Ecosystem experiment

[Danielslo]

Dear Aquarists,

About 8 months ago I started an experiment. To give some background-info, for my university studies I was tasked to alleviate environmental pressure of human food chains by means of innovation of producing food. In my younger years I wanted to become a marine biologist so I ended up going in the direction of aquaculture. The system I designed is based on taking existing ecosystems and replicating them in a closed environment with only native species. Sounds like… a biotope aquarium! However the food web must be largely integrated so minimal input is needed.
 

The native part is hard since I live in the Netherlands. So I tried a South/Central american hybrid system where plants would take care of a chunk of the biological filtration and a small HOB filter for mechanical. The bioload consists of 3 A. Cacatuoides, 6 Corydoras trillineatus, formerly a bunch of Neocaridina (when the apistos grew up they decimated the population instead of controlling it, schocker…) and some endler hybrids. Later on I added one ancistrus for algae control. 
 

Needless to say this experiment failed long term, although with young apistos in a 180 litre/50 gallon it was very promising. 
 

I am planning on making a version 2.0 and need some advise. I purchased a Red Sea Reefer 425XL including the sump. I plan on making a large refugium in the sump for the shrimp to populate. Furthermore it includes high quantity of mechanical filtration and about 12 litres (3 gallons) of k1 fluidised bed for biological. Option of adding in ceramic rings and other media. 
 

I wanted to ask of you who have ideas/experience; what stocking would you suggest. I thought about adding in another micro-predator than A. Cacatuoides. Something that would control shrimp population but not decimate it. Candidates include, but are not limited to; sparkling gourami’s, a badi of some sort, other smaller dwarf cichlids, short finned bettas. 
 

The system is 425 litres (110 gallons) tank being 330 (approx. 90 gallons) and sump 90 litres (approx 20 gallons). Pictures of tank below, still have to replace the glass of the display tank and last set of baffles in sump.

The fish from the first tank are doing well! Most of them are rehomed and the rest will be soon. (See attached the mighty shrimp killers) 

Apologies for the lengthy post. Your help and thinking is much appreciated. 
 

Kind regards,

Daan

 

[Bgecko104]

I haven't done an ecosystem on such a large scale, but I do have experience with the topic and what I have learned is that it takes time (duh). I know you hear that from everyone, but what I mean is this: I set up my ecosystem in a 7 gallon shallow. I put live daphnia and scuds into the tank after letting it cycle, and I just let them populate in there for a month. After that, I added blue dream shrimp and 2 stiphodon gobies, and let the shrimp populate for a month. After that, I added 1 hillstream loach, two galaxy rasboras, and two scarlet badis. I dont feed this tank, the rasboras and badis survive off the scuds, daphnia, and shrimplets. The gobies and loach survive off decaying plants and algea. The tank is heavily planted with hornwart, which gives the smaller creatures places to live and breed. Hope some info can be gleamed from this.

[Justnotrook]

Those apistogramma are amazing