Projected Invertebrate-Only Aquarium

[Veneer]

HARDWARE:

Tank Manufacturer: All-Glass Aquarium Co., Inc.
Tank Volume: 55 U.S. gallons (~208.19766 liters or ~45.79706 imperial gallons)
Tank Dimensions: 48.25" x 12.75" x 21" (122.56 x 32.39 x 53.34 cm)

Stand: All-Glass Aquarium cabinet (probably “Modern Series”)

Lighting: Two 24" 17-watt fluorescent strip lights (or possibly a single 48" bulb), possibly complemented with a discrete array of “lunar lights” (or, albeit less likely, an integrated system, as the “48" Satellite 2x65W SunPaq w/Lunar Light”) – in all likelihood, in conjunction with a full hood assemblage, and all of as-of-yet undetermined make

Heating: Two as-of-yet undetermined 150-watt (fully-submersible) heaters

Filtration: Emperor 400, Penguin 350 B (both utilized with a foam sponge in the intake grid), or an as-of-yet undetermined canister filter


HARDSCAPE:

Primary Substrate: Nine five-pound (2.25 kg) packages of Exo-Terra (“Amber”) Riverbed Sand or three twenty-pound (9 kg) bags of Carib Sea “Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand”

Focal Rockwork: securely stacked rock (as is commonly seen with Rift Lake biotope aquaria) – suggestions for specific minerals are welcome

Focal Driftwood (as an alternative to, or in conjunction with (though accorded greater emphasis than) rockwork): African driftwood (a horizontal-bough formation up to 16 inches in length, or several smaller pieces, 6-9 inches in length, some partially buried in the substrate)

Accent Stones: Large, smooth black river stones (as those depicted here), probably bounding a thicket of Vallisneria at the periphery of the tank


FLORA:

Foreground: either bare, or with Glossostigma elatinoides-carpeted edges giving way to an open central expanse

Midground: Dominated by driftwood/rockwork (across which Christmas moss – Fontinalis antipyretica – or the like may be employed)

Background: loose curtains of corkscrew val. (Vallisneria torta) or similar


FAUNA:
- Poriferans: indigenous North American or Rift Lake sponges (respectively wild-caught and obtained online), possibly anchored to small slabs of sand-concealed slate

- Small bivalves: four golden Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) – likely placed against the front glass (and possibly cordoned off with a strip of plastic or Plexiglas, as is sold for substrate terracing, for ease of observation), or analogous bivalves (e.g., five Nigerian clams (A); five Nigerian clams (B); six orange Mekong mussels)

- Specimen bivalve: One five-inch “shark-tooth mussel” (allowed to burrow freely)

- Burrowing snails: Malaysian trumpets (Melanoides tuberculata)

- Nerite and nerite-analogue snails: A group of six comprised of any combination of the following snails: Nerite A; Nerite B; Nerite C; Nerite D

- Limpets and limpet analogues: assorted “pest” species – Ferrissia spp.; six “abalone snails”; six “Batman snails”

- Assorted Caridean shrimp: ~40 Caridina/Neocaridina spp.

- Atyid shrimp: Two blue mole shrimp, Atya gabonensis, or one blue mole and one A. scabra or one A. margaritacea

- Macrobrachium spp.: Five yellow-banded shrimp (M. duarii)/five red-claw shrimp (M. assamense)/a “menagerie” of eight smaller specimens (ideally including such higher-order breeders as the blue Indian shrimp depicted here)

- Insects: Four sunburst diving beetles (Thermonectus mamoratus)

LIVESTOCK INTRODUCTION SCHEDULE:

- Week One – Following cycle completion (employing Bio-Spira), introduce all Caridean shrimp
- Week Two – Introduce nerites and limpets
- Week Five – Introduce Atyids
- Week Six – Introduce first half small bivalves
- Week Seven A – Introduce second half small bivalves
- Week Seven B (three days after) – Introduce specimen bivalve and Poriferans
- Week Eleven – Introduce Macrobrachium spp. and diving beetles


FEEDING SCHEDULE (WHEN FULLY STOCKED):

- 8:00 AM: Dose Micro-Vert (or similar liquid invertebrate food) for Poriferans, Atyids, and bivalves (specifically direct droplets)
- 10:00 AM: Provide frozen/freeze-dried food for Atyids and Macrobrachium spp. (with the latter, periodically alternate with live food, as feeder guppies or blackworms)
- 3:00 PM: Add powdered generic flake or Cyclop-Eeze for filter-feeders and Carideans
- 6:00 PM: Lightly dose liquid suspension of microfauna specifically for Poriferans


BASIC STATISTICS:

Temperature Setting: 78° F (25.55556° C)
Base pH (without Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand buffering): 7.4
Projected Photoperiod: 12 hours (7:00 AM-7:00 PM)
Water Change Regimen: 15% weekly


All aspects of this projected setup are open to amendment - feel free to voice any suggestions.

 

[Biznatch]

You are going to need more lighting than a single 48" strip or 2x65watt compact fixture. Especially if you want to grow glosso. 2wpg isn't high enough light. You should look into a 4x55 or 4x65 watt fixture instead. You will probably want Co2 also and DIY isn't going to cut it on a 55gallon.

Also won't some of the snails you have listed eat plants? Make sure you check really well which ones won't eat them before you put them in.

 

[Veneer]

Would you feel the lighting adequate if I were to omit the glosso?

Also won't some of the snails you have listed eat plants? Make sure you check really well which ones won't eat them before you put them in.

All of them are practically obligate algivores.

 

[Veneer]

Might I be able to substite a single Argentine Aegla sp. for several Macrobrachium spp.?

 

[TKOS]

I would avoid any muscles or freshwater clams. I have yet to hear of a person keeping them alive for very long and when they die a few months down the road you won't know until it starts to foul up the aquarium. The rest should be fine.

 

[Veneer]

I would avoid any muscles or freshwater clams. I have yet to hear of a person keeping them alive for very long and when they die a few months down the road you won't know until it starts to foul up the aquarium. The rest should be fine.

I've heard German hobbyists and state researchers have had success employing phytoplankton reactors and liquid invertebrate diet drip systems.

Contrary to popular belief, it is a relatively simple matter to determine whether a freshwater bivalve (especially when confined to the front glass by means of a plastic sheet) is alive or not - dead specimens assume a characteristic gape: the shell halves part, and soft tissue lolls out limply - and fail to react to threatening stimulus (e.g. direct contact with another aquarium inhabitant).

Then again, taking this course of action may well prove too troublesome.

 

[StreetCypher]

Cool, sounds interesting, let us know how it works out.

 

[windeindoiel]

It's true, clams do gape when they're dead. And my 3 clams are alive and kicking. Well not so much kicking as hanging out in the sand. Anyways your tank sounds very cool, it almost makes me want to start my own.

 

[HellBilly]

it does sound cool

 

[greendeltatke]

I appreciate the links to pictures you put in, Veneer. I didn't know nerite snails were so beautiful. I have one question about your sand. Why not use regular silica-free white play sand? Is it not fine enough?