OnlyGenusCaps

Yes, it all goes south if the shopping isn't done. It's quite the anemone garden you have going there! A scene of tenticular delights!

At least that is becoming your unanticipated crab breeding project is going well. I find that breeding a species makes losses feel less absolute. It takes the sting of the loss away a bit - though I don't name my critters, so perhaps this does not apply as well here. Still, I look forward to seeing the progress of her offspring.

That is an amazing isopod! I live that you can just take the critter as they come because this is a box representing the largely unseen below the surface tension in your backyard. I think a lot of aquarists would have much more interesting (and dramatic) aquariums if they could replace losses by grabbing a net and pulling from their yards. It's part of what makes this tank such a fascination for me, and I suspect many others around here too. Thanks for keeping us updated!

This is really an interesting pattern. From the list of species you've tried, it appears you have tried both ovoviviparous and true viviparous species. Given that in the ovoviviparous species the eggs aren't drawing on the mother's O2 supply in the same way, I'm not sure what the mechanism is. Plus, if I understand correctly, you are seeing attenuation through generations, and not total failure of broods. Is that right? Here is what I propose... I suspect you might be right that O2 concentrations could be playing a role here, but I wonder if it is doing so through developmental issues, i.e. the fish raised in the lower O2 environment are not developing properly, leaving them unable, or less able, to successfully reproduce as adults. This would account for why you are able to breed for a time, but not maintain stable populations long-term. If it was simply an acute lack of O2 to the pregnant females and their broods, I would expect lower number, but stable, brood sizes, or increased maternal mortality. But it doesn't sound like that's what you are observing. So my guess is there is an underlying developmental component to this. Obviously the way to test this would be to get a DO meter and then a means to super saturate the O2 in the water - however that might be prohibitively expensive. Maybe @modified lung or @Biotope Biologist have some other ideas about means to test the low O2 hypothesis. I'd also be curious about their takes on my suggestion about the role of development in the pattern you are observing.

To my knowledge there are two schools to addressing dedicated QT tanks (well, 3 if you count "I don't quarantine!"). The first is like what you, @wes.crockett, seemed to be describing initially - having an established tank at the ready, where snails, etc. are kept in between uses as a QT. This involves having a fully cycled tank ready to go for any QT needs. The second approach is the dry tank method, which is like the alternate suggestion that was presented - here you fully break down the tank, and either seed it with established media, or do massive water changes when the need arises. They can both work. Of course there are pros and cons to each method. The big pros of the established tank are that it will cause the least stress on the fish in QT. If you are largely using the QT tank to bring in the occasional fish, they are not likely to have a disease, and so this eases them into your system with little stress. However, the big downside of this system is that if you do have to treat, or if you lose a fish in there, the QT will need to be left fallow (i.e. with no fish) to break the disease cycle. The other thing to consider is that some meds can adversely impact snails and shrimp, and if you are going to prophylactically treat new arrivals then your other tank inhabitants will either need to be removed (as they would with damaging treatments), or they will be needlessly cycled through treatments (which they can be, but that is an ethical call). The big pro of the dry tank is that it is easy to ensure there is no transfer of disease if one occurs during QT because it is entirely broken down and cleaned in between. The biggest down side is that even with established media (and it need to be media, not tank water, as BB are most present on surface biofilms), the efficiency of the biofiltration will be lower and the fish are likely to experience more stress, ironically leading to greater disease susceptibility. Because there is the need for fully cycled media to go in this system, you have to have a way to have that on hand. Alternatively, with daily monitoring, and massive water changes, you can prevent ammonia from building up to dangerous levels. However, that ceases to become an ammonia control option of you have to treat. Additionally, though in my estimation of lesser importance, depending on where the QT goes, it can also be an eyesore, where the established tank can be an attractive QT setup. This setup does save power and effort though as it sits in storage in between uses. I'm not here to push you in one direction or the other, because as I mentioned they can both work. I just think it is valuable to consider the implication of either approach to allow you to make the best decision for your situation. That's a nice deal on a cool little tank, BTW. Good luck!

Gobies offer endless entertainment in my experience. They are so silly. Even the derpy ones like my desert species are still entertaining. I think I could watch anemones and long tentacled corals sway all day too. I still love that starfish in your tank too!

I forgot to mention that with a sump you can have your cats and pothos too. You just setup up an emergent refigium in the sump under the cabinet. Problem solved.

When I used to build vivariums (which would now be called paludariums for some 🤬 reason), I would often hide the pump for the waterfall under a shallow layer of substrate, often gravel, encased with fiberglass window screening sandwiched between two upturned plastic strawberry baskets. I haven't seen those little green strawberry baskets in years as they all come in clamshell packaging now, but wouldn't you know it, you can get a 48 pack on Amazon for like $20. That allowed free flow to the pump, and made access easy when I had to clean or replace it. Might not work in this application, but a hidden, accessible pump box can be really awesome and solve lots of problems.

Reefers be like: Pffff. And...? First off, Tom Scott - An internet treasure. Full stop. That's a massive protein skimmer! I love it! Actually, I really like the giant ones that people use on koi ponds too. Anytime you can filter something out of water with air, I'm in. I will say, I have zero confidence they are running an ULM (ultra-low maintenance) system. Sure, maybe "nothing is taken from the ocean or put back in", but they are dumping loads to the sewer system there. There is no way they are mixing that much salt, unless it is for water changes - and that's got to go somewhere. The other quibble I have is that I very much doubt they are using a small K3 trickle filter to get anoxic denitrification. If they are doing it, and I am guessing with the big water changes they aren't, it would have to be a much bigger and more complex system. I didn't mean for that to sound all negative. It's a cool video! Frankly, I'd like to see a series on the behind the scenes work in different public aquariums, allowing the viewers to compare the systems they use across the world. That would be awesome! Not Tom Scott's bag, but someone could do it. Please...

My ears are burning. Is someone talking about sumps?! 😲 Hi @Luciferkrist. A 210G?! That's a nice sized tank! I don't think anyone takes the plunge on a tank that size without interest and thought. Congrats on the new tank! I have a few larger tanks. My smallest tank is only 20G, but my largest is 300. I'll admit I am partial to sumps (which I can explain another time in general terms if you like), but there were a few things in your previous posts that led me to think a sump is likely the right option for you. Sumps offer the greatest flexibility, allowing you to modify the filtration to suit your stocking as it changes. When drilled through the bottom, sumps allow for flush fit to walls. Sumps can less expensive than cans, easier to maintain, and have few points of failure. You are likely already setup for a sump to be a fairly easy installation. This can easily be fixed, and why forums like this are so wonderful. So, I have sumps on all of my display tanks. All the way down to 42G. I'd put them on smaller displays too if I had them - if I had, say, a nano cube, it would have a nano sumo too. That said, there are other solutions that will function the same for the health of the fish. If you didn't already have a reef ready rank with corner weirs, I would say the corner mattens with quality Jetlifters (never get knock-offs, don't skimp, nothing moves water like the original - I know from experience) could do the trick. But for you to get them to work with that tank, you'd have to rip out the corner weirs. Which seems a bit silly to me. Plus, if there are predrilled holes, you'd have to seal them. Speaking of... Quick questions: Is the tank predrilled? If so, are the holes on the bottom or in the back? How many holes does each corner weir have drilled? If not, then the discussion gets into whether you feel comfortable drilling - I presume - glass. Anyhow, if you are interested in exploring putting in a sump on this tank, I'm happy to walk through the process of investigating this as an option with you, and if the you do decide to install a sump, I'll be happy to walk through the process with you for your tank and needs. Depending on how "reef ready" your tank is, it might be pretty easy. The big down side to sumps is they are a bit more work up front (I mean it's hard to beat, plunk in sponge, attach air, done), but I feel the upsides, particularly for display tanks, far outweigh the added effort.

This is a really cool way to do marginals in a deck bucket! I've got a lotus in mine, but I've been trying to figure out how I can get something upright in there next summer (too late this year - I'm in MN and feel your short season pain). I might just steal your idea and modify it for my purposes. Thanks for posting this!

Congrats! Are you going to pull it or leave it in with the parents?

See, you just had to stop trying (and let climate change help you along a little, I guess)!

Dagnabbit, those are good looking snails!

Nice. Stars are so cool! I have to figure out how, and when, I can incorporate them. Maybe even the "pest" species will be okay. Like "pest" snails in FW once they are embraced.

See, that is totally the outcome I would have guessed! But looks like they are making it it longer term. And to be honest, most of the "aquatic plants" in the hobby are marginals that try to reach the surface anyhow. Still, this is fascinating for me!

I don't know how anyone else's summer tubbing is going, but my first effort seems to be going alright. I put in 4 Hong Kong yellow fin WCMM when the mosquito larva started getting thick. They've been amazing at dealing with chowing on those, as well as the temperature swings in the water. I got a bit of an algae bloom early on but as the dwarf lotus (Nelumbo) grew in, the water is now crystal clear! Hopefully the fish will spawn, and then I just have to figure out what to do with them this winter... For now, here is a photo of when the dwarf lotus was producing it's first emergent leaf: And recently as it has begun ti fill in the tub (don't mind the kid's toy lawn mower in the background): Hopefully I'll have an update later this summer with it blooming. Wish me luck!

You know me well. I've already been checking our stripped belnnys - which can be bred in the aquarium! It also means I can track down captive bred to start with, which would be good too.

Absolutely fascinating! Definitely not a grass. But what is it?! A seeded aquarium plant seems really cool.

If you have to remove the bottom anyhow, you could replace it with tempered glass. Just to give it a bit more durability. A thought. That seems almost unbelievable! I feel like it could be the poster child for the "they don't make things the way they used to" phrase.

As I have said in the past, you are ever my muse and guru on the mountain (I know you like the allusion to one of those - but both are true). So, it's good to know I am perhaps on the right track with the over abundance of research. Ah. I remember those heady days! I am kinds of glad the way your tank worked out. I suspect I will have to be a bit more intentional given my comparative proximity to the source of my desired biota. I guess I didn't realize that. Congrats! If I do go this route we can both add a little salty content around here (don't worry mods, I don't plan on starting a lot of cursing - well maybe pirate-y cursing "avast ye lubbers"). Yup... I realize that. I do think that's perhaps the biggest part of the appeal for me though. I love how they fluoresce under the LED lights! I have a collection of fluorescent minerals - and these have all of the appeal, plus they grow! Fortunately with the fish I only really want the easy ones. I still like the idea of breeding my own; being self-sufficiency for tropical fish. That restricts me to the commonest ones, which tend to be cheaper. Thanks! I might do, depending on whether this is a lark or becomes a journey.

You'd need quite the chiller and large tank for that eelpout! They are tasty though - folks catch them up north on the Canadian border here in Minnesota. Apparently they are most active in the winter when they spawn, and go semi-dormant in the summers because the water gets too warm.

My suspicion is that @Odd Duck is correct, and these two species are sufficiently genetically distinct that cross breeding is highly unlikely. As you mentioned humans have created cross genera hybrids - loads in orchids. In terms of natural hybridization, with the split of Cylindropuntia from Opuntia, those would qualify as naturally forming intergeneric hybrids. However, the split is based on morphology and not genetic distance. Ironically, the massive levels of hybridization between all of the species in that clade means that genetics, which is normally the go-to tool these days for delineating species boundaries, can get murky and fuzzy. Ah nature. You never want to fit neatly into our human contrived boxes - I mean except for a well maintained aquarium...

I missed a lot! Thanks for sharing the links! I hope the little puffer is doing well. That should be pretty cool! I'm definitely in this for the corals and anemones, which seems like I've once again decided to jump blindly into the deep end, as is my way. Thanks! I think part of my problem is that I have this mental hurdle to jump. As a biologist, I feel really comfortable with FW because I have good taxonomic sense when it comes to the critters, plants, and algae I can keep in there. But I am far less familiar with SW biodiversity. Specifically tropical SW biodiversity. I think top me it feel like I can't even begin until I have a firm grasp of that piece of it all. I miss books! Having TFH books back in the day really gave great overviews that increased my comfort level. Though, I realize that pretty soon that complaint is going to sound akin to someone complaining that there just aren't enough papyrus scrolls around anymore.

Did I miss it? Where is your journal here? I would love to follow it!