Best tank for a single species only biotope?

[elephantnose3334]

What is the best tank for a South American single-species biotope i.e. Pantanal River, Araguaia River and Amazon River? I might want to make the biotope in a 15 or 20 gallon tank. Any suggestions for fish and plants in the Amazon River (except neon tetras), Pantanal River and Araguaia River?

 

[GaryE]

Bigger tanks are easier to make biotopes with. A 20 will work for a single species, and then it becomes a simple question. What fish do you like? Decide and build around it. What I would pick and what you would pick could be very different. There is no such thing as 'the best'.

My favourite easy to get tetra from the Pantanal is the black neon - Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi. Lots of people find them too ordinary. But give me 30 minutes with a good fish book and I could probably find another dozen favourite fish from that region.

If 20 aquarists answer this, you'll probably have 20 correct answers.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Bigger tanks are easier to make biotopes with. A 20 will work for a single species, and then it becomes a simple question. What fish do you like? Decide and build around it. What I would pick and what you would pick could be very different. There is no such thing as 'the best'.

My favourite easy to get tetra from the Pantanal is the black neon - Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi. Lots of people find them too ordinary. But give me 30 minutes with a good fish book and I could probably find another dozen favourite fish from that region.

If 20 aquarists answer this, you'll probably have 20 correct answers.

I'd like a small Amazon River biotope with ornate tetras, an underrated beauty native to the basin. You can tell me once that 30 minutes is over for the Pantanal River fish.

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

What is the best tank for a South American single-species biotope i.e. Pantanal River, Araguaia River and Amazon River? I might want to make the biotope in a 15 or 20 gallon tank. Any suggestions for fish and plants in the Amazon River (except neon tetras), Pantanal River and Araguaia River?

What type of fish are you going for I’m guessing tetra? If you wanna go for the Araguaia river some cool available fish would be the penguin tetra (thayeria boehlkei) or the Emeber tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)

 

[elephantnose3334]

What type of fish are you going for I’m guessing tetra? If you wanna go for the Araguaia river some cool available fish would be the penguin tetra (thayeria boehlkei) or the Emeber tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)

I'm thinking about it.

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

I'm thinking about it.

You could try a small species of Apisto?

 

[elephantnose3334]

You could try a small species of Apisto?

Maybe. I might do a small 20 gallon Amazon River biotope aquarium with tetras only.

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

Maybe. I might do a small 20 gallon Amazon River biotope aquarium with tetras only.

Not trying to come of rude but if you are going to get a 20 gallon tank I would recommend moving your existing tetra in there instead for getting brand new species.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Not trying to come of rude but if you are going to get a 20 gallon tank I would recommend moving your existing tetra in there instead for getting brand new species.

Maybe. But the cardinal tetras will go into the future Juwel Lido 200 project. The silvertips can stay in the 10 gallon until I get a bigger tank for them. I need to get some time to think what I will do with the silvertips. I could make a Sao Francisco River biotope for them.

 

[GaryE]

Biotopes are great, but always take care of what you have first.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Biotopes are great, but always take care of what you have first.

Yeah. I have to move my cardinal tetras away from my silvertip tetras and the 10 gallon. I need a bigger tank for them. Have you found the other species for the Pantanal River fish?

 

[Fish Fanatic34]

Fun fact the Pantanal is not a river but a wetlands containing multiple rivers. 80% of the Pantanal is flood planes that get flooded during the rainy season and contains up to 12 different ecosystems.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Fun fact the Pantanal is not a river but a wetlands containing multiple rivers. 80% of the Pantanal is flood planes that get flooded during the rainy season and contains up to 12 different ecosystems.

I didn't know that. I thought it was a river the whole time.

 

[GaryE]

Parts of the Pantanal wetlands are being destroyed very rapidly. The area is being developed for soy and cattle. So a lot of what we see as the little habitats (which are actually very large) are going, and their fish are going with them. Back in the day, the same processes tore through Australia, Canada and the USA.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Parts of the Pantanal wetlands are being destroyed very rapidly. The area is being developed for soy and cattle. So a lot of what we see as the little habitats (which are actually very large) are going, and their fish are going with them. Back in the day, the same processes tore through Australia, Canada and the USA.

Is it the same for the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers?