Research
Articles and experiment write-ups from my own tanks and microscope.
Aquarium Fungi
The Tropical Fish Trap
How Ecological Theory Fixes Aquarium Reality
We’re Cycling Aquariums for Failure
SUBEX: The Report
Aquatic mycology
Aquarium Fungi
The white fuzz on new driftwood is mostly bacteria and water molds. True aquatic fungi work inside the wood and substrate, breaking dead leaves and wood down into food for the rest of the tank.
Read the articlePhysiology
The Tropical Fish Trap
Warm water speeds up a fish’s metabolism and holds less dissolved oxygen. The physiology behind keeping most community tanks in the mid to upper 70s °F instead of 80 to 82 °F.
Read the articleEcology
How Ecological Theory Fixes Aquarium Reality
Five ecology papers, from Forbes in 1887 to Odum in 1969, and how each one shaped the SLESS method.
Read the articleMicrobiology
We’re Cycling Aquariums for Failure
The standard nitrogen cycle comes from wastewater engineering. A 2024 study found comammox Nitrospira, which take ammonia all the way to nitrate, often dominant in aquarium biofilters.
Read the articleExperiment
SUBEX: The Report
Seven 2.5 gallon tanks, one substrate each, from May to October 2025. Seachem Flourite, a fired clay gravel, grew the most plants. UNS Controsoil had the most varied life under the microscope.
Open the reportComing next
- Breeding Neocaridina for Survival, Not Color
Anaerobic pockets
My five-year-old Nanocube
Trophic level dynamics