How to Stock a Biotope Aquarium
Adding Marine Species that Occur Together in the Wild to an Aquarium
While there are many ways to stock a saltwater aquarium, this article looks at a biotope-based approach to deciding what species will be added to the captive environment.
The design for a 135-gallon aquarium was discussed in the previous articles in this series about setting up a marine aquarium system with several interconnected, biotope-specific tanks. The 135-gallon display tank in this system has been designed to replicate the habitat found on an Indo-Pacific nearshore reef off the coast of Hoga Island in the Western Banda Sea. With the 135-gallon tank properly plumbed, it’s now time to talk about stocking the aquarium.
A Diverse Marine Habitat Makes Choosing Difficult
The Western Banda Sea is one of the most diverse marine habitats in the world, and so the aquarist who is replicating this region has a lot of species from which to choose. So how does one go about deciding how to stock his or her aquarium with so many possible options? One approach is for the aquarist to choose one species from that region that he or she absolutely must have and then build the rest of the tank inhabitants around that species.
"Must Have" Species - Niger or Redtooth Triggerfish
For example, the aquarist who has been diving on the reefs off Hoga Island (or someone who has seen pictures such as those by Mike Flavell) may have decided that he or she needs to have a Niger or Redtooth Triggerfish (Odonus niger). This fish happens to be one of the more peaceful of the triggers commonly available in the hobby, and so it may well be a good choice. The Niger triggerfish also happens to be generally considered reef safe, meaning that the aquarium will also be able to have corals that could not be kept with many other triggerfish species. The Niger triggerfish will, however, preclude the aquarist from keeping sponges, tunicates and many crustaceans. When the aquarist chooses a must-have species, that species is going to limit what else can be kept in the aquarium.
Biotope-Specific Approach to Stocking - Gorgonian Sea Whip
The other way to approach stocking the aquarium would be to consider a biotope approach. In other words, the aquarist chooses a species that dominates a small portion of the reef with a very specific habitat, and then builds around that species. For example, the aquarist may pick a particular coral that thrives in a very specific area of the reef and doesn’t move beyond that area--its biotope. A gorgonian coral from the genus Junceella would be one such animal. This Gorgonian sea whip (Junceella fragilis) is a colonial Anthozoan which attaches itself to rock or other corals in areas of strong current. Using this biotope-based approach, the aquarist can now consider what can be added to this biotope as opposed to what can not be added to the aquarium. For example, adding a whip goby (Bryaninops amplus) would be really interesting given that the whip goby is so closely associated with Gorgonian sea whips in the wild.
An Opportunity to Study and Learn
The 135-gallon tank will be stocked using this biotope-specific approach. Taking a biotope approach to stocking a marine aquarium allows the aquarist to build a system the closely replicates the wild habitat. This approach creates an environment in the aquarium in which natural interactions between species are more likely than if species from different geographical locations (e.g. Caribbean and Indo-Pacific species) are put together. Such an approach provides an opportunity for the aquarist to study and learn about the behaviors of these species and perhaps even contribute to the scientific study of these animals and the ecosystems in which they live.
Before You Buy
Before going out and trying to find a Gorgonian sea whip or whip goby to purchase for the tank; however, it is a good idea to think through the entire stocking plan before adding any species. The possible exception to this rule is the addition of a clean-up crew after the tank has fully cycled. In the next article, the remainder of the stocking plan will be discussed.
Additional Resources:
John Blatchford's Blog Entry "Biotoping - Natural Marine Aquarium Systems can Help Understand Coral Reefs"
Discuss the Series of Articles
More of Mike Flavell's Underwater Photography
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