Sliceofnature Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 Very cool idea, i love how its coming together already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 6, 2021 Author Share Posted May 6, 2021 9 hours ago, Sliceofnature said: Very cool idea, i love how its coming together already. Thanks! It is a lot of fun to watch how it evolves! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 6, 2021 Author Share Posted May 6, 2021 14 hours ago, ererer said: Neat fish! He is! Very expressive eyes! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 Caught a little moment of, well, a little moment. 🙄 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 I love the little, wildly-waving pleopods on the amphipod eating the pellet. It's so happy! Reminds me of a dog wagging its tail when it get s a treat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 15, 2021 Author Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) A new little bit joined the tank this evening: a Sea gooseberry (Pleurobrachia bachei). Although very shy, it appears he is already the talk of the town. Edited to update the video. He put on a show of lights! Edited May 15, 2021 by eatyourpeas 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 Artemisia (Pandalus hypsinotus) keeps getting bigger and more beautiful every day! She'd like you to believe she is the tank boss! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 Closely watching predation in the little tank. The Hermit crabs and Tiberius have dispatched the jellies. 😞 Tiberius guarding his sponge (he is very territorial): 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 20, 2021 Author Share Posted May 20, 2021 After two cups of coffee, new jellies, one Moon jelly (Aurelia aurita)! Cute as a little clear button! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 As always, I love the sound tracks! That's the Barry White of jellyfish. I was waiting for an "oh yeeeeah" to pop in at any point. Smoooooth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 27, 2021 Author Share Posted May 27, 2021 Now it's time for tank. Construction started on the 1" thick acrylic aquarium that will be home to the biotope. Four sides done, two more to go. Then the fun begins!🤪 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 (edited) A beautiful C-O Sole (Pleuronichthys coenosus) joined the fam this evening! Tiberius is very confused! Edited May 29, 2021 by eatyourpeas Added video. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 There are so many great salt water fish out there! I sometimes feel like people get stuck into a rut of what an aquarium "should" be and what an aquarium fish should be. This project is such a wonderful exploration out side our little glass (or acrylic) boxes! As I too begin to think about making a more diverse aquarium community have you found predation to be an issue? Might this flounder eat your previously added shrimp? How are the amphipods doing with the new predators? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 2 hours ago, OnlyGenusCaps said: As I too begin to think about making a more diverse aquarium community have you found predation to be an issue? Might this flounder eat your previously added shrimp? How are the amphipods doing with the new predators? That has been the most fascinating lesson of all! It has given me a great window into predation in the real world at a small scale. So far, since February, everyone is still in there except the two little crabs and the krill. I found molts from the Grainyhand crabs but have not seen them, so am assuming they were eaten by another critter. The hermies are there and get into territorial scuffs every now and then. Amphipods probably get eaten but reproduce so fast that their population is still at very healthy levels. Nobody seems to bother the snails, although I am sure when the time comes, a hermit my evict someone to occupy the new dwelling. Tiberius goes after krill and copepods and is very protective of his sponge. CoCo is still figuring the tank out. The jellies did not make it either, they became food as well. I could (and do) watch this tank for hours! 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 Interesting signs of predation in the most unusual place... Do you think he knows he has a roommate?😵 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 This is what the ocean felt like this morning! 🙃 And the tank felt just like that as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 Tiberius has decided to share the sponge with CoCo! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 Two days of 80+ degrees did the little tank in. I was not able to maintain a stable temperature through the hot days, the internal water temperature reached 80F and I could see the critters were starved for oxygen. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. I lost both the CO Sole and the Tidepool sculpin. The crabs are really mad, and the snails are running for their life to the top of the tank. In a desperate attempt to save the ones left, I added a makeshift skimmer so that I could bring in some oxygen and increased the water agitation. If by tomorrow it does not look better (the macro is a good marker) I will tear the tank down and return the survivors to the ocean. This means I will not have an observation tank until I finish the big one, where things will be setup properly (hopefully) and there will be a way to keep the water to the right temperature. This has been a humbling lesson, for sure. I am trying to not feel completely defeated as it has been a week of losses in other tanks. Will reassess after a few days... 😞 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 19 minutes ago, eatyourpeas said: Two days of 80+ degrees did the little tank in. I was not able to maintain a stable temperature through the hot days, the internal water temperature reached 80F and I could see the critters were starved for oxygen. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. I lost both the CO Sole and the Tidepool sculpin. The crabs are really mad, and the snails are running for their life to the top of the tank. I'm so sorry for your losses! But, it is interesting that the O2 saturation might have been the issue. I wouldn't have expected that necessarily despite knowing the relationship between O2 solubility and temperature. A learning experience for sure! When this pandemic started, I wanted to keep dart frogs again. I even started getting materials together. Sadly, it became apparent as summer hit that living in a house without central A/C meant I simply couldn't keep the temperatures down to keep the frogs happy. I had to abandon that. But, that has lead me to revitalize my aquarium efforts. Which led me here. In the end I think I am going to be happier with the aquariums than I would have been trying to keep darts again. I know you have great plans in place to do this biotope properly. I suspect this is an unfortunate bump in the road. I imagine with a few projects I have in the works there are some coming my way too. 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 2 minutes ago, OnlyGenusCaps said: I wouldn't have expected that necessarily despite knowing the relationship between O2 solubility and temperature. It is definitely speculative on my part, but looking at the makeshift setup and how the critters were behaving, it points to that as a possibility. I am mostly sad that they died, and that I did not act on my instinct to correct the problem earlier. 6 minutes ago, OnlyGenusCaps said: When this pandemic started, I wanted to keep dart frogs again. I even started getting materials together. Sadly, it became apparent as summer hit that living in a house without central A/C meant I simply couldn't keep the temperatures down to keep the frogs happy. I had to abandon that. But, that has lead me to revitalize my aquarium efforts. Which led me here. In the end I think I am going to be happier with the aquariums than I would have been trying to keep darts again. I was truly hoping to have the big tank up and running earlier, so I knew I was lucky to have the outside temperatures work in my favor, until the last two days, that is. Central A/C is not common in houses in the PNW, at least not the older ones. A fan is our idea of keeping cool. So, you had a more responsible approach to your situation and I wish the timing had worked out a little better on my end. Good lessons learned, and will definitely be a bit more cautious moving forward. Thank you so much for the kind words. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 The addition of a skimmer has brought the benefit of oxygenation! Tank survivors are active and the water parameters look great. I still need to assess whether investing in an oxygen meter is worth the money. Tank temperature is still high at 74F but with the added oxygen it appears to be fine for these intertidal critters. Still, I will add no more until it is time for the big tank. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 What wonderful news! Wow, O2. That's so incredible! Protein skimmer. Make your bubbles work for you. I love it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted June 4, 2021 Author Share Posted June 4, 2021 This should make @madmark285quite happy. All about the bubbles!!! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted June 10, 2021 Author Share Posted June 10, 2021 Bottom has been welded. Top pieces are curing and will provide support as well as hold the sliding lids in place. Lots more to do, but I need 72 hours before I can touch it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 As I was doing a WC on the little tank today, I discovered the two Grainyhand crabs are still there, so they did not die from the last tank bad event! And I watched one of the hermits grab an amphipod in mid swim and eat it for dinner! Crustaceans are so cool! 🤪 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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