bam Easy level

Small stream, near Raidāk River, India

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In the Indian part of the Brahmaputra river drainage, near Raidāk river, there are some small streams that pass through lush agricultural fields (often rice), with a crystal clear water, bottom covered by grey sand, fine gravel, roundish rocks and driftwood, with dense growths of marginal and aquatic vegetation [e.g. Hygrophila (possibly Hygrophila balsamica, Hygrophila corymbosa, Hygrophila difformis, Hygrophila lancea or Hygrophila polysperma), Limnophila (possibly Limnophila aquatica, Limnophila aromatica, Limnophila heterophylla, Limnophila indica, Limnophila rugosa or Limnophila sessiliflora), Ottelia (possibly Ottelia alismoides), and Rotala (possibly Rotala indica, Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala serpyllifolia or Rotala wallichii) species and mosses of the genera Vesicularia sp. or Amblystegium serpens.

In this kinds of underwater landscape, it is possible to find the extraordinary Dario dario fish, together with the Indian shrimp species Caridina babaulti.

Submitted by
Pedro Mendanha Dias
Approved by
Friedrich Bitter & Sven Kullander
GPS
26.5833321, 89.7500000

Videos above and below water

Water Chemistry

Water information

Water type
Fresh water
Water color
Clear water
Water transparency
High
Concentration of sediments
Low
Water temperature
Varies from 16,5 ºC, in the post-monsoon period, until 30 ºC in the pre-monsoon period °C
Water flow/curent
Slow

Chemical parameters

pH
7.47
Conductivity
227
GH
8 mg/l
KH
5 mg/l
Dissolved Oxygen

Aquarium information

Aquarium description

Set-up date
October, 2020
Aquarium decoration

Dark grey river sand, gravel, small roundish rocks, small pieces of wood, and dry leaves (like, for example, Terminalia catappa) that, in nature, are deposited along the stream margins. With that, I tried to create many visual barriers and small caves that help fishes to establish their territories.

Aquarium equipment

SunSun – hang on back filter HBL-801, with an adjustable flow, that can arrive till a maximum of 500 L/h. I never used the maximum flow, since in the nature habitat the water flow isn’t strong, but it’s constantly renewed.

Twinstar light 300 EA dimmered, simulating the natural daylight intensity, and giving the boost that the vibrant flora needs, like the intense sunlight that it recieves in the wild shallow streams.

Fish care

As Dario dario is a specie that needs some time to feed, and only eat live or frozen food, I decided to maintain them alone, only with shrimps. They maintain their natural hunting behaviour trying to eat some baby shrimps.

Fishes:

  • Dario dario 8 (Badidae)

Shrimps:

  • Caridina babaulti 20 (Atyidae)
Plant care

To give some extra nutrients to the plants, and permit that they grow lusher, every 2 months, I put some fertilizer, Aquario’s NEO plants tab (Long lasting, K and Fe), in the ground. A good option for plants, that doesn’t change the water parameters, and consequently the fauna isn’t affected.

Aquatic plants:

  • Hygrophila polysperma (Acanthaceae)
  • Limnophila sessiliflora (Plantaginaceae)
  • Rotala indica (Lythraceae)
  • Rotala rotundifolia (Lythraceae)
  • Amblystegium serpens (Amblystegiaceae)
Water care

I made weekly water changes (approximately 25%), and added 1L of water every 2 days, trying to simulate the constant renewal of the water that happen in nature.

Dimensions

Length
45 cm
Depth
30 cm
High
30 cm
Volume
40 L

Substrate in aquarium

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

Bibliography

  • nternational Jornal of Basic and Applied Research - The study of correlation between physico-chemical parameters and ichthyofaunal diversity at raidak river flowing through the Coochbehar district of west Bengal, India by Saha, A.; Chandra De, G.; Das, D.
  • Zoological Survey of India - Endemic Animals of India (Vertebrates) by Venkataraman, K.; Chattopadhyay, A.; Subramanian, K. A.
  • Aquarium Plants Publisher - Aquarium Plants by Kasselmann, C.
  • Mergus - Baensch Aquarium Atlas – vol. 1 by Baensch, H. A.; Riehl, R.
  • Aquapress Publishers - Indian Ornamental Fishes – volume 1 by Bleher, H.
  • International Journal of Fisheries ans Aquatic Studies - An inventory of endemic fish species in India with notes on state-wise distribution and conservation measures by Chakraborty, A.; Shaw, R.; Ghosh, K.
  • International Jornal of Applied Research - Evaluation of fish biodiversity in rivers of three districts of eastern Himalayan region for conservation and sustainability by Dey, A.; Sarkar, K.; Barat, S.
  • International Research Journal of Biological Sciences - Review on freshwater fish diversity of Northern West Bengal, India - status, threats and conservation measures by Chakraborty, S.
  • Firefly Books Ltd. - Freshwater Aquarium Fish: a visual reference to the most popular species by Jennings, G.
  • Requena, J. M.; Klotz, W.; Martín, N. - Gambas, Joyas de Acuario
    ISBN 978-84-09-11461-0

Sitography

→ Britannica
→ Wikipedia
→ file:///C:/Users/Pedro/Downloads/18_chapter%2012.pdf
→ Wikipedia.org
→ Kolumbus
→ West Bengal
→ Kaushiksdarpan
→ India biodiversity
→ Seriouslyfish.com
→ Biotope Aquarium Project
→ Aquatic republic
→ The shrimp farm

Comment by the expert

Friedrich Bitter: Beautiful and natural setup, based on a long video showing the tank and inhabitants. Very good description of equipments and water parameters.

Sven Kullander: Excellent. A great model for others investing in a small aquarium. I would have excluded the stone, but on the other hand it improves the balande of the display. The fishes look happy, and there are options for spawning.