RE: NANFA-- That whole sandbed thing

Jeffrey Fullerton (tcmajorr_at_westol.com)
Sun, 02 Feb 2003 17:34:26 -0500

> As with any predator/prey relationship, I would expect you would need a
> very large sandbed full of inverts to supplement just one sucker.
> Otherwise the sucker/s will clean out all the prey and the prey won't be
> able to reproduce. I've thought of doing something similar with a
> livebearer as prey and a larger predator fish. But you would need a large
> tank with lots of room for prey and comparatively little space for the
> predator. Not that it's impossible, just not suited to a 50 gallon tank...
> unless the predators are quite small and few.
>
> Mark
>
Mark & Others

That sound alot like the Refugium concept we saw at the convention in
99. I have sort of inadvertently created such a haven for scuds and
other inverts in my pond system by building a biofilter system with lava
rock and willow moss on the top layer. The crustaceans multiply in there
and there is a constant supply washing down thru the stream course to
the fish inhabited pools and pond below. Plus it seems they also like to
inhabit the barley bales and other inacessable parts of the system.

Such a system has the best potential to work if it is large- a really
big tank or outside pond would be ideal. You can also link a larger
system with fish and a smaller one full of plants and live food critters
that can serve a dual function as a food source and filtration system.

That's how things work in nature anyhow.

Jeff

lFrom the academic standpoint, of course, the most grevious sin of these
amatures was simply that of any amature with regard to any established
profession. They were self-appointed, self-educated, uninitiated by the
guild, uncircumcised by the preisthood...n

Mr Thoggosh : L. Neil Smith lForge of the Eldersn.
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