Oyster Reef Ecosystem Tank

[Chasmodes]

Thank you Patrick and Dawn! Sorry that I haven't been on in a while. I had some personal health issues that kept me off the internet, or at least gave me zero energy to even think of things to post. But, I'm feeling a lot better now.

I've made significant progress on my large oyster reef tank. I was able to almost finish the stand, but what I have to do is add a little trim, which I will do this weekend, and even if I don't, it won't side track the project. I've been saying for years that I am going to get this tank up and running. Well, it's happening soon.

I've made progress by drilling holes in the tank and installing the overflow. It's a bean animal style external overflow box, as close to his design that I can possible do, that is. I've also installed the bulkhead on my sump for water change export. I have the plumbing scheme worked out and have all the parts that I need, except for 14" access panels that will allow me to cut a large hole in the drywall to let my plumbing through to the sump. I will go to HD tomorrow and get those panels tomorrow. Once I have them, I will work on the plumbing.

In the meantime, I'm working on the reef structure to strengthen each oyster cultch. I purchased cheap flooring tiles that I'm going to glue to each oyster cultch so they sit on the tank bottom under the sand and are level, so that critters don't burrow under them to cause collapsing of the reef. I was able to collect real beach sand local for the biotope. I need to sift that out and wash it. After placing the oyster cultches into the tank to form the reef, I will put in the washed sand. After that, all I need to do is fill the tank with brackish water and cycle the tank.

I need to install my lights, which I will do soon, probably this weekend. I have some fish for the tank now that are ready for the tank once cycled, but I need to make a few trips and hopefully have it well stocked by mid July at the latest.

I also have a plumbing plan in place to build my water change/salt mixing station and install my RO/DI filter. I will do that once I have the tank set up. Until then, the tank gets well water mixed brackish water. Anyway, I'm very excited. After years of procrastination, fear of failure, and trying to work out how to do all this, it's finally happening.

Regarding my river tank, here is the latest update. I ramble a bit but there is some good footage and info about our local species. One of my favorite fish died, one that was from when I set the tank up 4 years ago, a greenside darter that was almost 5" long. Othe than that, the river tank is doing great. I hope you all enjoy the video.

 

[JohnL]

I'm feeling a lot better now

Glad to hear that Kevin.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you John!

 

[Subsea]

Kevin,
I so much enjoy the River bio theme you set up. My first marine tank was a Galveston Bay biothem where I seined ghost shrimp, green mollies from marsh grasses, anemones from jetties in Galveston and an oyster cluster with numerous barnacles from Intracoastal Canal.
Patrick

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you Patrick! I remember you mentioning that tank before, and I bet it was amazing. Do you have any pics of it that you can share by any chance? Have you ever thought of doing a tank like that again? It's my understanding that you can find some pretty cool blennies along Galveston's jetties. That would make for a really cool biotope!

 

[Subsea]

I have limited my Marine systems to four.

I have been focusing on permaculture & regenerative agriculture on my 1.5 acre homesite by making terraces in a wet weather stream that flows thru the property. In one section, I already have a bog with cattails and Louisiana Iris

 

[Misled]

Patrick, could you take a pic of your iris?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Wow, you're really making progress on the OYSTER REEF!!!!! It sounds really cool! You've made good use of the time to design a well thought-out setup. Can't wait to see it up and running. Wooo!

 

[Subsea]

Patrick, could you take a pic of your iris?

I should have qualified this better. I have a dried up bog with cattails from a Texas era with wet weather. Some years back, I made 12” levee to hold water back in a wet weather stream on 1.5 acres. In this retaining pool, I dug out a hole and installed a sump pump which filled up four 2250 gallon tanks used for irrigation. Once I realized that native cattails were a part of previous ecosystem, I have decided to dig out to shelf limestone, install a liner with some of the original soil on top. To this mix, I will add bog plants which will include Louisiana Iris.

Now that the sun is up, I will attempt to show my interpretation of permaculture for Bear Creek.

 

[Chasmodes]

Very cool Patrick. I love the beautiful doggie too!

 

[Chasmodes]

Wow, you're really making progress on the OYSTER REEF!!!!! It sounds really cool! You've made good use of the time to design a well thought-out setup. Can't wait to see it up and running. Wooo!

Thank you Michael. Me too! Whatever day I don't go fishing this weekend will be devoted to the new oyster reef tank.

 

[Chasmodes]

Well, I had a near catastrophe today. I was talking to a buddy of mine on the phone while watching the fish in my 20g oyster reef tank. I have three striped blennies, one male and two females. They always come to the front of the tank to beg for food when I show up. Usually the bigger of the two females is first to the front, then that draws the attention of the other two.

Today, like clockwork, the larger female came to the front, followed by the male. After about 10 minutes of talking on the phone, I still hadn't seen the other female. Then, out of the corner of my eye, on top of the glass tank lid, I saw something flop. It was the other female, all dried up. She had been out there for at least 10 minutes before I got down there, maybe more. Next, by instinct, I picked her up and dropped her into the tank. She sank to the bottom and landed upside down, barely breathing but still trying to move a little.

Well, that drew attention of one of the skilletfish that would have gladly taken advantage of her situation and probably would have started to try and feed on her. If I hadn't done anything, the other three skilletfish would have done the same.

So, I quickly ran into my storage area and pulled out my mesh breeder box, and affixed it to the back of the inside of the tank, and put an airstone in there for circulation, then scooped her up and placed her into the breeder. She was on her side barely breathing for several minutes. It didn't look good.

I couldn't take it any more so I decided to leave and check back in 15 minutes and try and come up with a plan to save her. When I checked back, she was sitting upright like blennies do, breathing OK, and swimming around, trying to figure out how to get out of her new prison. She seems OK. I'm going to leave her in there until later, for her sake, to make sure nobody picks on her.

What a relief!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Whew, what a relief! Nicely done. Glad she's ok.

You sound like me with bike riding."Whichever weekend day I don't ride…" It's nice to have hobbies (obsessions) to keep our little brains going, doesn't it?

 

[Chasmodes]

LOL yes, Michael, my fishing obsession keeps me from getting things done. And, when I have free time, lately I've been a slug, too tired after going fishing!

Well, my little female blenny is in QT because the other fish picked on her, and now a serious bacterial infection set in. Some could have been a result of being out of the water too long too. Over half her body is infected, and her tail is gone. I'm treating her with Metroplex and Kanoplex, and so far, it's not improving. She's not eating. In my experience in QT when treating sick fish, you always have a chance if they're eating. When they don't, that's not a good sign.

I wish I could get furan, but I can't find it anywhere. Even with that, I don't think she's going to make it.

This is a serious set back. I plan on going collecting soon to restock the tank, but man, I can't afford to lose fish now. I'm so close with the larger set up.

 

[Chasmodes]

Well, my sick female blenny didn't make it. The bacterial infection overtook her entire body, and even ate into her belly overnight. I've never seen anything like it. I doubt there are any predatory critters in my QT since I use copper in it. But man...I feel so bad for her. I wonder if I had kept her in the breeder net so other fish couldn't get to her if she would have survived. Maybe being out of the water for whatever amount of time that was could have just been too much for her immune system.

Now the pressure is on to get more fish for my tank. The blennies are the hardest ones to find...

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Sorry to hear that, Kevin. You did all you could. It happens. When something like this happens to me, I make sure to take stock and see what I can learn from it. Onward!

 

[Breadman03]

I'm sorry to hear that

 

[Chasmodes]

Sorry to hear that, Kevin. You did all you could. It happens. When something like this happens to me, I make sure to take stock and see what I can learn from it. Onward!

Thanks Michael. Yeah, I'm hoping that my bigger tank will solve these types of things. I am making a custom top. The hole that fish jumped out of was where my HOB filter dumped water into the tank. She must have jumped out to the filter and bounced on to the top of the glass tank cover. Such a small opening. The new tank won't have any openings like that.

Thanks Breadman03. The weird thing is that when I first started collecting my own fish, I always thought that I'd do my best for them, but I could always go out and get more. Well, the problem is that, while doing the best for them, you still get attached to them, and do everything that you can for them just like if you purchased fished from a store. It hurts...but...life goes on.

I also have to think of it like this, that this fish lived in my tank for a couple years. They have relatively shore lifespans because of living in such a harsh environment in the wild, maybe 3-4 years max in captivity. In the wild, they have to deal with predators including big predatory fish (striped bass, red drum, sea trout, flounder, and toadfish, to name a few), and also blue crabs, which will eat anything that they can catch before they get eaten by those same predatory fish. In other words, most of the oyster reef benthic fish maybe only live long enough for a one year breeding cycle, mostly due to predation. This blenny species is ready to breed after 9 months of their lives.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I imagine that I'd be more attached to fish I collected myself. You gave her a good 2 years without the stress of predation.

You collected sand for the Oyster Reef. Any other news of ecosystem building?

 

[Chasmodes]

ell this stinks. RC no longer accepts Photobucket. Oh well. I guess I'll have to find another way to share pics. I will have to adapt!

I think that what I'll do is create a new YT video and show you the updates that way. At least I can explain them and not type as much LOL. At any rate, Michael, I've got a lot done and will share where I am and what I have to do. I made a minor mistake, but I'll show that in the video too. I'll post it in a little while today after I record it.