Biotopes of Venezuela | The natural habitat of Apistogramma hongsloi

Ivan Mikolji Biotope, Biotopes of South America 3 Comments

I have been underwater in the same spot for more than an hour, over 500 images taken in the 3 square meters in front of me.  I am in Mikolji-land or what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “The Flow.” I start to hear a faint noise which breaks the underwater silence, I look around and notice it’s raining. I turn around and lie flat on my back on the river bed, looking up. I take an image of “underwater rain” or the pattern that rain creates when it strikes the water. The trees above make a super cool effect. I capture this …

Lecture and Biotope Workshop for the British Cichlid Association

Chris Englezou Biotope, Chris Englezou, Community, Events Leave a Comment

This past weekend I had the distinct privilege to be invited to speak at the British Cichlid Association summer convention at the Brittania Hotel in Wigan. I was also asked to do one of my biotope aquarium workshops which teach fish keepers how to recreate a natural aquatic habitat in their aquarium using only biotope-correct species and decor. The event had a humble attendance including some of the most reputable fish keepers in the country, some of whom it was an honour to have listen to my thoughts and experiences. My talk was entitled “Pterophyllum altum and the other angelfishes” …

Rio Nanay biotope workshop at Maidenhead Aquatics in Melksham

Chris Englezou Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Chris Englezou, Community, Events 4 Comments

This weekend I was invited once again over to Melksham by Maidenhead Aquatics to demonstrate another authentic biotope aquarium set-up. On my last visit here I showed how to recreate the Rio Atabapo during the high water season and this time after consulting with the Maidenhead team about what options we could work with, I gave my suggestions and once the fish list was confirmed, I decided on a biotope aquarium based on a lake along the Rio Nanay in the dry season.  The team at Melksham went right out of their way to try and ensure we had some interesting …

Biotopes of Brunei | Aquatic Treasures in the Labi Jungle

Zaheer Afie Biotope, Biotopes of Borneo 2 Comments

On 17th February 2017, a 3 member team from the Brunei Biotope Group including myself set off on a journey into the jungles of Labi (located in South East of Belait District in Brunei Darussalam) in search of a tall waterfall known to locals as Wasai Belulok situated along the Belulok River (4°16’32.57″N, 114°25’29.45″E). The journey into the jungle started at approximately 12 noon, until 4pm. At the Belulok waterfall, within a 50 metre span of the stream, various species of fish and one species of aquatic plants can be found. Starting from the pool beneath the waterfall, only one …

Biotopes of Brunei | Ichthyofauna of the Teraja Falls

Zaheer Afie Biotope, Biotopes of Borneo Leave a Comment

On 18th March 2017, we, Brunei Biotope Group, were off again on another journey into the Labi jungle of Brunei in hopes of finding something exciting. On this trip our group of four people were heading towards Teraja Waterfall, a widely known fall along the Sungai Teraja which is frequented  by many tourists, especially those which like to go on jungle adventures here in Brunei. We started our journey from Seria Town at 09:00 AM and we had arrived at the Teraja Longhouse at about 11:00 AM. As we arrived at the Teraja Longhouse, we informed the Iban people (head …

Biotopes of Brunei | Biodiversity of the Telamba River

Zaheer Afie Biotope, Biotopes of Borneo 1 Comment

On the early morning of 15th September of 2017, our group finally resembled to embark on another trip to explore the jungles of Brunei. This time we headed to our 1st lowland river trip where we would be investigating the lower Telamba River; this was also to our first exploration trip within Tutong district of Brunei. The Telamba river is a stream for most of its course and is approximately 5.5km long (possibly longer) and is a tributary of the Danau River. For this trip we started off from Seria Town, we departed at 8am and drove to our destination located at …

A new species of Pterophyllum?

Chris Englezou Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Chris Englezou 2 Comments

Having been deeply fascinated with the Pterophyllum genus for many years, I have found myself waist deep in research, analysing data, images and footage and even taking trips into the jungle to better understand the majestic freshwater Angelfish and the factors which influence their distribution and taxonomy. One area of recently increasing interest to me is the Rio Negro in Brasil. I have always been curious about the distribution of Pterophyllum leopoldi and the existence of disjunct populations along both the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões and in the last few years I have dedicated countless hours to uncover more …

Biotope Aquarium 101: An authentic Indragiri River basin biotope for Clown Loach

Jeroen Vanhooren Biotope 2 Comments

Creating a home for the beloved Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) is no easy feat, information on their natural habitat is scarce (even on the vast internet) but it is a challenge and I dread to think of the amount of Clown Loach lives that would have been saved but for an article such as this one… The Indragiri River is located in the Indonesian province of Riau and is formed from at the confluence of the Ombilin River and the Sinamar River; at it’s delta it empties into the Strait of Malacca which is a narrow channel located between the …

Biotope Aquarium 101: An authentic Guyana biotope for Glowlight Tetras

Jeroen Vanhooren Biotope, Biotopes of South America Leave a Comment

The Rio Takutu is a river in one of the most interesting and biodiverse places on earth: the Guiana Shield in northern South America. It was most famously documented during the expedition by Robert H. Schomburgk from 1835 – 1844 to mark the borders of territory of “British” Guiana on the orders of Queen Victoria. It was subsequently used as a base to develop large-scale sugar plantations maned by countless African slaves and was only returned to independence in 1966 from whence it became known as Guyana. The fish fauna of this area are highly endemic as a result of the …

Biodiversity of the Rio Paraná Delta, Argentina

Marcelo Fernandez Biotope, Biotopes of South America 2 Comments

For many years, when thinking about ornamental fish, I wonder how this paradise of species has not been better recognised and appreciated. This Argentine delta is a unique place, unlike any other similar habitat in the world. It is a beautiful wetland, a magical place with lagoons, jungle, grasslands and floating islands that form in the space of just a few years and are constantly mutating to give birth to new biotopes for different species – this place is so very rich in biodiversity. Firstly, to appreciate the size of this Eden of ornamental fish it is instrumental to know …