Dimensions 100 × 42 × 44 cm
Title La Azotea - La Jaula, small tributary of Rio Paraná, in Pre-Delta National Park, Entre Rios, Argentina
Volume 184L
Background Black paint
Lighting Chihiros E-series RGB90, with a variable photoperiod (dry season: 7h; rainy season: 10h).
Filtration Seachem - Tidal 75, with an adjustable flow, that can arrive till a maximum of 1500 L/h, that I only used in the period that I tried to simulate the rainy season. Because in the dry season the flow is always less strong. It is important to note that this canister filter works with biological filter material.
Plants Echinodorus grandiflorus, Eichhornia sp., Eleocharis sp., Gymnocoronis spilanthoides, Juncus sp., Myriophyllum aquaticum, and the floating plants: Limnobium laevigatum and Pistia stratiotes
Animals Aphyocharax anisitsi, Apistogramma borellii, Corydoras hastatus, Corydoras paleatus, Hyphessobrycon eques, Otocinclus arnoldi, Phalloceros caudimaculatus, Rineloricaria parva and Palaemon argentinus
Materials Fine river sand, wood, small roundish rocks, dry leaves and botanicals (like, for example, Jacaranda mimosifolia seed pods, a sub-tropical tree native from Argentina) caught in nature
Additional Information The Paraná river is the second biggest river in South America. It borns from the union of Grande and Paranaiba rivers and runs through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some 3,740 Km.
It merges first with the Paraguay river and then farther downstream with the Uruguay river to form the La Plata river and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. During the part of its course downstream from the city of Diamante, Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and it forms the Paraná Delta. [2]
The composition of the Paraná river is extremely high in sediment and includes approximately 25% clay sediments, which equates to about 45000 million tonnes per year of which, 15% is sand (25 million tonnes / year) and about 60% is silt (90 million tonnes / year). This large amount of suspended solids, mostly comes from the Bermejo river (originates in the Bolivian Andes), in the floodplain, it formed many mutating islands, over millions of years, even in spite of the interventions made my mankind.
So, it’s possible to affirm, that the flood plain of the Paraná river constitutes a wetland where the landscape is the result of continuous geomorphological and river processes that had place in the past and continue today. Because of its strategic location, it offers refuge, feeding, reproduction and breeding areas to different fish species, and constitutes an important place for the wide variety of living organisms that live in these waters.
Pre-Delta National Park (PDNP) is located southwest of Entre Rios Province, on the left bank of the Paraná river, south of the city of Diamante, where the Paraná river forks in hundreds of meandering arms. It extends from 32º 03’ 43’’S and 60º 38’ 39’’W, with a surface of about 2600 ha.
At its northwest limit we can find the tributary La Azotea - La Jaula (32º07’17.8”S/ 60º38’04.3”W) the place that gave inspiration to this project.
This is a very beautiful display and the only problem with it as a biotope is that the layout is clearly designed to be a well-aquascaped aquarium. It suffers from a lack of scale. There is too much biodiversity if the frame of view. If a glass box the size of this tank were set down in this habitat would it truly have enclosed everything that is in the tank? Most microhabitats (and a tank this small is a micro-habitat) will have one or two species of plants in greater quantities. The hardscape also appears too scaped. Leaf litter where it is present will be more more dense naturally. If there is a lack of current the detritus will be thicker in a biotope with so many aquatic and terrestrial plants. If there is enough current for the sand to be clean of debris there will be fewer plants....
Accuracy of Plants and Animals for Biotope:
This display has a nice representation of possible plants and animals in the location. Thank you for not trying to put in more fish than are here. The only species I question the Corydoras hastatus. I cannot locate a reference that places this unique species in the delta of the Parana. All the references I have found say 'reported from upper Parana'. Nothing definitive and the 'upper Parana' is the opposite region as the delta.
Accuracy of Hardscape:
No reasons to deduct points on the accuracy of the hardscape materials.
Condition:
This is a beautiful display with plants and animals that are healthy and thriving.