Oyster Reef Ecosystem Tank

[Chasmodes]

Not long ago, the tank had a bunch of brown and green microalgae, not too bad and normal for a pretty young tank. But, now it's disappearing probably due to competition from the Ulva that I added recently.

Ammonia zero, nitrite zero, nitrate was 100 ppm on Saturday, down to 50 ppm now. I did a partial water change on Monday that helped that along too. I haven't noticed growth in the Ulva, so it's just a suspicion now of what I think is going on. We will see.

I hope to get some live sand to boost the copepod and worm population in the tank. The blennies love bloodworms. I also hope to get a couple more types of macroalgae along with amphipods to stock the tank. As I keep collecting, one goal would be to constantly bring home a source of live food for these critters.

The grass shrimp so far have been a pretty good cleanup crew. This should last until the blennies grow large enough to eat them.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Very cool! You need to collect while the collecting's good, so you're using a temporary tank in the meantime. Not sure why you can't also get the tank ready but as you said, you're booked. Good luck with your collecting. I hope you get everything you want.

 

[Chasmodes]

Very cool! You need to collect while the collecting's good, so you're using a temporary tank in the meantime. Not sure why you can't also get the tank ready but as you said, you're booked. Good luck with your collecting. I hope you get everything you want.

Thanks Michael. Yes, time is the issue now. Also, I ran into another problem with the big tank as I need a new electrical line installed for my sump. I have only one single location where I can put the sump in my basement, and there is zero electricity there. The basement doesn't have adequate outlets either, so, I need to get help for that. I'm afraid that I'll fry myself trying. Until then, I have to live through this tank.

More pics:
The smaller blenny:

The bigger blenny hiding in some Ulva. The light shining through makes him look martian green

Grass Shrimp:

The bigger blenny hiding in the oyster shells:

Night time:

FTS:

New videos:

Scanning the tank:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr0WscGEiGs

The larger blenny hanging out in Ulva:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0-GaGaP8RE&t=16s

The little blenny hanging out around his favorite shells:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GknHcVZt7BM

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Fun pics and vids!

How about skipping the sump? That solves your electrical issue and your overflow issue.

 

[Chasmodes]

Fun pics and vids!

How about skipping the sump? That solves your electrical issue and your overflow issue.

Thanks Michael. I've considered doing that and may go that route. I can always plumb the sump in later. Another option would be to just place the sump in the same room as the tank. It wouldn't be as pretty, but, it would work.

On the bright side, my father-in-law is a retired electrician. If I can motivate him, perhaps he could oversee me doing the work. If... Otherwise, I'd have to pay someone to do it and right now, money is tight.

I also need to finish my stand. I just need to make time to do it. There are other priorities that are competing for my time, not just collecting. But trust me when I say that just having this 20g tank set up is motivating me even more to get that tank up and running. It's so cool, but it could be much better. I am learning more and more about the inhabitants, their needs, their behaviors every day, and that is so cool.

Last night, I fed them frozen mysis shrimp, which I thought would be a little big for them, so I only used 1/2 a cube. They went nuts and stuffed themselves silly. The mysis shrimp were about 3/4 the size of the little blenny and he ate one somehow. Also, you could see the white of the shrimp inside the gobie's buldging bellies. It was comical.

Another funny thing happened. The larger blenny was hovering about mid depth looking for a frozen mysis shrimp to eat, and one of the skilletfish swam up to him and tried to "cling" to the side of the blenny! It was hilarious. The blenny didn't seem to mind, but the skilletfish couldn't hang on and slid off. I've never seen that before and I've kept skilletfish before.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but there is a tiny mud crab hitchhiker that I found in the tank. I didn't intend to keep any. The blennies both attack the crab like it's their last meal, so I don't know how long it will live. So far, it still has all appendages and eyes intact, and has created a burrow under an oyster shell. Every time a fish or shrimp come near it, the crab scurries down the burrow. It reminds me of fiddler crab behavior on a marsh bank.

Another interesting thing is that the blennies seem to ignore the grass shrimp as potential meals. This might change as the blennies grow into adulthood. At least, I expect that. The grass shrimp are interesting to watch and are plentiful for me to get. So, if these fish eventually feed on them, that would be OK with me.

I also have a weird colony of something growing on the side glass. I saw a colony earlier and scraped it off. It was kind of calcarious and had some resistance when I scraped it off. I'll have to get a picture when it grows large enough. I think that they're hydroids perhaps, but not sure, could be bryozoans.

I'm going to try and collect again this weekend. I won't keep any more fish unless I get something ultra cool, but no more of the species that I already have. I'd like something to cruise the open water of the tank though. A spotfin butterflyfish would be my ultimate goal for that. But, the main reason to collect would be to get more macros, copepods and amphipods along with some live sand and maybe some mud to add to the tank.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Yeah, putting a sump in the basement, means you have some serious head pressure to work against, driving up your pump cost a lot. Also, I remember you were having trouble deciding on your overflow setup. If you really are going the planted route, you don't need a sump. They are good for hiding heaters 'n stuff though. Couldn't you just put a sump in your stand?

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your 'locals'. My blennies ignore tiny food like rotifers but go nuts for stuff that's half their size. It's crazy these little fish eat food so big. Seems like the smaller they are the bigger their mouths are. I'm also glad to hear they are motivating you to get your tank done!

Live sand and mud would be a great addition, especially if you get some seagrass. What do you have there, eelgrass? I think just about any plants you can collect would be great. I love the local biotope theme!

On my recent Europe trip, in Venice, I kept seeing cool macro algae floating around. I was so tempted to grab some and bring it home with me! But the thought of explaining myself to customs was enough of a deterrent.

Good luck collecting! A butterfly would be cool, but would it look natural in your setup? I considered some caribbean butterflies, but I think they would go after my precious worms, so I've just about written them off.

It's great that you're posting more now. Now that my tank is old news, it's great to see other guys stepping up. Bravo!

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks Michael. I have an update but will post with pics and vids in the next couple posts after this.

My tank is just on the other side of the wall from where the sump will be, so head pressure isn't an issue. However, I do have to work out electricity and plumbing issues. I may go sumpless to start the tank up and add it later. It would be more convenient for water changes, etc. rather than lugging buckets around or running hoses into my rec-room. It will also add about 45g to the water volume, a good thing IMHO.

I added more Ulva and what I think is widgeon grass to the tank (which does well in sandy bottoms from what I've read), so we'll see how that goes. We have eelgrass and shoal grass, but I haven't seen any at my collecting spots yet. I don't think this light is adequate, so I'm not expecting much. I think all will be good in the big tank. If the macros and grass don't do well in this tank, then I can just replace it after another collecting trip as long as I keep up the water changes. I also added a bunch of whole oyster shells to the cultches, and whole clam and muscle shells shells to the tank that had a bunch of "life" growing on them as did the grass. I think this will help with the overall health of the tank, providing food and additional "native" bacterial from the collection site.

The largest blenny is king and was chasing the small one around like crazy, just wouldn't leave it alone. Then, all of a sudden, the next day, the larger blenny shows an aggressive posture to the small one, but the small one stand his ground now and the big one backs off. In fact, they sometimes hang together now. I added two more tiny blennies to the tank. They're in the chasing stage some, but not too bad. They will all settle down and tolerate each other soon. Maybe when they enter adulthood, they'll breed!

My blennies are juveniles but eat like adults at times. I like to watch them prior to
feeding because when they're hungry, at first they'll cruise the glass near me because they already associate me with food, but after they settle down, they go foraging relentlessly. It's cool to watch as they pick hydroids, worms and pods off the shells and rocks. They're antics are so fun, typical of many blennies, but unique in a way too.

The butterflyfish are fairly common further South where the salinity is a bit higher, so we will see. I haven't caught any tropical strays yet. So far, just killifish of all kinds, pipefish, american eels, silversides, skilletfish, 2 species of gobies, and the striped blennies. So, the butterflyfish will fit the biotope.

Update with pics and vid to come

 

[Chasmodes]

I added two more tiny juvenile blennies to the tank along with shells full of live out of the Bay, some macros and added widgeon grass (I think it is widgeon grass anyway). Widgeon grass does well in the wild on sandy bottoms, so well see. I picked up some floating by while we were collecting.

I'll post pics and a video. I added a bunch of whole oyster shells to my structure along with the macros and really think that the tank looks great. All of this will wind up in my 100g eventually, but for now, it's fun to watch.

I also added a circulation pump (upper LH corner of the tank) which really helps.

Here's a full tank shot:

Skilletfish upside down. Can you see him? These guys are comical and are my daughter's favorite now:

The largest striped blenny (Chasmodes bosquianus) in my tank. They really should rename the common name to skunk blenny because of the stripe down the front of their face from the dorsal fin. But, it's not my call! This guy is about 1.5" long and grows to about an average of 3", but up to 6" according to Fishbase. I have yet to catch one over 4" long.

Here he is again peeking out from an oyster shell.

The striped blenny again perched on the oyster cultch. You can distinguish blennies from the Genus Chasmodes from Hypsoblennius species because they are more laterally compressed:

Gobiesox strumosus, the skilletfish, attached to any oyster shell. I have five small ones in this tank.

A naked goby (left, Gobiosoma bosc) perched on an oyster shell next to a juvenile striped blenny. The widgeon grass is in the background. I'm actually still not sure about the seagrass ID, it's just a guess.

Chasmodes bosquianus peeking out of an oyster shell.

Notice the specialized ventral and pectoral fins of the skilletfish (Gobiesox strumosus) that allow it to cling to just about anything including shells, bottles, aquarium glass, fingers, and the inside of HOB filters! An interesting fact is that even after death, the specialized fins will stick to things. Moving forward seems to dislodge the suction, while pulling back causes the suction.

to be continued...

 

[Chasmodes]

The skilletfish is tough to see in this picture, blending in very well. See him?

And over the top he goes! Side view. This type of clingfish is called the skilletfish because of its pan like shape.

Frontal view of the striped blenny (left) and a naked goby (Gobiosoma bosc) under the oyster shell, perched on a razor clam.

And I'll end the post with a video showing the critters in action. Hope you like it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPuOkBYEPbc&t=29s

 

[Chasmodes]

One more picture that I forgot to add.

This is a juvenile striped blenny. Notice the different bold coloration of the juvenile, almost checkerboard like.

The other one in previous pics almost has an olive hue. They can change colors quickly, from a dark grayish to almost greenish. But, the adults seem to lose the ability to get this checkerboard look. I'll see if I can get a good picture of an adult that I collected to show you the difference.

It goes to show though, that when trying to ID blennies, colors aren't always the best way.

 

[McPuff]

This is a very cool system. I love those little blennies. :0)

And I just realized this is only a temporary system. The structure you've created looks great. I'm a bit jealous of the molly miller. I really want to get one.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks McPuff! Yep, everything including the critters, shells, plants, sand and structure will go into the big tank as soon as I finish my stand. Michael suggested not using the sump. I will go ahead and set it up sumpless to start, and plumb it in later.

My larger striped blenny does look a lot like a molly miller because he stuffs himself and takes on the greenish hue from sitting in the Ulva all of the time. But if you look at his nape, he lacks the thick matt of cirri (hair do) that molly millers have.

I kept a molly miller years ago and it was a great fish, tons of personality and very tough and hardy. There are a couple on-line vendors that sell them if you're in the market for them. For me to collect them, I'd have to travel to the Carolinas, I think. It's a little too cold up here for them.

Hypsoblennius hentz (feather blenny) is also found in the Chesapeake Bay, and I've collected a total of one of them in my life, kept it and was a great fish too. I'd love to get another some day when the big tank is set up. It resembles the molly miller even more. There is an outside chance to catch a crested blenny (Hypleurochilus geminatus) as they are sometimes found in the more Southern saltier stretches of the bay. Seaweed blennies (Parablennius marmoreus) also are sometimes caught down that way.

Maybe there's a molly miller down there too? I haven't heard of any, but tropicals sometimes stray to the Virginia Beach area. Anyone collect molly millers around Virginia Beach?

All of these blennies exhibit similar dietary needs, with Chasmodes preferring more meatier foods and molly millers a bit more omnivorous. But, they all have a ton of personality, enough to keep me entertained with their antics for hours each day. I can't wait to get home from work to observe them.

 

[Chasmodes]

I had about at least 15 grass shrimp in my tank and the number seems to be about half of that now. I saw the largest blenny attack and kill a small grass shrimp this past Wednesday just after I approached the tank. These fish are well fed. What I've noticed is that these fish recognize me as providing food and become very active, almost to the point of a feeding frenzy, when they pretty much attack anything that moves. It's not just the blennies, but all of the species seem to do this. Well, before I could drop any food in there, one of the small grass shrimp became a quick meal, killed by the biggest blenny but ultimately swallowed whole by a thieving skilletfish.

Well, yesterday, it happened again. I didn't capture the crime in progress, but I did manage to film all of the fish conspiring in the cover up to hide the evidence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB5hhOZc300

I also have some pics of some fish that I caught last week. These are larger adult striped blennies that are currently in a 20g high aquarium.

This striped blenny and skilletfish shared this oyster shell for about an hour without incident. In my other tank, that doesn't happen much. I'm sure if they were breeding it would be a different story:

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Wow, you've been busy! Totally freaking awesome! Great pics and the tank looks great and your fish are awesome. I love the new scaping you've done too. There was one pic I had to stare at for a while before I spotted the fish.

Adding assorted 'life' is a good thing! Worms and pods and other sand-dwelling creatures will help process detritus into plant food.

Great job!

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks Michael.

Last night as I approached the tank, all of the fish came to the front begging for food. I fed them frozen brine shrimp. The smallest blenny sat on my finger at the water surface and ate, claiming first dibs. I've nicknamed him "Tiny Tim". They all had fat bellies after feeding time.

The hydroids (I think that is what they are) have grown quite a bit, forming a snowflake like shape. It looks cool. I'll have to take a picture of it.

There are also things growing off the new shells that I added that look like a brown macroalgae of some type. I am pretty sure that they aren't hydroids or bryozoans, because it looks soft, but I'm not sure it's algae either. It grows in a branch like pattern. I'll take a pic of it and post it here and see if anyone can ID it.

One of the skilletfish tried to cling to the largest goby again. Those guys are comical and much more active than the one that I kept years ago, maybe because I have 5 of them now instead of one. They kind of remind me of the Monopoly game character, only flattened into a skillet shape!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

That's got to be an awesome feeling, having everything in your tank collected by you! Keep those pics coming!

 

[Chasmodes]

Yes, it's fun, plus, not knowing what you'll catch makes it quite the surprise when you collect something cool that will "fit" in the tank. I hope to get out collecting this weekend, even if for only more macros, grass and pods.

So, I went back to your thread Michael, and revived an old post about your substrate:

I should talk a little more about the substrate. If you go back to the beginning of this thread, you'll see a lot of discussion about it. I was very focused on providing the best substrate conditions for the seagrass. Now I'm thinking more about the whole mini-ecosystem, or microcosm. You've got to start at the bottom of the food web, to support everything-including the grasses.

Different grain sizes support different levels of oxygen, which support different types of bacteria, etc. I want a variety of microfauna and flora, all the way up to zooplankton, for biodiversity in the (substrate) food web. I'm hoping the course stuff and shells will provide an in-tank refuge for benthic plankton, helping to maintain their numbers, even with predation.

Some might be surprised at my inclusion of silica sand. Remember, I hope to keep some sponges and sea squirts. They like silica.

Also, I'm hoping the aged ecocomplete will kind of act like compost, for the seagrasses. Speaking of which, I ended up ordering three different seagrasses; Shoal Grass, Manatee Grass and Turtle Grass. It will be interesting to see which will enjoy the conditions in my tank!

So, my question to you is, would you do anything different now that you've been doing this a while? I'm trying to plan ahead for the larger tank set up.

For those that haven't seen Michael's thread, here is the page where this post resides (post 157): http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391470&page=7

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Good question! As for grain sizes, I'm still happy with super-fine oolite on the bottom with coarser stuff on top. I have watched pods enjoy the refuge of the coarse substrate, while worms enjoy getting down into the fine stuff. I also recommend acquiring live sand from different sources, for biodiversity. If you plan to plant seagrasses or any other higher plants, I would recommend some kind of dirt in there, with maybe an inch of sand covering it. These plants get a lot of their nutrients from the soil, using their roots. Ideally, it would be the mud the plants were growing in. I'm not sure you can collect them that way though. Otherwise, potting soil, garden soil or good old yard dirt should work. Also, Florida Pets has some live mud that is the real deal.

If you aren't attempting higher plants, you don't need soil. If you are, you may want to soak the soil for a couple months in water with the same salinity as your tank. This will give the soil time to settle in with being water logged.

Hope this helps! Bottom line, I wish I had added more dirt than I did, for the grasses.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks Michael. I was going to bring some mud home last trip, but what we found really stunk a lot and I was worried about adding toxic hydrogen sulfide to the tank. I may go the commercial route instead. However, I'm on the fence about it because I'd really like to keep it local flora and fauna.

Here's another video of my fish feeding on the grass shrimp that they killed below. Notice the Ulva attached to one of the oyster shells. The camera seems to pick up plenty of other "life" that I didn't notice before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKB2orGAaBM

 

[Michael Hoaster]

It's a daunting task, making a commitment to adding mud. As I said, ideally you're scooping up whatever the grass is growing in with it, so that may not be the really nasty stuff.

I restarted our three gallon betta vase yesterday for my wife. We hope to grow some plants in it, so I grabbed a pot of dirt that has been sitting at the bottom of my outdoor garden pond for a couple years, to give the plants a rich rooting place. The dirt is mostly hidden by a coarse, shelly substrate, in the vase, but I did notice some kind of wormy things at the soil surface. The betta is actively hunting them now. So having mud is not just for plants. It is also the best way to start up the base of the food chain.

That video is amazing! If you couldn't see the edge of the tank, you'd think it was filmed in nature! So cool. It's wild to see nature's violence on such a small scale. Well done!