My reef has recently passed the 6 month mark and there’s been a marked increase in visible biodiversity.
Little copepods show up pretty early in just about all tanks but the things that come after are not always so standard. As I sit in amazement and watch various copepods, amphipods, ostracods, a zillion baby stomatellas, etc. I start wondering where these all come from.
Nowadays there is a very large share of reefers who use dry rock, myself included, yet the biodiversity still increases and our tanks still go through magically unseen changes that improve stability and the ability to support more delicate life. Sure, it’s slower than live rock but it still happens.
So, aside from coral frags where does this life come from? I ask that because there can be a major time lapse between the last frag that went in and new life forms appearing. Is it simply a matter of long incubation times of hitchhiked eggs? Is it the lag in growth until a population is large enough to visibly see? If we are religious about dipping frags would we never see new unexpected life?
Just some things I’ve been thinking about to share, stimulate conversation, and enjoy this hobby we all love (on most days )
Little copepods show up pretty early in just about all tanks but the things that come after are not always so standard. As I sit in amazement and watch various copepods, amphipods, ostracods, a zillion baby stomatellas, etc. I start wondering where these all come from.
Nowadays there is a very large share of reefers who use dry rock, myself included, yet the biodiversity still increases and our tanks still go through magically unseen changes that improve stability and the ability to support more delicate life. Sure, it’s slower than live rock but it still happens.
So, aside from coral frags where does this life come from? I ask that because there can be a major time lapse between the last frag that went in and new life forms appearing. Is it simply a matter of long incubation times of hitchhiked eggs? Is it the lag in growth until a population is large enough to visibly see? If we are religious about dipping frags would we never see new unexpected life?
Just some things I’ve been thinking about to share, stimulate conversation, and enjoy this hobby we all love (on most days )