How did the word biotope arrive ?

The term “Biotope” was introduced by a German scientist, F. Dahl in 1908 as an addition to the concept of ‘Biocoenosis”(A community of organisms; often used as an alternative to ecosystem but strictly it is the fauna/flora associations per se excluding physical aspects of the environment) earlier formulated by K. Möbius in 1877. Initially it determined the physical-chemical conditions of existence of a biocoenosis (“the biotope of a biocoenosis”).

Further, both biotope and biocoenosis were considered as abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem, accordingly. This notion (“ecosystem = biotope + biocoenosis”) became accepted in German, French, Russian and other “continental” ecological literature. The new interpretation of the term (“biotope = habitat + community”) appeared in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s while elaborating the classification of the natural conservation objects of the coastal zone. The term was “re-discovered” in the earlier 1990s, when classification and mapping works of the littoral and upper sub-littoral coastal zone of the Great Britain and Ireland began.

   By definition, a Biotope is understood to be the place in which a plant or animal lives. It is defined for the aquatic environment according to geographical location, physiographic features and the physical and chemical environment (including salinity, wave exposure, strength of tidal streams, geology, biological zone, substratum, 'features' (e.g. crevices, overhangs, rockpools) and 'modifiers' (e.g. sand-scour, wave-surge, substratum mobility).

   In the working definition of a Biotope, a Community is identified as a group of organisms occurring in a particular environment, presumably interacting with each other and with the environment, and identifiable by means of ecological survey from other

groups. A community is normally considered as a Biotic element of

a biotope. Biotopes help solve the problem of scale in relying on the definition of boundaries which correspond to physical discontinuities along ecological gradients. They summarise not only the type of underlying habitat, and thus the niche created, but also the dominant and structuring biological elements; hence their description does not need to contain all species in a community.


Now after all this, GET WELL SOON. !

Deciding the best biotope for yourself

So the big question is how do you decide which biotope you wish to create?

     When it comes to cultivating a biotope aquarium there are many types to choose from. Aside from the standard freshwater tank, another interesting option is a brackishwater tank. You don’t have to be an expert aquarium hobbyist to cultivate a biotope tank – all you have to do is perform a little research and then set up the tank to the proper specifications.

     There are several reasons why you would choose a certain set up, it could be that there are certain species of fish that you wish to keep or it could be the finished look of the biotope that makes your decision and the species of fish added are me to suit the biotope created. Some keepers may prefer a planted set up with soft water species of fish added such as Angelfish or Discus, other keepers may prefer a more open set up housing larger cichlids, even a community set up with a variety of fish can be used with certain biotopes.

     For a general suggestion one of the types of biotope tank to start out with, however, is an Amazon biotope tank. It is not difficult to achieve and maintain the water parameters necessary for a healthy Amazon tank and there are a wide variety of fish and plant species to choose from that live in Amazon River habitats, so stocking the tank is not much of a challenge.

   In this blog we will be exploring a wide array of niche water regions around the world so as to get more options while deciding your biotope aquariums.

Understanding Biotope Aquariums

       Firstly and most importantly - Biotopes are not difficult to make or maintain !

Every fish keepers wants to provide the best conditions for their fish/livestock and also provide an aquarium that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Obviously the conditions provided depends on the species of fish that you wish to care for, for example do they prefer soft, acidic water or hard, alkaline water etc.

       A certain percentage of fish keepers take this one step further and try to re-create the species natural living conditions, duplicating their natural habitat as closely as is possible bearing in mind the limits that the aquarium does give you but often the replications prove to be very successful and well worth the effort.

This is what an aquarium biotope is all about, researching and replicating the natural waters of the fish, this includes adding suitable plant species if there are any, providing water of the correct hardness and pH taking into account the required water flow as well. Even replicating the lighting provided should be taken into account as some fish originate from murky waters where the lighting is generally subdued whereas other species originate from waterways where the lighting reaches bright levels during the sunlit hours.

      Biotopes are not too difficult to replicate to an acceptable degree as long as you research where your fish originate from, which species of fish would normally share there natural waterways, and the general scaping of the area, when you start your research you will quickly realise that there are several areas that have similar conditions making it easier to decide which biotope is the best for the fish that you wish to house in your aquarium and also if your planned aquarium has the space to house these fish and add the biotope still leaving room for the inhabitants, a classic example of this is the Malawi biotope where lots of rocks are added to re-create the rocky slopes, using a smaller aquarium for this biotope is impracticable so for this biotope and certainly for the fish a larger aquarium would need to be used.

        Sourcing the resources to create your biotope is part of the fun and nowadays is a lot easier than it used to be a few years ago. There are more aquatic outlets and even general garden centres that can meet your needs with items such as hard-scaping i.e. rocks and gravel or sand, aquatic plants are also imported at a higher rate nowadays giving you more choice as to which plants you can add to give the overall effect that you are searching for. One word of warning about plants, always make sure that they are fully aquatic as some species are grown emersed and when fully submerged in the aquarium will have a limited life and can decay causing water quality issues.

Now that we have understood the basics- Lets get Started !