Biotope Questions

[AdriftQuasar]

I've been keeping a mixed reef for about a year and a half (tank thread is in my signature) and haven't really been satisfied with the results. I really want to get a more or less fresh start and head off in the biotope direction. I recently upgraded my lighting to 250w MH so I don't feel like I'm very limited in terms of what I can keep, I suppose corals that aren't a big fan of intense lighting might be out of the question. As it stands, the tank is a 20 gallon high aquarium, but I plan to upgrade to a larger tank, though I'm not sure what yet.

 

I figured since doing a biotope is much different from doing a regular reef tank, that I might want to start with something that is a fairly easy biotope to achieve, but I don't know that I would be. I have researched different reef zones somewhat, but I don't feel like that has really helped me narrow down a location to focus on.

 

I really like the idea of doing a clam lagoon. In John Tullock's book, Natural Reef Aquariums, he gives example for different biotope ideas. One he gives that I think might be fun is an inshore aquarium for clownfishes with a pair of clowns, a host anemone, tridacnid clams, and a six or four-line wrasse. The chapter of the book this particular idea is in is called "Indo-Pacific Reefs: Diversity's Motherlode." I enjoy the chapter as a whole and think that any of the tanks suggested in it are a great idea. The other biotopes he suggests are shallow, inshore reefs and the outer reef.

 

I just realized I've gone through this entire post without asking a question, anyway...

 

Does anyone know of some other good sources of information for Indo-Pacific reefs? Helping me nail down a particular location would be greatly appreciated. I just feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities. I can't think of a single biotope that I wouldn't like to attempt. How have you selected your locations? What are some aspects of your favorite biotope that have helped you decide? Again, I'm just so interested in everything out there that I am having a really hard time picking just one!

[dshnarw]

Does anyone know of some other good sources of information for Indo-Pacific reefs? Helping me nail down a particular location would be greatly appreciated. I just feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities. I can't think of a single biotope that I wouldn't like to attempt. How have you selected your locations? What are some aspects of your favorite biotope that have helped you decide? Again, I'm just so interested in everything out there that I am having a really hard time picking just one!

 

I think many of the biotopers around here have the same sentiments.

 

I chose mine based on the one thing I really wanted to keep in the tank, namely mini carpets. From there, it was a matter of researching exactly where they're found - both in the geographic location, and the habitat. I think it's almost easier to choose that one critter you want, and then find out where it's from and where it tends to be found on the reef.

 

My next one will be a coral bommie, and that's simply because I like the aesthetics of them.

[dahliaheartsyou]

I've been keeping a mixed reef for about a year and a half (tank thread is in my signature) and haven't really been satisfied with the results. I really want to get a more or less fresh start and head off in the biotope direction. I recently upgraded my lighting to 250w MH so I don't feel like I'm very limited in terms of what I can keep, I suppose corals that aren't a big fan of intense lighting might be out of the question. As it stands, the tank is a 20 gallon high aquarium, but I plan to upgrade to a larger tank, though I'm not sure what yet.

 

I figured since doing a biotope is much different from doing a regular reef tank, that I might want to start with something that is a fairly easy biotope to achieve, but I don't know that I would be. I have researched different reef zones somewhat, but I don't feel like that has really helped me narrow down a location to focus on.

 

I really like the idea of doing a clam lagoon. In John Tullock's book, Natural Reef Aquariums, he gives example for different biotope ideas. One he gives that I think might be fun is an inshore aquarium for clownfishes with a pair of clowns, a host anemone, tridacnid clams, and a six or four-line wrasse. The chapter of the book this particular idea is in is called "Indo-Pacific Reefs: Diversity's Motherlode." I enjoy the chapter as a whole and think that any of the tanks suggested in it are a great idea. The other biotopes he suggests are shallow, inshore reefs and the outer reef.

 

I just realized I've gone through this entire post without asking a question, anyway...

 

Does anyone know of some other good sources of information for Indo-Pacific reefs? Helping me nail down a particular location would be greatly appreciated. I just feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities. I can't think of a single biotope that I wouldn't like to attempt. How have you selected your locations? What are some aspects of your favorite biotope that have helped you decide? Again, I'm just so interested in everything out there that I am having a really hard time picking just one!

 

COPY CAT!!!!

lololoz.

like 95% of the corals we have come from there...lolz.

ok, well, I picked out they type of corals I liked best and could handle, then found where a lot of them come from and aren't endangered.

i googled and found some popular places in the indo-pacific

"The Indo-Pacific is a vast region encompassing the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans from Africa in the west to Hawaii and French Polynesia in the east. This area represents the largest marine biogeographic region in the world. Many Indo-Pacific coral reefs develop along the margins of the African, Asian, and Australian continents but most are associated with islands. Examples of extensive continental coral reefs include Sodwana and Kosi Bays (South Africa), Eilat and Ras Muhammad (Red Sea), Phuket (Thailand), the Madang Barrier Reef (Papua New Guinea), and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)."

Now, you can look up each one, and find the environment you like the best and think you can re-create the best...

you can also google stuff like indo pacific "atoll, patch reef' lagoon, island" and see what you get.

a lot of diver's and traveler's sites to the region you are looking at tell about the reefs in that are too.

I hope some of that helped!

looks like we are starting biotopes around the same time kinda! even though in diff. regions!

[AdriftQuasar]

I thought I might have had it down to just an option or two, but things have really expanded for me again.

 

An elegance coral tank sounds like it could be a lot of fun as they are beautiful and if kept on their own, fairly easy to maintain.

 

A "Floribbean" anemone tank with E. crucifer as the main focus of the tank would be fantastic, especially if I added some other corals from the area, ricordia in particular.

 

I had been thinking that I wanted to go the SPS route, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready for the added effort in terms of upkeep. That being said, and Indonesian inshore reef tank wouldn't be much of a change from what I am keeping now, the only corals I really have that is out of place being my ricordia. The fish might be a tad out of place, but finding a good home for them is as simple as taking them to the LFS (or starting a new tank ) As far as this option is concerned, there would be the addition of more LPS corals, zoanthids, and a scattering of montipora, unless I am mistaken.

 

Does anyone have some input that might help sway my decision?

[dahliaheartsyou]

I would try to narrow it down further, to an even more specific area...

that way you can better manage researching too and it have the feel of a biotope even more...

but what a PITA that is gunna be! LOLOL!

[dshnarw]

I thought I might have had it down to just an option or two, but things have really expanded for me again.

 

An elegance coral tank sounds like it could be a lot of fun as they are beautiful and if kept on their own, fairly easy to maintain.

 

A "Floribbean" anemone tank with E. crucifer as the main focus of the tank would be fantastic, especially if I added some other corals from the area, ricordia in particular.

 

I had been thinking that I wanted to go the SPS route, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready for the added effort in terms of upkeep. That being said, and Indonesian inshore reef tank wouldn't be much of a change from what I am keeping now, the only corals I really have that is out of place being my ricordia. The fish might be a tad out of place, but finding a good home for them is as simple as taking them to the LFS (or starting a new tank ) As far as this option is concerned, there would be the addition of more LPS corals, zoanthids, and a scattering of montipora, unless I am mistaken.

 

Does anyone have some input that might help sway my decision?

 

in the "ease of upkeep" category, elegance corals would be AWESOME. They prefer slightly dirty water and are usually found in the sand surrounded by macroalgaes in more of a lagoon setting in the wild. Plenty of critters to be found in the same habitat - shrimp/goby pairs, jawfish, several species of cardinalfish, most clownfish and their anemones are more lagoonal species than reef proper. Mantis shrimp are also common in lagoonal areas.

 

Were it me, I'd try to narrow down the Indo inshore reef idea even further. Most shots I've seen of reefs don't just have a mix of everything in one area...tends to be a select few coral species that dominate a place in the reef, with the dominant species changing based on depth, flow, etc.

 

 

One last suggestion for ideas - just search for pics of the different reef habitats you're thinking about, to get a feel for how to aquascape, and maybe find a picture you really like and copy it in the tank. Similar to what I've done here: Pics of Patch Reefs. Just finding pics of patch reefs that I like for my next biotope project.

[AdriftQuasar]

After doing some reading, I'm leaning heavily towards doing an elegance tank. I am somewhat worried however after reading this article. It seems that C. jardinei is a lot less hardy than I had initially read, I will probably try it anyway though. I do have some rescaping to do in my tank and I should probably get rid of most, if not all of my other corals (or move them into another tank). I still have a lot of reading to do, but after browsing through some of our sponsor's selections, it looks like there are some pretty fantastic specimens that are readily available.

 

With that I think I might start a tank thread for the up and coming C. jardinei tank that I need to prepare for. If nothing else, I can compile all me research into one spot so others have any easier time of doing something similar in the future.

 

Thanks dshnarw!

[dshnarw]

After doing some reading, I'm leaning heavily towards doing an elegance tank. I am somewhat worried however after reading this article. It seems that C. jardinei is a lot less hardy than I had initially read, I will probably try it anyway though. I do have some rescaping to do in my tank and I should probably get rid of most, if not all of my other corals (or move them into another tank). I still have a lot of reading to do, but after browsing through some of our sponsor's selections, it looks like there are some pretty fantastic specimens that are readily available.

 

With that I think I might start a tank thread for the up and coming C. jardinei tank that I need to prepare for. If nothing else, I can compile all me research into one spot so others have any easier time of doing something similar in the future.

 

Thanks dshnarw!

 

 

I think this is the key quote from that article for your case:

 

It is interesting that over the past year, more and more healthy appearing Catalaphyllia specimens are being found in stores, including those recently collected in Australia. The demand for this coral dropped because of its reputation for poor survival in tanks. Without a host – for example, if stores stopped buying Catalaphyllia because they invariably died – the putative pathogen could be lost from the holding systems.

 

so, buy now while they're healthy

 

good luck on the new direction...I'll be looking for that thread

[AdriftQuasar]

Now I just need to find out where to get some turtle grass and what else, if anything I should have in the tank. I suppose keeping the two clowns and the six-line wrasse could still be authentic, but I'm not so sure.

[dahliaheartsyou]

Now I just need to find out where to get some turtle grass and what else, if anything I should have in the tank. I suppose keeping the two clowns and the six-line wrasse could still be authentic, but I'm not so sure.

 

try here

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...p;limitstart=30

 

or here

http://www.aquacon.com/vip.html

[brian92]

Sounds like a really cool idea!

 

I'm overhauling my tank putting in a MH pendant and a sump. Then I read this thread I think I wanna try a biotope. Thanks for the idea.

[dshnarw]

try here

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...p;limitstart=30

 

or here

http://www.aquacon.com/vip.html

 

 

no aquacon...they're called aquaCON for a reason

[AdriftQuasar]

Well, either way, I need to either move or sell my corals before I get the C. jardinei. I think my current tank should be sufficient as far as size goes (20 gallons). I can't really find any information on what lives around elegance corals other than sea grass. I really need to figure out what to do with my fish. I have a ten gallon tank in my closet that I could move most of my live stock into so I don't have to sell it, and there is always the picotope that I have been cycling for millions of years now.