# ParanÃƒÂ¡ (River(Basin)) habitat type?



## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

i'm doing a parana river biotope in a 24x12x12" tank. at the moment i have:
3x Corydoras Paleatus
6x Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae (Red-Eye Tetra)

i'm planning on getting:
6-9x Corydoras Paleatus
6-9x Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae (Red-Eye Tetra)
1x Pair L. Dorsigera
6-10x Thoracocharax stellatus (Silver Hatchetfish)

this tank will only be a temporary home (1 year) as i'm building the stand, canopy, sump and tank they will permanently be housed in from scratch. This will be a 20" cube and the sump will be somewhere in the region of a 15" cube.

my question is, does anyone know what type of habitat the parana river is? I only chose to do this because these are four of my favorite fish and i'll do whichever replications i need to keep them in the way they would be naturally. planetcatfish.com says some leaf litter is good as well as rounded gravel and sand for the cory's, i have the sand and gravel in the tank as well as three largish orange/red rocks, i'm also working on getting leaves and roots (if it's safe for me to use them after I collect them myself)

is this a blackwater habitat or clear water and what type of flow is there? are there any aquatic plants present, my ph will hopefully be in the region of 6.5 and the water will be a mix of RO and tapwater

Thanks, and sorry for the longwinded post, Paul


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Hey *padlock 08*,

That sounds like a lot of fish for a small tank. I definately think there should only be 6 corydoras. Another, smaller tetra that also comes from the Rio Parana drainage is Aphyocharax rathbuni (Greenfire tetra).

Much like the Amazon drainage, dwarf cichlids and tetras in the Rio Parana drainage will be more commonally found in the small creeks and streams that feed in to the larger rivers, rather than in the larger rivers themselves.

I suggest you look through some of the Uruguay collecting threads by *edburress* for ideas of plant life in the water ways. The Rio Parana runs through the temperate La Plata region of South America, which is some what different to the tropical region of South America.

Pics from collecting in Uruguay (load warning!)


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

This person would be an excellent source of information--check out his tank.
http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/e_tank0908.php


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## edburress (Jun 9, 2007)

I have habitat pictures I can post from that basin, but are not from the Rio ParanÃƒÂ¡ or where all of the fishes you listed are found. The nearest to there I have been is the Rio Uruguay, which is the next water course east of the ParanÃƒÂ¡ and flows into it after it becomes Rio de la Plata. I've collected near the Rio de la Plata as well, but I'm not sure how similar where I've been is to the Rio ParanÃƒÂ¡. I've collected _Corydoras paleatus_ but none of the other species you listed.

I am almost certain it is a clear water river though.

Ed


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

the picture from the second link is blackwater?? however all the fish i will keep are from the uruguay too,

do any of you guys know any answers to this question also??
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=206400


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## edburress (Jun 9, 2007)

Rio Uruguay










The substrate is a mixture of sand and small rocks










Lots of rocky outcroppings like this










From Laguna de la Pedrera, a permanent lagoon supplied by flooding of the Rio Uruguay. Lots of _Apistogramma_, Characins, _Corydoras_, ex_Cichlasoma_ and _Gymnogeophagus_ here.


































Video of Characins swimming in the vegetation
http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z3/e ... V04887.flv

Hope that helps,

Ed


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## edburress (Jun 9, 2007)

This is the scientific description of _Crenicichla mandelburgeri_, it's described from four Paraguayan tributaries to the Rio ParanÃƒÂ¡. On page 47 there is a two paragraph description of the habitats. From the text it does sound like black water.

http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/f/zt02006p050.pdf

Ed


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

thanks a million for your help! from all the pictures and literature i've been seeing and reading i've decided to go for a blackwater tank with oak leaves, collected roots and twigs (probably from a local river, then boiled and soaked for a month) I believe the rocks i have at the moment are the right amount and i'll have no aquatic plants. I've decided to leave out the hatchet's and just have 10 cory's, 15-20 red-eye tetra's and either a pair of dorsigera or agasizzi.

Thanks, Paul.

P.S what do you guys think of collecting the wood and leaves, i'll boil them all first and leave to soak, leaves may not boil well so i'll just soak them in water with stress coat and regularly change it. Also, i'm going to put a stocking full of peat moss in my filter for the black-water effect and to regulate ph


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Instead of agassizii I'd look for a pair of A. borellii.


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