Dimensions 60 × 55 × 50 cm

Title A lagoon in the Valley of Silence: A refuge for the Mexcalpique (Girardinichthys sp.); Ocoyoacac, State of Mexico, Mexico.

Volume 165L

Background Black paint

Lighting Two fluorescent bulbs of 32 watts and 6500 ° K each, daily illumination for 8 hours with influence of sunlight for 1 hour

Filtration Modified internal filter to maximize filtration types (Biological, Chemical Mechanics)

Plants Eleocharis sp., Hydrochotyle sp.,Juncus sp. Naja guadalupensis,Pennisetum clandestinum, Mimmulus sp.

Animals Girardinichthys sp. and Cambarellus montezumae

Materials we use elements (substrate, plants and stones) that we can find in nature, trying to simulate the margins of the lagoon.

Additional Information The Valley of Silence is located in the national park Miguel Hidalgo and Costilla, better known as La Marquesa, in the State of Mexico, Mexico.
La Marquesa is located at the Central Plateau of Mexico, in this system there are both, natural and artificial hydrological systems that support a great quantity and diversity of aquatic species that in many cases are endemic. Such is the case of Mexcalpique (), a viviparous fish belonging to the family Goodeidae, which claims its importance because it´s endemic to Mexico and also is an endanger specie according to the category (IUCN and NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010).
The crystalline water of the lagoon allows us to appreciate the active swimming of Mexcalpique, generally with greater nutritional activity and reproductive courtship in the shallow areas, finding its refuge in the patches of aquatic plants (Naja guadalupensis and Hydrochotyle sp.), also we can find the locally known crustacean (Cambarellus montezumae) and two exotic species introduced for sport fishing (Oncorhynchus mickiss and Cyprinus carpio), which have a negative effect since being exotic species 1) are predatory, 2) compete for food resources and 3) alter the ecological niche and can displace local species.
The physicochemical characteristics of water (Natural medium / Aquarium biotope): Dissolved oxygen: 7.2/4.2 mg/L, Percentage of oxygen saturation: 72.18/63.58, Ammoniacal nitrogen (N-NH3): 0.04/0.02 mg/L, Nitrite (NO2ˉ): 0.03/0.01 mg /L, Nitrate (NO3ˉ): 0.04/0.03 mg/L, pH: 7.2/7.3, Temperature: 14.3/16 °C and SST: 8/4 mg /L.