bam Demanding level

Congaree Creek, South Carolina, USA

Sponsored by
All for your aquarium

United States, South Carolina, Lexington

North American fish are really nice to me, so I always try to get to know new species. With this small 96-liter aquarium, I would like to introduce you to the wonderful world of Congaree Creek. It is currently inhabited by 8 Enneachantus chaetodon and some snails. I colored the water with alder cones to tea color and the leaves and tree branches also added to this.

The substrate is a mixture of sand, gravel and small pebbles, which is already nicely covered by leaf litter. Congaree Creek is especially nice to me because it has very special wildlife, be it fish, amphibians, mammals or plants. The aquarium is heavily vegetated, so the fish can find enough hiding places and occupy their own small area. Tree branches and roots cast nice shadows on the darker parts.

Submitted by
Anikó Csanádi
Approved by
Fritz Rohde & Lawrence Kent
GPS
33.9426880, -81.0324478
Geographical region
Northern America
Drainage Basin
Lower Saluda
River catchment
Congaree River
Water body type
Creek
Water body name
Conagree Creek
Water body part
Meander
Water body course
Middle course
Water body: tributary of
River
Tributary name
Conagree River

Videos above and below water

Water Chemistry

Water information

Water type
Fresh water
Water color
Black water
Water transparency
High
Concentration of sediments
Medium
Water temperature
22 °C
Water flow/curent
Slow

Chemical parameters

pH
7
Conductivity
GH
12 mg/l
KH
9 mg/l
Dissolved Oxygen
90 %

Aquarium information

Aquarium description

Set-up date
May, 2022
Aquarium decoration

I collected all the decorations in the aquarium myself, from tree branches to leaves. I tried to use elements that also occur in the natural environment. I colored the water with alder cones and tree leaves. The soil is mainly sand, mixed with gravel and small pebbles. The color of the bottom was also important, so pebbles that were too light were not included.

I collected the leaves and branches from the nearby wooded area. I used oak, birch, silver maple, sycamore and beech leaves. I raised the base a little on both sides to create the appearance of a stream bed. I also used tree branches and leaves for shading and let the plants grow to give the overall impression as natural as possible.

Aquarium equipment
  • Filtration: Oase Filtosmart 300
  • Lightning: Odyssea Dual Pro 2×24 W T5 – 6500 K, 9 hours/day
  • There is no heater
Fish care

There are 4 Enneacanthus chaetodons living in the aquarium, everything is adapted to their needs. I feed them daily, they get a mixture of live and frozen food, mostly tubifex, red mosquito larvae and gammarus. I change 30% of the water every two weeks.

There is no heating, as the fish like cold water. In summer, the water is 24°C, in winter, based on my other aquariums, it will be 16-17°C, or a couple of degrees less. I give them Sera Fistamin every week to get all the vitamins they need.

Plant care

The plants do not require special maintenance. The aquarium is well established, the plants are developing, so there is no need to add plant nutrients either. Occasionally, I cut back stems that are too long.

Water care

I change 30% of the water every two weeks, then I also wipe the front glass. I only partially vacuum the soil so some leaf litter always remains. In the summer, the water evaporates faster, I always refill it. I use softened tap water and water conditioner as well.

Dimensions

Length
80 cm
Depth
40 cm
High
30 cm
Volume
96 L

Substrate in aquarium

Sand
Grey
Pebble/Gravel
Mixed
Stone
Mixed
Stone form
Irregular
Silt/Mud
Reddish
Leaves
Many
Driftwood
Many
Submerged terrestrial vegetation
No

Bibliography

Sitography

→ https://www.regikonyvek.hu/kiadas/akvarisztika-9-hetedik-javitott-kiadas-1988-natura?gclid=CjwKCAjwrNmWBhA4EiwAHbjEQJzN6Dxb7QfmHyt4Wf5DwqMXs4Ymg43MfWJlHmYCCWfNEMCqrmHDeRoC_EAQAvD_BwE

Comment by the expert

Fritz Rohde: Beautifully setup biotope. I’m not sure how compatible they would be but it might have benefited from having several Golden or Lined Topminnows. Nice video and great background material.

Lawrence Kent: Black-banded sunfish move nicely in this tank, drawing in the observor with their personality, and this is well captured in the video. The vegetation is excellent but perhaps a tad too dense to create the optimal perspective, and a second fish species might add more interest. Overall this is a fantastic tank with endearing fish, very well done.