The tributary of Rio Negro river, near Barcelos, Brazil

_st place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2022

Volume of aquarium: 54 L

Dimensions of aquarium: 60x45x20cm

List of fishes: Paracheirodon axelrodi, Prionobrama filigera, Dicrossus maculatus

List of plants: Pistia stratiotes, Nephrolepis sp., Sagittaria subulata

Description of Decorations and Substrate: The materials I choose are collected from the river, the bank and the forest park. Materials include: driftwood, branches, Rhododendron roots and leaves. I use the natural pond mud as substrate to recreate the habitat.

Description of Equipment: EHEIM LiBERTY 130 (570L/h)
Jiyin LED 40w

Water Parameters: temperature:26℃, PH：6.5

Additional Info:

Aquarium video:

Description of the Area Surrounding the Biotope: The Rio Negro River, which means “the black river,” is the largest tributary of the North Bank of the Amazon River. Its source is the Orinoco River and the Amazon River watershed, it and Orinoco River between the casikiare river. The total length of the Negro River is 2550-2252.6km, the drainage area is 620000 square kilometers, the annual average flow is 30000 cubic meters / second, the average annual runoff depth is 1600mm, and the suspended load concentration is 0.007 kg / m3. The largest tributary of the lower reaches of the Negro River is Rio Branco. The middle and lower tributaries include the mucajai River, ajarani River, anaua River and catrimani river. It flows into the Amazon River 17 kilometers below Manaus. It is about 2000 kilometers long. The river course twists and turns. There are many sandbanks in the lower reaches. The river is 30-50 km wide, like a long lake. Below taprukuala is navigable. Through the Negro River and the kasikyare River, the Amazon River and Orinoco River are connected with each other. The basin is hot, rainy and sparsely populated. Because the marshes along the coast are humus, the river is dark. One of the small tributaries is barcelos, located near Barcelona. It is located deep in the Amazon rainforest. It is covered with rain and needs to be rowed in by boat. A large amount of driftwood and fallen leaves (close to dense trees) are accumulated underwater, and some soil flows into the river at random.

Description of the Underwater Landscape of the Biotope: During the rainy season, the water level rises and flows into the surrounding forests, rising by 5-8 m and reaching a maximum of 10 m. some of the trees are underwater, and fish swim to some parts of their native river habitat, completely covered by the canopy of the rainforest. These waters are sheltered by rain forest trees, and the light under them is dark and clear. Here, fish produce a lot of aggregation. Abundant food sources were found there and began to breed. Forests are the main source of natural food for young and adult fish, and the underwater environment also provides a perfect habitat for them and forms shadows on the water surface to prevent overheating and even over drying in the dry season. The bottom bed is sandy, with a lot of driftwood and fallen leaves, soil at the root of the flooded forest, and a small amount of gravel. Many branches are inserted into the water from above, providing a good shelter for fish. There are no aquatic plants found in the environment I described, only some terrestrial plants submerged in the rainy season. And some floating plants: Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms

Description of the Habitat Parameters: PH 6.0-6.5 , T: 26-30 °C.

List of Fishes and Invertebrates Occurring in the Nature Biotope: Crenuchus spilurus, Nanostomus eques, Poecilocharax weitzmani, Liosomadoras oncinus, Dicrossus maculatus, Crenicichla notophthalmus, Mesonauta festivus, Acarichthys heckelii, Crenicichla marmorata, Heros notatus

List of Plants Found in the Nature Biotope: Pistia stratiotes
Nephrolepis sp.
Sagittaria subulata

Threats to the Ecology of the Biotope: Because this is an umbrella formed by dense forest, people can only reach it by boat, so it is not cut down and mined. But when the tropical rain in the Amazon is closer to where people live, their fate is unfortunate. The annual deforestation of human beings has affected this “lung of the earth”. Global warming, poor air quality, abnormal climate and frequent natural disasters. Nature is warning humans that if it continues, we may not have winter or summer in many years. Just like this year’s Amazon deluge fire, many animals and trees were burned down. If human beings continue to destroy the natural environment, we will be the next homeless. Please put down your logging tools and stop logging in the Amazon tropical rain. Rain is a kind of surface biological community composed of trees. It has rich species, complex structure and various functions. Occasionally, I saw a documentary on TV. In the film, people used to cut down the big trees for hundreds of years for their own selfish desire. So I decided to create a work, because most of them are under water If it is burned down, it will not be cut down, and the trees are densely intertwined, it is difficult for human beings to catch them again. Fish can also live freely. I hope it does not exist in my fish tank. I hope it is true. I call on people to protect nature and continue our earth arteries.

Sources of Information:
1. https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/prionobrama-filigera/
2. https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/carnegiella-strigata/
3. https://rainforests.mongabay.com/0602.htm
4. http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/fishing-with-the-piabeiros-of-brazils-rio-negro-full-article.htm