Most aquarists start their journey in fishkeeping by simply mixing random animals into an aquarium and decorating the aquarium to suit their personal aesthetics.  As we learn more, some of us endeavor to recreate natural habitats instead of mish-mash communities of species from different parts of the world because there is a special appeal watching animals interact with their environments as nature intended … saying nothing of creating healthier natural environments for fishes.

The BIOTOPE AQUARIUM Project (BAP) is currently crowdsourcing funds (via Indiegogo) to educate aquarists about natural aquatic habitats from around the world so that they are able to more faithfully replicate these ecological communities (AKA biotopes) in their home aquariums.

The Project will compile lots of photos of natural habitats and provides guidelines on how to reproduce natural water parameters as well as how to decorate  aquariums to replicate specific biotopes.  It will also provide a list and photos of fish species and plants that naturally occur in these habitats as well as suitable alternatives from other parts of the world.

The BAP is a truly international collaboration of scientists, ichthyologists, and biotope experts.  With your support, they hope to promote research, education, and conservation to keep pace with the digital age.