THE WORD ‘BIOTOPE’ conjures up images of tannin-stained, leaf-litter-ridden, and shadowy tanks of dwarf cichlids, tetras, and catfish for some. For others, it’s flowing water, rocks and weird and wonderful loaches and gobies. For some fishkeepers, especially beginners, it’s a word that is intimidating, perhaps something they wouldn’t dare attempt.
My first tentative attempts at biotope aquaria, mimicking a specific aquatic habitat from a particular region or body of water, were simple affairs of oak and beech leaves, tangles of wood, floating plants, and a varied array of Amazonian tetras, pencilfish and dwarf catfish. I was at the time very proud of my creations, though they weren’t very accurate biotopes, with fishes from completely different river systems, leaf litter from European trees and plants (Echinodorus species) which didn’t grow anywhere…
