Household & Multi-Pet · Aquatic
Biotope Aquariums
Recreating Wild Fish Habitats at Home
A biotope tank recreates one real place in the wild, from the water to the fish. 10 lessons on the Amazon blackwater basin, Southeast Asian hill streams and peat swamps, Central American rivers, the African Rift Lakes, preparing leaf litter and botanicals, what tannins can and cannot do, matching substrate to habitat, choosing wild-caught or captive-bred fish and quarantining them, lighting each biotope, and bringing sympatric species together.
About this course
A biotope aquarium starts with one place on a map and builds the tank around it: the water, the bottom, the light and the fish that live there together. This course takes you through four of those places. Lesson 1 is the Amazon blackwater, with its amber water, soft acidic chemistry and fish like cardinal tetras, pencilfish and Apistogramma. Lesson 2 covers Southeast Asia, where fast hill streams and slow peat-swamp streams call for two different tanks. Lesson 3 is the hard, alkaline water of Central American rivers, and Lesson 4 the African Rift Lakes, where Malawi and Tanganyika fish each get their own tank. Then you'll prepare botanicals like catappa leaves and alder cones, and learn what tannins can do for a healthy habitat and what they cannot do for a sick fish. You'll match substrate to each habitat, choose between wild-caught and captive-bred fish, and quarantine every new arrival for 2 to 4 weeks. The last lessons cover lighting each biotope and bringing sympatric species together.
What you'll learn
- Recreating Amazon blackwater with soft water, botanicals, and fish that share the river
- Southeast Asian hill streams versus peat swamps, and Central American hard-water rivers
- African Rift Lake chemistry, and why Malawi and Tanganyika fish stay apart
- Preparing leaf litter and botanicals, and what tannins can and cannot do
- Matching substrate to each habitat, ethical sourcing, and quarantining every new fish
- Lighting each biotope, and building a tank of sympatric species from one region
Who this is for
Keepers who want their next tank to look and work like a real river or lake; planted-tank fans curious about blackwater and leaf litter; and cichlid or tetra lovers who want tankmates that share a home in the wild.
Course outline (10 modules)
Quiz & Certificate
Knowledge quiz
After completing all lessons, take a short quiz to test your understanding.
Go to quiz →Completion certificate
Pass the quiz and earn a shareable certificate of completion.
View certificate →Frequently asked questions
Ready to get started?
$9.99 · Lifetime access · 10 lessons