Biotopes of South America - Murky Waters - Whitewater

3. Murky Waters (Whitewater)

source: http://all4aquarium.ru/en/events/jbl-biotope-contest-2015/entries - Emil Visan, Romania

Physicochemical parameters of water:

• transparency – 20-60 cm
• total hardness – 3-8 DH
• pH – 6.5-7.9
• temperature – 24-29 ºC
• electrical conductivity – 40-140 μS/cm – indicates a high concentration of dissolved solids
• water color – cloudy, yellow-brown

Minimum tank size – 150 l, longer than higher

Biotop Description:

• brown-yellow water color;
• low water transparency;
• Substrate: dark/light sand or fine gravel with a layer of clay, the substrate should be steeply inclined towards the direction of water flow;
• A small amount of plants on the sides of the aquarium or in the background - depending on the profiling of the bottom, it should imitate shore vegetation, the plants should not dominate in the aquarium;
• Open spaces;
• A small amount or lack of roots or branches lying on the bottom;
• Rocks arranged using stones, rocks etc.;
• Strong water flow;
• Well-oxygenated water - within 7 mg/l;
• Diffused lighting, dimmed (naturally poor amount of light results from water turbidity);

Example fish species:

• arthropoda: Arapaima gigas (arapaima), Parodon pongoensis (butterfly fish);
• curimatids: Curimatella meyeri, Cyphocharax spiluropsis, Steindachnerina guentheri;
• anostomids: Leporellus vittatus, Leporinus cf. friderici, Leporinus pearsoni, Leporinus striatus, Schizodon fasciatus;
• Crenuchidae: Characidium cf. fasciatum (striped bottom-dweller);
• hatchet fish: Carnegiella myersi (Myers hatchetfish), Thoracocharax stellatus (giant hatchetfish);
• Triporthidae: Triportheus angulatus (spotted wood);
• tailor fishes: Aphyocharax pusillus (quick), Astyanax abramis, Charax tectifer, Galeocharax gulo, Gymnocorymbus thayeri (black tetra), Knodus breviceps, Knodus megalops, Leptagoniates steindachneri, Moenkhausia dichroura (pearly tetra), Moenkhausia oligolepis (large scaled tetra), Odontostilbe fugitiva, Roeboides affinis, Tetragonopterus argenteus;
• piranhas: Mylossoma duriventre (silver dollar), Serrasalmus rhombeus (spotted piranha);
• flyingfish: Copeina guttata (spotted pencilfish);
• catfish-like: Henonemus punctatus, Pseudostegophilus nemurus;
• corydoras: Callichthys callichthys (cory catfish), Corydoras aeneus (corydoras aeneus), Corydoras cf. septentrionalis;
• plecos: Hypostomus emarginatus, Hypostomus unicolor, Panaque changae, Pterygoplichthys lituratus, Pterygoplichthys punctatus;
• heptapterids: Rhamdia quelen;
• pimelodids: Brachyplatystoma juruense, Pinirampus pirinampu, Platystomatichthys sturio, Sorubim lima;
• corydoras: Trachydoras steindachneri;
• needlefins: Pseudotylosurus angusticeps;
• cichlids: Crenicichla semicincta, Cichlasoma cf. amazonarum;

Example plant species:

• swords: Echinodorus palifolius, Echinodorus bleherae, Echinodorus subalatus;
• floating crystalwort (Riccia fluitans) arranged on pieces of wood;
• tapegrasses: Vallisneria Spiralis (tapegrass);

Remarks:

• this type of biotope is rarely recreated by aquarists due to the difficulty of maintaining constant water turbidity