One of the favorite habitats as a model for the design of an aquarium is the area South America, where it is not a uniform habitat. Very different are the conditions in the Amazon and its many tributaries, such as the Rio Xingu and the Orinoco.

Many popular aquarium fish such as tetras as black tetra, Marbled hatchet-stomachs and especially the small, "glowing" swarm fish that should be in every pet shop, the neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi), scalar (Pterophyllum scalare), discus (Symphysodon), catfish (Corydoras ), Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), L-catfish as ear Lattice Loricariids (Otocinclus), catfish (Ancistrus spec.) or honeycomb signs catfish (Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps), dwarf cichlids (Apistogramma), Maroni cichlids (Cleithracara maronii), Blaupunkt cichlids (Aequidens pulcher) , Rotbrust-Tüpfelbuntbarschen (Laetacara dorsigera) or eartheater (geophaginae) come from South America, but are just a few examples of the many popular aquarium fish from this region.

Very well known but less widely used in hunting, however, are the piranhas and freshwater stingrays.

The decor is mostly with large plants and roots, the water levels are extremely acidic part that no plant growth is possible. If a South Aquarium nevertheless be heavily planted, the use of a CO2 system is recommended.