Fiji Biotope

[Random Aquarist]

Hey, I have a couple of questions concerning my Fiji biotope tank I'm planning. It's an 86g and will have SPS and maybe some other high light corals. My questions are:

1. If two corals have the same lighting needs and come from Fiji, can they be found in the same biotope? For example, can this acropora live side-by-side with a yellow Fiji toadstool?

2. Is there really any sand that close to the surface? Or does it depend on the geographical location?

 

[MCsaxmaster]

If two corals have the same lighting needs and come from Fiji, can they be found in the same biotope?

They sure can be and almost certainly will be.

For example, can this acropora live side-by-side with a yellow Fiji toadstool?

It sure can, and in fact, in nature that's usually how you find them. Having said that, I make no claims that they will get along with each other

Is there really any sand that close to the surface? Or does it depend on the geographical location?

Sure, on a backreef or reef flat you'll see plenty sand and pieces of rubble with coral communities growing on them. You'll see the same on ledges on the reef slope and at the base of the slope if the bottom isn't terribly deep (i.e., the reef slope doesn't continue to plummet to 1,000 m below the surface).

Chris

 

[Ayanami]

Re: Fiji Biotope

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8761598#post8761598 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Random Aquarist
1. If two corals have the same lighting needs and come from Fiji, can they be found in the same biotope? For example, can this acropora live side-by-side with a yellow Fiji toadstool?

I took this snorkeling in Fiji

Jess

 

[reeformadness]

I can give you all kinds of info on fish and invert species in Fiji. I am doing a Fiji biotope too and have done extensive research. Let me know if you need my help.

 

[Random Aquarist]

Yeah, let me give some more info.

Fish-wise, I will only get a pair of tomato clowns.

Coral-wise, I wish there were more high-light LPS, and the only high-light LPS I could find were Frogspawn and Lobophyllia Brain Coral. I think I might incorporate Frogspawn. Maybe I'll have some high-light softies but not quite sure. And, as I said, SPS.

Invert-wise, I'll have Astrea snails because they seem to be the only Fiji-native snails, please correct me if I'm wrong. I'll also have a BTA.

I'll get somewhere around 100 lbs. of Fiji LR.




I don't know why, but I just don't feel right with creating tanks unless they are biotopes.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

Coral-wise, I wish there were more high-light LPS, and the only high-light LPS I could find were Frogspawn and Lobophyllia Brain Coral. I think I might incorporate Frogspawn. Maybe I'll have some high-light softies but not quite sure. And, as I said, SPS.

Most of the corals called "lps" are usually from pretty brighly lit environments. Many of the corals called "sps" are common and even most abundant in dimmer locations. This terminology is useless for assessing lighting needs. Heck, in the photo posted there is a Goniastrea which gets pushed into the "lps" category. What kinds of corals would you like to keep which you think you can't? The point is, I think, that certain corals would be common here and others would not or would be completely absent but that the presense or absence of these corals has nothing to do with the size of their polyps or whether they are soft, stony, or otherwise. Goniastrea (a so-called "lps") would be very at home here. Pachyseris (a so-called "sps") would not be at home at all.

 

[antonsemrad]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/cj/index.php

Here is more of what Chris is saying. Excellent writeup:thumbsup:

 

[reeformadness]

OK I think there are Astrea in Fiji, although not listed in the commercial catalog of specimen shells in fiji that o have. Try OBIS to find those species. But there are lots of other species, but most are difficult to find. The species found in Trochidae that I have in this report list:

Trochus (Tectus) fenestratus - most readily available I have found
T. incrassatus
T. maculatus
T. niloticus
T. pyramis

note Trochus and Tectus are two genera that sometimes are used interchangably. Trochus was divided into these two genera in the past.

Other species:

Turbo petholatus
Turbo chrystomus
many Cypraeidids (Cowries)
Nerita polita
many Oliva sp.
many Strombus and Lambris (S. luhuanas and S. gibberulus are common)

there are also many cerith snails - all I can verify is C. nodulosum
- I can give more details into the genera that I didn't list the species just because there are so many if you need

 

[reeformadness]

Your BTA is native to fiji

 

[reeformadness]

for some coral species in Fiji try this link:

http://www.spc.int/coastfish/Countries/fiji/fiji-resource-profile-ffa.pdf

I have better resource, I am looking for it

 

[reeformadness]

There are also species of Nassarius I believe too, I will see if I have anything. I just purchased two Cypraea labrolineata today and seven of what a guy is calling Trochus maculatus (red-banded trochus). I will try to ID these when I get them (although it is extremely difficult to ID many snails).

 

[reeformadness]

here is a link to fish species:

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/pbs/fijifish/

 

[reeformadness]

Another coral reference:

http://www.spc.int/coastfish/Countries/fiji/eia_aquarium.pdf

 

[reeformadness]

For crabs: if I remember correctly

Calcinus elegans
C. seurati

These two are most readily available.

OK. well i think I have you pretty well covered for now. i like the BTA and tomato clown idea. That is also what I am planning, although my tank is new, and I have no experience with anemones so it will be a while.

 

[reeformadness]

OK...1 more, but keep in mind this is for Samoa not Fiji. Great reference though.

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/pbs/pdf/pagopago2.pdf

 

[Roadtoad]

When I was diving in fiji a few years ago, the softies and SPS did not grow close to each other. There are many reefs in Fiji, each one has different coral combinations. On one of my favorite dives the SPS were found on the top surface covering these immense -live rocks (im guessing that they were 75 feet high) on the edge of the barrier reef. All of the softies-carnation corals and gorgonia were low on the rocks in areas of really high flow during tidal surges. On that dive, my buddy was attacked by a ginorous clownfish when he got a little too close to its anemone.

Other dives were entirely soft corals

 

[Random Aquarist]

So how do I go about setting up a biotope? I don't know enough about each coral species to figure out how to set up a true biotope recreation.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

Learn about the habitats you're trying to recreate. It is hard to create something if you don't understand what it is supposed to look like and how it functions. Field guides can often be extremely useful.

 

[Random Aquarist]

I can't find anything. I really need help.

 

[Random Aquarist]

HELP!!!