SteveZi's mini tide-pool project

There's a game going on in the tank called: Let's sit in a row and sting the crap out of each other.
Nobody wants to give up first, so its sting, retract, sting, retract, eat a hermit crab, retract, sting, retract...
I don't care, some retracted anemones even look better than when they are open.
I added the tube worms too early - feeling bad about that, will have to see how they cope.


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thanks Guys, btw Broder your tank looks fantastic - its my favourite here, together with student's one.

Here is a picture of one of the porcelain crabs I want to add.
They are small (+- 1cm) filter feeders called Pisidia streptocheles - the Cape porcelain crab.
About a year ago I found 3 of these - they are pretty rare.
I sent 2 specimens to Prof Charles Griffiths, who said they were the first ones he has ever seen and he deposited
them as voucher specimens at the SA Museum.
Prof Griffiths is Director of Marine Biology at UCT and has described more than 100 species new to science.
He is also co-author of the Two Oceans Field guide, a book that many of us are familiar with.


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Another crab that I want to add more of (there's already one in there somewhere) is the pebble crab - Leucisca squalina - they are also about 1cm.
According to some, they clean fish, but I will only believe this when I see it for myself.


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this is a very cool tank!
love the cold water colours
 
dallasg said:
this is a very cool tank! love the cold water colours
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Thx Dallas, I just hope I can maintain it... - to go from experimental to truely spectacular

ken said:
What you using as your substrate dude? Looks nice
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I had this elaborate plan for the substrate…

I wanted to use different substrates in different areas of the tank, fine aragonite sand, small pebbles and barnacle shells.
Why barnacle shells? Well, they’re calcareous and by design they have increased surface area for bacteria to populate – I also like the way it looks.
But it is a pain in the back to walk on the beach and collect them… so for now it’s mostly pebbles, with a few barnacle shells that I will increase with time.
The fine aragonite does not work well with the UG filter and gets blown around by the pump inside the tank.
Actually, I could have done what I wanted, if I wasn’t so @#$%! impatient…:)
 
Len said:
How does your filtration work? What is the thinking behind going with an UG filter?
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My main reason is that my “liverock” is actually not high quality porous rock – it is a mixture of old cement rubble, and small pieces of rock that I’ve picked up in pools – these look to me like they are soft enough for burrowing animals to make holes and are in fact of a muddy consistency.
Let’s just say the rock could be suspect…
So I want that extra surface for aerobic bacteria, but I also want to run the DT on its own – it just gives me that scope for the tide simulation, where everything is cut off, some of the rocks exposed, but the UG keeps going.
I’m kind of old school – I used UG filters all my life so feel comfortable with it.
Apart from the UG, I still run a skimmer in the sump, as well as the established DSB.
Oh and i have a filtersock on the overflow.
that's about it - I'm open to any suggestions:)
 
Len said:
Clever combination, especially for low-tide. Do you cut the circulation inside back as well during low tide?

Is the UG filter in reverse of classic flow mode?
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I do cut it back yes.
I've ordered a vortech and will be experimenting with the different flow settings once i get it. apparently it's quite cool for different flow simulations/programs.

the UG is not reverse - I'm not convinced yet that it makes any difference, but maybe PaulB will convince me.:whistling:
 
Two starfish species found on our coast are the Red starfish (detritus feeder) and the Reticulated starfish (sponge feeder).
Two guesses as to which one this is...
It's been feeding for 3 days now on this encrusting sponge in between the colony of Striped anemones.
I will have to let it go, as I want to promote sponge growth in the tank.


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Wow cool!!! What temp you keeping your tank at? Running a chiller?
 
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This tank is really interesting well done.
 
the UG is not reverse - I'm not convinced yet that it makes any difference, but maybe PaulB will convince me.:whistling:
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I won't try to convince you as it is your tank, but I will guarantee you that if you do not run it slow and in reverse, it will crash in about a year. :(
I am not an expert on most things but I am an expert on UG filters because I doubt you will find anyone running one as long as mine. I did originally use it the way the directions read and I tried it a few ways for a number of years.
The water must be strained or filtered before it gets pumped under the gravel or the thing becomes a particle filter. The gravel bed is not the place you want all the detritus to become trapped because that 2" of gravel will clog relatively fast.
If you filter the particles out the device will last forever with very little maintenance, but no matter how you use it, it will still need maintenance.
But Like I said, it's your tank.
Give us an update in a year. :whistling:
 
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