Ralph
02-09-2003, 12:20 PM
Rio Nanay Biotope
An Interview with Alberto Barboza
We are going to Perú on this trip to the Amazon. Alberto Barboza was kind enough to share his experiences on the Rio Nanay, an Amazon tributary. This area is home to Symphysodon aequifasciata aequifasciata, the Green Discus.
Alberto is the owner of Aquatechnics, a fish import business located in Miami, Florida (http://www.aquatechnics.net/abouus.htm). Originally from Perú, Alberto is a long time aquarist (and animal lover) and has been breeding fish (tetras, betas, dwarf cichlids, gouramis, angels, and discus) since he was a teenager. He was recognized by the Peruvian Aquarist Society for his "Red Head" angel in 1991. He got his degree in architecture from Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima. He and his wife moved to Miami in 1993. He worked at Petsmart for several years, eventually becoming a store director, before he left to run Aquatechnics, Inc. He is also interested in computers and created and designed the website for Aquatechnics (It is a great site with lots of pictures and more information on the Rio Nanay).
Once again, the aim of this series of interviews is to provide a visual description of specific areas of the Amazon River Basin for those of you interested in making your own biotope. But the interviews also give insights into how and where discus live in the wild.
Here it is......
How did you happen to visit the Rio Nanay?
In the early eighties, I visited Iquitos and the Nanay River for the first time. A friend of mine who had a local fish store and knew of my interest in fish, invited me to join him on a trip to Iquitos.
Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon and the only way to get there is by airplane from Lima. I remember how amazed I was with the dense forest and the aerial view of the water lines from the airplane. That view clearly explained why Iquitos is still unreachable by road!
We spent some time taking water readings and we then visited some local business for fish. We were lucky to meet Mr. Bustamante, who was the owner of the largest export business of tropical fish in Iquitos at that time. Acuario Bustamante was in fact responsible for the first introduction of discus into the Nanay River (for details, see http://www.aquatechnics.net/nanay.htm).
The Nanay River is 2.2 miles from the city of Iquitos and is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River.
http://a8.cpimg.com/image/F6/DE/16442358-536c-025801C2-.jpg
The Nanay River
What is the Rio Nanay area like?
The Nanay River is a black water river (tannin) surrounded by what are called secondary forests. This kind of forest is comprised of a group of trees like ceticos, cataguas, and chontas which are not very tall and do not create a dense forest (primary forest). In the rainy season, the river spills over its banks, floods the adjacent forest and causes these trees to collapse into the water. The scenery changes completely from one season to another in the forest.
By the way, there are no conventional seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) in the jungle. There is a rainy season (water level of the river rises) which starts September/ October and dry season (water level drops) which starts May/June. In other words, the river determines the season.
In the Nanay River you can find Peruvian greens, red spotted greens, royal greens and others. But, as far as I know, all these strains of discus are crossbreeding. Here are some samples of these beautiful discus:
http://a1.cpimg.com/image/F9/DE/16442361-04db-027401C2-.jpg
Red Spotted Green
http://a7.cpimg.com/image/FF/DE/16442367-0fae-02150190-.jpg
Peruvian Green
Whenever someone talks about a discus biotope, driftwood is usually the first thing mentioned. Was there a lot of driftwood in that area?
Yes, there is driftwood. The driftwood is usually black or brown in color and this wood, in essence, is wood that is released from the trees and bushes in the Nanay River. Of course, as a result of the rainy season, most of them are flooded plants, downed trees and living roots. Discus sneak around the plants, tangled roots or sleep under the leaves of the flooded plants. That is usually where they are caught at night, one by one.
http://a4.cpimg.com/image/DC/17/16444124-4900-025801C2-.jpg
Shore Line
What other types of fish have you seen living in close proximity to discus in that area?
Well, you can see a large variety of fish sharing this biotope: mostly needle fish (in groups of 20 or 50), tetras (bleeding hearts and rummynose), angels, corydoras and other cichlids.
Did you see other animals and insects in proximity to discus in that area? Are there people living in the area?
There are many kinds of aquatic insects, invertebrates (crabs, shrimp), dragonflies, mosquitos, small snails and others as part of the Nanay River ecosystem. In fact, these freshwater shrimps (similar to mysis), some leaves, seeds, and other small fish fry are part of the Discus diet in the Nanay River.
With respect to the local people, there are some small villages on the river banks. The villagers had a tough time when the rainy season begins. Their houses, which are built on stilts, are completely surrounded by water and they travel by canoe from one house to another. Even though it changes their lifestyle dramatically, they consider the rainy season as a blessing. The flooding water brings nutrients into the forest and provides habitat for an amazing amount of fish, especially catfish, paiches, and arapaimas which are part of their diet. Discus are not part of their diet. They collect discus to sell them to ornamental tropical fish exporters.
http://a0.cpimg.com/image/E2/17/16444130-48e0-025801C2-.jpg
Nanay Red Spotted Greens
Is it a blackwater river?
Yes, the water in the Nanay River has a tea or coffee color and, sometimes, completely black in color. It is ironic that we are always worried about having clear water in our tanks when discus, in fact, come from water with little or no visibility.
Its average temperature is 28ş C (82şF). The pH is about 6 and the conductivity 25-50 µS in the dry season. In the rainy season, conductivity drops to 15 µS. The flow rate depends on the season as well as it depth which is usually about 5 meters.
Did you see aquatic plants in proximity to discus in the river?
No, I have not seen any. There are some echinodorus spp. in some parts of the river but none in the discus area.
Are water reeds and other emergent plants in that discus area? Did you see any aerial roots going into the water?
There are some bushes with thick leaves (like guayabilla, camu camu) and some aerial roots. When the water level rises, discus are usually found near the leaves. When the water level drops, discus are usually found at the roots of the trees.
Is algae commonly found in the river?
It might be possible but I have not seen any.
In that area, what does the river bed look like?
During flooding season, you can only see a lot of water, mud, leaves and driftwood. There are no rocks in the Nanay River. I have heard that when the river is low, it is easy to find white sand beaches.
There are books written on the inundation that takes place during the rainy season. But how does it affect the discus in that area? Does their habitat change significantly?
Definitely. During rainy seasons, all habitats change drastically. The river banks are completely flooded. They practically disappear along with the small vegetation. Discus find more places to hide, lay eggs and thrive during this season. It creates a natural ban on fishing as it is very, very difficult to collect discus during this season. Wise nature!
Alberto is planning another visit to Iquitos sometime in June of this year. Raul Yalán, a biologist and his partner in Iquitos, is preparing an expedition to some other new discus zones. They are working together on a private project to promote sustainable use of discus and related species in the Peruvian jungle. Aquatechnics current wild discus stock is 80% from Perú (Nanay RSGs, Peruvian greens, Royal greens) and 20% from Brazil (Heckels, Madeiras, Nhamundas, Manacapurus).
I'd like to thank Alberto for taking the time to do this interview. He also was kind enough to donate two beautiful wild discus for our auction. Thanks too to Al and Ryan for their support, technical and otherwise.
http://a6.cpimg.com/image/F2/18/16444146-1830-025801C2-.jpg
Red Spotted Green
An Interview with Alberto Barboza
We are going to Perú on this trip to the Amazon. Alberto Barboza was kind enough to share his experiences on the Rio Nanay, an Amazon tributary. This area is home to Symphysodon aequifasciata aequifasciata, the Green Discus.
Alberto is the owner of Aquatechnics, a fish import business located in Miami, Florida (http://www.aquatechnics.net/abouus.htm). Originally from Perú, Alberto is a long time aquarist (and animal lover) and has been breeding fish (tetras, betas, dwarf cichlids, gouramis, angels, and discus) since he was a teenager. He was recognized by the Peruvian Aquarist Society for his "Red Head" angel in 1991. He got his degree in architecture from Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima. He and his wife moved to Miami in 1993. He worked at Petsmart for several years, eventually becoming a store director, before he left to run Aquatechnics, Inc. He is also interested in computers and created and designed the website for Aquatechnics (It is a great site with lots of pictures and more information on the Rio Nanay).
Once again, the aim of this series of interviews is to provide a visual description of specific areas of the Amazon River Basin for those of you interested in making your own biotope. But the interviews also give insights into how and where discus live in the wild.
Here it is......
How did you happen to visit the Rio Nanay?
In the early eighties, I visited Iquitos and the Nanay River for the first time. A friend of mine who had a local fish store and knew of my interest in fish, invited me to join him on a trip to Iquitos.
Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon and the only way to get there is by airplane from Lima. I remember how amazed I was with the dense forest and the aerial view of the water lines from the airplane. That view clearly explained why Iquitos is still unreachable by road!
We spent some time taking water readings and we then visited some local business for fish. We were lucky to meet Mr. Bustamante, who was the owner of the largest export business of tropical fish in Iquitos at that time. Acuario Bustamante was in fact responsible for the first introduction of discus into the Nanay River (for details, see http://www.aquatechnics.net/nanay.htm).
The Nanay River is 2.2 miles from the city of Iquitos and is one of the tributaries of the Amazon River.
http://a8.cpimg.com/image/F6/DE/16442358-536c-025801C2-.jpg
The Nanay River
What is the Rio Nanay area like?
The Nanay River is a black water river (tannin) surrounded by what are called secondary forests. This kind of forest is comprised of a group of trees like ceticos, cataguas, and chontas which are not very tall and do not create a dense forest (primary forest). In the rainy season, the river spills over its banks, floods the adjacent forest and causes these trees to collapse into the water. The scenery changes completely from one season to another in the forest.
By the way, there are no conventional seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) in the jungle. There is a rainy season (water level of the river rises) which starts September/ October and dry season (water level drops) which starts May/June. In other words, the river determines the season.
In the Nanay River you can find Peruvian greens, red spotted greens, royal greens and others. But, as far as I know, all these strains of discus are crossbreeding. Here are some samples of these beautiful discus:
http://a1.cpimg.com/image/F9/DE/16442361-04db-027401C2-.jpg
Red Spotted Green
http://a7.cpimg.com/image/FF/DE/16442367-0fae-02150190-.jpg
Peruvian Green
Whenever someone talks about a discus biotope, driftwood is usually the first thing mentioned. Was there a lot of driftwood in that area?
Yes, there is driftwood. The driftwood is usually black or brown in color and this wood, in essence, is wood that is released from the trees and bushes in the Nanay River. Of course, as a result of the rainy season, most of them are flooded plants, downed trees and living roots. Discus sneak around the plants, tangled roots or sleep under the leaves of the flooded plants. That is usually where they are caught at night, one by one.
http://a4.cpimg.com/image/DC/17/16444124-4900-025801C2-.jpg
Shore Line
What other types of fish have you seen living in close proximity to discus in that area?
Well, you can see a large variety of fish sharing this biotope: mostly needle fish (in groups of 20 or 50), tetras (bleeding hearts and rummynose), angels, corydoras and other cichlids.
Did you see other animals and insects in proximity to discus in that area? Are there people living in the area?
There are many kinds of aquatic insects, invertebrates (crabs, shrimp), dragonflies, mosquitos, small snails and others as part of the Nanay River ecosystem. In fact, these freshwater shrimps (similar to mysis), some leaves, seeds, and other small fish fry are part of the Discus diet in the Nanay River.
With respect to the local people, there are some small villages on the river banks. The villagers had a tough time when the rainy season begins. Their houses, which are built on stilts, are completely surrounded by water and they travel by canoe from one house to another. Even though it changes their lifestyle dramatically, they consider the rainy season as a blessing. The flooding water brings nutrients into the forest and provides habitat for an amazing amount of fish, especially catfish, paiches, and arapaimas which are part of their diet. Discus are not part of their diet. They collect discus to sell them to ornamental tropical fish exporters.
http://a0.cpimg.com/image/E2/17/16444130-48e0-025801C2-.jpg
Nanay Red Spotted Greens
Is it a blackwater river?
Yes, the water in the Nanay River has a tea or coffee color and, sometimes, completely black in color. It is ironic that we are always worried about having clear water in our tanks when discus, in fact, come from water with little or no visibility.
Its average temperature is 28ş C (82şF). The pH is about 6 and the conductivity 25-50 µS in the dry season. In the rainy season, conductivity drops to 15 µS. The flow rate depends on the season as well as it depth which is usually about 5 meters.
Did you see aquatic plants in proximity to discus in the river?
No, I have not seen any. There are some echinodorus spp. in some parts of the river but none in the discus area.
Are water reeds and other emergent plants in that discus area? Did you see any aerial roots going into the water?
There are some bushes with thick leaves (like guayabilla, camu camu) and some aerial roots. When the water level rises, discus are usually found near the leaves. When the water level drops, discus are usually found at the roots of the trees.
Is algae commonly found in the river?
It might be possible but I have not seen any.
In that area, what does the river bed look like?
During flooding season, you can only see a lot of water, mud, leaves and driftwood. There are no rocks in the Nanay River. I have heard that when the river is low, it is easy to find white sand beaches.
There are books written on the inundation that takes place during the rainy season. But how does it affect the discus in that area? Does their habitat change significantly?
Definitely. During rainy seasons, all habitats change drastically. The river banks are completely flooded. They practically disappear along with the small vegetation. Discus find more places to hide, lay eggs and thrive during this season. It creates a natural ban on fishing as it is very, very difficult to collect discus during this season. Wise nature!
Alberto is planning another visit to Iquitos sometime in June of this year. Raul Yalán, a biologist and his partner in Iquitos, is preparing an expedition to some other new discus zones. They are working together on a private project to promote sustainable use of discus and related species in the Peruvian jungle. Aquatechnics current wild discus stock is 80% from Perú (Nanay RSGs, Peruvian greens, Royal greens) and 20% from Brazil (Heckels, Madeiras, Nhamundas, Manacapurus).
I'd like to thank Alberto for taking the time to do this interview. He also was kind enough to donate two beautiful wild discus for our auction. Thanks too to Al and Ryan for their support, technical and otherwise.
http://a6.cpimg.com/image/F2/18/16444146-1830-025801C2-.jpg
Red Spotted Green