The Amazon River or River Amazon (Spanish: RÃo Amazonas; Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is the most voluminous river on earth, having a greater total flow than the next six largest rivers combined. Accordingly, it is sometimes known as The River Sea. The Amazon is also generally regarded by most geographic authorities as being the second longest river on Earth (the longest being the Nile in Africa).
The drainage area of the Amazon in Brazil, called the Amazon Basin, is the largest of any river system. If the Basin were an independent country, it would be the world's seventh largest, having more than twice the area of India (which actually does rank seventh).
The quantity of fresh water released by the Amazon to the Atlantic Ocean is enormous: up to 300,000 m³ per second in the rainy season. Indeed, the Amazon is responsible for a fifth of the total volume of fresh water entering the oceans worldwide. It is said that offshore of the mouth of the Amazon potable water can be drawn from the ocean while still out of sight of the coastline, and the salinity of the ocean is notably lower a hundred miles out to sea. This mixture of fresh and salt water is known as brackish water.
This huge amount of water is responsible for the fact that the Amazon has no clouds above its channel near its mouth, as it is very easy to see in the satellite image. The reason for this is that satellite images are almost always taken during morning hours, when there are fewer clouds. This time of the day is also when water is colder and land is beginning to be much warmer: above big rivers (the Orinoco and Caura rivers in Venezuela and many more have the same characteristic), cold waters create a high pressure air mass which make rivers easy to see through clouds. On the contrary, during afternoons, clouds cover most river channels.
The main river (which is usually between one and six miles wide) is navigable for large ocean steamers to Manaus, 1,500 km (more than 900 miles) upriver from the mouth. Smaller ocean vessels of 3,000 tons[1] and 5.5 m (18 ft) draft can reach as far as Iquitos, 3,600 km (2,250 miles) from the sea. Smaller riverboats can reach 780 km (486 mi) higher as far as Achual Point. Beyond that, small boats frequently ascend to the Pongo de Manseriche, just above Achual Point.
The Amazon drains an area of some 6,915,000km (2,722,000 mile), or some 40 percent of South America. It gathers its waters from 5 degrees north latitude to 20 degrees south latitude. Its most remote sources are found on the inter-Andean plateau, just a short distance from the Pacific Ocean; and, after a course of about 6,400 km (4,000 mi) through the interior of Peru and across Brazil, it enters the Atlantic Ocean at the equator.
The Amazon has changed its drainage several times, from westward in the early Cenozoic to its present eastward locomotion following the uplift of the Andes.
amyloodinium ocellateum is commonly called Oodinium, Marine Velvet, or Saltwater Ick. Possible signs of the disease are cloudy eyes, gasping for breath, listlessness, and white spots. Positive signs of the disease are gold or brown spots, rough skin, and rubbing against rocks, etc. Treatment can be done by a freshwater dip and copper (as long as inverts are not in the tank).
The lower part of the polyp, often stiffened, into which the distal portion of the polyp, the anthocodia (which includes the mouth and the eight tenacles) is withdrawn. The calyx.
The Apollo Shark is a silver shiner looking fish that hunts for insects at the surface of the water but is also omnivorous in Aquarium settings. The Apollo Shark is from Thailand and neighboring islands.
The Apollo Shark is a schooling fish, excellent jumpers and grow to about 10 inches long.
a·quar·i·um - 1. A tank, bowl, or other water-filled enclosure in which living fish or other aquatic animals and plants are kept.
2. A place for the public exhibition of live aquatic animals and plants.
Generally peaceful and good companions to many other types of tropical fish, the Bala shark is an omnivore and will eat other animals if they're small enough to fit in their mouths (including other smaller fish, and shrimp). Bala sharks are widely available in most pet stores, but aren't marketed well since most aquarists buy them before knowing that a bala shark with a large environment can grow up to 14-16 inches long. Shrimp (ghost shrimp, krill, etc.) should have adequate hiding places to keep them from getting eaten. The price of a single Bala Shark usually ranges anywhere from $2.50USD to $7.50USD depending on fish size, store, and geographic location.
Benthos and benthic refers to living on or under the substrate at the bottom of the ocean. sessile means the organism is attached to the substrate. pelagic refers to living in the water of the ocean above the bottom. pelagic organisms usually have some ability to move around.
water that is neither fresh nor saltwater, but is somewhere in between. In nature this occurs at the mouths of rivers and swamps near the sea.
brackish water should have enough salt added to reach a specific gravity in the range of 1.002 to 1.008. Since brackish water is generally a mixture of freshwater and saltwater, a high quality saltwater mix works best but pure rock salt will work in a pinch.
NEVER USE IODIZED SALT!
A hydrometer is needed to measure salinity but be sure that the one used will measure the necessary range. Most hydrometers found in Aquarium stores are made for measuring pure saltwater so they will not measure the lower salinity needed for brackish. A couple direct reading of specific gravity and ppt. that will work for these lower levels are: Instant Ocean Salinity hydrometer manufactured by Marineland Labs, and SeaTest Full Range specific gravity Meter manufactured by Aquarium Systems.
Some fish live in salt water but are spawned in brackish or fresh water and vice versa. There are several brackish species available in the Aquarium hobby, see freshwater Fish for descriptions.
The structure in clams that produces fibrous threads (byssus) that attach the clam to substrate. Sometimes permanent although more usually temporary attachment of tough organic threads secreted from a gland in the foot of the clam.
The cherry barb, Puntius titteya is a tropical fish belonging to the spotted barb genus of the Cyprinidae family. It is native to Sri Lanka, and introduced populations have become established in Mexico and Colombia.
Physical description
The cherry barb is an elongated fish with a rather compressed body. It is fawn-colored on top with a greenish sheen. Its sides and belly are a gleaming silver, often reddish. A horizontal stripe (brownish black to deep bluish black) extends from the tip of the snout through the eye to the base of the caudal fin. Above it is an iridescent, metalic line, gold at the front turning to blue or sea green toward the tail. At breeding time, males attain a deep red color. Females are darker, with yellowish fins. The cherry barb will grow in length up to 2 inches (5 centimeters).
Habitat
Its native environment is one of heavily shaded, shallow, and calm waters. Their native substrate is one of silt with leaf cover. Cherry Barbs natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 6.1 - 8.0 pH, a water hardness of 5.0 - 19.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 74 - 81 °F (23 - 27 °C).
Importance to humans
The cherry barb is of commercial importance in the Aquarium trade.
Conservation status
The more colorful varieties of the cherry barb are in danger of being overfished for the Aquarium hobby industry.
Breeding
An open water, substrate egg-scatter, the adult barbs will spawn around 200 to 300 eggs in a single spawning. The pair will try to eat as many eggs as possible when finished. The eggs hatch in 1 to 2 days and then will be free-swimming after 2 more days.
Name origins
The cherry barb was originally described as Puntius titteya by P.E.P. Deraniyagala in 1929 and has also been referred to as Barbus titteya and Capoeta titteya.
This peaceful cherry-red fish is mostly found in community tanks by fish keeping hobbyists. The cherry barb is less of a schooling fish than other Barbs and should best be kept in groups of five or more individuals. It will live for many years in captivity. They prefer a tank with abundant furnishings, about two-thirds to three-quarters of the tank, but still need space to school. It likes shade and will withdraw under the cover of plants. Younger males are often aggressive. Appropriate tankmates include Rasbora and similar peaceful fish.
Cichlids (pronounced “sick-lidsâ€) are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. The family Cichlidae, a major family of perciform fish, is both large and diverse. Estimates of species range from 1300 to 1900, making it one of the three largest vertebrate families. They span a wide range of body sizes, from so-called dwarf species as small as 2.5 cm in length (e.g. Neolamprologus multifasciatus ) to much larger species approaching a metre in length (e.g. Boulengerochromis and Cichla). As a group the cichlids exhibit a similarly wide diversity of body shapes, ranging from strongly laterally compressed species (such as Altolamprologus, Pterophyllum, and Symphysodon) through to species that are cylindrical and highly elongate (such as Teleogramma, Teleocichla, Crenicichla, and Gobiocichla). On the whole though, cichlids tend to be of medium size, round in shape and slightly laterally compressed, and generally very similar to the North American sunfishes in terms of morphology, behaviour, and ecology.Some species, particularly the tilapiines are important food fishes, while others are valued game fish (eg. Cichla species). Many species are also highly valued in the Aquarium trade. Cichlids are also the family of vertebrates with by far the highest number of endangered species, most of these being from among the haplochromine group. Cichlids are particularly well known for having evolved rapidly into a large number of closely related but morphologically diverse species within in large lakes, particularly the African Rift Valley lakes of Tanganyika, , and Victoria, and Malawi. Many cichlids that have been accidentally or deliberately released into freshwaters outside of their natural range have become nuisance species, for example tilapia in the southern United States.
The clown barb (Puntius everetti), or Everett's barb is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Cyprininae sub-family of the Cyprinidae family. It originates in inland waters in Asia, and is found in Borneo and Sumatra. It was originally described as Barbus everetti by George Albert Boulenger in 1894, and has also been referred to in scientific literature as Barbodes everetti.
The fish will grow in length up to 6 inches (15 centimeters).
It lives in a tropical climate in water with a 6.0 - 6.5 pH, a water hardness of 10 dGH, and a temperature range of 75 - 86 °F (24 - 30 °C). It feeds on worms, benthic crustaceans, insects, and plant matter.
The clown barb is of commercial importance in the Aquarium trade industry.
The clown barb is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs.
an aquatic animal of the Phylum Coelenterata which is characterized by a central mouth usually surrounded by tentacles bearing stinging cells, and no anus; includes sea anemones, corals, and jellyfishes.
