bam Demanding level

Huyen Tran Princess Lake, Hue, Thua Thien, Vietnam

Sponsored by

Viet Nam, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Hue City

This aquarium is designed in a naturalistic semi-aquatic style, simulating a riverbank environment where plants grow both underwater and above the surface. With dimensions of 60×30×30 cm, the tank not only offers aesthetic appeal but also recreates a small fragment of the natural world, where animals and plants coexist in a nutrient-rich, stable ecosystem.

I had the opportunity to participate in the VietBAC 2025 competition and was honored to be among the Top 8 finalists. With the aim of further developing the project in a more comprehensive way, I have made several improvements and refined the concept to prepare it for submission to the BAP program.

Submitted by
Châu Viết Khá
Approved by
Heiko Blessin, Heok Hee Ng & Greg Martin
GPS
16.4167557, 107.6085510
Geographical region
Southeastern Asia
Drainage Basin
South China Sea
River catchment
Perfume River (Sông Hương)
Water body type
Lake
Water body name
Huyen Tran Princess Lake
Water body part
Flood plain
Water body course
Water body: tributary of
Lake
Tributary name

Videos above and below water


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Water Chemistry

Water information

Water type
Water color
White water
Water transparency
Medium
Concentration of sediments
High
Water temperature
28-30 °C
Water flow/curent
Slow

Chemical parameters

pH
6.5
Conductivity
GH
200 mg/l
dGH
KH
130 mg/l
dKH
Dissolved Oxygen

Aquarium information

Aquarium description

Set-up date
28 February, 2025
Aquarium decoration

I aimed to recreate a lakeside environment, where submerged plants offer shelter and refuge for aquatic life.

The substrate consists of fine sand mixed with decaying leaves and twigs collected from in and around the area. This combination helps replicate the natural conditions of the lakeshore as closely as possible, creating an ideal and authentic habitat for the aquarium’s inhabitants.

Aquarium equipment

Filtration: Thanhtruc FI110
Lighting: Focus Light Biotop F45 WRGB, SD-300 7W
No heater is required, as the temperature remains warm year-round.

Fish care

All species in the aquarium were caught and collected from the biotope. They are fed once a day with Tubifex and Daphnia pulex.

Fish list:

  • Oryzias pectoralis (Adrianichthyidae)
  • Rhodeus rheinardti (Acheilognathidae)
  • Macropodus spechti (Osphronemidae)
  • Rhinogobius giurinus (Oxudercidae)
  • Barbodes semifasciolatus (Cyprinidae)

Mollusc list:

  • Pila occidentalis (Ampullariidae)

Crustacean list:

  • Macrobrachium lanchesteri (Palaemonidae)
Plant care

Lighting is turned on for 8 to 12 hours a day. Liquid fertilizer is applied once a week, following each water change.

Aquatic plant list:

  • Nymphaea ampla (Nymphaeaceae)
  • Murdannia keisak (Nymphaeaceae)

Wetland plant list:

  • Sporobolus maritimus (Poaceae)
  • Eleocharis ochrostachys (Cyperaceae)
Water care

20% water change weekly.

Dimensions

Length
60 cm
Depth
30 cm
High
30 cm
Volume
51 L

Substrate in aquarium

Sand
Beige
Pebble/Gravel
None
Stone
None
Stone form
Silt/Mud
Beige
Leaves
Few
Driftwood
Few
Submerged terrestrial vegetation
Yes

Comment by the expert

Heok Hee Ng: Oreochromis is present in the BAM video and I do not see any Macropodus. Were the Oreochromis caught from the lake?

Greg Martin: A very good entry – points deducted for the presence of the Tilapia in the aquarium.