Savannah stream habitat, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

A trip into the interior of Mato Grosso do Sul state in Brazil with fellow aquarist Renan S. A. Ogiwara revealed the delights of this small stream, flowing under a highway and full of fascinating fish and plants. We arrived early in the morning but found a large family by the river, busily washing their clothes with detergent. Poverty where amenities like washing machines are lacking can have a direct effect on nature: an aquatic habitat becomes filled with soap and chemicals. We returned late in the afternoon and explored upstream (away from the washsite). The stream runs through an area of low savannah habitat and combines fauna and flora of the upland Bodoquena plateau and the lowland Pantanal basin, creating a wonderful interchange of species. Fish included the tiny and elegant Hyphessobrycon elachys, popular in the aquarium trade, Leporinus fasciatus and the striking Leporinus striatus, the frenetic Parodon nasus, brilliant Jupiaba acanthogaster, Moenkhausia oligolepis and Moenkhausia forestii, cous