Another Sulawesi
Banks of Danau Kassi Kebo, Bantimurung Bulusarung National Park (Maros Regency, Sulawesi Selatan)
About This Aquascape
I chose to make the rock the protagonist following the philosophy of Suiseki: the art of collecting and composing individual stones in landscapes. Not just any stones, but stones with considerable expressive and attractive power.“Sansui-kei-seki" is the stone that evokes a landscape in a watertight container, traditionally made of ceramic or bronze, filled with water. Stone does not have to be worked and creates a connection between the man who is attracted to it and the natural forces that have shaped it. A single stone, partly covered by the sciaphilous vegetation that grows on the border between land and water, in humid and sheltered environments, enveloped by a network of roots from the shrubs and trees above, marked by cracks and cavities, it becomes the scenery and fulcrum of the entire aquarium.
- Filter
- Self-built internal filter, implemented in the background and totally hidden by the furnishings. The filter box houses the heater (Blu Bios 50W), medium for exclusively biological filtration Sera and Hydor PICO 250 pump with a flow rate of 270 l/h
- CO2 System
- I don't supply CO2. Plants absorb atmospheric CO2 directly.
- Lighting
- Nicrew C10 24/7 LED.
- Substrate
- Submerged substrate Amtra extra-fine indian sand 0,1-0,2mm, pebbles of various sizes; substrate emerged Bumble Bee Stone rocks and boulders with ketotsuchi.
- Hardscape Materials
- Bumble Bee Stone rocks and boulders, Mini Roots WIO.
- Background
- Black polypropylene.
Species
Caridina pareparensis (colony), Tylomelania perfecta (colony)
Plant species
Junghermannia tetragona (syn. Solenostoma tetragona), Lomariopsis lineata.
Fertilization
I spray twice a week directly on emerging vegetation. 0.25 ml of Planta LiQUiD (AQ Aquaristica) in two liters of water is consumed in about 20 days. Planta LiQUiD is a newly formulated fertilizer capable of integrating water with all the nutrients necessary for aquarium plant growth, without however adding elements such as calcium and magnesium that are already abundant in the water.
Biotope Information
"Little story in which we realize that south of the magic line, the imagination sometimes wanders to delirium." This is the singular incipit of the publication of the Thai Maros expedition of 1986, conducted by the speleological association of the Pyrenees in collaboration with the departments of Toulouse and Grenoble. It tells of an incredibly wild and hidden Sulawesi. An underground world inextricably connected to the surface through water. A Sulawesi furrowed by waterfalls and sudden abysses open up in the ground covered by impenetrable forests. The expedition collected numerous samples of flora and fauna, as well as surveying and describing the main caves explored. Some of these precious samples were donated to the University of Singapore, where they "slept" a long sleep, until 2009, when a study identified in the "Collection of Hypogean Freshwater Atyds Shrimps" three new species. Among all the species in the collection, two have become available on the aquarium market and lend themselves to making my project a reality: Caridina pareparensis and Caridina parvidentata. Sulawesi selatan in Maros is a karst area. Part of this falls within the Bantimurung Bulusarung National Park, famous for being the "kingdom of butterflies", but the park also contains other treasures of animal and plant biodiversity and one of the largest cave systems in the world, The Rammang-Rammang. The Bantimurung waterfall system also feeds the danau Kassi Kebo with its characteristic blue-green waters that I chose as a biotope for my project, dominated by invertebrates: shrimps and gastropods. They are river species, adapted to live in alkaline environments, with strong underwater currents and saturated with dissolved oxygen. The mosses and ferns used are present in southern and central Sulawesi (two links to the bibliography and sitography document it). "Notes on the distribution of caridina Sulawesi, an endemic freshwater shrimp from Sulawesi, Indonesia.” – Dwiyanto,Farajallah, Annawaty – 2019 "Freshwater shrimp of the genera Caridina and Parisia from the karst caves of Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia, with description of 3 new species (Crustacea: Decapoda:Caridea:Atydae)" – Natural History Journal vol.43-2009 “Jenis-Jenis Makrofauna Gua Karst Saripa, Kabupaten Maros, Sulawesi Selatan” – Ilhamsyah- 2017 “Catalogue of bryophytes from Sulawesi. Supplement 1: New species reports" – Ariyanti, Gradstein, Sporn, Angelika – Blumea 2009 “Expédition Thi-Maros 86 Rapport Speleologique et Scentifique Mai 1987 – Association Pyreneenne de Speleologie 1987 “Ferns of Sulawesi - Taxa” in https://sulawesiferns.myspecies.info “Beyond The Bantimurung Waterfall- Discover your Indonesia” https://discoveryourindonesia.com/bantimurung-waterfall/ “Bantimurung Ecosystem, an Important Butterflies’Habitat” https://youtu.be/gYMej_pYIg0?feature=shared “The Kingdom of Butterfly” https://youtu.be/ADgnJSf5nBQ?feature=shared “Melihat Kupu Kupu di Taman Wisata Alam Bantimurung Sulawesi” https://youtu.be/pl95zHbvOo0?feature=shared
Quick Stats
- Style
- Biotope
- Size
- 25x25x30 cm
- Volume
- 18 L (4.8 gal.)
- Plant Species
- 2
- Fish Species
- 2
Judges' Comments
This is an impressive display, especially considering how it has been placed within such a small tank. If I saw this as an exhibit in a zoo or public aquarium, I would be pleased and impressed. The author is clearly passionate about the habitat and the species that live there and considerable attention to detail has been applied in the development of the display. I especially like the elements above the surface, such as the moss. One point to make, as has been made with other entries is that the quality of the photos could be sharper, which make it easier for the judges to interpret the display and condition of the inhabitants. The reason for not quite getting the top score is that ultimately, the snail colony will grow and could do with a larger tank, although of course, individuals could be removed. One element I really like is the description of the home-made filter system, which is well concealed and clearly works as it should.
— Tai Strietman
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