Backwater of a tributary of the Tapajos river near Santarena, Brazil
_th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2020
Volume: 450 liters
Dimensions: 110x110x80 cm
List of fishes: Pterophyllum scalare, Hemigrammus rhodostomus, Corydoras paleatus, Ancistrus dolichopterus
List of plants: –
Description of decorations: Light sand DECOTOP Meta, driftwood-alder, Aronia, stones-granite boulders of different sizes, decotop Guava leaves, DECOTOP Catappa
Description of equipment: External filter EHEIM 2217, heater Tetra HT 150, compressor Tetra APS 400, led lamp Tetronic LED ProLine 580
Water parameters: Temperature 25 degrees Celsius, pH 6.5, KH 3, GH 6
Additional info: water change of 20 % water weekly, once a month 2-3 DECOTOP Catappa sheets are added
INFORMATION ABOUT BIOTOPE:
Description of the area surrounding the biotope: The Amazon is considered the most full-flowing river in the world. Its basin covers an area of 7.2 million km2. The river has more than 500 tributaries that differ from each other not only in the length and width of the channel, but also in the color of the water. Flowing into the main channel, most of them form deltas with shoals and alluvial Islands. Some are connected to the main river by many side branches. All the rivers of the Amazon lowland have rain-fed and abundant flooding. During the flood, the living space of fish expands significantly, and some species move to the flooded forest zone to breed their offspring.
Description of the underwater landscape of the biotope: Almost the entire Amazonian lowland is covered with tropical forests. You can see many snags and leaves in the darkish, slowly flowing water of a small inflow under the forest canopy. The lighting is dim, rare sun rays make their way through the dense crowns of trees, so there is almost no aquatic vegetation. In some places there are stones, and the sand at the bottom is heavily silted where the flow is almost absence.
Description of the parameters of the habitat: The water in the river is soft (total hardness 0.31-0.82 dH), slightly acidic (pH 6.4-6.65), transparent, has a slightly dark shade, the temperature ranges from 18 to 23 degrees depending on the season. During the high water period from November to March, the water level in the river rises by 7-8 meters.
List of fishes and invertebrates occurring in the nature biotope: Many fish species are found in the river, Moenkhausia melogramma, Leporinus torrenticola, Baryancistrus xanthellus, Hemiodus tucupi, Apistogramma kullanderi, Pseudacanthicus pirarara
List of plants found in the nature biotope: Aquatic plants are rare in these shaded backwaters, and there may be coastal species or floating plants brought by the flow, such as Limnobium laevigatum
Threats to the ecology: Wood – felling of tropical rain forests is the main environmental problem in this region. More than 50% of all species of living organisms on our planet live in such forests. The lands freed from forests are used for economic needs – oil palm plantations, pastures for livestock. This causes serious damage to the environment, biologists believe that as a result of the destruction of tropical forests, about 20% of the animals and plants of the Earth, both terrestrial and associated with water as a habitat, will soon die out.
Sources of information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?