French Guiana is located on the Northeastern part of the South
American continent, between Brazil and Surinam.
This country of 91,000 square kilometers has a population of only 140,000
which is spread mainly along the coastline.
The backcountry is one of the last home for a wild and untouched
Tropical rain forest which is characterized by a dense fluvial network,
all the way from the tiniest streams to the huge rivers where 430
discovered fish species thrive.
The water quality is usually very high, and
its principal characteristics are :
-
Very soft, DH from 2 to 5 degrees
-
Mostly "Rio Negro" type of water (black water)
The usual "landscape" inside the rivers and streams
is :
-
Sand or fine gravel, hard mud in the swamps
-
All the time, decaying logs and roots
-
In the swamps or slow water areas, densely growing aquatic plants such
as cabombas and elodea
The 7 main fluvial basins of French Guiana are,
from west to east :
-
The Maroni river (the biggest, along the border with Surinam)
-
The Oyapock (along the border with Brazil)
These main rivers and their own network of tributaries [basins] often shelter
specific species of fish which cannot be found elsewhere in the country;
for example, Leporinus fasciatus can be found in the Maroni only,
and Pterophyllum scalare (Angel) is seen only in the Oyapock.