Shallow Rocky Habitat in Bulu Point East coast of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania

_st place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2022

Volume of aquarium: 160L

Dimensions of aquarium: 81X45X45 cm

List of fishes: Neolamprologus brichardi, Neolamprologus leleupi

List of plants: NA

Description of Decorations and Substrate: I used 55 kg of rock in total that I collected from nature in my design. I placed the rocks in accordance with the simple visions of rock structure of the region. As N. brichardi and N.leleupi use rock caverns as breeding nests by their very nature, this is what I paid attention to most in my design.The rocks were large in the upper parts, smaller and flat in the middle and medium in size in the lower parts.My aim is to make the fish lay eggs between the rocks that look like caves in the middle parts of the aquarium and make the offspring feel safer in this area.When positioning the rocks in this area, I planned to make the light coming from the surface cut off in the middle area and make the fish feel safe in the dim light.The rocks I used on the ground were used to give the appearance of small fragments that were detached from the large rocks in the lake.Since there is a small amount of sand in the habitat, I obtained silica sand from a mine that has the closest appearance to the sand I saw in the visuals.

Description of Equipment: Filtration:EHEIM professionel 3 1200XLT
Heater: EHEIM thermopreset 150 (Backside of the rocks)
Lightning: 3 pics. Of LEDS1400 tubes, 6500 Kelvin, Blue/ White lightning. 1 9W Spot.

Water Parameters: Ph: 8.2-8.4, Temp: 26°C, Electrical Conductivity:680 μS, GH:14, KH:11 in addition Nitrate: 5- 15 ppm and Nitrite: 0 ppm.

Additional Info:

Aquarium video:

https://disk.yandex.ru/i/8iio_KFnp7eVpw

Description of the Area Surrounding the Biotope: Tanganyika Lake in East Africa, one of the Great African Lakes, located in the East African rift zone. The lake is divided among four countries, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Zambia. It covers an area of 34400 km², is the longest freshwater lake in the world and the deepest African lake. The lake is located at an altitude of 773m above sea level. The average depth is 570 m, while the maximum reaches 1435m. The lake is located in the tropical climate zone. The average annual rainfall is 200mm. Average annual temperature is around 20°C. Bulu Point is located in Tanzania on the eastern shore of the lake (5 ° 27’42 “S, 29 ° 44’50” E). The described biotope is located in the zone of Litoral.

Description of the Underwater Landscape of the Biotope: The shallow rocky habitat consists of sandy bottom with numerous rocks which provide shelter for the species-rich community. The rocky part can cover up to three quarters of the sandy bottom. The most important characteristic is the gradual inclination of the bottom. The biocover on the rocks is usually overlaid with a thin layer of fine sand. There is no real depth restriction for this habitat, but it is most heavily populated between 5 and 40 meters. The intermediate habitat harbors the most species rich communities of the lake. The Lamprologini tribe contains seven genera and nearly 100 species of African Cichlids, most of which are found in Lake Tanganyika, though a few species are found in the Congo River Basin and one species in the Malagarasi River in Tanzania. The Neolamprologus genus is the largest genus of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika, containing 50 or so species. The fish in this genus are all closely related but they are split between “shell dwellers” and “rock dwellers”, yet all are substrate spawners. This genus is also the largest group in the tribe Lamprologini. N. leleupi is collected from several locations along both the east and west coasts of the lake, particularly from Bulu Point, Tanzania, Bemba and Zaire. Not all lineups are orange or yellow. Even though the yellowish orange variant is significantly more abundant in the lake, two other color morphs are not infrequently seen occupying the same habitats: silvery-beige and brownish-black. The Daffodil Cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher (previously Lamprologus pulcher) was described by Trewavas and Poll in 1952. These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa and are widespread in the southern part of the lake. They are found along the rocky coastlines of the countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. There are a number of different geographical varieties. The variety known as the “Daffodil” is very popular and is found along the steep rocky slopes of Kantalamba and Kambwimba.

Description of the Habitat Parameters: The water of Lake Tanganyika is very basic and its pH varies between 8.6 and 9.5. Due to the high algae photosynthesis on the water surface, there is a low concentration of carbon dioxide and the pH is slightly higher. Total hardness is 11-17 dH, carbonate hardness is 16-19 dH. Water is mostly clear, the water is rich in oxygen at the first 40 meters. The water temperature on the surface varies between 24.5 degrees C and 27.5 degrees C.

List of Fishes and Invertebrates Occurring in the Nature Biotope: Ctenochromis horei, Cyathopharynx sp. aff. Foae, Cyprichromis microlepidotus, Eretmodus marksmithi, Gnathochromis pfefferi, Julidochromis regani, Neolamprologus furcifer, Lobochilotes labiatus, Neolamprologus modestus, Neolamprologus Pulcher, Neolamprologus savoryi, Perissodus microlepis, Neolamprologus tretocephalus, Petrochromis ephippium, Tropheus sp. Black, Tropheus annectens, Tropheus sp. Black, Altolamprologus compressiceps, Neolamprologus Brevis, Neolamprologus Similis, Tanganicodus irsacae.

List of Plants Found in the Nature Biotope: NA

Threats to the Ecology of the Biotope: Lake Tanganyika is under threat like lots of other habitats of the world. I want to inform you about the danger of sedimentation in Tanganyika. Because my biotope is a heavily sedimented area. Sedimentation pollutes water, prevents natural vegetation from growing and kills fish. Sedimentation is a consequence of deforestation of the surrounding area. Deforestation is mostly done by humans like everything bad to nature. In defrostated areas eroded sediments are carried in to lake and pollute narrow shore line where species are living, this situation is like a death trap to species because they can’t move down to depths, there is no oxygen and they can’t move up, they are already close to shore so only thing to do for them just to be extinct. As a result some regions lost their diversity more than 150 years ago. Solution to prevent danger of sedimentation is frustration of lands around lakes, especially hill type shores.

Sources of Information:
http://blog.africandivingltd.com/2017/06/neolamprologus-pulcher-and-analogy-of-n.html
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/DaffodilCichlid.php
https://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/n_leleupi.php
http://www.tanganyika.si/DistributionMaps/N.%20cylindricus%2C%20N.%20leleupi%2C%20N.%20longior%2C%20N.%20mustax/slides/Neolamprologus_longior.html
https://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=197
https://www.fishbase.se/summary/8671