Edited by Floridafish12, 09 August 2013 - 05:24 PM.
First Biotope
Started by
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, Aug 09 2013 05:22 PM
20 replies to this topic
#1
Guest_Floridafish12_*
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Posted 09 August 2013 - 05:22 PM
I am planning on getting a 55 gallon for both my first native fish tank and first biotope aquarium. The place im going to emulate is a little cove like area in our local brackishwater marshe. My plan is to have shallow water to about six inches with a mud bottom. There will be a little rocky above water area with local crabs and small local minnows in the water. I was just woundering how i would put a muddy sandy bottom as the substrate of the tank?
#3
Guest_Doug_Dame_*
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Posted 09 August 2013 - 08:17 PM
You could collect some actual mud from the site you are going to emulate. Comes pre-loaded with authentic micro-fauna. Lay it down on top of gravel or sand or x fifty pound bags of top soil. If you want a bunch of plants, might want to include perfume-free kitty litter, or SafeTSorb or SoilMasterSelect, both of which are baked-clay products and available from TractorSupply for pleasantly cheap prices. (I have not personally used either of the last two, but have been reading about them on various planted aquarium forums. Going to buy some this weekend.)
A 55 gal tank is not a very good shape if you want to have some area that has only 6" of water. Especially if your substrate is slippery mud.
A 55 gal tank is not a very good shape if you want to have some area that has only 6" of water. Especially if your substrate is slippery mud.
#5
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Posted 09 August 2013 - 08:54 PM
Ok 40 gallon is cheaper anyway so thats fine. Also interms of plants there isn't much that grows in our brackish marsh exept some grasses and only a few but they could hide the filter. Also the mud will be littered with live oak leaves like in the cove. One more thing what kind of filter should I get
Edited by Floridafish12, 09 August 2013 - 09:01 PM.
#6
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Posted 10 August 2013 - 08:55 AM
There are not many plants that will survive that environment. Those that do are likely to have very high light requirements, since they're basically in full sun all day, so keep that in mind.
The filter is an interesting question. Actual mud is obviously very easily stirred up. I would suggest going very light on the fish (like 2 small ones) and going without a filter. The mud will do what you need as far as controlling ammonia. If we're talking about fiddler crabs they actually need only a little water, and a good place to burrow, so try to build up their side or corner with sand before mud so it's sturdier.
Be careful with water changes on this one. Very few people have much experience with brackish water, but some fish you may find there may need more salinity than tap water will provide (some won't care at all, but find out the easy way before you find out the hard way).
The filter is an interesting question. Actual mud is obviously very easily stirred up. I would suggest going very light on the fish (like 2 small ones) and going without a filter. The mud will do what you need as far as controlling ammonia. If we're talking about fiddler crabs they actually need only a little water, and a good place to burrow, so try to build up their side or corner with sand before mud so it's sturdier.
Be careful with water changes on this one. Very few people have much experience with brackish water, but some fish you may find there may need more salinity than tap water will provide (some won't care at all, but find out the easy way before you find out the hard way).
#7
Guest_EricaLyons_*
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Posted 10 August 2013 - 10:56 AM
What's the salinity of the marsh? Hydrometers are $10 online or at Petsmart if you don't have one.I am planning on getting a 55 gallon for both my first native fish tank and first biotope aquarium. The place im going to emulate is a little cove like area in our local brackishwater marshe.
#9
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Posted 10 August 2013 - 11:52 AM
Bring a little bucket of tap water. I just remembered that my hydrometer says to soak it in fresh water for a few minutes before measuring salinity. I forgot about that.I have a hydrometer and am going out to measure salinity today.
#15
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Posted 11 August 2013 - 10:15 AM
I don't think you'll have any problem with mud as the substrate. I use pure clay myself, and it works fine as long as you don't have species that dig in it.I was just woundering how i would put a muddy sandy bottom as the substrate of the tank?
Here's the sponge I use to remove find particles from the water:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxeJ1QNomA
But yeah, there are several good examples of people with mud tanks. Here's a mudskipper tank where the person created an artificial tide where the water levels go up and down. The mudskippers even laid eggs and hatched. No word yet on larvae making it to adulthood (they're really small), but it's a great setup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WSImkhgXI
#16
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Posted 11 August 2013 - 04:15 PM
I should have been more specific when I wrote "sponge filter" ... I was specifically thinking of the sponge filters in the style of the ATI Hydro-sponge filters, such as seen at Jehmco, Amazon, and there is also an excellent write-up on sponge filters at AmericanAquariumProducts. And other vendors carry them too, of course.
#17
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Posted 11 August 2013 - 11:52 PM
A sponge filter is going to be very difficult to operate in water shallow enough to have a fiddler crab habitat.
I still think I'd skip the filter for a shallow mud-bottomed tank like this, and just understand that the fish are going to be severely limited (as they would be due to the size anyway).
12.5 ppt is about 60% seawater. Make sure you're willing to go collecting for every water change. Stuff that lives in that will die fast if you add fresh water except to make up for evapration.
I still think I'd skip the filter for a shallow mud-bottomed tank like this, and just understand that the fish are going to be severely limited (as they would be due to the size anyway).
12.5 ppt is about 60% seawater. Make sure you're willing to go collecting for every water change. Stuff that lives in that will die fast if you add fresh water except to make up for evapration.
#18
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Posted 12 August 2013 - 06:54 AM
Instant Ocean, sold at most pet stores, will allow you to reconstitute water at whatever salinity you want, without having to drag buckets around. Water is very heavy and transporting large volumes of it can be dangerous and annoying. Instant Ocean can be bought in bulk and stored at home for a safe alternative. I use it for my saltwater tanks and have no issues; it's just dried ocean salt.12.5 ppt is about 60% seawater. Make sure you're willing to go collecting for every water change. Stuff that lives in that will die fast if you add fresh water except to make up for evapration.
#19
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Posted 20 August 2013 - 02:13 PM
I like the idea and something like a frag tank might be well suited to this (24"x24"x12"), along with a smaller submersible in-tank pump like for reptiles/amphibians and a couple small powerheads and a nice powerful light (or lights) suspended overhead. Zoo Med and hydor make some nice compact powerheads for around $20 and I'm sure there are a million others, especially shallow water turtle enclosure pumps. Not sure about the light though. Generally t8 shop light fixtues are pretty cheap to come by, easy to hang and you can find some lamps at the local hardware store putting out decent light at about 6500K-7500k if you're lucky.
#20
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Posted 02 September 2013 - 11:20 PM
This is sounding like a great project, and frag tank is deff the more stylish way to go. I am new btw and very glad to be hear and already see some great projects coming about. Also *nerdariostomp * is right about those T8 lights fixure its your best bet to save some money and still look good.
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