[Michael Hoaster]

I rather like to think of myself as a naturalist. Naturalist: a person who studies nature and especially plants and animals as they live in nature. I want to study plants and animals, and how they work together in ecosystems. I want to learn about Nature by letting it teach me, using my aquarium. This naturalist approach is my prime directive.

I want to find out if it is possible to bring in a diverse array of players, and assist Mother Nature in building a functioning ecosystem, in a big plastic box, with a minimum of gadgets. And rather than trying to keep the most challenging creatures in the sea, I'll be keeping plants, which will be doing the filtering. In fact, every living thing will be selected for it's contribution to the ecosystem.

This is not a reef tank. It will not be a showcase of technological marvels. It will be a display of Nature, maintained by Nature. An ecosystem-in-a-box. Ecosystems are pretty freakin' amazing. All these disparate natural processes somehow combine to form a working system! I supply the raw materials, Nature makes them work together.

Where to begin? At the bottom! In the dirt!