# Atabopo Biotop



## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

This will be a Atabapo river biotope correct aquarium when finished with Altum angelfish from there. Some trimming or the limbs, white sand, leaf litter, and a few other fish, yet to be added. The limbs are suppose to represent roots along the small streams and river these fish come from. The streams and river have been cut through solid rock through the millenniums.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

I do not know very much about Atabopo, but like the idea of biotrope and am trying to emulate a slow moving blackwater type river for my loaches who come from India. I wonder if you have used mopani wood, various leaves or sphagam moss in the filters to raise the tannen level and soften the water? Most of the streams/rivers I am interested in have soft water due to tannins yet water ph on the harder side.

When you emulate a biotrope do you do it to look like something or more to work towards a natural and chemical free way to have happy fish? Surface or substance?


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

The tank should be a presentation of the area the fish come from. For the tannins organic Rooibos tea is hard to beat. Your ph will not change that much if you are doing regular water changes and gravel cleaning.


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

I got the limb trimmed back, less chances to hurt the fish.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Watch out for mold.


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## April R (Nov 13, 2014)

kalyke said:


> Watch out for mold.


Truth! I had to dump some grape wood I got for a wild Betta tank because it molded and made the tank smell like rotten vegetables.


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

Hard wood will grow a white fungus and mine has, but it does not hurt the fish. I had to pull the rocks as they caused the PH to rise. The sand has been added and I am using Rooibos tea, and Indian Almond tree leaves for the tannins. The leaves will also help to lower the ph.


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

This is the tannins concentration that is like the altums home waters.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

April R said:


> Truth! I had to dump some grape wood I got for a wild Betta tank because it molded and made the tank smell like rotten vegetables.


Grapewood is not good for aquariums, its too soft and as you found out molds and fungusses.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Looking good


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

Here are two of my Atabapo Altums. You can see that the red is starting to show in the first picture.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Beautiful!


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## discusbreeder (Oct 7, 2014)

Use caution with leaf litter in your tanks. Soak leaves two days in chlorinated water to eliminate pathogens from the wild. rinse with de-chlorinated water and the introduce to tank. Also be sure that they are not toxic, woods also. Apiece of black walnut or a handful of the leaves can take your fish out in a few hours to a few days depending on your ratios.

Kalyke: the list of fish you have posted is not a good list for a bitope tank. They come from vastly differing habitats in differing areas of the world. What is good for one is not so good for the other. I personally do not see any use in African frogs in any aquarium but with mollies the fry will disappear as they are born.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

discusbreeder said:


> Use caution with leaf litter in your tanks. Soak leaves two days in chlorinated water to eliminate pathogens from the wild. rinse with de-chlorinated water and the introduce to tank. Also be sure that they are not toxic, woods also. Apiece of black walnut or a handful of the leaves can take your fish out in a few hours to a few days depending on your ratios.
> 
> Kalyke: the list of fish you have posted is not a good list for a bitope tank. They come from vastly differing habitats in differing areas of the world. What is good for one is not so good for the other. I personally do not see any use in African frogs in any aquarium but with mollies the fry will disappear as they are born.


Thanks for the information. They are in different tanks. I also do not intend to keep any Molly fry. They are balloon mollies and fry from them is often genetically damaged, and I have no interest in breeding. The fry are essentially snacks for the fish. The frogs have their own tank as well. They are not South American fish, except for the pleco, they are Asian and Indian.


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

discusbreeder,
as a young man I used the black walnut's green nuts smashed and thrown into water with my stainless steal traps to turn the metal black. Also a bag of the green nuts could be used to poach fish. So I heard! *old dude


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

After water change and without the normal amount of tannins. The fish are growing well except for the one eyed fellow. I am guessing he is hindered in the amount of food he can find.


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