OnlyGenusCaps

Oh sure, brag about it why don't you. 🤪 That's interesting! So that's the moss that works for me too, despite out very different water qualities. Very cool!

Well, it took several days longer than I had hoped. Slowed by two, count them 1, 2, sick kids. But I finally got the tank filled. And it's... Cloudy. Not unexpected based on the "live, wet" substrate I used. I'll run the system over night before adding the ammonium chloride and the nitrifying bacteria. Wheil it runs over night, I have the sock in, hoping to help with the cloudiness, but once the bacteria are in, the sock goes and won't return until after the pods have established, and the fish are introduced. Starting tomorrow, I'll be covering the tank with a dark blanket to prevent light from complicating the process (not that there are any marine alga species I have to worry about being accidentally introduced here in the middle of the continent). But I wanted to share a photo of the tank right after it was filled, when the water was a cloudy and mysterious as my future with saltwater aquarium keeping is currently.

So, I have killed most of the available "easy" plants in the aquarium trade. Anubias? Dead. Java moss? Dead within days. Java fern? Don't make me laugh! However, on a lark, and out of desperation, I placed an order from Aquarium Co-Op this summer for plants. My local LFS just didn't have any at the time, and I had fish fighting, where I thought plants would lessen the aggression. I tossed a range of plants into my cart, figuring as these died I could try to find a source for plants adapted to my very hard water (Seattle water not being know for creating stalactites from your faucet). Much to my surprise most of the plants have survived, if not thrived. But the Pogostemon stellatus "Octopus" has grown insanely well! I never though I would succeed with a stem plant, but that plant is out pacing anything else in my tank. It's a darn-toot'n wonder! Pardon my French. In my experience thus far, that plants, which I've never seen anywhere but ACO, has been the easiest plant I've ever tried to grow. Side note, it worked to reduce the aggression, even this many months on!

Eh. It hasn't even been a week, dude. I miss stuff on here for months. Thanks! I have grander dreams long-term, but that's where I will likely begin. I'll admit, I kind of like the ones with sweeper tentacles that sting their neighbors for territory. This is part of the motivation for having 5 separate rock pieces that do not touch - it will allow me to create "islands" where I can isolate particularly aggressive or fast spreading corals. At least that's the plan for now...

I get that. But, I also get that. That's great news!!! I see a "second" here for you @modified lung. 😁 Well, I've got the clowns pair lined up from a buddy in the club here. So they'll be in there fore sure. I want to breed marine fish, so I'll be focusing on beginner species for that. I'm intrigued by blennies in general, and was thinking of doing stripped blennies, but... This tank is in the entry way of the house, and it's the first time my wife has been genuinely excited about a plan for this tank. She likes orchid dottybacks. So, I'll be doing those instead! I gone back and forth on benggai cardinals in addition too. I like them, but then I learned they are mouth brooders like my cichlids, and I didn't want to have to tear out the tank to get to the fry. But then I learned the babies would hang out in a fake urchin and I could capture them by putting the fake urchin in the net. So, they are back on the list! Basically, it'll be clowns, orchid dottybacks, and maybe some benggais. Not heavily stocked. Here my friend, you have opened a whole can of worms. 😂 For corals in general, I am a basic beast and I really like the fluorescent types! But honestly, I am still learning. I'm not that excited about softies, but I'll probably have to start there. The exceptions are pulsing xenia (I know it can spread everywhere, but it seems worth it - at this stage), and zoas. The thing about zoas is there are just to many! I wish there was a comprehensive website where I could look through all the strains, but everything seems to piecemeal, and it's taking me forever to learn about them. I'll probably try to gram the close polyps that have green and orange, and pink pulsing Sinularia too. Eventually, I'd like to get some LPS like torch corals for the movement in the current, and Trachyphyllia brain corals for the awesome colors. But, I had to look all of them up on the list I am keeping to teach myself about corals. Where is that encyclopedic website?! 🤪 Thanks! That kind of you to say, and nice to hear after all the effort.

I wonder if the wild culture also had hetrotrophs capable of acting as detritavores, which would cycle the nutrients back into use? I'm an ecologist, it's the way we think about the world. I could also be misinterpreting what you were conveying, and be totally off base. That seems likely as well pre-caffeine on a Saturday morning. 😜

Agreed! But I really need that forward facing lane to balance the left and right angle lanes. It's crazy how many permutations you can go through with just 5 pieces of rock!!! The Biome Cycle. Seen it. Doing it. Actually, it reminds me of the process that @Biotope Biologist went through to start his first iteration of the "Sub-Alpine Creek Biotope". I've done a few tub experiments along those lines as well, and now I am trying to get some micro-crustaceans to work on some algal species for me. Experiments to come. I feel like if this works, @modified lung could start a pretty slick business culturing parasite free "pods" to inoculate FW tanks with, given his culturing skills. Just say'n.

Unusually for me I am making fairly quick progress on this tank (and the stuff in the background like the RO/DI, mixing tub, etc.). I finally got the glue covered with rock powder to obscure the seams. I placed the rocks into the tanks and then... I fussed over the precise positioning for longer than I would like to admit. As it turns out, and aquascapers will already know this I suspect, it's hard to make contrived things look natural! I would turn a rock so there weren't parallel lanes between the rocks, and then the swim-thoughs would line up. Or I would push a rock back a bit to expose a different bit of rock, and then two would look placed. It was amazing how small shifts could make or break the arrangement. And all 5 pieces I built had to work together! It ended up being a whole thing. I have finally settled on a precise arrangement I like. I think... But here are the rocks placed in the tank with the light on. Remember that there will be about an inch of sand on the bottom, so some of the lowest features will be covered. Here it is head on: And here, from the right view: And lastly, from the left side view: I'd love to hear what folks think. Are there things that stand out as wildly contrived looking in the placement? Does it look like there will be enough habitat for fish and eventually CUC critters? Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking!

It looks great! A nice little rainbow in the tank in the first photo too!

I don't want to take away from this thread, so I'll attempt (key word) to be brief. You can see my supplementary air release setup (my wife has decided "blow off valve" sounds rude) and the gauge I got here, on a defunct, old journal of mine. I would use a gate valve if I did it again, rather than the ball valve for finer control. And I'd search harder for an even lower pressure gauge, ≤ 5psi. I keep mine right below 3psi. If I close everything off, it gets to around 5. I mean, judging by the photos, I might even be tempted to call that a storm you had there. 😉 Glad you came through.

That's a very kind offer! But with the title, which you kindly provided, I can grab it at the library. Thanks for letting me know about it!

I've fallen behind on your updates, but this is looking amazing!!! I'm super stoked for you, sir! Putting in a air loop was one of the best things I did. It has meant there is now zero planning involved in that space in terms of getting air where I need it. I can be far more flexible. I've been able to make more responsive decisions (and beware this can also mean more impulse buys if you are that sort of person) because if I need more space suddenly, I can drop a line in a sponge into a tote if needs be. In terms of your CFM air supply needs, one of the benefits of the linear piston pump is that if you need more volume you can simply add an additional pump to the system. I'd personally rather have the redundancy of say 2 or 3 smaller LPPs than get one large one. So, if you find yourself short on air volume, just splice in another pump into the loop somewhere and you are all set! I also put in a muffled blow off valve for any extra air, and a pressure gauge to ensure I was operating in a range that was good for the pump's longevity. Those two things have allowed me to dial in my air loop. Just FYI.

December's meeting for the Minnesota Aquarium Society (MAS) is coming up this Thursday, December 1st at 7pm central time. This time our speaker is going to take us on a trip across SE Asia, to fish farms, markets, and gardens. The talk is titled "SE Asian 'Fish' Trip" More on the talk: "Covers trip to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and includes 3 exporters, 3 plant farms, 2 discus farms, a Malawi cichlid farm, a Betta farm, a goldfish farm, the Bangkok fish market, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, the SEA Aquarium and more" More on the speaker: Mark Denaro has been keeping freshwater aquariums since 1970 and marine aquariums since 1976. Mark has been keeping planted and biotope aquariums since the mid-70s and was keeping reef aquariums before that term was coined. He has bred well over 200 species of freshwater fish and propagated over 150 species of aquatic plants. He has spawned 10 species of marine fish and propagated over 40 species of marine invertebrates. Mark is a coauthor of Adventurous Aquarist Guide to the 101 Best Freshwater Nano Species, published by Microcosm, Ltd. in September of 2014. He has written articles for several national and international magazines and wrote the recurring column ‘Into the Labyrinth’ for Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. He is currently a contributing editor and writes feature articles for TFH. Mark has been involved in the organized hobby since 1984. He is a past president of the International Betta Congress, the Indianapolis Aquarium Society and the Bucks County Aquarium Society. He is a founding member and the inaugural president of the American Labyrinth Fish Association. He is a well-known speaker and judge and has lectured to over 50 aquarium societies in more than 20 states, plus Canada and Bermuda, and spoken at numerous regional and national conventions. Mark is sales manager for Emark Tropical Imports, the oldest aquarium fish wholesaler in the US, and the largest transhipper on the east coast. He also makes videos that he shares on YouTube as All Natural Aquatics. Please join us on: Thursday, December 1 login by 7:00pm call-to-order at 7:05 Remember, you do not need to me a MAS member to attend! Our meetings are open to all, and all are welcome. However, you do need to register to this online only meeting. I would love to see as many forum members there as are interested! Register at this link! As always, if you have any questions feel free to post them here, or DM me. I hope to see you there!

Thanks, man! Me too. 😏 It could all fall apart around me, but I'm still game to try. I have two big motivators: 1) the breeding challenges (I liked breeding my desert gobies, which hit teeny fry, not quite larva, but it got me thinking), and 2) all the Cnidarians! 😁 Yes, those are like the planted tanks of the marine world! They seem to be gaining in popularity too. Plus macro tanks are perfect for - Seahorses!

Small. It is an acrylic 42gal bowfront; 36"wide x ~15" front to back x 20" deep.

Well, I've been working on this for a while. Takes time to afford all the you need/I want for a marine set up. But my previous "Pseudo-Saltwater" tank has been completely torn down and is now in the process of becoming my first real saltwater aquarium! The fish that lived in there have been given good new homes, thanks in part to the MAS club auction. Now with the tank cleared out, I've been able to recon figure the sump. I had hoped to put in a roller mat, but the one I got ended up needing more vertical space to change the mat than I had under the cabinet. Luckily I figured it out early enough that I was able to return it for a full refund. At this point that might have to be a later modification. For now, the sump setup is actually simpler than it was for my FW setup. Check it out: The nice thing was, because I ended up having to go with a sock for the time being, I didn't even have to re-plumb the sump. That's a serious bonus! The next step has been working on the aquascape. Here I am basing this a bit off the BRS HNSA style of aquascaping, which involved breaking up the marco rock and gluing/epoxying it back into more interesting shapes. Mine is still a lot bulkier than Ryan's, but I'm okay with that for now. I decided to reuse my marco rocks from the previous setup, reasoning that the FW algae would die, but it can't release any more ammonia upon decaying than the stuff that doesn't make it on the "live rock" some marine keepers use. Plus, this stuff will die! It just doesn't look very even right now. But with any luck, the pods will et the dead FW algae and the coraline algae will cover it soon enough. Here is the view from the front with everything glued and epoxied (I still have to use the crushed marco to cover the glue lines): It is sort of hard to get the depth in the rocks there, so here are shots from the left side and the right, respectively. Hopefully it makes it clearer than there are gaps and spaces between the different formations that form like little canyons between the rock. I've also go a couple of swim-through arches and some overhangs. I am hoping this setup will create good habitat for both the fish and the corals I want to include (the CUC will have to be happy with whatever 😉). I guess the last thing is, why the name Tavarua? Well, that is the name of a private island with a famous set of breaks off of the same name (though each have their own names). Most of these breaks are shallow over coral reef, and that's what the reef tanks are - shallow reefs. So this is my first, private, little, shallow reef. My Tavarua.

Memes about my descent into saltwater keeping: Some algae memes:

With the Yule season upon us, my heart lives in a Nordic dream of winter weather outside, and cozy comforts within.

Check valves are more trouble then they are worth in my estimation. I've never had an issue with water getting into my air pump. Ever. But, if you are worried about it you can simply loop the airline tubing up a bit over the water line; sort of a drip loop for electrical cords in reverse. I have had check valves decrease airflow in annoying ways, and fail in ways that blocks airflow. I no longer use them. Ditch it, and never look back. 🤠

All things come to a close. It is now time for me to end this journal, as I am shutting down the pseudo-saltwater aquarium. I feel like it was successful. I stocked and scaped a FW tank to mimic SW, and for the most part it was satisfying. Certainly, I enjoyed the number of people who came over and wanted to know if it was SW, or why I didn't have clownfish, or corals in there. The cracks started to form when I realized that should I could cohab the two species of fish I had in there, I couldn't breed both in the same tank. The julies were constantly eating the cyps' babies. The "fix" moving the cyps out, turned out to require me to dissemble the tank - a clue to the second problem I'd have. By putting the cyps, the julies no longer felt as safe. It turns out the cyps were acting as dithers, so I saw my fish far less. But that didn't stop them from breeding. Oh no! There were babies. So many baby julies! Again, I was unable to catch the fish out. There was too much rockwork for them to hide in. So, I was faced with the realization, I would have constantly increasing numbers of fish in the tank, and no way to get them out without major disruption to the tank. I like breeding fish. I didn't want to give that up, but I also need this tank to be a display as it is in the entry of my house. What to do? I realized I did want corals. I did want clownfish. I wanted to make this tank into an actual saltwater tank. And that's the plan. I'll still be breeding fish, but ones where I can pull the eggs or trap the larva to raise in a breeding tanks in my basement. Hopefully this will leave the display largely intact, and allow me to enjoy the best of both worlds. But, it does bring this setup and this journal to an end. I'll post updates to the new life of this tank as I can. But for now, here are the last of the julies: And here is the tank today. I'm pulling the last of the snails, and it will be drained and done by this weekend. Ready for a new adventure. Thanks to those who took an interest in this weird experiment of mine!

R.I.P. Keith Levene

That's just fantastic! Pure and simple.

Do you have, or can you get, a more detailed macro? The fact they are living below the water line rules out most insects. I'm quite curious what these might be. If they can be ID'd then we might be able to figure out if they are particularly sensitive to anything.

Well, I am glad to see you haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, @Biotope Biologist! Although, Olympia might be close. 😜 In all seriousness, congrats on the move! And well done on that tank! If you don't see the gobies, they might be sparse enough to breed in the tank, colony style. That would be cool! It' looks really good. It does! I'm looking forward to seeing the continued success of this setup.

So, it's been a hot minute since I've posted anything to my journals. And this won't be any sort of a full update. Too many other things going on. But... I just got in my first mbuna and put them in my all purpose QT (a single 20H tank that I can use to QT fresh, salt, and frogs - quite the space saver, as long as I only need to QT one thing as a time). They are baby Chindongo (syn. Pseudotropheus) saulosi Anyhow, here they are: