January '06 - Arjan Haak's 300 L Colombian Biotope Aquarium. (Netherlands)

This month we feature a very interesting biotope setup, that brings together fishes and plants found in the Meta and Upper Orinoco River basins, running from Colombia through Venezuela. The ample use of rootwork and a few rounded rocks give a very distinct feeling of a river bank, hosting three representative species of that region: a trio of Apistogramma viejita brings in that personality touch that only cichlids can; another trio of the small, rare and curious little catfish Tatia perugiae, and finally a school of the rather uncommon Gymnocorymbus bondi which play the role of the "always visible" fish in the tank. In short, a carefully studied and skillfully executed project by the veteran Dutch aquarist Arjan Haak, well done! :-)

Owner:	Arjan Haak, 31, from Venray, The Netherlands, 20 years of fishkeeping.
Setup:	October 2005.
Dimensions:	110x50x55 cm.
Volume:	300 L (nominal).
Filtration:	Eheim filter 600 L/h.
Lighting:	4x30 W fluorescent.
Substrate:	Sand (0.75-1.25 mm) + peat + clay as plant substrate.
Decoration:	River rocks + bogwood + cooked tree leaves.
Water:	Temp 25°C, pH 6.7, KH 4, GH 7, NO3 0, Fe 0.1 ppm.
Maintenance:	Water change once every 2 weeks, about 25 liters.
Fauna:	3x Apistogramma viejita "red", 9x Gymnocorymbus bondi, 3x Tatia perugiae.
Flora:	Ceratopteris thalictroides, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Echinodorus bleheri, Echinodorus latifolius, Hydrocotyle leucocephala.
Comments:	The pH and GH should be lower for this biotope. I just bought a reverse osmosis unit for that and started making the water changes with RO water. I feed the fish with mosquito larvae and shrimp. The A. viejita females have both spawned this week. Thanks for putting my tank on the website!

If you'd like to submit an aquarium for Tank of the Month, just contact me.

Gymnocorymbus bondi occupying the open space of the tank

Biotope aquariums - "nature at home" concept at its best!

Photos taken by Arjan Haak and displayed here with his permission.