[BarbMazz]

Good morning, Prow, and thanks again, because each time you add a bit more detail the picture becomes not quite so hazy.

I was doing some reading on "biotope" setups. And I think that's kinda what you're saying; a good way to set up a viable reef is to pick a piece of reef in the ocean, and aim for what is living together in that piece of reef. Fish, corals, plants, inverts, etc.

After reading that piece I thought it made tons of sense; what goes together in nature will have a better chance of going together in a closed reef system.

I thought about what creatures have struck me the most in my research, and the answer is clams. I'm also struck by host relationships; anemones and clowns, for example, or certain shrimps and anemones/fish. And, if possible in the future I would like to have a mandarin dragonet. So, reading more, I kind of zeroed in on a shallow reef clam tank.

So, I have the big picture of what I'd like to create, and I will begin to work my way down to the finer details to learn what all lives in that environment, how they mesh, and why they mesh. Now, I'll study from the perspective of the creature I'd like to raise. I'll be an algae, a shrimp, a coral, a fish, a clam and look around to see who I'd like for neighbors, and why I'd like them. Kinda zen! I now know to look into what sorts of nutrients each creature requires and how that fits into the bigger "cycle" picture. I see how "cycle" may not be the best descriptor, and I see how there are many cycles going on at once, at all different rates, and that different balances need to be monitored so that one won't take over too much.

It turns out my question about anaerobic bacteria was the jackpot question, because as soon as you mentioned the nitrogen gas bubbles in the sand bed, that first nitrogen cycle article you linked to went BAM! in my mind. Oh, much clearer now! LOL And, really the epiphany for me, here, is to look at things from the creature's point of view, not mine.

I will do as you suggest and start a discussion about DSBs, because I don't understand them at all, probably! I am going to have a sump tank with refugium, and I have seen that the fuge can be used as the DSB rather than the display tank.

Thanks again for your guidance, and you can bet that I'll be asking you further questions. I kinda feel like I'm back in school, and it's really good to be using the ole noggin again for something less mundane than usual!

It must be in serendipitous for me to study more before I begin to set up, because the LFS has said my tank is still not in, and they're hoping for next Friday. The delay also provides practice in patience!