PFK Articles: Set up a Rio Negro pool aquarium
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Set up a Rio Negro pool aquarium
If you can't visit the Rio Negro, the next best thing is to recreate it in your home, says Jeremy Gay.
Copyright © Practical Fishkeeping
The Rio Negro has its headwaters in Venezuela, and makes its way south past Colombia to Brazil, through heavy rainforests where in places they are impenetrable to man. At over 1000 miles in length, even in the dry season it is still miles wide.
This is true blackwater territory - the jet black colours are the result of tannins leached into the water by decaying vegetation.
I recently visited this incredible area as part of a Practical Fishkeeping expedition. A week up the river and the waters were teeming with fish, made all the more pleasurable as we had by now become far more adept at using seine nets to trap them.
The river had become much shallower with a maze of inlets and beaches for us to explore, and not surprisingly, it was now unnavigable by large boats. Human populations were few and far between.
As we were at the end of the dry season, some pools had become cut off from the main river and were emptied of fish by abundant predators, including kingfishers and egrets. For the many small fish, the rains could not come soon enough.
Deeper waters were patrolled by predatory Acestrorhynchus characins, and the terrified prey leapt out of the water as the predators charged at them.
The pool we chose to explore had scores of fish hiding among the driftwood. As we lifted the wood, Striped doras scattered. We were even lucky enough to find the much sought-after Jaguar catfish.
We also caught many species of shrimp among the leaf litter, which are an integral part of the food chain. With light fading quickly as the evening drew in, and my suffering from a dodgy stomach, I didn't get to spend as much time in this habitat as I would have liked.
If I didn't live 6000 miles away, I would return every weekend! However, what I can do is bring a bit of the Negro to the UK by creating a biotope for the home aquarium.
By the way, no fish were injured in the making of this expedition, and all were returned to their pools!
The fish
Everything you need for this biotope is easily available. The finished product is unique and will easily become a topic of conversation among all your friends.
Of course you cannot replicate the Amazonian biotope exactly as it is in the wild; all you're aiming for is as close a representation as possible using items and similar fish available to the UK to replicate the environment.
Common name: Hockey stick pencilfish
Scientific name: Nannostomus eques
Origin: Central Amazon
Size: 5cm/2"
Tank size: 60cm/24"
Water parameters: Temperature 25-28°C/77-82°F, pH 3.0-7.0
Comments: This is a wonderful surface-dwelling fish that does best in groups. The species looks good in natural biotope set-ups or in Amano-style plant set-ups. It is easy to keep and largely undemanding, but should not be kept with boisterous fish. We found them all along the Rio Negro in stretches of very shallow water, less than a foot deep. The pH here was low, but most specimens available to the trade arrive from Singapore and can adapt to normal tapwater.
Price: £2.25
Common name: Banjo catfish
Scientific name: Bunocephalus coracoideus
Origin: Amazon basin
Size: 11cm/41/2"
Tank size: 75cm/291/2"
Water parameters: pH 5.0-7.0, temperature 25-28°C/77-82°F
Comments: These catfish are masters of camouflage and lie motionless, hidden in mud and leaf litter in pools and streams. In the aquarium, they bury themselves in the sand. A sandy substrate is a must, as is some bogwood for them to seek shelter when they feel necessary. They aren't terribly active fish,
so ensure that they still get their share of the food. Feed on frozen and sinking, granular foods.
Price: £5.50
Name: Apistogramma spp.
Origin: Amazon
Size: Up to 7cm/21/2", usually smaller.
Tank size: 45cm/18"
Water parameters: pH 5.0-7.0, temperature 24-28°C/75-82°F
Comments: There are loads of apisto species, and usually 20 or so species available in the trade. We found huge shoals in forest pools. We think that many were Apistogramma gibbiceps, which is not available very often, so I have replicated their presence in the set-up with some other Brazilian species. Seeing them in the wild made us question if we should not be keeping them in larger groups in the aquarium, challenging conventional advice to keep them in low numbers. As an importer, we keep them in groups of 15 to 20 per tank. Water quality permitting, I believe this could be possible at home.
Price: £5-15 each
Scientific name: Ancistrus sp.
Origin: Amazon
Size: 15cm/6"
Tank size: 75cm/291/2"
Water parameters: pH 6.0-7.0, temperature 25-28°C/77-82°F.
Comments: A species similar to this was one of the few ‘plecs' that we found on the trip - and there was no algae around. This species was found under bogwood and among leaf litter. However, they could have been there just to breed, as we did find evidence of tunnelling in the muddy bottom. This species is quite widely available in the trade with differing amounts of white on the tips of the fins. The males develop the characteristic bristles on the face. A good algae eater and community fish.
Price: £15 as adults.
Name: Driftwood catfish
Origin: Amazon
Size: 4-20cm/11/2"-8", depending on species
Tank size: 76cm/30"
Water parameters: pH 6.0-7.0, temperature 22-28°C/711/2-82°F.
Comments: We found many auchenipterids, and I've chosen this species to represent them. They were sent to me under the incorrect name of Jaguar catfish, Liosomadoras oncinus. It is not suitable to be kept with fish as small as pencilfish and Dwarf cichlids as it may eat them. The fish pictured has not been easy to identify and could be one of several species. I have definitely warmed to them and they look superb, and very comfortable, in this set-up as they use the leaf litter to hide.
Price: £4.50
Name: Checkerboard cichlid
Scientific name: Dicrossus maculatus
Origin: Brazil
Size: 7cm/21/2"
Tank size: 60cm/24"
Water parameters: pH 6.0-7.0, temperature 22-25°C/711/2-77°F.
Comments: This is a lovely Dwarf cichlid that does well in a community, in soft water. It was nice to see this popular species in its natural habitat, easily recognisable by the black blotches on its body. Once settled, its colours intensify. Mature males have extended fins.
Price: £7.50
How to set it up
Step 1
This is a good biotope to try if you have a small tank of 90cm/36" or under as there was an abundance of smaller species of fish present.
Step 2
Install a filter and heater/thermostat in one corner. An internal filter will suffice for these smaller species. Make sure that you use a model that isn't too powerful as it will suck up the leaves and clog. Adjust the heater to about 26°C/79°F.
Step 3
As we visited at the end of the dry season, particles had precipitated out of the water and settled on the bottom to form several inches of mud. We can't replicate this in the aquarium, so I've used silver sand as it is soft and close to the substrate grain size.
Step 4
Driftwood was a key feature of the environment as it harboured many species of catfish within and underneath it. The pieces were small to medium in size and were mostly flat on the bottom. Standard bogwood is easy to obtain and does the job perfectly.
Step 5
Fill the tank with water, preferably RO as the Rio Negro's is soft, and plug in the filter and heater. The wood will naturally leach tannins into the water making it brown, so there is no need to add a blackwater extract.
Step 6
My favourite part is adding the leaves. Use beech or oak leaves as they are safe for aquarium use. Collect
them from a local park or your garden. Boil them for about half an hour until they sink, then add to the tank. The effect can be fantastic.
Step 7
My favourite part is adding the leaves. Use beech or oak leaves as they are safe for aquarium use. Collect them from a local park or your garden. Boil them for about half an hour until they sink, then add to the tank. The effect can be fantastic.
This article was first published in Practical Fishkeeping in 2004 following the PFK Rio Negro Expedition. All photographs were taken by Neil Hepworth.
Originally Posted by Quixotic
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