Canceler Creek of Tributary Sinnamary River, French Guiana
_st place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2022
Volume of aquarium: 96 Liter
Dimensions of aquarium: 60x40x40 cm
List of fishes: Nannacara anomala, Pristella maxillaris.
List of plants: Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Echinodorus tenellus.
Description of Decorations and Substrate: 0-5 fine white sand was used on the ground. Decomposition was achieved by adding leaves on the sand; sediment layer was formed. It was decorated using tree roots as it simulated the coastline. The materials used were collected from nature and selected similarly to materials in the habitat.
Description of Equipment: Dophin h300 filter 450 L/H, Jbl protemp s100 heater, Sunsun ade c400 ledligth 18 W. 1200 L. 7500 K.
Water Parameters: 26 °C , 50 ppm, 2.5 gH, 0-1 kH, 5.9 pH.
Additional Info: Water changes and aquarium cleaning are carried out at regular intervals. There is peat in the filter to capture the black water color. The fish are fed with live food and quality dry food. Water changes are made with the water coming out of the reverse osmosis device, and nitrate values are measured as 0-10 mg thanks to the bacteria colonizing the filter and detritus layer.
Aquarium video:
Description of the Area Surrounding the Biotope: The Sinnamary is a river in France, which runs in the same region of French Guiana in the overseas department of French Guiana. It rises in the heart of the national park Guyana ( frz: Parc amazonien de Guyane ), in the municipality of Saint- Élie, drained generally in a northerly direction, passing through the 350 -acre reservoir Retenue du Barrage de Petit Saut and ends after 290 kilometers at the Pointe the Palétuviers, in the municipality of Sinnamary, in the bay of Anse Canceler in the Atlantic Ocean. Below the village Sinnamary the river is already exposed to the tides and forms an approximately 10 km long estuary.
Description of the Underwater Landscape of the Biotope: Canceler creek is a blackwater stream, the bottom of which is fine sand or soil. It carries a large amount of dissolved material. In this way, the water is rich in tannins and humic substances. The surrounding of the stream is a forested land and there are plenty of tree pieces and leaves in the water.
Description of the Habitat Parameters: The water is warm 24-30 °C throughout the year. It has 0-100 ppm TDS, 0-2 kH and very low pH; 4-6.0 pH.
List of Fishes and Invertebrates Occurring in the Nature Biotope: Nannacara anomala, Nannaara sp. Nannacara aureocephalus, Hyphessobrycon copelandi, Hemigrammus ocellifer, Hemigrammus unileatus, Corydoras cf aeneus, Pristella maxillaris, Laimosemion cladophorus, Laemosemion agilae, Hartiella longicauda, Moenkhausia collettii, Hemigrammus rodwayi..
List of Plants Found in the Nature Biotope: Mayaca fluviatilis, Echinodorus guayanensis, Sagittaria guayanensis, Hydrocotyle sp. Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Helanthium tenellum, Eleocharis sp.
Threats to the Ecology of the Biotope: The Petit-Saut Dam is a gravity dam on the Sinnamary River about 36 km (22 mi) south of Sinnamary in French Guiana. The primary purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power and it supports a 116 MW power station. Construction on the dam and power station began in July 1989 and placement of concrete for the dam started in July 1992. The dam was complete in February 1993 and the first generator was operational in January 1994. The last went online in 1995.[1] It is owned by Électricité de France.[Construction of the dam and impounding of its large 3,500,000,000 m3 (2,800,000 acre⋅ft) reservoir led to several environmental issues that continue to be monitored and addressed. These issues include deforestation, greenhouse gases and water deoxidation.
Due to the tourism activities developing around Canceler creek, there is also a decrease in the forest area and pollution of water resources.
Sources of Information:
https://memim.com/sinnamary-river.html
https://www.facebook.com/guyanewildfish
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit-Saut_Dam
https://tropicalfreshwaterfish.com/data/French_Guiana.htm