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Oyster Reef Ecosystem Tank
- Thread starter Chasmodes
- Start date
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I stepped up my activities on the 100g oyster reef tank build. I ordered all of the equipment, supplies, plumbing parts, overflow, etc. for almost everything that I need to complete the build. I have a few things to pick up at Home Depot to finish my stand and to buy plumbing supplies and lumber once all this virus stuff winds down. My state is one of the most strict as far as the stay at home orders go, and my wife is immune compromised. So I pretty much have to stay home. It's not worth the risk.
I made some major changes in my design that really have had my head spinning and caused much delay. The principle issue is lack of space in my basement to keep the sump and a water changing station there. So, I decided to modify my stand to accommodate my sump underneath, and then plumb through the wall to the basement to my water changing station.
I really want the tank set up, even if it's sumpless at first, before I go out collecting again once the water temps warm up.
I had several fish die off in my stream tank. I talk about it in my latest video. I just watched the video for the first time all the way through on my TV the other day, and man, what a downer of a video. The subject, my tone, and the music make it the most depressing fish video that I've seen on YT, LOL. Still, it does give a good update. And, I like the way the tank looks right now. I took a bunch of river rock out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5wVxDokqSU&t=308s
I made some major changes in my design that really have had my head spinning and caused much delay. The principle issue is lack of space in my basement to keep the sump and a water changing station there. So, I decided to modify my stand to accommodate my sump underneath, and then plumb through the wall to the basement to my water changing station.
I really want the tank set up, even if it's sumpless at first, before I go out collecting again once the water temps warm up.
I had several fish die off in my stream tank. I talk about it in my latest video. I just watched the video for the first time all the way through on my TV the other day, and man, what a downer of a video. The subject, my tone, and the music make it the most depressing fish video that I've seen on YT, LOL. Still, it does give a good update. And, I like the way the tank looks right now. I took a bunch of river rock out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5wVxDokqSU&t=308s
Nice! Progress is challenging these days. Glad to hear things are coming along. It sounds like you're chomping at the bit to get it going. Good luck with it!
The stream tank is looking good - including the root! Your fish really are enjoying it. It looks very natural! I get epiphytic algae on my seagrasses occasionally. For stuff that's well-attached, I just cut the whole blade off to be sure I'm permanently removing it. I think that would work for your vallisneria.
The stream tank is looking good - including the root! Your fish really are enjoying it. It looks very natural! I get epiphytic algae on my seagrasses occasionally. For stuff that's well-attached, I just cut the whole blade off to be sure I'm permanently removing it. I think that would work for your vallisneria.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Thank you Michael. I started doing that the other day, but I didn't get enough of it. I tried pulling a bunch off and that worked for a while, but now it's back.
I forgot to mention one cool thing that I found during the first water change when my fish starting having trouble. I found baby fish! I have no idea what fish spawned. They were free swimming in the water column, so, I suspect it might have been the blacknose dace. They were the only fish that seemed to do behavior that was even remotely like spawning. The babies were pretty big too, about 3/8" long or so. I haven't seen them since. I might have siphoned them away.
Also, I found out that the blackworms live for quite a while in my tank. Every time I turn over a rock in the tank, there are blackworms. I don't know how long they live, but I've kept them alive in my refrigerator for over a month. I won't know until I run out of them how long they live in the tank. I'm down to my last two feedings now unless I go to the store soon. Anyway, I thought that was cool, to have life living in my gravel that the fish can forage on, if they are lucky enough to find them.
I forgot to mention one cool thing that I found during the first water change when my fish starting having trouble. I found baby fish! I have no idea what fish spawned. They were free swimming in the water column, so, I suspect it might have been the blacknose dace. They were the only fish that seemed to do behavior that was even remotely like spawning. The babies were pretty big too, about 3/8" long or so. I haven't seen them since. I might have siphoned them away.
Also, I found out that the blackworms live for quite a while in my tank. Every time I turn over a rock in the tank, there are blackworms. I don't know how long they live, but I've kept them alive in my refrigerator for over a month. I won't know until I run out of them how long they live in the tank. I'm down to my last two feedings now unless I go to the store soon. Anyway, I thought that was cool, to have life living in my gravel that the fish can forage on, if they are lucky enough to find them.
Babies! That is a cool thing. They don't do that if they're not happy. Congrats! Pretty neat that those worms live in there too.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I received almost everything that I ordered for my oyster reef tank except for an Iwaki pump for my water changing station. I also ordered all of the plumbing parts that I need.
I still need to purchase two tanks, one to store RO/DI and the other to mix salt water. I think that I'm going to go with the Brute trash cans. I guess the only thing left to buy is to make a trip to get some 2x4's and plywood to build the stand for the changing station. I also need wood to modify my tank stand so I can house the sump underneath.
Once this virus crap ends, I'm going to have an electrician install a new dedicated electrical line for this tank with outlets on either side of the wall.
As far as the stream tank goes, here's a video update of that tank. My fight against the algae may be taking a turn in my favor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dhi2juZRKw
I still need to purchase two tanks, one to store RO/DI and the other to mix salt water. I think that I'm going to go with the Brute trash cans. I guess the only thing left to buy is to make a trip to get some 2x4's and plywood to build the stand for the changing station. I also need wood to modify my tank stand so I can house the sump underneath.
Once this virus crap ends, I'm going to have an electrician install a new dedicated electrical line for this tank with outlets on either side of the wall.
As far as the stream tank goes, here's a video update of that tank. My fight against the algae may be taking a turn in my favor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dhi2juZRKw
That's exciting news! It's such a unique tank idea. Looking forward to seeing your vision come to life.
The stream tank looks good. The fake wall and root are second to none! The fish love that root! Any algae eaters in there? Several reproducing snails are available. For fish, I love the Farlowella.
The stream tank looks good. The fake wall and root are second to none! The fish love that root! Any algae eaters in there? Several reproducing snails are available. For fish, I love the Farlowella.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Thank you Michael. It's going to be a lot of work getting the oyster reef tank up and running, but I'm going to do it in phases.
As far as the stream tank goes, I thought about adding snails, and that might work some, but the darters love to eat snails. I don't know if I can keep a population of them in there. There is one species of fish that I can catch locally, a Central Stoneroller, that loves to eat algae and should do a good job in my tank keeping algae at bay. All that I need to do is go out and collect one. Thank you for the wonderful compliments too!
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I have two options of moving forward with this build. I've purchased just about everything to finish the job, except I need to get a couple 44g Brute trash cans, some 2x4s, and plywood.
Option one: Plumb through the wall to my sump in the basement and pump it back to the tank.
This involves building a water changing station and it will ultimately be the most efficient way for me to manage the tank. Here is my plumbing plan along with my plan for a water change station so I don't have to transfer buckets back and forth.
For this to happen, I need to modify the sump stand to make it low enough to accommodate my overflow. This option will be a lot of work.
Option 2: Sump under the tank, no plumbing through the wall.
I would plumb the sump to the tank in the rec room. My water changing station would be on the other side of the wall from the tank in the basement. I would use a Python water changing system to siphon old water to the sink. Then, hook that hose to my Iwaki pump that mixes my saltwater to pump either RO/DI water or saltwater to my tank.
I'm undecided at this point what direction I will take. Option 2 could be a good start to ultimately get Option one done though. That way, I could set up the tank and enjoy it earlier, and worry about the plumbing through the wall another day, and give me time to modify the sump stand.
Thoughts?
Option one: Plumb through the wall to my sump in the basement and pump it back to the tank.
This involves building a water changing station and it will ultimately be the most efficient way for me to manage the tank. Here is my plumbing plan along with my plan for a water change station so I don't have to transfer buckets back and forth.
For this to happen, I need to modify the sump stand to make it low enough to accommodate my overflow. This option will be a lot of work.
Option 2: Sump under the tank, no plumbing through the wall.
I would plumb the sump to the tank in the rec room. My water changing station would be on the other side of the wall from the tank in the basement. I would use a Python water changing system to siphon old water to the sink. Then, hook that hose to my Iwaki pump that mixes my saltwater to pump either RO/DI water or saltwater to my tank.
I'm undecided at this point what direction I will take. Option 2 could be a good start to ultimately get Option one done though. That way, I could set up the tank and enjoy it earlier, and worry about the plumbing through the wall another day, and give me time to modify the sump stand.
Thoughts?
Great illustration. Option 1 seems to be optimal. Is drilling through the basement wall your only reason not to do it? Why wouldn't you?
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Thanks Michael! Good question.
I have no problem going through the wall. In fact, I bought 2 of these plastic access panels to run the plumbing through. I might just keep the doors open so that if I ever move, I can just break the tank down and close them:
It's just that I have a ton of work to do in the basement to make room, and I didn't want that to slow down the set up of the tank. So, option two is a start. But, once I set up the water changing station, I could still plumb it through the wall to the sump and not change the sump plumbing under the tank. I can then decide if I want to move the sump to the basement. If I do that, I'd have to redo the plumbing from the tank to the sump. No big deal, and I'd have to do it anyway to achieve option one. The big convenience of option one is that I can do all of my water changing for that tank right there, rather than having to run a hose to it and the sink.
In other words, option 2 is my precursor to option 1
Does that make sense? I want this tank up, and that might be my fastest way, to have a tank up and running until I achieve my ultimate goal (option 1).
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I shot this video of my stream tank with a slightly different angle. I'm really pleased how it looks, especially showing the current and surface agitation, giving the tank a pretty good representation of what a small stream shoreline eddy might be like... I hope y'all like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxY7IQJkNgY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxY7IQJkNgY
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I thought that I'd shoot some pics from different angles of the stream tank and share them with you. Sometimes, I like sitting on the floor to view this tank. I seem to get more up and close to the fish. Also, when viewing from the floor, this angle allows you to really see the flow and current in this tank, how similar it is to a shoreline stream eddy.
Left side looking through the roots...not a lot of room to see the other side of the tank. But, it's interesting when fish peek through the roots to see what you're doing.
This one is from the left side looking toward the other end of the tank:
Same angle, but focused on the tank center where the fish like to hang out the most:
Middle, looking back at the left side to the roots:
Looking back from the right front of the tank toward the roots on the left side:
And finally, a view from the right side through the Valisneria to the roots:
Left side looking through the roots...not a lot of room to see the other side of the tank. But, it's interesting when fish peek through the roots to see what you're doing.
This one is from the left side looking toward the other end of the tank:
Same angle, but focused on the tank center where the fish like to hang out the most:
Middle, looking back at the left side to the roots:
Looking back from the right front of the tank toward the roots on the left side:
And finally, a view from the right side through the Valisneria to the roots:
Nice pics, Kevin!
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Thank you Michael!
Progress is being made on my oyster reef tank. But, it's not tank related. I'm making room for the sump and water change station in my basement. That involves a lot of non-fish tank related work. I have to reorganize shelving, organize my fishing tackle and other outdoor gear, get rid of the laundry mountain, and organize my tools. It's a lot of work, and I'm slowly but surely making progress.
On the fish tank side of things, I need to break down my QT tank and my 20g high oyster reef tank, move the fish and other inhabitants to the 20g long tank in my rec room, and shorten the height on my sump stand.
I'm trying to get something accomplished every day. It's daunting, but I'm very determined.
Progress is being made on my oyster reef tank. But, it's not tank related. I'm making room for the sump and water change station in my basement. That involves a lot of non-fish tank related work. I have to reorganize shelving, organize my fishing tackle and other outdoor gear, get rid of the laundry mountain, and organize my tools. It's a lot of work, and I'm slowly but surely making progress.
On the fish tank side of things, I need to break down my QT tank and my 20g high oyster reef tank, move the fish and other inhabitants to the 20g long tank in my rec room, and shorten the height on my sump stand.
I'm trying to get something accomplished every day. It's daunting, but I'm very determined.
That's great! It sounds like you've got a lot to do. Turned your basement into a junk drawer? I know what you mean, how daunting it is. Whenever I face a project like that, I try to visualize my triumph at the end. That feeling of zero to hero is a good one. You'll feel like a new man!
Now I need to do some laundry…
Now I need to do some laundry…
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Thank you Michael. Yes, it's been a junk drawer, plus, messy storage for my hobbies. One step at a time.
One more step later today, after my nap
One more step later today, after my nap
:lmao:
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I moved all the fish out of the QT into the old 20g long oyster reef tank. Now, it's not a reef, but a bunch of oyster shells littering the bottom of the tank. I have 9 rainwater killifish, and one male sheepshead minnow. I also moved a couple mud crabs (2 different species), 4 mud snails, and 7 grass shrimp from the 20g high invertebrate tank to the 20g long.
This frees up both tanks to be used as QT tanks (one freshwater and one brackish, probably). I am going to build a rack stand for both QT tanks. I'm not sure where I'll keep them yet. I don't want them near my sump or the other two tanks, as ich can be transferred through the air (I think that I read that).
There are a bunch of worms and a few more crabs in the 20g high that I could not catch. I had an oyster cultch in that tank that is probably hiding a few crabs. The would rarely come out to where they are easy enough to catch, so I put that in a bin with an inch of water on the bottom that the crabs can escape to when the oyster cultch dries up. I caught one crab already. There could be a couple crabs in the tank still, but hard to find them. Anyway, I'm going to filter out the sand to separate the critters from the substrate, and then add them all to the 20g long. This will complete the breakdown of that tank.
Freeing up these two tanks frees up my work bench that needs to be moved to accommodate my water change station. It also frees up the stand that needs to be shortened and narrowed for my oyster reef sump.
The tank that I put them into had 2 Harris mud crabs in it, and a bunch of small tube anemones matting the substrate. That's why I added the oyster shells, so that the fish could rest at night without being irritated by the anemones. That seemed to have worked.
I also found 5 small pieces of living Gracilaria in my 20g high that I moved to the 20g long. I purchased an LED light for that tank that supposedly is good for plants. We will see. It's a nice looking light with programmable sunrise and sunset, not expensive. It's good enough for now though. I can always collect more macros this summer once I get the large tank set up.
I'm making significant progress on the laundry mountain. When I started, it was like Mt. Everest. Now, it's somewhere between Mt. Evans and the Appalachians. After my last laundry load, I uncovered a fossil which would have been buried by an laundry avalanche. It was a full unused bottle of Clorox.
This frees up both tanks to be used as QT tanks (one freshwater and one brackish, probably). I am going to build a rack stand for both QT tanks. I'm not sure where I'll keep them yet. I don't want them near my sump or the other two tanks, as ich can be transferred through the air (I think that I read that).
There are a bunch of worms and a few more crabs in the 20g high that I could not catch. I had an oyster cultch in that tank that is probably hiding a few crabs. The would rarely come out to where they are easy enough to catch, so I put that in a bin with an inch of water on the bottom that the crabs can escape to when the oyster cultch dries up. I caught one crab already. There could be a couple crabs in the tank still, but hard to find them. Anyway, I'm going to filter out the sand to separate the critters from the substrate, and then add them all to the 20g long. This will complete the breakdown of that tank.
Freeing up these two tanks frees up my work bench that needs to be moved to accommodate my water change station. It also frees up the stand that needs to be shortened and narrowed for my oyster reef sump.
The tank that I put them into had 2 Harris mud crabs in it, and a bunch of small tube anemones matting the substrate. That's why I added the oyster shells, so that the fish could rest at night without being irritated by the anemones. That seemed to have worked.
I also found 5 small pieces of living Gracilaria in my 20g high that I moved to the 20g long. I purchased an LED light for that tank that supposedly is good for plants. We will see. It's a nice looking light with programmable sunrise and sunset, not expensive. It's good enough for now though. I can always collect more macros this summer once I get the large tank set up.
I'm making significant progress on the laundry mountain. When I started, it was like Mt. Everest. Now, it's somewhere between Mt. Evans and the Appalachians. After my last laundry load, I uncovered a fossil which would have been buried by an laundry avalanche. It was a full unused bottle of Clorox.
Great progress! I'm rootin' for ya!
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