Lake Tanganyika
The 47th place in the qualifying stage of the Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2013
Greece. Theodoros Kartsanas
Volume: 60 L
List of fishes: Neolamprologus multifasciatus
List of plants: Vallisneria spiralis
Biotope description: Rocks, poor aquatic vegetation, soft sandy substrate and plenty of empty shells of snails, composing the N. multifasciatus biotope. In fairly deep water around the shoreline of lake Tanganyika, these territorial tiny Chichlids are always ready to defend with passion their home… shells.
Well described and done biotope, but also very simple, and at least some of the many other species living in such a habitat should have been added.
It is a very beautiful decorative aquarium. Elegant oval stones of beautiful color, Vallisneria planted behind them, colorful seashells, all looks good. But unfortunately all this beauty veru little meets the biotope. Neolamprologus multifasciatus live more than 10 meters deep, so Vallisneria hardly grows at such a depth. The stones are too rounded, it looks like they have been collected on the beach, where the waves worked hard on them. Usually Neolamprologus multifasciatus prefer the empty shells of Neothauma gastropods, but its shells have slightly different shape. I admit that the right shells are not so easy to find, but this must have been mentioned in the description. And now everything looks beautiful, but not the way it should be.