Volume: 200 L
Dimensions: 100x50x40 cm
This aquarium represents the Ndole Bay area in Zambia, which is adjacent to Nkamba Bay in Nsumbu National Park on Lake Tanganyika.
Ndole Bay is part of Cameron Bay.
At a distance of tens of meters, the habitats of Ndole Bay change drastically, and different species evolved to adapt to them. In front of the beach, it’s found an habitat based on large rock and sand plates. Followed by these large rock plates, begins a great plain of sand. To the east, as the depth increases, the bottom of the lake has a new change, a dense area of sand and fine sediment with fields of Neothauma snail shells. In the North of the beach, two small habitats were created, each with its set of species, a coast filled by a dense canefield and rocks of little size.
On the south coast there is also a reed, but without rocks with a thick base of mud. Rock structures resembling a reef run parallel to the beach and are separated by bands of sand for only a few meters. It is a shallow area with a good water movement. A large number of fish inhabit rocky and sandy areas where they find protection, food, and their breeding grounds. Different species have different requirements in terms of territory.
Some species find protection among the rocks, and get their food from them like the Tropheus and Eretmodus; Others need sand to build their nests like Xenotilapia. Already about 200 meters from the beach is the sector of fine sand and sediment covered by a layer of empty shells of snails Neothauma tanganyicense. Some sectors also consist of dense clumps of algae in the substrate that serve as both protection for small fish or fry´s, as well as reservoirs of microorganisms that they use to feed themselves. This sector is represented in my aquarium, trying to resemble the habitat aesthetically and functionally to the cichlid species that inhabit it.
The species that we can find in this area are:
Altolamprologus sp. “Sumbu” (Boulenger, 1898),
Lamprologus ocellatus (Steindachner, 1909),
Lepidiolamprologus cunningtoni (Boulenger, 1906), Neolamprologus multifasciatus (Boulenger, 1906), Neolamprologus tetracanthus (Boulenger, 1899),
Telmatochromis temporalis (Boulenger, 1898)
The aquarium is inhabited by two small species of shell dwellers. One of them is Neolamprologus multifasciatus (Boulenger, 1906), this small species forms colonies around shell formations, where a male lives and reproduces with several females. The parents live together with their young, who care until they become young and then integrate into the colony. The other species is Lamprologus ocellatus (Steindachner, 1909), these prefer to move away and form pairs in less populated areas, where the female selects a shell to establish her home and future breeding place. They prefer the sandy sedimentary areas where they establish their territories and homes.
In this aquarium these two named species coexist perfectly without problems, since each of them took a specific place and sector and moved away from the other, and I can experience its behavior as much as the interaction with the environment, its feeding and reproduction, as if they were in their natural hábitat.
For the decoration of the aquarium use sands of various sizes, looking more natural. Look for a visual presence with a single rock, which also acts as a delimiter of territories. The empty shells of snails used were chosen for their correct functionality, since in my country it is not possible to get empty shells of Neothauma snails. The algae were generated by means of illumination, to cover sand, snail shells and rock, in order to be able to resemble the chosen biotope.
The lighting of the aquarium was also worked with different spectra of led light, to give a feeling of depth.
It is filtered by an Atman 3336 canister with biological and mechanical material. The water heating is given by an Eheim Thermocontrol of 200w. The lighting of the aquarium is based on 6500K LED tubes, and individual LEDs for the search of sub aquatic color temperature.
The aquarium water looks crystal clear, at a constant temperature of 24°C. The parameters of water are 9,0pH and the hardness of carbonates is 17dH. This values of pH and hardness are achieved by the addition of specific salts.
Негізгі бет Ойындар ACUARIO DE BIOTOPO - Lake Tanganyika. Sandy sedimentary bottom area in Ndole Bay. Zambia
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