Rio Amazonas

The 19th place in the qualifying stage of the Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2015

netherlands Netherlands. Gert Blank

Volume: 700 L
List of fishes: Pterophyllum leopoldi, Biotodoma cupido, Crenicichla regani, Corydoras robineae, Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis, Hyphessobrycon colombianus, Hypoptopoma sp., Hemiloricaria sp., Ancistrus hoplogenys L059
List of plants: Hydrocleis nymphoides, Echinodorus bleheri, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Sagittaria sp.
Biotope description: This biotope was setup based on the area around Santarém to Manaus Brasil. I’ve looked much info on which fish live in that area and can be combined. This is a try to create a Rio Amazonas biotope aquarium based on the area between Santarém and Manaus.

I have a particular for Biotodoma cupido and the specimens pictured in the Rio Amazonas biotope are the healthiest and most colourful I’ve ever seen. They would mix well with the angels and Colombian red finned tetras and it’s definitely a tank I would like to set up, stock and run.

Jeremy Gay (Great Britain)

OK, I am the first to admit that this is not a very realistic biotope. It is too “neat” and carefully arranged, the plants are too well organized, there should be fine sand and dead leaves, twigs, etc. There is no woolly wildness to this aquarium. But as a stylization of nature it works beautifully. I have a soft spot for this lovely combination of fish. It is a stunning abstraction of a biotope and I really like the juxtaposition of Biotodoma cupido with the Angelfish and bright tetras. A very pretty if not quite natural tank.

Michael Salter (Canada)