December 23, 2018

The allure of Southeast Asian Blackwater Habitats: A New Obsession Rising!

As purveyors of all things tinted in the aquarium game, we work with a lot of hobbyists with an increasingly diverse group of aquatic interests. When it comes to fishes, we see more and more hobbyists obsessively collecting, keeping, and breeding wild Betta species. In fact, we see more and more interest in keeping and breeding fishes from Southeast Asia in general, and in creating aquariums inspired by the diversity and ecological vibrancy of the region.

Sure, I spend a lot of time talking about how to replicate South American habitats- and course, South America is not the only locale in the tropical world with rich blackwater environments with amazing fishes and biotopes to replicate. Southeast Asia is home to a huge and diverse set of habitats which any natural aquarium enthusiast would be drooling to replicate! !

Peat swamps. for example, are a fascinating ecological niche that is unique to Southeast Asia. In the well-studied North Salangor Peat Swamp Forest area, it's been estimated that there are about 48 species there, 8 of which have been described to science only within the last couple of decades, and 6 of which are known only from this area. And that's not entirely unique...that's just one example of many!

Many of the fishes from these unique environments are classified by science as stenotopic- able to adapt only to a narrow range of environmental conditions. It's been estimated that stenotopic species represent about 18% of the total fish fauna in Malaysia- so to lose these environments would be to lose a significant number of unique fishes!

(Betta livida, another rarity form the Peat Swamps of Malaysia)

One wonders how many of these environments may be lost before some of these fishes are even discovered! Fortunately, there are some governmental agencies in these regions that are making some effort to preserve these unique biotopes before they are lost forever.

To replicate one of these environments in our home aquarium is not only fascinating, it could one day represent the only "sanctuary" for many species endemic to these unique swamps.

Some well known hobby anabantoid species, such as the "Licorice Gourami", Parosphromenus anjunganensis and Parosphromenus ornaticauda, hail from these biotopes. What secrets about their husbandry and breeding could we unlock by replicating their unique habitats in our aquaria?

And many other amazing fishes, such as Barbs, can be found throughout Southeast Asia in other cool blackwater habitats that are just begging for replication!

In general, Southeast Asia contains some of the most alluring and interesting fishes we could ever hope to keep, hailing from biotopes that are as compelling as anything South America can offer.

Conservation issues aside, these environments are very interesting, and would be fun and educational to replicate in the aquarium. I don't know about you, but the swamps in general keep calling to me...(the peat swamps are a totally different story to play with in a dedicated blog!)

So, how would we go about doing this?

Well, obviously, the "tricks of the trade" to replicate a swamp-type environment include utilizing botanical materials to recreate the unique substrate foreign in these swamps- decomposing leaves and such. I would consider using some of the materials which we classify generically as "substrate additives" to work with other more conventional materials, to create a more realistic functionally-aesthetic substrate.

For example, one could mix some Mixed Leaf Media with a clay-based planted aquarium substrate, along with some small leaves (Texas Live Oak, Guava, or Mangrove), and perhaps our "Fundo Tropical" coconut-based substrate material- to create an interesting, if not somewhat faithful facsimile of the natural substrates found in these swamps.

I don't presume to be an expert on planted aquariums, but I do know that some species, such as Cryptocoryne, are found extensively in these environments, and would be the natural and easy choice for plants in such an aquarium. And the current darling of the plant world, Bucephalandra!

Lighting could be subdued, to enhance the swamp-like atmosphere, so you could use LED or T5 with ease. Interesting effects could be created with spot lighting. Filtration would be best accomplished with a canister or external power filter, as water movement is minimal in these swamps. Plus, with a mix of rather buoyant substrate materials, you'd probably want to limit the heavy flow to keep them from blowing all over your tank!

I'd plant fairly densely, and intersperse lots of botanicals, such as our palm-derived Nypa Palm Pods, and "Coco Palm Bracts", which add that special "something"- and tint- to your tank! In general, palm-derived botanicals would be useful

Perhaps you'd even want to include some palm fronds, which create a stunning look.

The maintenance of a swamp-themed aquarium would be no different than any of the Amazonian biotopes that we discuss so frequently here. Common sense water quality management, and regular water changes would go a long way towards maintaining a healthy environment for your little swamp!

And of course, for the "generic" SE Asian-themed aquarium, the options are amazing. Fishes, as mentioned above, encompass a large number of species known to the hobby, some fairly common, and others quite rare. This is a great chance to acquire some firsthand knowledge- as well as some rare fishes- for your collection! And even the rare fishes can be sourced with some effort.

There is a tremendous interest in wild Betta species in the hobby, so with a little research and networking, it wouldn't be all that difficult to procure some cool specimens for your tank! Wild type Bettas are as interesting a group of fishes as you could hope to find anywhere!

The diverse Southeast Asian habitats offer us as aquarists a unique opportunity not only to stretch our creative "muscles"- they create a discussion point- an educational tool- with which we can share a small representation of some environments- like the peat swamps- that may not be with us all that much longer.

As hobbyists, it's both our joy and our responsibility to share these amazing environments with fellow hobbyists, nature lovers, and the general public. Does it have to be 100% biotopically accurate to convey this message? Some people will tell you that, but I don't think so.

About all I really wanted to accomplish in today's highly generalized (and perhaps a bit disorganized!) blog was to get you thinking about the amazing Southeast Asian environments and how we might incorporate aspects of our botanical work in recreating them on some level.

A well-thought-out SE Asian-themed aquarium could serve as a "discussion starter"-a valuable tool to teach about the need to conserve the endangered Southeast Asian ecosystems. A starting point for more detailed research. Sharing our work and knowledge of them could lead to a greater understanding, appreciation, and perhaps- a chance to help preserve some of the inhabitant of these environments for future generations to enjoy.

Stay curious. Stay optimistic. Stay creative. Stay enthusiastic. Stay engaged...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics