Dimensions 120 × 45 × 45 cm

Title Igarapé Cajari, a tributary of Rio Caurés, Amazonas, Brazil

Volume 270L

Background Black vinayl background

Lighting LED spotlight 5W*3 4500K

Filtration External filter Fluval 306, Eheim 2217.

Igarape Cajari which is a tributary of Rio Caurés doesn’t have fast flowing water. So, to replicate that water flow I deliberately keep low flow of water in my aquarium.

Plants At this part of Igarapé Cajari there are no water plants,except the forest flooded plants.

Animals Hemigrammus Bleheri X 25, Paracheirodon Axelrodi X 25, Apistogramma Mendezi X 5, Nannostomus sp.X 25, Corydoras Adolfoi X 10

Materials The roots and branches I have used are branch woods. I have used 2 types of woods, couple of them are thicker branch woods & couple of them are thinner woods. These woods I used in my previous setups & those are with me for around 7-8 years. So, these are well seasoned. The leaves I have used are Indian almond leaves which is abundant here. There are some broken leaves which makes a messy layer over ground level as we can generally see in this region. The substrate is a mixture of river sand & yellow sand.


There are some branches which are fallen from top, as we can see in the amazon rainforest. Also, to replicate ‘tea colour’ water in this Igarape Cajari area, Indian almond leaves do the job of making tea coloured ‘blackwater’. Apart from that, during water change I use Natural Humin which is a product of ‘Discusfood’ company.

Additional Information Interesting part of this aquarium is, in this tank Corydoras adolfoi lays eggs couple of times. But I have a hard luck to successful hatch. Also, in my aquarium I have paired Nannostomus Eques. I have this aquarium for more than 1.5 years & most of the fishes are from the beginning.

Igarape Cajari which is a tributary of Rio Caurés doesn’t have fast flowing water. So, to replicate that water flow I deliberately keep low flow of water in my aquarium. Water parameters are also set identical to Igarape Cajari i.e. Temperature is 27°C, ph is 4.8, kh is 2

In Amazonia, during the rainy season with a heavy rainfall water level rises and eventually it’s flooded into the surrounding forest area. In this time, fish migrates into the submerged forest where abundant food sources are found, and the breeding begins.
We know, any forests represent as a major source of plankton and other natural foods. With the water level rises, this turns into a necessary area for young fish, as well as for adult ones. With the amount of fallen leaves, which acts as a source of infusoria, is ideal of baby fishes. Other than providing natural food for fish, forests provide them with the shelter from predators and create the shadow above water, thereby preventing overheating and even excessive drying during the dry season.
The soil is sandy and with almost no mineral content. A large amount of leaf litter forms a dense carpet, along with the roots of the flooded forest and branches. Water carries a large amount of detritus. Detritus contains decomposing organic matter, including animal remains, plant residues, waste products, and bacteria and other microorganisms associated with them.

During the rainy season (starts September 6 and lasts for 8.7 months, ending around May 29) the water is considerably colder and temperature is about 23 °C, water pH is about 6ph. During the dry season (starts around May 29 and lasts for 3.2 months, ending around September 6), the water level is reduced and warmer, the temperature of water is around 28-30 °C. Due to the low water level and the large amount of leaves and branches, the water contains a large concentration of tannin, which adds a dark color like “Tea color” and the water pH is low and is about 3.5-4ph.


Sources of information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnTBoGqNoAE
https://en.climate-data.org/south-america/brazil/maranhao/cajari-44036/?amp=true
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/nannostomus-eques/
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/fishing-with-the-piabeiros-of-brazils-rio-negro-full-article.htm