Marine Aquarium Biotoping

An Indo-Pacific Nearshore Reef System

Jan 25, 2008

An interconnected saltwater aquarium set-up comprised of several biotope-specific tanks is a great project and a good way to learn about natural marine ecosystems.

What is a Biotope

The word biotope is derived from the Greek words bios (life) and topos (place). Literally, a biotope is a "life place." A captive biotope, such as an aquarium, attempts to simulate in captivity the environmental conditions which sustain a specific biological community in the wild. In the case of the system currently under discussion, this biotope is located in the Indo-Pacific.

Seventy-Five Percent of the World's Coral Reefs

The Indo-Pacific, sometimes called the “tropical Pacific region,” is a large geographical area including the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and all of the smaller seas dispersed throughout Indonesia. The Indo-Pacific is home to seventy-five percent of the world's coral reefs, making it, arguably, the planet’s most biologically rich region. Recent research has shown that approximately 600 square miles of reef have disappeared every year for the last fifty years—nearly twice the rate of rainforest loss.

The Wakatobi

While it would be possible to simply recreate a generic Indo Pacific Nearshore Reef, the serious biotoper prefers to be far more specific, as there is a great deal of diversity within the Indo-Pacific region. This system will be modeled after a nearshore reef in southeast Sulawesi within the boundaries of the Wakatobi—the second largest marine protected area in Indonesia.

Overview of the System

Because these tanks will be connected, the total water volume will be 260-gallons minus the volume of water displaced by live rock in the display tank and FOWLR tank and the deep sand beds of the mangrove and seagrass tanks. Additional volume will be added to the system by way of a large sump.

The specific biotopes represented by each tank were chosen based on the critical role that biotope plays in the overall health and stability of the display tank’s biotope. In other words, mangrove-fringed shorelines, seagrass beds and open ocean are all individual biotopes intrinsically connected to the coral reef ecosystem. The destruction of the mangroves has an effect on the reef. The disappearance of healthy seagrass beds has an effect on the reef. The pollution of the open ocean, and the resulting harm done to open ocean species, has an effect on the reef.

The Critical Role of Each Biotope to the Health of the Reef

Below are a list of examples of some of the roles each biotope plays in the overall health and stability of the reef:

Mangrove Root Biotope – Not only do mangroves provide a filtration system for land-based pollutant run-off, but they all provide critical nursery ground for many reef species. There is also ongoing research focused on the role mangroves play in helping to control the reef’s exposure to damaging UVB which leads to coral bleaching and detrimental algae outbreaks, and recent data supports the hypothesis that seagrass bed productivity and biodiversity are increased by the presence of adjacent mangroves.

Seagrass Bed Biotope – Seagrass beds play a critical role in reef fishes’ ontogenetic migrations, and seagrass detritus is an important source of UV-protection for some reef species. Perhaps most important, seagrasses are extraordinarily efficient when it comes to nutrient cycling.

Open Ocean – Open ocean—the sheer volume of water in the natural system—helps to stabilize water conditions that are essential for the survival of tropical reefs. In addition, open ocean habitat is an important source of food supply for reef species.

Additional Resources

The copyright of the article Marine Aquarium Biotoping in Aquariums is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Marine Aquarium Biotoping in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.