BIOTOPE AQUARIUM CONTEST 2020
Biotope aquaria are more than just authentic set-ups. Promoted the right way, they can help to raise awareness of the natural world, acting as a powerful conservation tool.
Biotope aquaria are more than just authentic set-ups. Promoted the right way, they can help to raise awareness of the natural world, acting as a powerful conservation tool.
ODERN AQUARISTS, more than any other hobbyists out there, are forced to recognise the irreversible changes happening across local and global natural environments. More than any other nature lover we understand the necessity to do something about it, in order to improve or, even, to avoid a global disaster. Most of us start from our own aquaria, transforming them from simple glass boxes into unique slithers of nature, well studied and beloved. These are the biotope aquaria.
The biotope movement is growing stronger every day. Biotope aquarists see the uniqueness of every aquatic niche and keep their fish and plants just as they’d be found in some small and fragile piece of nature. Many of them want to showcase what is really going on around the globe, trying to get as many as possible people involved. One way to do that is through biotope aquarium contests.
One such competition is the Biotope Aquarium Contest (BAC) organized by Biotope Aquarium Project (BAP). Contests like this help to promote the concept of a biotope correct ecosystem, and play an important role in education and conservation. After all, we can only protect what we know.
The Biotope Aquarium Contest has a judging system based on eight distinct geographical regions, each of which are evaluated by experts who specialise in those regions. The categories are determined following the definition of the geographical regions offered by the United Nations, and then adjusted by BAP Experts in accordance with the main drainage basins. These are: North America; Central America and Caribbean; South America; Europe; Africa; Central Asia, Western Asia and Southern Asia; Eastern Asia; and Southeastern Asia and Oceania.
BAP experts are professionals who have visited these biotopes, collected in situ, and have studied the local ecosystems. This qualifies them to evaluate the correctness of the research done by the participants and the final ‘product’ of this research — a setup that hopefully recreates a slice of the wilderness successfully.
We hope these unique biotope creations will inspire the hobbyist to look at Nature from a different perspective – we are only guests on this planet and it is our duty to preserve it, and pass this message to our children.
1st place, North America category
Forested Ohio Headwater stream, USA, 71L, by Vinny Anderson
Approved by: Ken Boormann and Lawrence Kent
Tank size: 90x30x30cm
Decor: Primarily gravel substrate with sand and silt, along with cobbles from 6-25cm.
Equipment: Oase Biomaster Thermo 250 canister filter (heater not used), Eheim Skim 350, fluval Plant 2.0 LED lighting. Fish species: Rhinichthys obtusus, Etheostoma caeruleum, Etheostoma nigrum Plant species: Ludwigia sp., Justicia americana
1st place, Central America & Caribbean category
Stream in Masagua Escuintla, Guatemala, 290L, by David Rodriguez
Approved by: Juan Miguel Artigas Azas and Jairo Arroyave
Tank size: 110x65x50cm
Decor: Sand, gravel, rocks wood and reclaimed roots.
Equipment: Rear fitting sump with bioballs, volcanic rock and sponge media, Atman 2500lph powerhead, 300w Marina heater, 10W LED lamp (6500K) Fish species: Cribroheros longimanus, Amatitlania nigrofasciata Plant species: None