Lake of the Societies, Kolkata, India

Aquarium information

Aquarium description

Set-up date

November, 2024

Aquarium decoration

The composite of wood, plants and soil is very minimalistic and tricky on making this biotope tank. I used clay soil as a substrate medium and let it sink in for more than a year to get the desired beige color. Also in this 1 year period the clay soil became less course and gets compact over time like in nature.

I collected a tree branch locally, washed it and let it release the tannins in the water body very naturally. After than I introduced some Nitella and Cladophora algae to on the centre top of the wood and soil to make it look like the sunlight exposed areas of the lake.

After a month I added the floaters and Nymphaea nouchali on the left. My goal was to not letting the algae grow everywhere on the aquarium. I also did pruning and removed chunks of algae so the fishes can roam freely, hunt and take rest on them.

After a period of 3 months I added the Hydrilla and after adding that the gobies started to breed in the tank though I don’t know what happened to the fries. Lastly water hyacinths were added to give the tank the desired look and provide shade in the tank.

Aquarium equipment

A Sunsun JY-03 surface skimmer was added from the very day for aeration and filtration of the tank. I cleaned it once in a month.

As the biotope is replicating a waterbody that doesn’t have flow, the surface skimmer well hidden behind the Hydrilla plants did the job well. The Hydrilla absorbed the primary waves. For lighting I used Sobo and Sunsun lights daily for 6 hours.

Fish care

To recreate the habitat of the lake, I have added water hyacinths and Azolla to cover up some of the surface area which let me control the light to reach the bottom of the tank in which fishes feel a lot safer. As these are wild caught fish, I fed them tubifex worms. I fed them every alternate days so that they can digest the heavy protein diet.

Fish list:

• Brachygobius nunus (Oxudercidae)

Mollusc list:

• Planorbarius sp. (Planorbidae)

 

Plant care

The aquatic plants used in this aquarium are very easy to grow and requires low maintenance. 6 hours of photo period and nutrient rich clay soil was enough for them to thrive. I only trimmed the decaying leaves, pods and flower buds.

Aquatic plant list:

• Hydrilla verticillata (Hydrocharitaceae)
• Nymphaea nouchali (Nymphaeaceae)
• Pontederia crassipes (Pontederiaceae)

Aufwuchs list:

• Nitella sp. (Characeae)
• Cladophora sp (Cladophoraceae)
• Azolla sp. (Salviniaceae)

Water care

I did timely water changes so the water parameter doesn’t stress out the fishes. Also I added beneficial bacteria after every water changes and during the first 3 weeks of building the tank. I gently started doing water changes by not disturbing the clay soil, on twice a week to 4 times a month after completion of 1 month. From the 3rd month I started doing water changes twice a month.

Dimensions

Length

90 cm

Depth

60 cm

High

25.4 cm

Volume

135 L