Biotope tank

[duanes]

Although in the past I have mostly kept primarily cichlid based aquariums (sometimes with dithers),
the more I collect in nature, the more cichlids usually seem make up a minor part of the fish populatin biotope,(at least here in Panama),
so to get a more representative biotope, I find adding diversity may be more optimum for tank compatabilty.
Unlike the rift lakes in Africa, where cichlids dominate, or Amazonia where varied cichlid populations are close to equal to number of other species,
here in eastern Panama, Characins usully outnumber cichlids 50 to 100 to one, and similar ratios, Plecos, and others are dwarfed by the sheer numbers of tetras.

So these days, while maintaining an eastern Panamanian biotope tank. encompassing only fish that hail from rivers.
Those from the Mamoni, Uni, and Plantaneros, and end in the Darien at the Rio Ipiti..
One might guess, this is restrictive, but I ddon´t find that the case.
Although, trying to maintain a 50 to 1 tetra to other fish species ratio, is not feasable, compromise is the name of the game.
At the momemt I keep 2 tpyes of tetras in the tank, about a half dozen Roeboides tetras.

And another half dozen Astyanax tetras

another Characin in the tank is Ctenolucius beanii, kept as a single individal

There are 2 Plecos both found in the rheophillic area os the rivers

Chaetestoma fisheri above, the some times breach the surface in turulent areas to eat algae that grows there.
And whip tail cats from the genus Sturasomatichthys.

More tradition catfish in the tank are Pimelodus (Rhammmdia) guatemalensus, thisis tje ñare indevidualin the tank.

As far as cichlids go, there are ony the 3 species I have netted over the pasy 3 years of collecting in these rivers.

Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus above, Isthmoheros tuyrensus below,

And Darienheros calobrensus below.

the latest addition to the biotope is the algae scraper Characin, that is a convergent evolutionaray look alike to the Siamese Algae eater or Chinese algae loach,
Saccodon dariensus.

 

[duanes]

Also in the tank are 2 species of Gobies.

Awaous banana, found is all rivers in Panamaand ranges fro the southern US in the north, many Caribean islands, and as far south as Brazil.
They are great sand sifting scavangers,.
The other goby, (so far) is a predatory species, Gobiomoris dormitor, which a some point may get too dangerous tp keep with other fishes in a 6 ft tank once it gets some size.

Its onlyy hand size now, but grow much larger.

The tank is filter by a heavily planted sump, with local Valisneria, as a fully aquatic species, and locally collected Salvia as floaters

a number of mangrove trees the breach (at this point) 5 ft above the sumps water surface

And terrestrials like Dieffenbachia round od the filtration with roots in the tank.

 

[duanes]

A couple of different species have now been added to the eastern Panamanian river biotope, since I last posted, because they have been found in the rivers we´ve been collecting, about 25 miles (74 km) east of Panama City.
Eucinostma argentus, seems to me a covergiant geographically correct evolutionally equivalent to Asian tin foil barbs, (which grow to at least 14¨), and getting what I consider too large, and put out too much extra waste to be viable for Central American botope aquariums.

Reaching about 10¨, it has an adequate size as an adult, to cope with all but the largest predatory Parachromis species, and handles hard, high pH ,
(I cought it in 8.2 pH) hard water,, and is able to tolerate brackish, and even ocean considtions. It can be found as far north as estuaries in the Carolinas, and California in the US, south into northern S America,

And just last Saturday we netted Geophagus crassilabrus, the only Geophagine that has migrated this far north into Central America, and was also found in high (8.2 pH), hard, fast flowing stream, in less than 2 ft depth water.

it now shares a tank with the Eucinostoma argentus, 2 Gobiomorus dormitor, 2 Dairenheros calobrensus, and a trio of Chaetostoma fischeri.


Both were found in tandem with local tetras, but the tetras were relased, as they are often plagued with Lernaea parasites.