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Re: "Freshwater Reefs"



Shaji-- 

I also am interested in what others are doing on this
"freshwater reef" concept, where high biotic diversity
is achieved (not necessarily through packing those fish
in there).

I have a 5 gallon plant/algae/snail/worm/aphid tank on my
desk here at work.  For several reasons, there are
no fish in it.  It sits on a shelf above the monitor,
which effectively heats the tank to a permanantly
constant 82F (heat from the base, through the substrate).

I think the worms are tubifex:  I fed freeze-dried
tubifex four years ago, and got worms from it (I'm guessing
the eggs survived the freeze-dry process).  This tank is 
only about four months old, but it's the same 2 year-old 
freeze dried supply.  After putting some in there, (I have some
left if anybody wants it), I get worms about 4 weeks later.
(They are big by then: 1/2", hair-thin).

I think I have several kinds of worms, actually:
- white mini-micro worms (2 mm) (probably from plants introduced)
- something bigger, but squiggles around the tank in open
    water (very impressive and tempting for a fish, I'd bet)
- ?tubifex worms? (.5mm diameter, up to 1/2" long) These appear 
    to almost have an external casing for protection... I didn't 
    think tubifex had that.

Anyway, it's an interesting tank.  Not nearly the diversity
of a marine reef, though (I don't know that we can approach
that either because we don't have all those suspended organic
building blocks in solution like marine systems).

BTW, my contract with HP is over this Friday (the 19th).
I'll re-subscribe when I find a job.  :-)

Shaji-- Would you please unsubscribe me from the list?

--charley