai Township, Nantou County in Taiwan. As one of the tributaries of Beigang River, the water source is from one of alpines in Taiwan, Hehuan Mountain. Nearby the creek are three adjacent tribes, Qingliu Tribe, Central Plains Tribe and Meiyuan Tribe. Huang Rou Creek is the boundary between Central Plains Tribe and Meiyuan Tribe. Residents there are mainly Atayal and Seediq aborigines and engaged in agriculture for a living which mainly grows green plum, lemon, bayberry and rice. The reference coordinates for this setup are N24° 06′ 61.62″, E120° 97′ 74.55″, with approximately 500 meters altitude, surrounded by several camping areas, and a forest farm nearby – Huisun Forest Farm.

Description of the Underwater Landscape of the Biotope: The reference section of Huang Rou Creek is about 3 meters wide with abundant vegetation on both sides. Riffles in the creek is about 20 to 50 centimeters deep with clear water, fast flow, and high dissolved oxygen content. The substrate is composed of gravel and fine sand, and Formosania lacustre enjoys perching and scraping algae on the rocks nearly rapid stream. Besides, a variety of aquatic insects live on the stones, which are food sources of fishes in the biotope . On the other hand, fallen leaves and branches piled up on both sides of the creek and the space formed naturally by the roots of terrestrial plants extending into the water lead to a good shelter for juvenile fish.

Description of the Habitat Parameters: The water is pure fresh water .pH is 7.91. The temperature is 22.8 °C ~27.9°C in summer. Conductivity 168 μs/cm . TDS 86 ppm. gH is about 9.

List of Fishes and Invertebrates Occurring in the Nature Biotope: Candidia barbata, Acrossocheilus paradoxus, Onychostoma barbatulum, Formosania lacustre, Macrobrachium asperulum, Rhinogobius candidianus, Rhinogobius rubromaculatus

List of Plants Found in the Nature Biotope: There are no aquatic plants except for Algae.

Threats to the Ecology of the Biotope: artificial river setting

Sources of Information:
All information about this work comes from personal surveys and websites.
1. https://pulilife.com/2017/09/09/%E6%8A%97%E7%88%AD%E4%BB%81%E6%84%9B%E7%A0%82%E7%9F%B3%E8%BB%8A%E9%A7%9B%E9%80%B2%E7%A4%BE%E5%8D%80%E3%80%80%E5%9C%8B%E5%A7%93%E9%84%89%E6%B0%91%E6%8B%89%E6%89%8B%E5%B0%81%E8%B7%AF/
2. https://exp-forest.nchu.edu.tw/forest/upload/publish/642-3_p17-34.pdf
3. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=100006715292590&set=a.3024118684488612