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Biotopes by Country

Africa Biotopes
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
CongoDR
Congo Rep
Cote d Ivoire
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea
Kenya
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Asia Biotopes
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
East Timor
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Japan
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
VietNam

Caribbean Biotopes
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Trinidad and Tobago
US Virgin Islands

Central America Biotopes
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama

North America Biotopes
USA

Australia & Oceania & Misc Islands Biotopes
Australia
French Polynesia
Guam
Hawaii
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Micronesia
New Caledonia
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Seychelles
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Tahiti
Taiwan
Vanuatu

South America Biotopes
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uganda
Uruguay
Venezuela



Ecosystems

Africa - Central Africa :
Congo_Zaire
Lake Kivu
Africa - East Africa :
Sabaki River
Tana River
Africa - North Africa :
Nile
Africa - Rift Lakes :
Lake Chad
Lake Liambezi
Lake Malawi
Lake Rukwa
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Turkana
Lake Victoria
Africa - Southern Africa :
Chobe
Okavango River
Orange
Shire
Zambezi
Kwando River
Linyanti
Africa - West Africa :
Agnebi
Bandama River
Benue River
Bia River
Buba River
Casamance River
Cross River
Gambia River
Kariba
Little Scarcies
Niger River
Ogun River
Rokel
Saint John
Saint Paul
Saloum
Senegal River
Volta
Weme
Comoé River
Corubal River
Ebrie
Fatala
Geba
Kainji Lake
Kogon
Kolente
Konkoure
Loffa
Mano
Mao
Mono River
Nipoue
Pra
Sassandra
Sewa
Tano
Asia - India :
Brahmaputra River
Cavally River
Ganges
Indus
Krishna River
Chilka Lake
Chittar River
Godavari
Asia - Japan :
Lake Biwa
Asia - Philippines :
Lake Buluan
Lake Lanao
Taal
Asia - Southeast Asia :
Amudar'ya
Chao Praya River
Irrawaddy
Mekong River
Salween
Eurasia :
Danube
Lake Baikal
Seine
Loire
Rhine
Middle East :
Euphrates
Tigris
North America - USA :
Great Lakes
Lake Waccamaw
Mississippi
South America :
Amazon River
Araguaia River
Madeira
Magdalena
Maranon
Orinoco
Para-Tocantins
Paraguay River
Parana
Rio Negro
Sao Francisco
Uruguay River
Purus
Saltwater / Marine / Reef
Saltwater Great Barrier Reef
Saltwater_Hawaiian_Insular
Saltwater_Persian_Gulf
Saltwater_Peru-Galapagos
Saltwater_Polynesia
Saltwater_Red_Sea



BIOTOPE AQUARIA -- Updated Mar.3.2004



A biotope aquaria is an aquarium that is set-up to simulate a natural habitat. The fish, plants, water chemistry, and furnishings are similar to those that can be found in a specific natural setting.

Languages - Translations

German / Deutsch

Spanish / Español

Portuguese / Português

French / Français

Italian / Italiano


Best Biotope Books



Roughly half of the two dozen or so biotope-related emails I get each week ask for more specific details on a particular biotope. The truth is, true biotopes are exceedingly difficult to represent even if you are fortunate enough to be endowed with substantial tank. True habitats very greatly -- they are dynamic environments where conditions can change quickly and flora and fauna tend to be limited to a single species rather than an exciting mix of species. True biotopes are considerably more boring than those you see in magazines while natural substrates and materials [clay, mud, decaying leaves] are often impractical in the home aquarium. The purpose of this site is to jumpstart your creative process and to give you some ideas for designing your own biotope aquarium.

Mongabay.com is the sole effort of Rhett A. Butler, who has taken the photos and written all of the content found on the site. If you find mongabay.com a useful resource I hope that you may consider making a contribution to help support the site. You can also assist by purchasing biotope books using links on this page.

[Photos from various habitats/biotopes]

Freshwater fish species listed by country and ecosystem -- excellent resources for constructing biotope aquaria.


African River Rapids
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Malawi
West or Central African River
Southern African Swamp
Southeast Asian River
Thai Creek
Southeast Asian Blackwater Pool
Southeast Asian Mangrove Estuary
Indian/Burmese River
New Guinea River
Northern Australia Rainforest Creek
South American Whitewater River
South American Clearwater Stream
South American Blackwater Creek
South American Blackwater Stream
Central American Rocky Lake
Central American River

Be sure not to miss links to other biotope resources and sites.



`'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``

Other Biotope Resources

Recent news

Using fish as livestock feed threatens global fisheries

(11/18/2009) Fish doesn't just feed humans. Millions of tons of fish are fed every year to chickens, pigs, and even farmed fish even in the midst of rising concerns over fish stocks collapses around the world. Finding an alternative to fish as livestock feed would go a long way toward preventing the collapse of fish populations worldwide according to a new paper in Oryx.


ICCAT fails to protect critically endangered tuna—again

(11/15/2009) The International Commissions for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) ignored the advice of its scientists to end fishing of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead ICAAT set a quota of 13,500 tons of fish. This is not the first time ICCAT has flouted its own researchers' advice: it has repeatedly set quotas well-above its researchers' recommendations.


Governments, public failing to save world's species

(11/04/2009) According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) 2008 report, released yesterday, 36 percent of the total species evaluated by the organization are threatened with extinction. If one adds the species classified as Near Threatened, the percentage jumps to 44 percent—nearly half.


Atlantic bluefin tuna should be banned internationally: ICCAT scientists

(10/29/2009) Scientists with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) have said in a new report that a global ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing is justified. ICCAT meets in November to decide if they will follow their scientist's recommendations.


The Yangtze River may have lost another inhabitant: the Chinese paddlefish

(10/22/2009) In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million years, but the species couldn't survive the combined onslaught of pollution, habitat loss, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing hooks, death from illegal electric fishing, and the construction of several massive dams. Now, another flagship species of the Yangtze River appears to have vanished.


Freshwater species worse off than land or marine

(10/15/2009) Scientists have announced that freshwater species are likely the most threatened on earth. Extinction rates for freshwater inhabitants are currently four to six times the rates for terrestrial and marine species. Yet, these figures have not lead to action on the ground.


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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009

The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me.