AGAIAC 2026 / Biotope

#1190 Igarapé do Daracua, Barcelos, Brazil.

Igarapé do Daracua, Barcelos, Brazil.

Debojyoti Mondal • India Kolkata, West Bengal, India

15 rank

About This Aquascape

This biotope is very personal to me. I was inspired by the underwater videos of Igarape do Daracua near Barcelos by Heiko Bleher numerous field visit videos on youtube. Seeing cardinals swimming over a dense carpet of leaves in dark tea-colored water made me want to bring that exact forest floor into my home. I tried to replicate not just the look but the feeling - a shallow flooded forest where light barely penetrates. I collected driftwood, dried leaves, and seed pods over months. The hardest part was keeping the water stable blackwater - managing pH swings with botanicals, keeping flow low for the tetras, and resisting the urge to "clean" the leaf litter which is actually the heart of this habitat

Biotope Information

Specific Location: Igarape do Daracua, a blackwater forest creek (igarape) tributary of the middle Rio Negro, approximately 10km upstream from Barcelos, Amazonas, Brazil. Habitat Type: Shallow blackwater igarape / flooded forest floor. Depth 0.2-1m. Substrate is nutrient-poor white sand completely covered by dense leaf litter, fallen branches, roots, seed pods and driftwood trunks. No true aquatic plants, only flooded terrestrial leaf litter and detritus. Water is dark tea-colored due to high tannin concentration from decomposing organic matter. Sources - 1. Goulding, M., Carvalho, M. L., & Ferreira, E. G. (1988). Rio Negro, Rich Life in Poor Water: Amazonian Diversity and Food chain Ecology as Seen Through Fish Communities. SPB Academic Publishing. 2.Sioli, H. (1984). The Amazon: Limnology and Landscape Ecology of a Mighty Tropical River and Its Basin. Monographiae Biologicae, Vol 56. Junk Publishers. 3.Walker, I. (1995). Amazonian streams and small rivers. In Limnology in Brazil. Brazilian Limnological Society. 4.https://aquainfo.nl/en/article/paracheirodon-axelrodi-cardinal-tetra/

Debojyoti Mondal

Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Quick Stats

Style: Biotope
Size: 60x38x36 cm
Volume: 82 L (21.7 gal.)
Plant Species: 1
Fish Species: 1

Biotope Location

Igarapé do Daracua, Barcelos, Brazil. (-0.4899390,-63.2024994)

Judges' Comments

The hardscape and natural materials are very convincing, as are the fish selection and reported water parameters. This feels like a thoughtfully researched habitat. My main criticism is the visibility of the aquarium glass, which weakens the suspension of disbelief.

— Tai Strietman

I have had the honor of snorkaling Igarapé do Daracua. I love the used of leaf little in this system. I think the used of driftwood could of been improved this this system.

— Kapil Mandrekar

A reasonable representation of a Rio Negro blackwater habitat, with appropriate leaf litter, driftwood and water colour. However, the composition feels rather basic and doesn't make the best use of the available space, with much of the background left exposed. The cardinal tetras are an appropriate but rather safe choice. While the habitat is generally convincing, I would have liked to see a more thoughtful and creative arrangement that better captures the complexity of the natural environment.

— Rodrigo Silva

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