jadefox Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 So my nano grew...lol...and I guess this is the forum for me. Actually, I've been connecting several nanos (under 30-gallons) to a 135 display tank, and I'm profiling the project in a series of articles. I'd love any and all feedback please! This is a major DIY project! :-) The first system I will be describing in the articles is a 260-gallon+ nearshore Indo-Pacific reef system with 3 connected biotope-specific tanks. It will look something like this: Overview of the System The system will be comprised of: A 135-gallon nearshore shallow reef display tank A 30-gallon mangrove root biotope tank A 20-gallon seagrass tank A 75-gallon FOWLR tank Because these tanks will be connected, the total water volume will be 260-gallons minus the volume of water displaced by live rock in the display tank and FOWLR tank and the deep sand beds of the mangrove and seagrass tanks. Additional volume will be added to the system by way of a large sump. The specific biotopes represented by each tank were chosen based on the critical role that biotope plays in the overall health and stability of the display tank’s biotope. In other words, mangrove-fringed shorelines, seagrass beds and open ocean are all individual biotopes intrinsically connected to the coral reef ecosystem. The destruction of the mangroves has an effect on the reef. The disappearance of healthy seagrass beds has an effect on the reef. The pollution of the open ocean, and the resulting harm done to open ocean species, has an effect on the reef. I'd love to have people here follow along and provide feedback on this forum for future articles. Part 1 of the series can be found at this link: Biotope-Based Marine Aquaria: Interconnected Biotope Tanks Improve Overall System Stability Thanks! Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 nice concept! i like the macro-biotope concept. i've always wanted to do a profile reef like fossa/nilsen described in their books. this is an even bigger undertaking! good luck and let us know how it progresses! Link to comment
jadefox Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 nice concept! i like the macro-biotope concept. i've always wanted to do a profile reef like fossa/nilsen described in their books. this is an even bigger undertaking! good luck and let us know how it progresses! Indeed. Nilsen is always an inspiration. I posted on article of the display tank beta today. It is here: http://fish.suite101.com/article.cfm/135ga...reef_tank_setup Thanks for the feedback. Link to comment
jadefox Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Part 4 in the series is up. It is called: "Plumbing a Saltwater Tank - Connecting the Display Aquarium to the Sump", and it deals with how to install the standpipe and drainpipe in the 135-gallon display tank. John Blatchford's most recent article in the series is "Mangroves and Seagrasses - Reef Fish and Corals are part of a Complex Ecosystem" where he discusses in more detail two of the biotopes that will be replicated in the main system. Part 3: 135-Gallon Reef Tank Set-Up - The Heart of a Biotope-Specific Marine Aquarium System Part 2: Marine Aquarium Biotoping - An Indo-Pacific Nearshore Reef System Part 1: Biotope-Based Marine Aquaria - Interconnected Biotope Tanks Improve Overall System Stability Your feedback is very much valued and appreciated. Cheers! Link to comment
phil121 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I will definitely be following along on this journey. I have looked through some of the articles but have not had a chance to really sit down and read them. I look forward to doing so. I have a couple of tanks sitting dry until I move in a few months and love the idea of biotopes. Will you be writing any articles on the biotopes themselves? Or any links from your research? Again, very cool setup. Can't wait to see it finished. Link to comment
jadefox Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 I will definitely be following along on this journey. I have looked through some of the articles but have not had a chance to really sit down and read them. I look forward to doing so. I have a couple of tanks sitting dry until I move in a few months and love the idea of biotopes. Will you be writing any articles on the biotopes themselves? Or any links from your research? Again, very cool setup. Can't wait to see it finished. Thanks for your comments. John Blatchford is working with me on this series of articles. He has a degree in Zoology and a PhD in Marine Biology, and he will be writing in more depth on the biotopes themselves. He has currently written two articles for the series. They are: Biotopes and Habitats - Marine Aquarium Hobbyists Research Biotope Tanks and Mangroves and Seagrasses - Reef Fish and Corals are part of a Complex Ecosystem He also has written a blog entry, and we have a discussion board set-up. I am also looking forward to writing more about the biotopes, my research and the species in the system, but I have decided to try to comprehensively discuss the mechanics of putting the system together as well. Once I finish discussing the mechanics of the display tank, I will move into stocking of the display tank and my observations before moving onto the seagrass and mangrove tanks. Thanks a lot for your feedback, and please continue to let me know what you think and which direction IYO would be most intersting for the articles to head. All the best! Link to comment
spanko Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Boy looks like I have a lot of links to keep following. This is a great project and one that should be interesting to all. Link to comment
phil121 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 In regards to growing the mangroves (A Biotope-Specific Refugium)... Since mangroves get huge, how do you keep them small for in the refugium? I am guessing they are slow growers. Do you simply trim them back? At some point I would imagine the root system might get to be big enough to be a detriment to the filter. Link to comment
jadefox Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 In regards to growing the mangroves (A Biotope-Specific Refugium)... Since mangroves get huge, how do you keep them small for in the refugium? I am guessing they are slow growers. Do you simply trim them back? At some point I would imagine the root system might get to be big enough to be a detriment to the filter. They are indeed slow-growers, but they can also--in fact need to--be pruned. There is some great information out their about bonsai mangrove propogation. When I grow mangroves in my system, the prop roots are always the focus, as they provide habitat for refugium-appropriate species (and they are great to look at). I'll put an article on pruning mangroves into my editorial calendar. Link to comment
jadefox Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Part 6 of the series was published today. It is called "Replicating Habitat in the Tank - Biotoping Aquarist Look to the Natural Habitat for Instruction". In this article, I wander away from the equipment-focus of the last three articles and suggest that a good way to decide how to configure your return line/outlet(s) is to look at the physical characteristics of the natural ecosystem you are trying to replicate. As such, Part 6 provides some additional background information about the nearshore reef in the western Banda Sea of Hoga Island that the display tank is replicating (Phil121, I will be hitting up the species that live in this biotope soon--I promise). As always, I'd love any and all feedback you might have. Link to comment
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