Biotope Aquariums.

[LongS]

I like biotopes too, and a few months back suggested a section of the forum be dedicated to biotopes. Keeps it easy to access and find rather than having peoples biotope journals disappear into the depths of the forum.

Anyway I have been attempting a biotope based around Myanmar (Burma). I currently have the entire tank covered with vallis and odd crypt amongst bog wood. I tried for a jungle of long vallis but for some reason it has been reduced right down to a well kept lawn.

The fish are Botia Histrionica, great little social loaches from the Irrawaddy/Salween rivers across burma and I believe Thailand and parts of india possibly.

Iv just added a group of 9 Odessa barbs that have added some magnificent colour and behaviour to the setup aswell as being geographically correct.

The only problem is the above share their surroundings with a rather large featherfin syno. I'm in the process of ebaying a new
Aquarium for him to house him with something more suitable as far as tank mates go.

I'm on the lookout for a third species from the same part of the world, possibly a different loach species, but if anyone has any suggestions then please let me know.

 

[TooManyChoices]

Sorry that I ditched this thread for a while, I kept meaning to come back. 
 
So, this video (may have been posted on here but I'm not entirely sure), I find fascinating. It shows fish like Severums, Angels, Eartheaters, Fesitvums, Cardinal tetras and others all in the same habitat! Footage like this is the best way to design Biotopes IMO.
 
[video=youtube;duvFEPwabng]https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=duvFEPwabng[/video]
 

 
 
Out of curiosity, do you own a west African themed tank?

YES I DO! It's stocked with one butterfly fish, one jewel cichlid and eight Yellow tailed congo tetras. Looks a bit scrappy at the moment, this was immediately after a water change and slight re-scape the other day. 
 

 

 
 
The 36 gal in my signature pic is a SE Asian biotope, including all plants. The only exception is the 2 Ottos and a BN Pleco to keep the glass and plants clean. Eventually they'll be replaced with snails.

Not quite a biotope then

This is what I'm getting at in this thread, to be a biotope they have to all be from the one area. SE asia has habitats from cold, fast flowing mountain streams, to slack, black water rainforest streams, and I'm sure everything in between!
 

 
 
Biotopes sound nice. But then again not doing a stict biotope has it's benefits, for the fish especially. If it's a non-planted tank, it's never as healthy as a planted tank enviroment, even for fish that don't come naturally from these.

Hmm what lead you to this conclusion? If it's any less healthy just because it doesn't have plants, that indicates to me a problem with the husbandry. 
 

 
 
This is why I prefer to do as you say themed (I would say continental biotope 

 ) as it allows a broader mix of fish and for me the tank still has the integrity of a biotope of sorts and allows for the potential of life long pets 

This is VERY true, especially if you're highly impatient like me!
 

 
In theory, I could do something very close to a "Congo rapids" biotope in my 6-footer, that would consist of...
21x Pareutropius cf. mandevillei
5x Phenacogrammus nigropterus
4x Euchilichthys spp. (royauxi, I think)
3x Synodontis brichardi
1x Synodontis notata
2x Steatocranus sp. ultraslender
3x Steatocranus casuarius

You're incredibly lucky to have that kind of range where you are. In Australia I've seen one of those species!
 

 
 
Not running down biotopes, but have noticed that a number of folks I personally come across are a bit of fish snobs.

Snobs. With good reason

 
A couple more nice biotopes I've come across on another forum:
[video]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3PXChKZ8SA[/video]
[video]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUqsVk1oIk[/video]

 

[DerpPH]

I have done a stream biotope with some guppies. Wild ones. The stream wich they originated had some gravel and sand for substrate. I personaly caught them of a stream in my cousins house in the Phils. They are an invasive species though.