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How to Set Up A Colombian Biotope Aquarium
I have been milling over the idea of creating a Colombian River biotope in my
53GAL tank. I have the fish species (Emperor Tetra, Otocinclus affinis,
Peckoltia pulcher and Skunk Corydoras) and some of the water params but I am
at a loss for;
1) Aquatic Plants (what are they?)
2) River type (fast flowing, slow, moderate)
3) River biotope (does it flood rain forest?, does it dry up on occassion?)
I have noticed that your site seems to have volumes of information on Brazil
and other South American countries. Any leads or information would be
appreciated.
It really depends on what specific part of Colombia you're looking to recreate.
I've never been to Colombia so I can't give you specific details, though there
are rivers in some regions that flood while in others they may run dry during
some parts of the year. You're going to find rivers that run the gamut from
fast-flowing to being virtually still -- it really depends on what you want to
create.
It also depends how picky you want to be about your biotope because technically,
the fish you name aren't found in the same waters:
Emperor Tetra: Rio San Juan and the Rio Atrata of the watershed of Western
Columbia
Corydoras arcuatus: Ecuador, Rio Napo River system; Peru, Rio Yavari and the Rio
Pacaya.
Peckoltia pulcher: South America; sections of the Rio Negro near Moura (Brazil).
Otocinclus affinis: South America; rivers with heavy vegetation is the Rio de
Janeiro area (Brazil).
Colombian fish:
http://www.mongabay.com/fish/data/ecosystems/Magdalena.htm
http://www.mongabay.com/fish/data/Colombia.htm
Here are some sites that might help:
http://www.pvas.com/catfish/ShaneLinder.htm
http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/geography/index.php
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0205/feature4/index.html (this might
give you a hint on a possible setup)
For plants take a look at
http://www.tropica.com/default.asp
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x
New plant research by Gary A.MacDonald:
Heteranthera dubia
Heteranthera zosteraefolia
Heteranthera limosa - Mudflower
Mayaca fluviatilis
Echinodorus latifolius - Broad Leaved Dwarf Amazon Sword
Echinodorus cordifolius - Radican's Swordplant
Echinodorus horizontalis
Echinodorus magdalanensis
Echinodorus quadricosta - Dwarf Amazon Sword
Eichhornia diversifolia
Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Ludwigia palustris (red) *
Ceratopteris thalictroides * PanTropic - Water Sprite
Vallensiria spirilis
Ludwigia het. - Floating plant with red leaves
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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