#142: 250L Biotope Aquascape Rio Orinoco: A sunny spot in a clearwater stream

Helena Isaksson Trollhattan, Sweden

Comments

Not the most accurate depiction of a blackwater cardinal tetra biotope. The Rio Negro where these ever popular characins are from has very few plants (only Mayaca sp. and Tonina sp.) -- replace the stargrass and mosses! Also I see some serpae tetras in the photos. These are native to northern South America and not the Amazon Basin. From a design standpoint the driftwood stump is too centered and should be moved off to the side a bit. Keep trying!
— Carlos Sanchez
A very attractive tank. While you have certainly made an effort to use species from the Amazon basin they are not all species that one would expect to find in the same biotope. (notably the red tetras which appear to be M sweglesi are happier in cooler water conditions than the cardinals.
— Karen Randall
Nice work .The one thing that distracted my eye was the driftwood looked like it had been cut . A peice of wood touching the surface would have been apropriate.
— Mike Senske

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 100 × 50 × 50 cm
Title Rio Orinoco: A sunny spot in a clearwater stream
Volume 250L
Background Black blanket (fleece).
Lighting Double fluorocent lamps, 2x30 W, single fluorocent lamp 1x30 W.
Filtration Internal filter made by 10 ppi filter foam and powerhead. Heater hidden behind.
Plants 'Heteranthera zosterifolia' and 'Vesicularia dubyana'"Java moss", which substitutes 'Vesicularia sp.'"Christmas".
Animals Dicrossus filamentosus, family group;
Apistogramma hongsloi, family group;
Paracheirodon axelrodi, shoal;
Gasteropelecus sternicla, shoal;
Otocinclus macrospilus, shoal; Corydoras adolfoi, shoal.
For the time being hosting fry from Aequidens metae, from another aquarium.
Materials Stump of alder from local river.
Sand 0,8-1,2 mm (granite).
Filter foam with moss.
Leaves from beech.
Additional Information From the beginning it was a small dream of a shoal of cardinaltetras in a 100 liters. Then I was curius from where they came and what conditions they preferred. The result is a paradoxal combination between design, biotopeambition and materials available. The aim was a blackwater stream, but in time I'll get there.

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