Arifhb’s Aquatics
New Member
Hi everyone!
It's been a long time, I hope everyone is okay? I wanted to say hello with a new biotope topic!
While watching Tai's videos, I came across this video in which he captured images of a small stream in Coxim town;
https://youtu.be/qYreZVRWwNc?si=7Q44VeN8gBeXtoui
It was a stream where black neon tetras (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) and Apistogramma trifasciata were found in the same environment. It is possible to reach both species in our country. Moreover, there are also plants mentioned in the video. We also have a very sufficient video of the ground type, plants, creatures and other details in the biotope! The person who shot the video is an Instagram friend of mine, with whom I can get more details about the region and with whom I correspond and share ideas from time to time! What else could happen? Apart from this, it is easy to find reference sites, articles and information on living taxonomy. Since the region is a very well-known place, it is very accessible to research, prepare documents and make biotopes. To sum up, we have everything at our disposal to establish a complete and precise biotope. If we compare it to building a Lego set, it is easy to build if every piece is complete and there is an assembly guide in front of us. The next step is to find materials similar to those in the video and create a natural and eye-pleasing biotope with a theme blended from the scenes in the river. I consulted Tai about the places I was wondering about and eventually established a biotope where the image above appears. He said he was amazed, thank you 😊.
From the profile, I tried to depict a shore extending to the open water from the right side, with tree roots and dry plant particles. In the image in the video, there are also grains of gravel in the sand on the ground, but I did not choose to use them because the surface of the sand would be covered over time with the residue of dry leaves and roots. I spread 05-1 mm silica sand on the ground. I used astragalus (a shrub native to Turkiye) in this biotope because its texture and curves resemble roots and fallen branches that begin to dissolve in water, and it is a very natural, aesthetic and usable material.
I created the fringe views of various plants and young trees extending from the shore to the water with thyme bushes and dried botanicals I collected from nature.
Water values of the region: 10-50 ms conductivity, 4.5-6.5 pH, 25-30 degrees Celsius temperature. In my tank there was 98 ppm, 6.5 pH and 25 degrees temperature. Since extreme values are not observed in the habitat during the dry-rainy season during the year, these parameters are also quite suitable for the biotope. Since it was a slightly tannin stained stream, I also allowed the water to turn yellow. The dry leaves and roots already took care of that. Also, I didn't use any additives. Since I did not see many live plants in the coastal area where the trifasciata live in the video, I planted a pinch of eleocharis parvula in some parts. Some kept it, some rotted away. The person holding him was in a "don't touch me" mood. I generally preferred to use above water plants. It was a common species in coastal and low-current areas; I used it even though it wasn't in the video. Besides being the plant of the region, I chose to use it because it is a nitrogen monster. Their contribution to filtration is tremendous. Friends who wish can access dozens of scientific publications on this subject by typing 'aquatic plants in wastewater treatment'. Even though I did 10% water changes sometimes every two weeks, sometimes every three weeks, the nitrate I measured was not above 0 mg. We wouldn't be wrong if we say that with a pair of trifasciata and nine black neons, approximately 70-75 liters of water, these plants and the media in the filter shouldered the nitrogen load. By the way, I used a small external filter from Dophin CF-300. I used seachem matrix, 30 ppi biological sponge and sera crystal clear balls. Even though the flow rate decreases mostly, I must say that it is enough for the tank. I was happy with it except that it started leaking water later. This is how cheap meat stews.
Although my lighting preference in biotopes is LED projectors and spot lamps, I used Samsung brand SMD LED fixtures in this tank. Why floodlight or spotlight? Since it directs the light flow to the bottom without spreading it, the shadows of fish, plants and decorations become like those in sunlight, unlike the ripples on the water surface. The image becomes more realistic. I wish I could use a Kessil Tuna Sun brand spotlight; I'm not that rich yet 😊. Generally, lighting with a color temperature of 6000-6500k works. The color temperature of sunlight at noon varies between 5700-6500k depending on the season.
We have mentioned the water values and general appearance of the biotope; Let me also talk about the river system and localization.
This biotope is a small tributary of the Taquari River, which connects to the Paraguay river drainage. The stream has no name. I found the latitude-longitude information according to Tai's recipes. I even found that bridge in the video on Google Earth 😊. This area is in the city of Coxim in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. in the south of Brazil. Many of the South American plants we care for in our tanks are native to the Pantanal region. It is a region rich in plant and living diversity.
Written and visual documents showing the biotic and abiotic elements in a biotope, as well as their proportions and order, are important; It is even a guide. The more detailed this guide is, the more biotope to be established. You can also say; 'Brother, the water is slightly cloudy in the reference video, your tank is very spacious'? Since it was a rainy day, the water was a little cloudy. Taquari River is considered the largest alluvial basin in the world. Rain may cloud the water. I preferred to see the clear version and built the biotope by imagining it. If you pay attention, I wanted to make an eye-pleasing design that I could watch at home rather than imitating the bushes and mud in the images. Similar to the original but without moving away from it...
In general, this is how I can introduce the tank. We can discuss the details. This biotope ranked 3rd in the South American category in the 2022 BAC. The video of the tank is here;
Love to everyone 😊.
It's been a long time, I hope everyone is okay? I wanted to say hello with a new biotope topic!
While watching Tai's videos, I came across this video in which he captured images of a small stream in Coxim town;
https://youtu.be/qYreZVRWwNc?si=7Q44VeN8gBeXtoui
It was a stream where black neon tetras (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) and Apistogramma trifasciata were found in the same environment. It is possible to reach both species in our country. Moreover, there are also plants mentioned in the video. We also have a very sufficient video of the ground type, plants, creatures and other details in the biotope! The person who shot the video is an Instagram friend of mine, with whom I can get more details about the region and with whom I correspond and share ideas from time to time! What else could happen? Apart from this, it is easy to find reference sites, articles and information on living taxonomy. Since the region is a very well-known place, it is very accessible to research, prepare documents and make biotopes. To sum up, we have everything at our disposal to establish a complete and precise biotope. If we compare it to building a Lego set, it is easy to build if every piece is complete and there is an assembly guide in front of us. The next step is to find materials similar to those in the video and create a natural and eye-pleasing biotope with a theme blended from the scenes in the river. I consulted Tai about the places I was wondering about and eventually established a biotope where the image above appears. He said he was amazed, thank you 😊.
From the profile, I tried to depict a shore extending to the open water from the right side, with tree roots and dry plant particles. In the image in the video, there are also grains of gravel in the sand on the ground, but I did not choose to use them because the surface of the sand would be covered over time with the residue of dry leaves and roots. I spread 05-1 mm silica sand on the ground. I used astragalus (a shrub native to Turkiye) in this biotope because its texture and curves resemble roots and fallen branches that begin to dissolve in water, and it is a very natural, aesthetic and usable material.
I created the fringe views of various plants and young trees extending from the shore to the water with thyme bushes and dried botanicals I collected from nature.
Water values of the region: 10-50 ms conductivity, 4.5-6.5 pH, 25-30 degrees Celsius temperature. In my tank there was 98 ppm, 6.5 pH and 25 degrees temperature. Since extreme values are not observed in the habitat during the dry-rainy season during the year, these parameters are also quite suitable for the biotope. Since it was a slightly tannin stained stream, I also allowed the water to turn yellow. The dry leaves and roots already took care of that. Also, I didn't use any additives. Since I did not see many live plants in the coastal area where the trifasciata live in the video, I planted a pinch of eleocharis parvula in some parts. Some kept it, some rotted away. The person holding him was in a "don't touch me" mood. I generally preferred to use above water plants. It was a common species in coastal and low-current areas; I used it even though it wasn't in the video. Besides being the plant of the region, I chose to use it because it is a nitrogen monster. Their contribution to filtration is tremendous. Friends who wish can access dozens of scientific publications on this subject by typing 'aquatic plants in wastewater treatment'. Even though I did 10% water changes sometimes every two weeks, sometimes every three weeks, the nitrate I measured was not above 0 mg. We wouldn't be wrong if we say that with a pair of trifasciata and nine black neons, approximately 70-75 liters of water, these plants and the media in the filter shouldered the nitrogen load. By the way, I used a small external filter from Dophin CF-300. I used seachem matrix, 30 ppi biological sponge and sera crystal clear balls. Even though the flow rate decreases mostly, I must say that it is enough for the tank. I was happy with it except that it started leaking water later. This is how cheap meat stews.
Although my lighting preference in biotopes is LED projectors and spot lamps, I used Samsung brand SMD LED fixtures in this tank. Why floodlight or spotlight? Since it directs the light flow to the bottom without spreading it, the shadows of fish, plants and decorations become like those in sunlight, unlike the ripples on the water surface. The image becomes more realistic. I wish I could use a Kessil Tuna Sun brand spotlight; I'm not that rich yet 😊. Generally, lighting with a color temperature of 6000-6500k works. The color temperature of sunlight at noon varies between 5700-6500k depending on the season.
We have mentioned the water values and general appearance of the biotope; Let me also talk about the river system and localization.
This biotope is a small tributary of the Taquari River, which connects to the Paraguay river drainage. The stream has no name. I found the latitude-longitude information according to Tai's recipes. I even found that bridge in the video on Google Earth 😊. This area is in the city of Coxim in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. in the south of Brazil. Many of the South American plants we care for in our tanks are native to the Pantanal region. It is a region rich in plant and living diversity.
Written and visual documents showing the biotic and abiotic elements in a biotope, as well as their proportions and order, are important; It is even a guide. The more detailed this guide is, the more biotope to be established. You can also say; 'Brother, the water is slightly cloudy in the reference video, your tank is very spacious'? Since it was a rainy day, the water was a little cloudy. Taquari River is considered the largest alluvial basin in the world. Rain may cloud the water. I preferred to see the clear version and built the biotope by imagining it. If you pay attention, I wanted to make an eye-pleasing design that I could watch at home rather than imitating the bushes and mud in the images. Similar to the original but without moving away from it...
In general, this is how I can introduce the tank. We can discuss the details. This biotope ranked 3rd in the South American category in the 2022 BAC. The video of the tank is here;
Love to everyone 😊.
