JBL Rio Pantanal®
Jungle aquarium type JBL Rio Pantanal®
Would you like to have a piece of jungle river in your living room? This aquarium shows a beautiful underwater landscape from South America with its typical dwellers, including the neon tetra, which is one of the most colourful little gems of the Amazon region.
A jungle aquarium has to be one of the most beautiful types of aquariums with its wonderful mingling of magnificent plants and colourful fish. The dwarf cichlids demonstrate some interesting behaviour as they care for their brood and the neon tetras and pencil fish display their breath-taking colours. After a running-in time of one to two weeks the plants will start growing, giving your aquarium a jungle character.
Modelled on nature
We named this aquarium “Rio Pantanal® “ because the water in Brazil’s Pantanal is one of the clearest waters in the world. Looking at the fish stock we also could have named the aquarium Rio Negro or Amazon Region. But the water of these rivers either have a white-cloudiness or a deep brown colour.
Description
Get a general idea of what costs to expect and which questions could arise.
Aquarium information
Dimensions
80 x 35 x 40 cm = 110 l
Water values
pH value: 6.5-7.5
KH 4-8 °dKH
Nitrite (NO2): 0 mg/l
Iron (Fe): 0.1 mg/l
CO2: 20 mg/l
Temperature: 25-27°C
The suitable decoration for the JBL Rio Pantanal®
Here you can see what decoration, substrate and plants you need to make your aquarium look like a stretch of Pantanal.
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Iceland lava rock
15 kg, mixed, 10- 20 cm
Talawa wood
2 pieces mixed, 10 - 40 cm
These plants suit the jungle aquarium
Plant (A)
Amazon sword plant
(Echinodorus bleheri)
5 plants
Plant (B)
Pygmy chain sword
(Helanthium tenellum)
10 plants
Plant (C)
Crytocoryne crispatula
(Cryptocoryne crispatula)
3 plants
Plant (D)
Wendt’s Cryptocoryne
(Cryptocoryne wendtii tropica)
4 plants
Planting plan
Here you can see the exact plant location and species in the aquarium. The letters characterise the plant species, mentioned above.
Aquarium technology
This outline shows all the technical products you need for the Rio Pantanal® themed aquarium and a price quotation to give you an idea of the costs involved.
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JBL CristalProfi e702 greenline
External filter for aquariums from 60-200 litres
JBL LED SOLAR NATUR
High-performance LED light for aquariums
JBL LED SOLAR EFFECT
LED effect light as supplement to JBL LED SOLAR NATUR
JBL PROFLORA m502
Plant fertiliser system with refillable cylinder and night switch-off
JBL PROFLORA Direct
High performance direct diffuser for CO2
JBL Aquarium Thermometer Slim
Slim glass thermometer for aquariums
JBL PROTEMP S 150
Heating for aquariums, 150 W safety heater-stat with protective basket
JBL Floaty II
Floating glass cleaning magnet for aquariums
The fish stock for your jungle aquarium
In the Pantanal live a variety of beautiful fish which also suit your aquarium. You will find a selection matched by size and behaviour.
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma cacatuoides
1 male, 2 females
Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
20 animals
Golden pencil fish
Nannostomus beckfordi
15 animals
Three line catfish
Corydoras trilineatus
6 animals
Golden Oto
Otocinclus affinis
10 animals
Video about the setup of the JBL Rio Pantanal®
This 8 minute video shows you what the completed aquarium will look like and how to set it up step by step.
How to maintain your jungle aquarium
Even if an aquarium involves much less work than keeping a hamster, there are still a few care measures which are essential to the functioning of your jungle aquarium. You will be surprised how little work you need to maintain your aquarium!
Maintenance
Illuminate the aquarium approx. 8 hours during the first 2 weeks, afterwards a maximum illumination of 12 hours is possible. Carry out a 30 % water change every 14 days.
Daily
Check daily whether the technical items are working correctly ( Aquarium filters and aquarium accessories , CO2 plant fertilisation and Light ).
Plant care
Please make sure that you add enough CO2 from day one.
Use a complete fertiliser ( JBL PROFLORA Ferropol 15 ml weekly) and a further daily fertiliser ( JBL PROFLORA Ferropol 24 ), which you add into the aquarium in the morning, before switching on the lighting. Start with 50 % of the normal dosage and increase, depending on the plant growth. After 4-5 weeks you can start with the pruning of the plants. Respective to the plant species, regular pruning is needed. If the amazon sword plants become too large, you can remove single leaves at the edge of the rootstock. Often the amazon sword plants discard their leaves after you have inserted them into the aquarium and only then do they develop real underwater leaves. So please have a bit of patience! Please always remove dying or diseased leaves – this can be easily done with long scissors ( JBL PROSCAPE TOOLS S STRAIGHT ).
Maintenance time per week
30 minutes.
How often do you need to empty and clean the complete aquarium?
Your JBL Rio Pantanal® can stay healthy and beautiful for many years with the above mentioned care. Redecorating your aquarium after a few years, if you wish, will be no problem.
Feeding
2-3 x daily as much as the fish can eat in 3 minutes. 1 tablet per day, alternating with other foods.
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JBL NovoBel
Main food flakes for all aquarium fish
JBL NovoGranoMix
Main food for medium-sized and large aquarium fish
JBL NovoGranoColor
Main food for medium-sized and large, brightly coloured aquarium fish
JBL NovoTab
Main food tablets for all aquarium fish
JBL NovoFect
Food tablets for plant eating aquarium fish
Special features
Do not position your aquarium in an excessively bright place, because direct sunlight promotes algae growth.
Miscellaneous
The overall layout mentioned is only a suggestion. You can just as easily put the wood at the back of the aquarium on the left for example. But please follow our suggestions when it comes to the fish community and the number and species of the plants.
Water treatment and tests
Tap water is not always suitable for fish. Before fish are added, the aquarium water needs an additional treatment with a suitable water conditioner ( JBL Biotopol ). One hour later, add a bacteria starter ( JBL Denitrol ). Yyou can now add fish. Please check the nitrite content of the water every second day during the first two weeks using the JBL Nitrite Test NO2 . You can do further water tests to check in the Water Analysis Online Laboratory , whether the water is providing optimal conditions for fish, invertebrates and plants.
If you live in a region with hard water you need to adjust your tap water to the recommended values (in aquarium information) by adding osmosis water.
You can find the JBL Rio Pantanal® at these specialist dealers
A lot of pet supply retailers exhibit the equipped Pantanal themed aquarium in their outlets and have everything you need for this aquarium in their product range.
Experiencing the habit up close
A JBL expedition already led us into the Pantanal in Brazil. In our report you can find out what research findings our team has brought along and the many photos will give you an impression about the beauty of this habitat above and under water.
