Re: Aquarium Dynamic Ps3 Theme
Gifford Brickley
I've often applied this adage to my aquarium work. Quite literally, actually. If you've been in the hobby for any appreciable length of time, you've no doubt heard that one of the best ways to "kick start" the biological process in a new aquarium is to add some substrate from an established, healthy aquarium.
It's a sound practice that has borne the test of time well, and is part of basic aquarium keeping. It's the thinking behind many strategies and products used to help establish the nitrogen cycle in new tanks. I've always embraced this practice, and have sort of taken it farther in the past decade or so.
Since botanical-style aquariums at their very foundation rely on biological processes and diversity, I tend to utilize more than just a handful of sand for this process. I will typically use wood, botanicals, twigs, and even some of the leaves, regardless of their condition, for this process.
So yeah, I'll literally transfer a fair percentage of the "software" from an existing tank into the new one. The rationale is exactly the same as the rationale for using sand from an established tank. And, as you probably recall, fungal growths and bacterial biofilms are also extremely valuable as food sources for life forms at many levels, including fishes.
And the idea of adding "pre-colonized" materials from existing tanks to help "jump start" a new tank is simply a logical and economical practice. Having a big chunk of completely-established ecology transferred from one tank to another is almost too easy a process not to take advantage of!
Now, sure, transferring all of this material over isn't a way to take a shortcut to circumvent the establishment of the nitrogen cycle in the new tank, it's a step in establishing it. A way to bring some extant ecology into a new location.
And, think about it: This isn't all that different than what happens when a stream overflows and forms a new small tributary. Some of the materials from the established aquatic ecosystem flow into the newly-inundated area, bringing with them their "on-board" population of microorganisms, fungi, and insects.
And, as we've discussed many times, the same sort of concept applies when you're "remodeling" an existing aquarium; perhaps switching up from say, a "South American theme" to an "African theme", or whatever.
This is similar to the Japanese aquascaping practice of "sozo haishoku" espoused by the "Master" of this in aquariums, the late Takashi Amano. This is the processs of removing of as much old substrate material as possible along with the plants it contains in an aquarium, and replacing them with new materials.
Yeah, in the world of the botanical-style aquarium, the idea of leaving the substrate and leaf litter/botanical "bed" intact as you "remodel" isn't exactly a crazy one. It's about preserving ecology over time, and despite changes.
As we almost constantly discuss, habitats like flooded forests, meadows, vernal pools, igarape, and swollen streams tend to encompass terrestrial habitats, or go through phases where they are terrestrial habitats for a good part of the year.
In these wild habitats, the leaves, branches, soils, and other botanical materials remain in place, or are added to by dynamic, seasonal processes. For the most part, the soil, branches, and a fair amount of the more "durable" seed pods and such remain present during both phases.
As the waters return, the formerly terrestrial physical environment is now transformed into an earthy, twisted, incredibly rich aquatic habitat, which fishes have evolved over eons to live in and utilize for food, protection, and complex, protected spawning areas.
All of the botanical material-shrubs, grasses, fallen leaves, branches, seed pods, and such, is suddenly submerged; often, currents re-distribute the leaves and seed pods and branches into little pockets and "stands", affecting the (now underwater) "topography" of the landscape.
I might just be torturing this simple idea to death- I admit this point that I'm probably not adding much more to the "recipe" here; likely simply being redundant and even a bit vague...However, I think we need to think about how interesting and indeed, transformative this simple practice is.
Remember, I keep a sort of diary of most of my aquarium work. I have for over three decades (gulp...). Just random scanning my "diary", I see that I have executed this practice dozens of times in all types of aquariums, ranging from simple planted aquariums to hardscape-only tanks, to botanical-style, blackwater and brackish aquariums, to reef tanks.
Now, this doesn't mean that I guarantee a perfect, "cycle-free" process for you. I'd be a complete asshole if I asserted that! Every system is different. There are numerous factors which impact the unique functions of a specific tank.
On the other hand, in an existing tank, by leaving the bulk of the substrate material and botanicals intact, and continuing to provide "fuel" for the extant biotia by leaving in and adding to the botanicals present in the aquarium, this lack of a "new" cycle makes a lot of sense.
I believe that our botanical-style systems, with their diverse and dynamic biology, rebound quickly from disruptions and changes. And I also believe that, because of our approach and it's reliance on biological processes, they establish themselves to a more "stable" state far more quickly than "typical" aquariums do.
Of course, I also have in place a mindset and (like most of you) a mastery of basic aquarium husbandry practices that assure success with this approach, and that's a huge key here. Patience, and the understanding that yeah, a tank might take a while to establish itself, even with a large influx of "old" materials...or grasping the fact that you might experience an ammonia or nitrite spike when you "reconfigure" an existing tank- and being able to "go with that"- is critical to success, IMHO.
Not needing to rush to some arbitrary "finish line" is a most liberating approach to keeping any kind of aquarium. It will not only guide your practices, it will instill in you a better understanding of the processes and occurrences which take place in Nature as well.
If you look at an aquarium as you would a garden- an organic, living, evolving, growing entity- then the need to see the thing "finished" becomes much less important. Suddenly, much like a "road trip", the destination becomes less important than the journey.
By reusing and re-purposing existing materials and the organisms which colonize them in new iterations of your tank, or new tanks altogether, you're simply carrying on the same process which have occurred in natural aquatic systems for eons.
In essence, one could argue that this process instills a certain "immortality" into our aquariums...The botanical materials and substrate form one established aquarium can literally "bring life" to a succession of new systems indefinitely!
Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is off the coast of east China sea, beside the Dripping Lake of Pudong New Area, a core tourism destination of Yangzi River Delta area, where seaport, airport, railway, highway and waterway are interconnected. This project covers an area of about 29.7 hectares, with an overall floorage of about 205,000 square meters, of which 147,000 square meters are above the ground.
Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is a world-class flagship park and the pinnacle among all the ocean-themed parks built over the past two decades in China, with its top international standards achieved in thematic features, project quality, park scale and construction level. Themed on ocean culture, this project can be divided into 5 major theme areas and 1 ocean resort, consisting of 6 exhibition venues, 3 large-scale animal interactive performance venues, 2 large-scale cinemas and over 10 recreational facilities. At here, you may enjoy the unique arctic and antarctic scenery, the fantastic deep sea view and the stunning volcano lava, the extraordinary adventure and wonderful animal show, the five 5-star animal-themed hotel rooms with 360-degree panoramic rooftop.
Located in the beautiful Shilaoren National Tourism Resort (an AAAA National Scenic Spot) and opened up on July 22, 2006, Qingdao Haichang Polar Ocean Park integrates Polar Oceanarium, Happy Theater, Deep Sea Fantasy, 5D Dynamic Experience Hall, Polar Babyland and other entertainments to create a scene-based theme park, full of science and entertainment and interactivity.
Chengdu Haichang Polar Ocean Park was opened up in 2010, as an important strategic step in its nationwide layout. Covering an area of about 240,000 square meters and themed on science education, exhibition, animal show and interactivity, this park offers a variety of entertainment selections including sight-seeing, relaxation and parent-child activity, which is the only comprehensive, professional and large-scale ocean theme park in southwest China
Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean Park is an open area covering 49,000 square meters, in a whale-like composite structure and with eleven large exhibition areas. Its high-end feature products are well received by tourists, including the three performances, five animal science shows, stay-overnight activities and night banquet. Its newly-built Future Jellyfish Museum is not only the largest theme museum in China, but also the first museum that is built with an open backyard. Through the over 80 display tanks, a total of more than 10,000 jellyfish in 20 species are on display, which is highlighted by the digital and sound-and-light interactive effects to render a colorful and fantastic world.
Yantai Haichang Whale Shark Ocean Park is a unique nautilus-shaped building. Covering an area of 16,700 square meters, the park is featured ten exhibition areas, respectively the whale shark, shark, turtle, manatee, coral, jellyfish, and the happy theater, the deep sea adventure, the mermaid legend and the dynamic ocean. Modern sci-tech means is employed to produce the amazing sound, light, shadow and other visual effects for a colorful ocean wonderland to be presented.
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