Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reef Biotope Tank

[Chasmodes]

Here's a close up pick of that unidentified object or life form:

I love picking up my magnifying glass and examining my tank, looking for new life forms that I haven't noticed before, in addition to admiring the ones that have been there. I enjoy examining my fish close up, noticing their intricate color patterns and structural details that seem to blend together when viewed with the naked eye.

I have noticed bristle worm burrows in my sand bed against the glass, and though I have yet to see them, the burrows change daily, so it's a matter of time that I catch them in the act. I also found two other types of worms and perhaps a third unknown animal that could be a worm or maybe a tube amphipod.

One of the worm species that I discovered while viewing through my magnifying glass were ones that I've seen before but thought that they were hair algae. When I looked closer, I noticed that this "algae" didn't sway with the current as other algae normally does. They tended to bend and turn in opposition of the current. Then, when one just all of a sudden disappeared into it's hidey hole, that confirmed my suspicion. These worms are on a few of the oyster shells that I introduced into the tank long ago. I haven't found them anywhere else or in the sand bed, so it's a colony. At least, I think they are worms. I'll try and get a pic in the future. They are found in tiny holes in the oyster shell or perhaps the many tiny tubes that are on these shells, although I haven't been able to tell if the worms built the tubes or not.

I have observed the tubes, found in both of the pics in this post, but haven't seen the animal. However, I've seen waste pushed out of the tubes and into the current, so I know that something lives in them. They could be these worms or perhaps tube amphipods? I have no idea, but I'll keep watching. Here's a pic of the tubes:

Another type of worm, perhaps another type of bristle worm, builds soft tubes out of slime (perhaps) and sand, and they can be found when I pick up a shell and look underneath, and also on one of the tunicates. I'll get a pic of that one. I saw it move, so life is in the tube...

So, the diversity is expanding, building from the bottom up. I still need to add some mud to the tank to move that further along.

 

[ksfulk]

Ive been following this build since it started and I always look forward to a new post. It would be neat to do a biome tank, but everything around me is freshwater, so it wouldnt been very interesting. Still, amazing tank as always. How many fish are currently in the tank? Are you catching/adding only juveniles to prevent aggression?

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks ksfulk!

I'm also doing a FW build for local native fish. Darters are very interesting to me and are very interesting benthic fish, very similar behavior to blennies. Some of them are very colorful as well as minnows and shiners, especially when they breed.

Right now, the 20g long has 6 blennies, 5 gobies, 5 skilletfish, a bunch of grass shrimp, 4 mud crabs, tunicates and a couple live mussels. I had two juvenile mummichogs, but one was killed and eaten by the blennies, and I moved the other one to a 20g high. Most of the fish in this tank were juveniles when I collected them, with the biggest blenny at 1.5" and the smallest at 3/4" long. All of the gobies were about an inch long as were the skilletfish. The biggest blenny is over 3" long now, after only 6 months, so adult size. The biggest goby is about 2" and the biggest skilletfish is about 2.5" now.

The 20g now has 3 mummichogs (2 males and a female), several mud crabs, a bunch of shrimp, tunicates, one anemone, and a cluster of mussels. I had a disease problem in that tank, perhaps ich, velvet or flukes, that killed off my benthic fish. Prior to that, it had all adult fish (6 blennies, 6 gobies, 6 skilletfish and 2 mummichogs along with the inverts).

As far as aggression goes, pecking orders are established pretty much by size, as you'd suspect, but they chase and nip, sometimes fight, but, I never see much damage. The chase one another out of their territory (not many permanent ones, always changing), and that happens across species. But the quarrels are mostly within each species. It was pretty much the same with both tanks, so I don't think age mattered much with regard to the overall amount of aggression. But, if I had to start up a tank again from scratch, I'd make sure to start off with fish of about the same age group. I had one small blenny, about 1.25" long with the adults and eventually a skilletfish ate him before I could get him out of the tank.

In the wild, these blennies live in close quarters of about the same density, so the amount of aggression in the wild is probably about the same. The key that I've found is to provide a bunch of escape routes and hiding spots or cover, and that reduces aggression. The blennies constantly assert their place in the pecking order, or challenge for a higher spot. The ones at the bottom of the pecking order seem to know their place and are always looking for that quick escape. So far, everything has worked out as I'd hoped. We will see what happens if they start breeding. I'd expect more permanent territories established and defended.

When the 20g high with the adults was running well, the blennies would fight at times, challenging the pecking order. The biggest two were the most dominant, but the slightly smaller ones would constantly challenge them. Most of the time, the bigger ones eventually would chase them off. But, it was very interesting to watch them get fired up and go at it. They actually bite each other hard, so it seems, but the fish never seem to be injured and go about their business after they're chased off. I never had any fish cowering in the corner in either tank as a result of aggression. I see some of that in the 20g long, but not quite to that level of aggression. Perhaps they were close to breeding before things went downhill in that tank...

When I get the 100g set up, I envision about a stocking list of about 15 blennies, 10 gobies, 8 skilletfish and a few of a couple other species. The bioload is high, but I think growing the macros will help with nutrient uptake and export along with regular water changes. That is my plan, anyway. It's a constant learning process.

 

[Chasmodes]

Just as an FYI, as you may have noticed, I've been posting a lot of pics and videos and such along with the progress of this project. I like seeing and watching them too, and, I also like to document my progress and such. But, it's also to share information. When I was researching and dreaming of doing this project, there really wasn't a whole lot of info out there or even pictures of the species that I'm keeping. And there isn't much on the web or literature about the husbandry of these critters either. So, I feel obligated to post about it so if, perhaps, someone else wants to do this, that they can see what I went through and have a good idea of what to expect. There is other info out there but it takes a lot of searching to find it all. The only videos of these fish were pretty much about 10 seconds long. When I wanted to learn about them, I felt that I couldn't get enough. So, sorry if it's too much posting and such. I hope you all enjoy my tank almost as much as I do. That's why I share, because I can't wait to get back home and watch my tank.

 

[Chasmodes]

I woke up on Saturday morning, turned on the tank lights and found 23 of these on the glass that I've never seen before. My first thought was snails, but I've never had any snails in the tank, and they don't move at all. So, what sessile critters are they? Tunicates? Mussels? Barnacles? My guess is juvenile barnacles. I haven't scraped them off the glass yet and I wonder how many others are in the tank that I can't see. It is interesting how new life just pops up.

Also, I've been watching those tubes and found out that they're definitely the dancing worms that I saw. I've seen them stretching out from the tube in search of food. And, I caught them on video feeding after stirring up the tank (so it snowed in the tank as much as it did outside of my house that day):



Oh, and remember the sea squirts video, where I thought I saw a tadpole larvae? My daughter noticed at the 8 or 9 second mark that it appears in the screen again and looks like it swims off with the tail moving! It's hard to tell, but I'd like to think that is what it is. Here's another look:

 

[Chasmodes]

Just another observation regarding the tube worm video. After watching this a few times, it appears that these are very efficient detrivores. Watch as they catch and pull detritus into their tubes for consumption. In addition, organic material that lands on the shell next to them also gets pulled into the tubes. I'm really amazed by this. It looks like time lapse photography, but it's regular speed. I kind of get the creeps watching it as I imagine 10' tall versions of this things in a sci-fi movie!

 

[Chasmodes]

I thought today might be a good time to look back and compare my progress. I have a long way to go, but I've come a long way. The 20g long is a tease to what my 100g will be, but in the meantime, it has been fun. I hope you enjoy the recap:

 

[Chasmodes]

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks for following!

 

[Chasmodes]

Time for a quick update. In the 20g long, the Ulva that I added a few months ago isn't making it, but it seems that the Gracilaria is OK, not growing, but stopped dying off and is holding its own. All of the fish and inverts look OK. The crabs rarely come out but now and then, if I use a flashlight, can see one hiding in the rocks. The filter feeders are doing OK, so it seems. The tunicates look the same, the mussels open and close normally, and the barnacle is out and feeding often. Dosing the phytoplankton seems to be the ticket. The worm and pod populations are doing well. I discovered another new life form, a filter feeding organism that resembles and anemone perhaps, or the head of the worm, coming out of the sand, kind of reddish in color and about 2-3mm wide. I suspect it is a small anemone, but, it seems to open and close like pulsing zenia or perhaps a jellyfish. My first thought was that it is a larval budding polyp of a sea nettle. But, why would it show up after so long? Weird. If it turns out to be sea nettles, then I'll get them out of the tank and perhaps donate them to the public aquarium. We will see. I need to take a video of it to see what you all think. Anyway, it's pretty cool!

The 20g high hasn't changed much except that I haven't gotten rid of the mummichogs yet. I need to do that so I can run that tank fallow for a decent amount of time and get rid of the parasites in there. However, the sick mummichog seems to have fought off and recovered from all of the parasites. It is an amazing and resilient species for sure. But, they have no place in the future of my system, so they'll be gone some day. I decided not to euthanize them though, so I'll quarantine them and treat them, and then figure out what to do with them later. If I treat them, then I might be able to donate them to the local public aquarium. Maybe I'll set up a tank just for them.

 

[Paul B]

I still love it. I am going out to the east end of Long Island to collect some water today (and check out my new house). It's 19 degrees so I may have to warm the water up just a little before I dump it in my tank.

 

[Chasmodes]

I still love it. I am going out to the east end of Long Island to collect some water today (and check out my new house). It's 19 degrees so I may have to warm the water up just a little before I dump it in my tank.

Thank you Paul! I added Bay water to my tank the last time, not much, maybe a gallon or two. But I'm thinking some of the new life that is showing up in my tank was a result of that, or hitchhiked on shells or macroalgae that I introduced.

When you collect your water, do you just grab a bucket and scoop it up and dump it into a cooler or something? Or, do you use a pump/hose to collect it? If you use a bucket, a pair of neoprene gloves (like the Glacier Gloves) would come in handy for future winter water collections. I use them when I go ice fishing and they work great. I also use them when I'm out shoveling snow and such, and are really good for firing snow balls back at my daughter after she takes snow ball pot shots at me when I'm shoveling!

As far as today's water, maybe all you have to do is collect the ice and let it melt into a bucket!

 

[Chasmodes]

I really like the look of the Ulva in this tank, but I think that until I set up the larger tank with better lighting, I'll not add it to this tank any longer. It just dies off. It looks great while it's alive, but ugly when it decomposes, although, I imagine all of the detritivores and herbivorous microfauna enjoy it. I can't tell if the Gracilaria is dying off or not. If it is, it takes a lot longer. I moved the tunicates up onto the reef after reading that contact with sediment or partial burial might lead to an earlier death. They seem to be doing OK, but time will tell. Here's a full tank shot:

A zoomed in section of the right cultch, where I've moded all of the tunicates:

After observing and taking pics and vids of my newly found creature, I've determined that it is indeed a larval form of a jellyfish (a budding polyp or scyphistoma), although I'm not certain of the species. It's about 2-3 mm wide. I'm not sure what to do about this, because, although it is cool, adult versions would kill my fish. I wonder if my powerhead and HOB filter will kill these juvenile jellies or not. Maybe I should just remove them now. It appears this morning that perhaps one of the ephyra separated from the budding polyp, because this morning it was a lot smaller. Here's a video from last night:


Here's a video update of the tank:

 

[Paul B]

Thank you Paul! I added Bay water to my tank the last time, not much, maybe a gallon or two. But I'm thinking some of the new life that is showing up in my tank was a result of that, or hitchhiked on shells or macroalgae that I introduced.

When you collect your water, do you just grab a bucket and scoop it up and dump it into a cooler or something? Or, do you use a pump/hose to collect it? If you use a bucket, a pair of neoprene gloves (like the Glacier Gloves) would come in handy for future winter water collections. I use them when I go ice fishing and they work great. I also use them when I'm out shoveling snow and such, and are really good for firing snow balls back at my daughter after she takes snow ball pot shots at me when I'm shoveling!

As far as today's water, maybe all you have to do is collect the ice and let it melt into a bucket!

Kevin I normally bring a bucket on a rope and throw it in to scoop it up. Then I dump it into one of those 5 gallon water cooler bottles using a large opening funnel. At home I just store it for a day to warm it up then I dump it into a 20 gallon tub and I get another 5 gallon container, fill it with hot tap water and float it in there until the temp is right. Then I check the salinity and dump it in. If it has a lot of scurvy floating stuff or sediment, I either strain it through a coffee filter of if I get ambitious I diatom filter it like I did last week.

Today it is 13 degrees so I won't collect, but I went yesterday which was a mistake.



I figured I was going to have a problem when I saw Dorothy Hamill skate past me on top of the water.

 

[Chasmodes]

Kevin I normally bring a bucket on a rope and throw it in to scoop it up

I use the same method when I collect fish and need water to fill up my transport cooler. Simple but efficient, but one slip of the hand and you can get wet! I have a smaller pvc pipe version that I use to do water tests with.

I figured I was going to have a problem when I saw Dorothy Hamill skate past me on top of the water.

 

[Chasmodes]

Updates:

20g long:
The Ulva died off for the most part. I won't collect any more Ulva until I set up the larger tank with better lighting. It looks good for a while though, but when it dies off, it isn't pleasing. I can't tell how the Gracilaria is doing. It seems to be holding its own, but not growing at a fast rate. The mud crabs never come out any more, but they are there as you can see them if you prob the dark hiding spots with a flashlight. They're getting bigger. The budding polyp jellyfish is done producing baby medusae, so I can't tell if it is dying or will continue to produce them. The tunicates are hanging in there, but I think that I'm losing one of them. I'm feeding them bottled phytoplankton three times each week. The baby mussels are still going strong. All of the fish are accounted for. It took a while to do an inventory, but eventually, I find times where they're curious and come to the front of the tank and peer out from their hiding spots. The skilletfish are the exception, as the best time to count them is at feeding time. Everything else is doing well, parameters, etc.

20g high:
I still have the three mummichogs. They've all recovered from their disease symptoms for the most part on their own, but they still show signs of the parasites. They are very resilient fish. I purchased some copper and a copper test kit, mainly because I might try it in the future after I collect fish, but also to treat these fish. My goal is to get them out of this tank and run the tank fallow. I will treat them in a plastic storage bin and after they are disease free, donate them to the public aquarium. The ghost anemone is getting bigger. I'm waiting for it to bud off and reproduce, but so far it has not done that. All of the tunicates except one have died despite me feeding phytoplankton three times a week. The cluster of mussels enjoys the phyto feast though and are doing OK. Ulva does better in this tank, but it isn't growing much or the die off is very slow. I don't have to prune it. There are mud crabs in this tank also, but I rarely see them.

Photo updates from the 20g long:

Lots of folks in the reefing world like the blue tank look, so I'm playing too

 

[Daniel@R2R]

There's so much to love about this tank! Great work!

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you Daniel!

I don't have much to update from the weekend except I found another critter hiding behind the tunicates. It seems to be a pretty good size bristle worm, but I can't tell. It pops its head out once in a while to check things out or grab a meal (frozen brine shrimp) and with lightning quick speed, shoots back into his hidey hole. It's cool to watch. I see various bristle worms in my sand bed, creating tunnels and funnels to the surface where food collects, but I haven't actually seen them poke their heads out like that or move up to feed on the stuff in the funnels. My guess is that they do that at night, maybe even come out and cruise the tank. They are home bodies though, so my guess is that they stick to their tunnels or only come out part way or short distances.

Before having this tank, I never thought that all of the "other" creatures would interest me almost as much as the fish.

I didn't work on the rest of my build(s) or anything other than feed my fish this weekend. I spent the day yesterday on the ice fishing, and the previous day getting my gear ready. Ice fishing is one of my passions. That puts my projects on hold somewhat, until we lose the ice. I caught 31 bluegills and a couple crappie, saw two trout on my underwater camera and many other various panfish that didn't want to bite. It was a good day on the ice though, good to get out. I don't have pics because my camera (iPhone) died on me before noon.

 

[Chasmodes]

After feeding my fish, I like to keep watching them until I get sleepy. During part of that time, I pick up the magnifying glass and search the tank for anything that I can find that I haven't seen before. While examining the base of one of the oyster shells, I spot the sand move...a bulge up, then occasional sand and debris movement. I thought it was maybe another bristle worm. But, there was a little bit of dark space behind the bulge of sand, so I shined my flashlight in there and saw two little appendages of something moving. Hmmm, after a closer look, it finally moved and it was a mud crab. About 4" away is another cave under some shells where a mud crab always hangs out. He was still there. So, a second mud crab appeared. I rarely see them. They've grown quite a bit. They were about 1/2" across but now they're about an inch across. There were 4 or 5 crabs introduced into the tank, I think...I can't remember. I can account for 2 of them. My bet is that all of the ones that I put in there are still alive.

I watched the bristle worm that I found the other day eat a brine shrimp. It didn't take it long to find it, and man, was it quick in devouring it. It kind of reminded me of that Jack Black version of King Kong when they fell down into the cavern and gave me the creeps, willies and eebie jeebies.

 

[Chasmodes]

I was feeding bottled phytoplankton three times per week. My tunicates seemed to be withering away or not happy, so I increased the amount that I feed them and am now feeding them four times per week. The tunicates looked much better last night. The large barnacle is the only one that had survived, and I never saw it eat much but once in a while would extend its cirri and scoop in some food. Last night, after feeding the phytoplankton, it was constantly scooping in food. My guess is that over time they get weak and don't have enough energy, almost not enough to reach out for food. But, maybe now that its getting food, it has the energy to reach out for more? I don't know, but I'm encouraged by the increased activity.

Last night I had a skilletfish stick on the front glass and eat out of my hand, as they often do, and another skilletfish showed up and stuck to it! As a result, the first one let go and they both started to sink, stuck together. Both skilletfish, still stuck together, tried to swim back up toward the food and gave up, sticking to the glass about a couple inches under the surface. They were both still stuck together at this point, both feeding on the food dropping down to them. When they were swimming, it reminded me of the Dr. Dolittle character, push me pull you! They were stuck like that for about 5 minutes until the "top" one let go. I was cracking up watching them!