livinlifeinBKK
5000 Club Member
So, this is a 20 gallon tank intended for attempting to breed Greissinger Gobies and house a small population of SPS and LPS.
Since the tank was started with natural ocean rock (not maricultured), I had the idea to try to maintain as much of the natural microbiome as possible. Im going about this by starting the tank with a low nutrient level from a variety of sources to avoid a completely oligotrophic environment and by feeding the nacteria through dosing Zeovit Zeofood Plus to buuld a stronger biofilm from the naturally occuring bacteria. Although the rock itself already has this all-natural biofilm, the rest of the tank's surfaces don't. The tank was also started with a mixture of dry sand and Aquaforest Bio-Sand which likely only has a few nitrifying strains of bacteria. I do have a skimmer for aeration and am aware that depletion kf nuteients should be taken into consideration as it could lead to diatoms.
Ideally ,however, the natural bacteria will quickly form a biofilm over all surfaces, preventing colonization by nuissance algae.
Let me be clear: Im not trying to avoid having any microalgae grow at all. That would be very unnatural. Im trying to control the algal overtake of surfaces and prevent species of cyanobacteria and others from having the opportunity to colonize any substrate through a method that will preserve a microbiome more similar to that of a natural reef or other healthy tropical environment.
You can see a video of the tank and further descriptiom here:
Since the tank was started with natural ocean rock (not maricultured), I had the idea to try to maintain as much of the natural microbiome as possible. Im going about this by starting the tank with a low nutrient level from a variety of sources to avoid a completely oligotrophic environment and by feeding the nacteria through dosing Zeovit Zeofood Plus to buuld a stronger biofilm from the naturally occuring bacteria. Although the rock itself already has this all-natural biofilm, the rest of the tank's surfaces don't. The tank was also started with a mixture of dry sand and Aquaforest Bio-Sand which likely only has a few nitrifying strains of bacteria. I do have a skimmer for aeration and am aware that depletion kf nuteients should be taken into consideration as it could lead to diatoms.
Ideally ,however, the natural bacteria will quickly form a biofilm over all surfaces, preventing colonization by nuissance algae.
Let me be clear: Im not trying to avoid having any microalgae grow at all. That would be very unnatural. Im trying to control the algal overtake of surfaces and prevent species of cyanobacteria and others from having the opportunity to colonize any substrate through a method that will preserve a microbiome more similar to that of a natural reef or other healthy tropical environment.
You can see a video of the tank and further descriptiom here:
