Shorline of Alter do Chao, Para State, Brazil
46th place in Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2017
Greece. Alexiou Theodore
Volume: 622 L
Dimensions: 150x83x50 cm
List of fishes: Geophagus Tapajos, Corydoras Ornatus, Ancistrus L071
List of plants: N/A
Description of decorations: Tree roots and branches, white fine sand, river rocks and dry fruits of tropical trees
Description of equipment: External filter : Fluval FX5, Surface skimmer : Eheim, Lighting : 2 X T5 Flurescent lamps 54W, Heater: 1 X 300W Eheim
Water parameters: Ph: 7,2, Gh: 7, Temp: 25,5 Celcious
Description of the area surrounding the biotope: Alter do Chao is 33km from the city of Santarem between the right side of Tapajos river and the great lagoon Lago Verde. Alter do Chao in Para State Brazil is one one of most popular places in Brazil for a tourist to visit. Sandy beaches form the shorline and the famous Ilha do Amor that form in the low water period from August to December.
Description of the underwater landscape of the biotope: Near the shorline of Alter Do Chao, where the great river Tapajos flows, away from the popular beach of Ilha DoAmor, small oxbows and quiet places form, where most fishes are found. Although Geophagus Tapajos can form big groups and swim together in deaper waters with sandy bottom and boulders it is in the shallows where they search for food and make their spawning grounds. Here tree roots, fallen branches and water worn rocks form their habitat.
Description of the parameters of the habitat: The Tapajós main channel contains so-called ‘white’ water with a slightly acidic to neutral pH and low hardness but significant amounts of material in suspension at times giving it a cloudy appearance. Although in the Alter do Chao region in the confluence of the Tapajos and the Arapiuns rivers clear waters are observed with visibility around 20m! Temperature: 26 – 30 °C, pH: 4.5 – 7.5, Hardness: 18 – 179 ppm.
List of fishes: Geophagus Tapajos, Corydoras Ornatus, Ancistrus L071.
List of plants: No plants except tropical trees in the flooding season.
Threats to the ecology: Three large hydroelectric dams are proposed for the mainstem of the Tapajós River in the state of Pará – São Luiz do Tapajós, Jatobá and Chacorão creating a big catastrophe ofthe echosystem according to the indigenous people of the region.
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