S/A Biotope info needed

[smalltownfan]

Looking for detailed information to set up a S/A biotope. I've Googled and searched but would like links to more sites. I'm interested in a detailed location, habitat, flora & fauna (lots of pictures would be beneficial) I'm setting up a 220g (850L) later this year with a shoal of Corys as the focal. Many of the sites I've found don't provide me with enough information on descriptions or compatible tankmates found in the same area. (There are numerous rivers and tributaries to choose from but I'm having difficulty narrowing down my choices)
I'm currently running nine tanks (total 350g) from a 90g Malawi Ciclid to a 10g Red Cherry Shrimp/Galaxy Rasbora tank.
I find that I enjoy the Corys and Tetras the most so that is the reason I would like to build a biotope most like their home.

Thanks
Hank

[racoll]

Hi Hank,

Your 220g

Corydoras

tank sounds fantastic. You can keep a huge shoal of them in there that really would come towards the kind of shoals found in the wild.

However, South America is a big, big place, and even at the same location, the habitats are completely different. Take a river for example, you will get loricariids and big pimelodids in the main channel, and in the side creeks you may find small tetras and Corydoras. Although they are found in the same river at the same place, they would not see one another in nature, and the character and conditions they live in are completely different in terms of current, shade, temperature and structure (e.g. substrate/wood/rock etc).

A biotope in my eyes is a recreation of a specific habitat and assemblage of fishes, found at the same time in the same place, and I mean literally in the same place, i.e. within sight of one another. Often this means a species tank.

So, as you can see, there is no such thing as a South American biotope. Sure you can mix South American fishes, but it will not reflect how they occur in nature.

Creating a true biotope is hard, as for the trade, fish collectors target the valuable (i.e. colourful/interesting) fishes, leaving the less popular sympatric species behind. Getting hold of species that occur in the same place at the same time is nearly impossible, and many people give up, and have to relax their "biotope" criteria significantly. Also, as you say, the information is simply not available in many cases.

That said, most Corydoras and tetra species will cohabit without problems (although do pay attention to temperature), as they are often found in similar habitats, so my advice is to pick a Corydoras and tetra species you like and concentrate on creating a natural environment.

Decorate with sand, bogwood branches, leaf litter and floating plants, and you should have a lovely aquarium.

Hope this helps

[Suckermouth]

It might help us track down information for you if you pick a Cory species so we can track down a locality and find some links for you. Some recent species descriptions even include information about what fish are found sympatrically with the described fish.