The Rio Files: Rheophilic species and their biotopes | Teleocichla centisquama

C.E. Fish Essentials Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

Teleocichla centisquama was described as a new species from the region of Altamira along the Rio Xingu in 2002 by scientists, Ivan Sazima and Jansen Zuanon. The following article includes excerpts from the species description and outlines a little about the habitat, plights and behaviour of this endearing, but highly threatened rheophilic cichlid. T. centisquama dwells on rocky bottom rapids with moderate to strong water flow, It perches solitarily atop boulders, where it maintains its pectoral fins and hind body in contact with the rock and often adopts a sigmoid posture(possibly to maintain hold in the strong current). On boulders …

Biotopes of Brasil | Rio Xingu, home of the Zebra Pleco

C.E. Fish Essentials Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

The Zebra pleco Hypancistrus zebra is endemic to the middle of Brazil’s Rio Xingu (pronounced shin goo) and is among the list of catfish species at risk from the Belo Monte dam. It lives at a depth where the surroundings are, at best, pretty gloomy, if not completely dark. It lives in the cracks, gaps and natural caves found in the very specific type of rock found in the river. This is dark brown to black hard igneous rock that, in shallower water, is set in tan-coloured sand. There is very little submerged wood, there are virtually no plants and …

Biotopes of Argentina | Fishes of the Iguazu Falls

Marcelo Fernandez Biotope, Biotopes of South America Leave a Comment

Years ago, when I went to this beautiful province for the first time, I asked myself which fish would inhabit the Iguazu Falls, although I like all the fish, my thoughts were oriented (as always) towards the aquarium fish. A little information about this pearl of the Argentine north. The province of Misiones has an area of ​​29,801km² and is the second largest in the provinces of the Argentine Republic, integrating the Brasilia massif through the missionary plateau. Its rocks contain important amounts of iron, it decomposes and forms part of the soil, giving it the characteristic red color (see …

Biotopes of Peru | The Madre de Dios drainage

Ian Fuller Biotope, Biotopes of South America 1 Comment

In recent years I have made several visits to the states of Cusco and Madre de Dios in Peru, and have collected fishes in a great many location, from the low levels of the rain forest rivers and streams up to 1200 meters in the Andean cloud forest. All of the sampled rivers and streams eventually drain into the Rio Madre de Dios, which in turn drains into the Rio Madeira. Here I will try and show the biodiversity, not only of rivers and streams, but also in the flora and fauna that surround them. Our home base is situated …

Biotope 101: An authentic upper Rio Araçá biotope for Rummynose and Cardinal tetras

Jeroen Vanhooren Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Uncategorised Leave a Comment

The Rio Araçá is an affluent of the Demini River, which is a tributary of the Rio Negro. The Araçá is a 390 km long blackwater river originating high up on the Serra Tapirapeco Mountain in the forests of the Guianas and flows through the Serra do Araçá, a state conservation unit near to the border between Amazonas and Roraima states.  The river is also situated in the wider area of the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, within which the indigenous Yanomami and Ye’kuana (The Canoe People) reside. In the centre of the Serra do Araca can be found the Cachoeira do El Dorado …

ram cichlid biotope

Biotope Aquarium 101: An authentic Rio Meta biotope for Ram Cichlids & more!

Jeroen Vanhooren Biotope, Biotopes of South America 1 Comment

The Rio Meta is a whitewater western side tributary of the Rio Orinoco which traverses through eastern Colombia. It’s source originates in the Cordillera Oriental (also known as the Eastern Ranges), the most sizeable branch of the Colombian Andes. It travels right across the region of Orinoquia and Los Llanos Orientales (the Eastern Plains) where it forms the Meta River Plain and moves into southern Venezuela at Antioquia, where it begins to form the border between the two countries. It forms it confluence with the Orinoco River at at Puerto Carreño. The waters eventually culminate at the Orinoco delta releasing vital nutrient-rich sediment into the Atlantic ocean …

Biotope Aquarium 101: An authentic Guyana biotope for the Golden Dwarf Cichlid

Jeroen Vanhooren Biotope, Biotopes of South America Leave a Comment

The origin of the Demerara River is comprised in majority by the confluencing of the Kuruduni, Kuruabaru and the Mauri Rivers and lays in the rainforests of the Makari Mountains in the “Upper Demerara-Berbice” region of eastern Guyana. It acts as the dividing line for the regions of “Essequibo islands-West Demerara” to the west and “Demerara-Mahaica” to the east and its flow moves northward eventually spilling into the Atlantic Ocean at Georgetown, the country’s capital.  The last stretch of the Demerara lies in the flat alluvial coastal plain and is host to a great deal of economic activities and trading …

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 …

Biotope Aquarium Set-Up at Maidenhead Aquatics, Melksham

Chris Englezou Biotope, Biotopes of South America, Community, Events 5 Comments

This weekend I had the pleasure and honour of been invited to Melksham by the aquatic chain store Maidenhead Aquatics to take part in the Wiltshire Plecos & Catfish Study Group gathering. The events are held at different times throughout the year in the aim of bringing fishkeeping enthusiasts of all levels together to provide educational talks and unite the community; they also are a great opportunity to ogle at some truly exceptional fishes and maybe even take a few home. The manager of Melksham’s branch is James Gulliver and with the help of Nick Ridout and the other members …

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 …