>>>Are you using floating plants only and what species?...roots are going to
provide all sorts of habitat, sand delimited nitrogen removal, and pathways
for the delimitation<<<
Yes - water lettuce and hyacinth. Would like to add some rooted plants but
do not want to take up swimming space for the gar which are fairly large -
may try some low-growing forms.
>>>...adding some Gammarids or Shrimps to the system after a mini-jungle has
been established will
provide some more juvenile mouths to eat the phyto and turn it into protein
somewhere.<<<
Good idea - water may be a little warm for gammarids but could use
palaemonetes.
>>> [Re mussels} ...go with a good generalist like a heelsplitter or giant
floater. This could turn into a larger project than what was intended...
That's why these tubs just plain rule.
This did not even occur to me. When kept indoors, in cooler water, the tubs
stayed crystal clear. I underestimated the influence of the warmer water,
the brighter light, the presence of a seed population of algae (attached to
the aquatic plants). In retrospect, I should have set up the tanks sooner
and innoculated them with some zooplankton.
>>>The more mouths there are, the less any less desireable species will be
able to build a monopoly on
food, the more stable the system.<<<
I will try some corrective measures and see how they work. I like this
analogy a lot.
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