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).