Puget Sound Biotope

[Streetwise]

These powerheads are also cool. They are more mellow, and what I would probably use with a nano reef.

https://www.aqamai.com/en/kps/

These are the Tunze internal filters that I tested, and am saving for marine:

https://www.tunze.com/US/en/details/3161.000-comlineR-nanofilter-3161.html

None of my freshwater tanks need those levels of flow.

[eatyourpeas]

Those look really cool!

My challenge when I was looking at filters and equipment was the 1" thick tank (most magnets do not work there). Also, I did not want to exceed my heat generating pieces inside the tank so I could keep the temperature stable. Right now the one and only pump lives in the filter housing with enough evaporative cooling, and then pumps to the tank via the chiller. The internal skimmer is driven buy a nano pump located next to the back wall of the aquarium, chilling...

This is soooo dangerous when it comes to MTS! SW has so much cool tech makes me want more toys! 🤪

[eatyourpeas]

Today was the first cleaning of the foam in the V-Sump. Yuck! Those critters do generate a lot of waste! The Poret and the finer layers were totally black. Water is coming out crystal clear. Still getting the hang of how often I need to clean the pads, but the cool thing is the the inner filter chamber shows a higher water level which is a flow indicator, letting me know they need cleaning.

The sock got cleaned as well!

Edited July 24, 2021 by eatyourpeas
Forgot the bit about the filter sock.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 7/24/2021 at 6:31 PM, eatyourpeas said:

the cool thing is the the inner filter chamber shows a higher water level which is a flow indicator, letting me know they need cleaning

I'm finding that's the case with my prefilter for my overflow in my P-Salt as well.  When the level comes up towards the emergency overflow, the prefilter needs a rinse.  Mine is 10ppi so it lets lots through, but I have a sock below.  It's interesting to think about the indicators what are probably universal when you set up a sump this way, even though we have differing flow patterns.  I'll bet @Cory has the same thing happening with his sump on his big tank with all those layers of foam.  Foam can let you know when you need to change it.  A distinct advantage in my opinion.

On 7/24/2021 at 6:26 PM, eatyourpeas said:

This is soooo dangerous when it comes to MTS! SW has so much cool tech makes me want more toys!

I have no intention of doing salt, but I am already a sump-head, I'm pricing reef pumps, and probably (as you know) going to work to design a skimmer that will work with my freshwater.  I'm not even a reefer but I'm paying bills like I am.  Ugh. 🙄

On 7/24/2021 at 6:31 PM, eatyourpeas said:

The sock got cleaned as well!

Edited 2 hours ago by eatyourpeas
Forgot the bit about the filter sock.

Excellent!  Glad you included it.  As you know, I am a sock convert.  They are the absolute best!  I have far too many spares and just run them through the washer once a week after putting one of the others in.  I can't begin to comprehend what those things catch.  Even when I only had snails in there and a few male Endler's to cycle the tank, the sock caught all, the sock stopped all.  My old sump with no sock was a mulm pit (not that there is anything wrong with mulm), but now my sump has clean biofilm around the bioballs.  I think they might be more efficient for it (here I have no proof, just ardent belief).  I still think the socks should come last, but I don't think they should be skipped. 

[eatyourpeas]

On 7/24/2021 at 6:47 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

A distinct advantage in my opinion.

Indeed a plus of sump systems!

On 7/24/2021 at 6:47 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I'm not even a reefer but I'm paying bills like I am. 

Well, believe it or not, I have spent a lot more on my FW tanks than the SW, but I have to admit, I made everything and have not paid for the critters. Yet.

On the skimmer side of things, I am currently running a test: three lines coming out of the skimmer carrying wet skimmate from different levels of the skimmer. I want to see at what level the bubbles accumulate the most waste. You'd think the lowest level would be the one, but so far the upper one seems to be the dirtiest of them all (really dark brown), so it proves that bubbles are indeed a good waste transport. Will check again tomorrow morning. Oh, and to prove this point, which will make you gag but @madmark285quite proud, I dumped all the clam juice from feeding three clams to the critters. I think the crabs went into clam coma, and they are now resurfacing looking for the salad bar after all that protein! The tank water is just clearing up, too, after having gone cloudy. Parameters are still stable. Go figure. 🤪

 

[eatyourpeas]

On 7/24/2021 at 6:47 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I still think the socks should come last, but I don't think they should be skipped. 

Well, it was because of you and @madmark285 that I included the sock in the system. Can't imagine filtering without them! And you are right, they catch... whatever! but they catch it, and are quite efficient at it!

Edited July 25, 2021 by eatyourpeas
Needed to credit another very important person.

[eatyourpeas]

Temperature update, still no condensation!

[eatyourpeas]

Please, I need help with ID for this little "Dot", and I shall name him/her Dot. Is it an anemone baby? Sorry I could not get clearer close-up. @Biotope Biologist, any ideas?

[Biotope Biologist]

My first thought would be an encrusting bryozoan maybe an Eurystomella  bilabiata. But Ophlitaspongia pennata or red encrusting sponge looks similar until you get up close and personal. Then again a baby anenome is also a real possibility.

 

It's always fun finding new critters in the tank, maybe it will be easier to identify once it gets a bit bigger ☺️

Edited July 27, 2021 by Biotope Biologist
I am an italics slave for life

[eatyourpeas]

On 7/27/2021 at 12:24 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

My first thought would be an encrusting bryozoan maybe an Eurystomella  bilabiata. But Ophlitaspongia pennata or red encrusting sponge looks similar until you get up close and personal. Then again a baby anenome is also a real possibility.

 

It's always fun finding new critters in the tank, maybe it will be easier to identify once it gets a bit bigger ☺️

Great! I am a grandmama to a dot! I will keep an eye out for its development and report on toddlerhood when the time comes. Thank you! 😁

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 7/27/2021 at 2:24 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

Edited 43 minutes ago by Biotope Biologist
I am an italics slave for life

🤣  I hear you! 

[eatyourpeas]

Thursday evening, Maurice Ravel, a little wine, and guess who comes out?

[OnlyGenusCaps]

That is one elegant star fish! 

[eatyourpeas]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:15 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

That is one elegant star fish! 

He moved so gracefully, it was wonderful to watch him for a while! I wonder if he lost patience with the crabs, as they go around the tank tearing everything. When they see me come to the tank they get near the glass and raise their claws in dare mode. When I go in there to clean the tank (yes, I know I shouldn't), however, they grab my fingers gently and just want to play. Goofballs! 🤪

I put some live clams in there yesterday for the starfish to find.

[eatyourpeas]

This tank is definitely a "play" tank, permanently removing the "dis" portion.

It is fun to watch. However, the critters are definitely a bunch of college kids and the tank is the dorm after a party! Messy in the morning, but by evening the CUC has done a fabulous job straightening out the furniture! I so love the hermies and their dutiful disposition.

This little guy came out, so it was fun to see him out and about:

 

[eatyourpeas]

Getting algae so the pod population is multiplying to a very healthy level. They are so fun to watch as they pop from one place to another. Not able to get a picture, but there are all sorts of pods, some looking very prehistoric.

Will probably scrape the algae on the glass but leave it in the tank as food. Still learning lots from these little guys! 🙃

[Patrick_G]

I’d love to see some juvenile Cutthroat in there. 

[eatyourpeas]

On 8/1/2021 at 10:05 AM, Patrick_G said:

I’d love to see some juvenile Cutthroat in there. 

I am sure he would too!

[eatyourpeas]

Thanks to @OnlyGenusCaps for posting the notes on archaea. I am now deep into reading a number of papers to educate myself on how to make this tank a happy place.

I know I will keep algae (definitely staying photosynthetic) and diatoms (pods love the stuff and the baby sculpins have fun fishing for them). Below is my beautiful diatom farm showing the sculpins swimming nearby:

Today I spotted two of the Brittle starfish arms looking for food, and it made happy to know he is still there:

Lastly, I made my own anemone feeder so I can target the different anemones and bypass the greedy crabs. Used one feeding syringe, borosilicate tubes, vinyl tubing, end cap for smaller areas. It is mostly rigid but can bend to get into tricky areas:

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/6/2021 at 3:18 PM, eatyourpeas said:

Lastly, I made my own anemone feeder so I can target the different anemones and bypass the greedy crabs. Used one feeding syringe, borosilicate tubes, vinyl tubing, end cap for smaller areas. It is mostly rigid but can bend to get into tricky areas:

That's ingenious!  I like it.  I do love Cnidarians.  I wish there were a giant hydra in freshwater.  Ahh...  To dream.

[Hobbit]

@OnlyGenusCaps maybe you need to start a selective breeding project for hydra!! 😀

[Torrey]

On 8/6/2021 at 7:53 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

That's ingenious!  I like it.  I do love Cnidarians.  I wish there were a giant hydra in freshwater.  Ahh...  To dream.

Have you intentionally maintained a tank of the symbiotic hydra?

I wish I had been better informed about the benefits of so-called aquarium pests. I spent so much time trying to eradicate "pests" instead of appreciating them, I wasted decades of what could have been more aquarium fun.

Out of 13 tanks, my spouse's 2 favorites are the amphopods and the plant grow out tank with the guppies.🙄

However, the Walstad is gaining appreciation. 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/7/2021 at 12:35 AM, Hobbit said:

maybe you need to start a selective breeding project for hydra

🧐  If I thought it would work on a reasonable timescale, I just might.  🤪

On 8/7/2021 at 1:26 AM, Torrey said:

Have you intentionally maintained a tank of the symbiotic hydra?

I've had Hydra viridissima in a tank years ago.  I didn't try to get rid of them, but I also didn't do anything to maintain them.  If I start them now, I'll be getting myself a BBS hatchery.  Just need to figure out which the largest species is...

On 8/7/2021 at 1:26 AM, Torrey said:

Out of 13 tanks, my spouse's 2 favorites are the amphopods and the plant grow out tank with the guppies.

Sounds like your spouse has excellent taste to me! 

[eatyourpeas]

On 8/6/2021 at 6:53 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I wish there were a giant hydra in freshwater. 

I can envision a movie poster "The Giant Hydra That Ate Minneapolis" as the next blockbuster announcement!

[eatyourpeas]

On 8/6/2021 at 11:26 PM, Torrey said:

I wish I had been better informed about the benefits of so-called aquarium pests. I spent so much time trying to eradicate "pests" instead of appreciating them, I wasted decades of what could have been more aquarium fun.

It seems all my tanks are fun homes to pests. I love algae, snails, pods, and all sorts of odd critters. It makes observing and learning from the tank fun! I started with Walstad as well, then they evolved into their own little universes.