bam Demanding level

Everglades Wetland, Florida, USA

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Educated by Nature

United States, Florida

North American freshwater fishes are part of my life. Some of my most favourites are Elassomas, especially Elassoma evergladei. With my 90 liters fish tank, I tried to create a natural habitat for them to feel  lke at “home”. There are many submerged and floating aquatic plants to provide safely and shady places to hide. I planted some Juncus as well to recreate the emersed area, too. There are some leaves and some small branches on the bottom which contains sand and mud, too.

The lightning is moderated, not too bright and the outflow of the water is calm. Everglades pygmy sunfish do not only live in the Everglades, but I think that this is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth with its extraordinary wildlife.

Submitted by
Anikó Csanádi
Approved by
Fritz Rohde & Lawrence Kent
GPS
25.2419815, -80.8106537
Geographical region
Northern America
Drainage Basin
Everglades National Park Dranige Basin
River catchment
Kissimmee River
Water body type
Wetland
Water body name
Everglades
Water body part
Marsh land
Water body course
Lower course
Water body: tributary of
Wetland
Tributary name
Everglades wetland

Videos above and below water


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Water Chemistry

Water information

Water type
fresh-water
Water color
Clear water
Water transparency
High
Concentration of sediments
Medium
Water temperature
23 °C
Water flow/curent
Slow

Chemical parameters

pH
7
Conductivity
GH
12 mg/l
dGH
KH
7 mg/l
dKH
Dissolved Oxygen
80 %

Aquarium information

Aquarium description

Set-up date
January 2021
Aquarium decoration

For decoration I used dry reed, some leaves (silver maple, oak, chestnut) and some pale tree branches. There aren’t any stones or pebbles, only pure sand from a natural lake.

Aquarium equipment

I use an Eheim Classic 250 for filtration, but I had to moderate it, because the flow was too strong for Elassoma. In summer, there is an aquarium cooler in the tank as well. I don’t use any heater. The lightning is a JK Animals JK LED 900 (9 hours/day).

Fish care

Molluscs:

  • Physella acuta

Fishes:

  • Elassoma evergladei

Elassoma evergladei are really great fish. They are small, so they don’t need a big place to live a happy life. They eat only live food and I feed them once a day with whiteworms, grindal worms and daphnia. I give a few drops of Sera Fistamin regulary. The water must be cool, not more than 26 celsius, but I read they tolerate 30 degrees as well (I have never tried it). In winter, their water is around 17°C. There are no other fish with them, only some snails to help cleaning. They need dense vegetation.

Plant care

Plants:

  • Eleocharis vivipara
  • Najas guadalupensis
  • Pistia stratiotes
  • Lemna minor

These plants don’t require special care, but they need a lot of nitrate so I use macro elements every day and maintaince (cut them regulary).

Water care

I change 20% of water weekly and use tap water with water conditioner.

Dimensions

Length
100 cm
Depth
30 cm
High
30 cm
Volume
90 L

Substrate in aquarium

Sand
Beige
Pebble/Gravel
None
Stone
None
Stone form
Silt/Mud
Beige
Leaves
Few
Driftwood
Few
Submerged terrestrial vegetation
no

Bibliography

Sitography

→ Wikipedia
→ Wikipedia
→ YouTube
→ Britannica
→ akvaristalexikon.hu
→ nps.gov (National Park Service)

Comment by the expert

Fritz Rohde: Beautifully presented. Nice video how “happy” pygmy sunfishes.

Lawrence Kent: The male pygmy sunfish look healthy and their behavior appears natural, because you’ve given them lots of room and a great biotope. I appreciate your recreation of the reeds/grass that dominates the Everglades, which I visited earlier this year.