Dimensions 60 × 40 × 25 cm

Title Lake Tanganyika. Sandy sedimentary bottom area in Ndole Bay. Zambia

Volume 60L

Background white ground

Lighting ZETLIGHT ZE8300,96W, Simulated sunrise and sunset, Homemade led background light

Filtration Two EHEIM classic350,620L/H

Plants N/A

Animals Neolamprologus multifasciatus (Boulenger, 1906)

Materials I used large amount of coral bone as substrate. Stones and styrofoam were used to create high low landforms. Thick layers of fine sand covered on the top. I couldn’t find where to get the real nature shell, so I used the similar ones instead. With long time exposure to light, algae were blossom though it’s still not enough due to the limit time.

Additional Information Lake Tanganyika is the largest of the three large lakes of the African Rift Valley, with a surface area of 32.600 km², with 673 km of length, 72 km in it´s widest point and with a coastline of 1,828 km. Its the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume and the second deepest after lake Baikal in Siberia, with 1470m. and an average depth of 570m.
The lake is surrounded by four countries; Burundi in the Northeast, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the West, Tanzania in the East and Zambia in the South, forming a surface of 231.000 Km². Nearly one-sixth of the world’s freshwater is located on Lake Tanganyika. The lake is an important freshwater resource for people living in its vicinity.
The lake contains at least 250 species of cichlid fish (Cichlidae) and 150 other species of non-cichlid fish, most of which live on the shore of the lake, at a depth of 180 m. The lake is also an important site of study on the evolution of species. Almost all (90%) of the cichlid species of Tanganyika are endemic to the lake. This high degree of endemic species also occurs with many lake invertebrates, such as molluscs, crabs, copepods, shrimp, jellyfish, leeches, etc.
This aquarium represents the Ndole Bay area in Zambia, which is adjacent to Nkamba Bay in Nsumbu National Park on Lake Tanganyika.
Ndole Bay is part of Cameron Bay. It is located at 8 ° 28’1.14 “S of latitude and 30 ° 28’29.45” E. of longitu.
Lake Tanganyika has different habitats.At a distance of tens of meters, the habitats of Ndole Bay change drastically, and different species evolved to adapt to them. In front of the beach, it’s found an habitat based on large rock and sand plates. Followed by these large rock plates, begins a great plain of sand. To the east, as the depth increases, the bottom of the lake has a new change, a dense area of sand and fine sediment with fields of Neothauma snail shells. In the North of the beach, two small habitats were created, each with its set of species, a coast filled by a dense canefield and rocks of little size.
On the south coast there is also a reed, but without rocks with a thick base of mud. Rock structures resembling a reef run parallel to the beach and are separated by bands of sand for only a few meters. It is a shallow area with a good water movement. A large number of fish inhabit rocky and sandy areas where they find protection, food, and their breeding grounds. Different species have different requirements in terms of territory.
• Limnology and hydrology of Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi – Ruud C. M. Crul
• The Hydrology of Lake Tanganyika By C. GILLMAN – Bulletin No. 5 of GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DEPARTMENT.
• https://youtu.be/MPgak1_RxYw
• https://youtu.be/9AoiLmK57Wg
• https://youtu.be/MoLAMPVy5U0