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CICHLIDS
SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLIDS
More than 225 species, with estimates of 300 species, of cichlids are found throughout
South America. An estimated 75% of these inhabit the mighty Amazon River Basin. However, cichlids are not the most abundant
fish in this river, with them making up only 6-10% of all fish species found there.
South America consists of three major water types: whitewater, clearwater (blue water),
and blackwater.
(1) Whitewater rivers pick up large amounts of sediments from the Andes giving the water a
muddy-brown color. Whitewater receives its name from the white foam of the rapids ofthe upper regions. Whitewater river rivers lack abundant
plant life. Most aquarium species are found in quiet, backwater areas like oxbow lakes. The water properties of white water
rivers are: a pH from 6.8-7.1 and a dH of 3-5.
The best example of a white river river is the Amazon River.
(2) Clear or blue water rivers are tributaries which flow through ancient Brazilian and Guyana
rock beds where little sediment is released into the rivers. The waters of these rivers is very clear and
allows plant growth. Clear water rivers have a pH of 6.9-7.5, and a water hardness of 5-12 dH. The Rio Xingu and the Rio Tocantins
are such rivers.
(3) Blackwater rivers are nutrient poor and tea or black in color from the tanic acid released
from decaying vegetation. Blackwater is crystal clear and has been compared to distilled water due to its lack of
dissolved minerals. Blackwater rivers are acidic (6.0 pH) and soft, with little measurable water hardness (0
dH). The
Rio Negro is the most famous of the blackwater rivers.
Among South American Cichlids are the well-known Angelfish, Discus, and Oscar. Others
include the Acaras, New World Dwarf Cichlids (Apistogramma and related), Eartheaters, and many
others.
South American Cichlids differ greatly from one another in
body shape, coloration, and survival habits.
Since they differ so greatly, no general description of South American
Cichlids, as a whole, can be accurately included.
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Recent news
Atlantic sturgeon gains protection under the Endangered Species Act
(02/01/2012)
The U.S. federal government has listed the massive and bizarre Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) under the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Historically overfishing decimated the Atlantic sturgeon, while on-going threats include pollution and infrastructure, like dams and bridges that destroy habitat. Fishing for the Atlantic sturgeon has been banned since 1998, they are still caught as bycatch.
Photos: 46 new species found in little-explored Amazonian nation
(01/25/2012)
South America's tiniest independent nation still hides a number of big surprises: a three week survey to the sourthern rainforests of Suriname found 46 potentially new species and recorded nearly 1,300 species in all. Undertaken by Conservation International's (CI) Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) the survey found new species of freshwater fish, insects, and a new frog dubbed the "cowboy frog" for the spur on its heel. While Suriname may be small, much of its forest, in the Guyana Shield region of the Amazon, remains intact and pristine. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 91 percent of Suriname is covered in primary forests, however this data has not been updated in over two decades.
Featured video: tuna industry bycatch includes sea turtles, dolphins, whales
(01/16/2012)
A Greenpeace video, using footage from a whistleblower, shows disturbing images of the tuna industry operating in the unregulated waters of the Pacific Ocean. Using fish aggregation devices (FADs) and purse seine nets, the industry is not only able to catch entire schools of tuna, including juvenile, but also whatever else is in the area of the net.
Bycatch-reducing fish trap wins $20,000
(01/11/2012)
An innovative fish trap that allows small non-target fish to escape won a new content by RARE Conservation and National Geographic to fund solutions to overfishing. Developed through studies in CuraƧao and Kenya with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the trap has gaps for juvenile fish to swim out of reportedly reducing bycatch by 80 percent. The entry won a $20,000 grant.
World's most expensive tuna
(01/05/2012)
A 593 pound Pacific bluefin tuna sold for $735,000 (56.49 million yen) in Tokyo's Tsukiji market today. This beats the previous record price hit last year by over $260,000. Why so expensive? Bluefin tuna, considered the best sashimi and sushi in the world, have been fished to near extinction with the population of the Pacific bluefin the most stable to date.
Top 10 Environmental Stories of 2011
(12/22/2011)
Many of 2011's most dramatic stories on environmental issues came from people taking to the streets. With governments and corporations slow to tackle massive environmental problems, people have begun to assert themselves. Victories were seen on four continents: in Bolivia a draconian response to protestors embarrassed the government, causing them to drop plans to build a road through Tipnis, an indigenous Amazonian reserve; in Myanmar, a nation not known for bowing to public demands, large protests pushed the government to cancel a massive Chinese hydroelectric project; in Borneo a three-year struggle to stop the construction of a coal plant on the coast of the Coral Triangle ended in victory for activists; in Britain plans to privatize forests created such a public outcry that the government not only pulled back but also apologized; and in the U.S. civil disobedience and massive marches pressured the Obama Administration to delay a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring tar sands from Canada to a global market.
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