Self-sufficient Saltwater.

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CoolWaters

Superstar Fish
#1
Dec 10, 2006
1,028
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Milpitas
#1
since im busy with collage and stuff like that :(

it seems i have less and less time with my SW tank...

when i added the chaeto it was full of hitchhikers.
i was very interested in the sudden explosion of marine life. *celebrate
But at the same time it seems my nitrate was shot. =)

im trying to run a 10g tank FOWLR (until i get a better light)

im still planning to hook up a 5g sump...(i cant seem to figure of how to stop it from flooding....)

corals eat copepods too right? and copepods eat chaetos? im planning to raise a nice steady bunch as my semi-main food source. i can hand feed them on somedays.
by doing this im preventing my fishes from just sitting there waiting for food and....death....:eek:

some people say brine shimp reproduces fast and eats chaetos? (mine can grow out of control.) but brine shrimps aren't really the best food of fishes.

had anyone tried creating a balanced ecosystem before?
 

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iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#2
Sep 12, 2006
186
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Algonquin, IL
#2
i don't know about a self-sufficient tank, but i do know for a fact that brine shrimp won't survive in marine water. they need hypersaline habitats, like the great salt lake, where the salinity is just ridiculous. too much to keep fish in. u could try raising some mysid shrimp though, as they are healther for fish anyway, and i'm pretty sure they are marine shrimp.
 

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CoolWaters

Superstar Fish
#3
Dec 10, 2006
1,028
1
0
Milpitas
#3
mysis are marine fish. i might rise both copepods and mysis (if i can get my hands on some live ones...) but if they start killing each other off. im going to have to got with copepods...

and yeah brine shimps thrive in my 1.030 SG water O.O
 

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TheFool

Large Fish
#4
Apr 19, 2006
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#4
I tihnlk you'll find mysis are shrimp rather than fish.....

But not many corals will eat brine, mysis except the obvious larger polyped examples, and very few will eat adult copepods, but I guess copepod nauplii are good.

I tihnk quite a lot of people are close to a balanced ecosystem, but it's hard to avoid some input. I tihnk your problem is a classic one tho', it would be much easier for you to get this to work if you were playing with 10 or 20 times the size. Small systems are simply unstable, and more maintenance.
 

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CoolWaters

Superstar Fish
#5
Dec 10, 2006
1,028
1
0
Milpitas
#5
"mysis are marine fish."

when i said "fish" i meant the general species that live in the ocean. O.O

yeah im willing to but a lot of input. whats the point in this hobby if i dont do stuff to it? most people do it for the fun blissful labor of love XD and it looks soo cooool

and i dont trust the autofeeders. and i cant always be there. so i want it to last atleast 2 or more days without me.
 

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TheFool

Large Fish
#6
Apr 19, 2006
323
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#6
Well 2 days is a lot different to selfsufficient, I've left my tank pretty much alone for a few weeks when I've been on vacation. I can't even imagine having a tank that needed daily attention - it's just not a practical proposition
 

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CoolWaters

Superstar Fish
#8
Dec 10, 2006
1,028
1
0
Milpitas
#8
ram man said:
Quick question coolwaters. What types of corals are you planning on keeping?
Click to expand...
well there some nice cheap assorted coral XD but im getting thos hardy low light req corals.

so basically thatever my LFS has. im not willing to get livestock over mail...
 

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