How I Created the Top-Ranked Biotope in the World

Thanks to UNS for their continued support!!!
Project Piaba
For 25 years, Project Piaba has been at the forefront of research into the Rio Negro fishery and its impacts. They are a registered non-profit with decades of experience taking groups to this region of Brazil.
The trip includes:
- 2 weeks on a well-appointed live-aboard boat. Participants will share a room with one other person. - Rooms are air-conditioned and include comfortable bunks beds, linens, private in-room bathrooms with toilet and shower, electric outlets.
- Visits to biological hotspots in small boats; opportunities to view fish in their wild habitat when you snorkel.
- Visits and opportunities to meet with aquarium fishing communities.
- Participate in best handing practices training with fishing communities to better the health of exported fish.
- Collect, photograph and release newly legalized species for aquarium export.
- Participate in developing traceability techniques for individual fish through the supply chain.
- Visits to home aquarium fish export facilities.
- Delicious meals prepared by experienced cooks; mineral water, juices, and coffee/tea.
- All possible Covid-19 safety protocols will be adhered to, we are requiring trip participants to be vaccinated and tested prior to departure.
TO SIGN UP:
Reach out to Scott Dowd or Jackie Anderson for more information and to reserve your spot
Scott: [e-mail] OR Jackie: [e-mail]

[@pauloostdijck4730]

I really miss you, wishing you lots of luck with what you are doing

[@nathanielwise508]

I use willow oak as well! Usually I mix it with magnolia, which is darker and quickly breaks down leaving the oak with a bit more structure but covered in the bits of magnolia. Both of these tanks are exceptional, the biotope aquarium hobby is absolutely saturated with banal attempts at Rio Negro themes, but often just look like some sticks and leaves tossed in a tank. It takes care to create something that truly evokes the character of a particular location, something you've accomplished masterfully.

[@TankTested]

Thanks so much! Magnolia is a great suggestion for a second leaf. Sometimes I will use Skip Laurel as my secondary leaf.

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

I miss your content. I hope you are well and succeeding in whatever endeavors you may be exploring.

[@GreatAscape]

This is hands down one of the most beautiful Biotopes I have seen.

[@AquaJoyClub]

Really miss your videos! Hope you've been doing well and you had a good trip!

[@deborahminter6231]

Incredible tank!

[@hisfishherfish]

Recognition well deserved! It's exciting to see where you are going in the hobby. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

[@nelsonth]

Oh wow, congrats!!! Such a great honor! The tank and the fish are truly stunning.

[@surly_mel]

I saw your photographs when researching specific biotopes! This is wonderful inspiration, thank you for posting.

[@frankvee]

Gorgeous biotope. I really like the footage from the Amazon too... really nice to see the natural environment and your faithful recreation.

[@zigg4045]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@chrisgeorge4429]

Wow. That looks really great!

[@crittergirl3647]

Spectacular!

[@victorelderton3158]

Patience, perseverance, passion woven together by applied knowledge and expertise = tremendous success ✔️WELL deserved! Once again a video balanced as well as your Biotope tanks!

[@markfranklin8831]

Both are absolutely beautiful

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Nice work. I like the second one better. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[@kdr1048]

Love this! Amazing

[@areacode911]

nice job that looks like a real natural environment.

[@hukilausurfer]

Love it 🙌🏽

[@feralaquarist8805]

Love this!

[@cheeseballs3825]

I love blackwater tanks. You did a magnificent job on these.

[@k2a2l2]

this is some next level artistry

[@Scaperoot79]

I just found your channel and I love the content. Hoping you post updates soon!

[@terrapreta1]

Those cardinal tetras DO look happy! Great job!!!

[@australianbiotopes4563]

Beautiful biotope!

[@aquariumhacksbymarcus5653]

Absolutely excellent video

[@khoi83]

Just discovered this amazing channel. Hope you come back soon!

[@carolineeppler5768]

Perfection.

[@tinasweeney4392]

Congratulations on the honor, it really is beautiful. I had a little success when I was trying to create a home environment for my Halfbeak. It turned out really good for my first try. (My Neon Tetras loved it as well)

[@IMaqua]

I really like the first biotope aquarium. I am just brainstorming and planning to do a blackwater aquarium soon. Thanks for inspiration.

[@benbarnett5684]

My boss Mr. Bill is going on the project piaba trip in January! I had the opportunity to go with him but then wouldn't be a good time! He's a fish nerd too. It sounds like it's going to be an amazingly trip!

[@jc49fishniner4lif7]

OMG you are an artist congratulations honestly 👍👍💯💯

[@lakeshiamills1454]

I have followed project Piaba for years and always wanted to go in a trip. I might not be able to go on the upcoming trip, but hopefully in another year I will have the opportunity to go.

[@rdred8693]

I was able to meet one of the people who run it. She came to our fish club. I would love to go too.

[@davidfieldman8723]

Great video both scapes are stunning all four of my scapes are blackwater

[@ruzakimohdhanaffiah71]

Wow..I like the pic

[@raphaelmarianoborges5857]

Sensacional parabéns

[@GROCK619]

Long time no hear !! Hope all is well !! Nice work!!!!

[@glassyGREEN_]

Blackwater tanks are always so beautiful

[@SirTenoch]

Please, please dont stop making videos!!!

[@dennisc2154]

Nice

[@letitgrow1846]

Very impressive tanks. I love the natural look. Do you run any sort of filtration?

[@rorylennon]

Nice vijeo...

[@stevenpavan327]

Cool tanks. You should do an update on how that bog aquarium of yours is doing.

[@CooLin1stPlace]

Pretty sweet maaaan

[@RyanStonedonCanadianGaming]

I love any tank with tannins being used, Just makes it look that much more natural. I'd love to see the Reo Negro, but my problem is I don't have a passport and I vowed to never jump on a plane unless it's me piloting it. 😅

[@Terrak16]

Hi Alex - We are all patiently waiting for your next video.. It's been 3 months. We miss them!

[@SiewChion]

Wish you create more videos!

[@xaviershen3831]

Hi Alex ! Hope you are well !! Please come back with new videos !!!

[@drganesan62]

There are plenty of catappa leaves around my home and the dried leaves give a great tannin effect. My question is how do you clean the cardinal tetras poo in such a biotope aquarium. Is it alright to feed very little and live it like that or is regular water changes essential. Regular water changes also decrease the tannins .

[@adamcenteno6155]

I love it. Question. Would this environment be suitable for Discus fish?

[@etyczneakwarium]

👍👍👍👍

[@juilescieg]

How do you keep the ground clean? Do you do just water changes? I would find it interesting, how to maintain a biotope aquarium.

[@Raphael.P.]

really would like to take this trip with you but i live on the other side of our planet hahaha

[@Shaden0040]

Wow it's been like wow it's been like 6 months we've seen what I saw you How did the trip go How's your movie coming As your research going how is this tank doing now six months down the road???

[@amazonmike4207]

i grew up collecting aquarium fish and plants in the Amazon now im going to recreate an amazon bio tank

[@laraquerubin8250]

Can u write a book? I have so many questions, like upkeep, water changes etc

[@graphite2786]

The 2nd tank was spot on but the first tank wins in my book. Pure wabisabi, i appreciated it immensely. I've got bins full of water and vegetation - branches , roots and trunks- some have been soaking for 8 years! I had a big problem with commercial driftwood - its expensive, most are not ethically sourced and it's rare to find truly natural looking pieces for sale. I wanted to find a cheap and sustainable source for my rasbora, betta and rare gourami tanks, Asian blackwater species. I thought maybe i could process my own pieces ( i didn't want to collect drift wood from the wild ) I started collecting hardwood prunings cherry and oak species mainly but also some walnut and beech. I dried them for a few months then dunked them in trash cans / totes and filled them with rainwater. Then i left them. It took 3 years for the cherry and 5 years for the oak to cure. Pieces over 4 inches in diameter still haven't cured completely and I don't want to risk my fish so they're still soaking. The results have been hit and miss. There has been some rotting with smaller pieces disintegrating and other bits splitting. Cherry seems to work the best, followed by beech. Oak takes forever to waterlog and the jury is out on the walnut as i only had a few sticks. The form of the cherry pieces really lends itself to biotopes. Way more natural and I'm finding moss likes it as does some unusual algae species ( or are they algae?) Anyway its a fun experiment, i just wish it didn't take so long 🤣

[@TankTested]

Thanks for sharing this! When you say that the oak still hasn't cured, what do you mean? Normally curing refers to drying out wood, but contextually, I suspect you mean something different here. I've definitely played more fast a loose with wood. I'll often leave the bark on the wood, and If the wood it too buoyant I'll just secure it to slate or tile. Not all woods are created equal, but I haven't experience that many negative effects from hardwoods. I also haven't A-B tested woods and all my insights are anecdotal.

[@graphite2786]

@@TankTested Thanks for the interest ☺️. The cherry wood i collected had been sitting in a wood pile for about year so it had dry cured. The oak had been freshly cut (green). The most interesting bits i wanted to use were around 130 to 180 mm in thickness. I dried these out for 6 months or so before wet curing them. I placed them in trashcans of rainwater, changing the water every 3-4 months when i remembered. For the first 2-3 years a thick scum would appear on the water surface very quickly. The water was extremely acidic. After 4 years the scum had reduced but the acidity hadn't. Around 5 years the water stayed clear and tan ( not black) , no scum and a ph between 5.5 and 6. I felt it was safe enough to introduce to the fish. I'm based in Australia so oak, cherry, etc are hard to come by. I'm too wary to try with our native eucalyptus and pine tree species, i think they may contain substances ( wood oils) that may harm the fish. So i only used timber that was recommended on line. Another reason I'm being very cautious is that the species i keep are incredibly hard to get in Australia ( pea puffers are $300 ea, Betta apiapi are $500 a pair). If i were to source more oak i would definitely dry it out for a longer period before wet curing it. Depending on it's thickness of course.

[@TankTested]

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I agree that sappy trees like pines just aren’t worth the heart ache. I haven’t had as much issue with other hardwoods, but I also haven’t tried using pieces as thick as the ones you’re describing, so my experience was probably much gentler! Thanks again for sharing your experience!

[@graphite2786]

@@TankTested My latest project is to train the cherry branches while they are still alive ,prior to pruning , drying and wet curing. I've been tying thin twigs and branches into arcs, spirals and wiggles, also I've been trying to graft smaller branches together and fuse them into more interesting forms ( not much success with *that* at the moment 🙄) Bonsai tutorials have been a great help. The cherry twigs look great! Very similar to lianas and climbers. I've yet to wet cure them but they have dried beautifully 😃

[@CalmTarantula-oe7hh]

Question is all those plants from the amozon Because im doing amozon tank

[@theviolentone]

Never tried biotope..but I wondering did they also need treatment like aquascape.. like algae issue🤔🤔

[@MoldyBones27]

6:16 what about Madrone leafs?

[@KettmanAquatic]

I did see some plants in your underwater footage. Maybe some sparse planting would be nice

[@squamsh122]

Been waiting so long to see what you do with these UNS tanks. I appreciate your patience with the process and the results are awesome! Also, how do you manage the fish waste without plants?

[@TankTested]

Honestly I’ve never had issues with fish waste in Blackwater systems. I suspect that is because there is so much biological material in the tank, all covered in beneficial bacteria. These tanks are also not heavily stocked, so the systems aren’t too overburdened.

[@squamsh122]

@@TankTested that makes sense to me. Congrats on the award! Looking forward to the next video.

[@benjaminwohlgemuth56]

Such a pitty that there is not a longer frozen 4K video recording of this awesome biotope aquarium : /

[@RahulS-ux6kf]

Is this channel dead ?? 😢

[@thomascrohan7810]

I’m wondering the same thing, used to love watching his videos, I hope he’s doing ok

[@StoopidMonkey08]

The problem isn't making the leaf litter but managing them... They desintegrate and break down after just a week... Most of the leaves

[@sdqsdq6274]

that what i have heard and seen from another video , many more weird species that didnt make it into the aqua trade , most cant be kept in captivity

[@williamli8708]

i find it funny how the potted plants are dead lol

[@Orange_-pp9nh]

Hello, I like this fish very much, but I am in China now, do you have Chinese customers? Can you send the fish to China?

[@shallweplay1]

You like saying biotope 😂😂 biotope I like that.

[@arthurmicha123]

Rio negro is not only in Brazil, it's also in Colombia and Venezuela. It would be nice if you give credit to those countries as well.

[@Shaden0040]

Also can you convince Rachel Leary to get back into doing videos and getting back in the field I learned so much from watching her videos and for since COVID she's done nothing and I can understand why I mean she been through a lot in the last 5 years but getting on her **** and see if members should come back and if not find out why she didn't want to come back if it's health problems I can understand that.

[@user-tv4tv2qh1w]

А в круглом болото ???

[@kingincrimson]

If you come to Brazil to see aquarium fish, the Amazon or the Rio Negro are the wrong choice. The water is muddy and the fauna is hidden for the most lart. You should go the karst river systems, such as Chapada Diamantina or Bonito. Search for biotopia rio sucuri on youtube.

[@kingincrimson]

You should support the non profit though

[@terrencetiffany3760]

MORE PLEASE!! Grow your online following - Promo-SM !!

[@PULAG]

Did you kick George Farmer's ass in the Fluval AquaScapeOff 2022??

[@CrestaniGiacomo]

Well done, Bill Gates

[@RapsakYT]

This tank is beautiful and boring at the same time. Cardinals do not show intersting behavior.

[@travisc5658]

Rio what!!

[@osstrids891]

I don't know why, but this guy reminds me of Jeffrey Dahmer.

[@subsunday]

the tetras snapping for oxygen!!!

[@aaronbilly5854]

Definitely not the best in the world the dreaming buddy

[@rdred8693]

Better than anything you made.