Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank - Page 63

Michael Hoaster · 04/16/2016, 07:08 PM

Michael Hoaster · 04/16/2016, 07:41 PM

Michael Hoaster · 04/16/2016, 08:07 PM

I pulled some caulerpa today. Mostly at the right end of the DSB. I uncovered some long lost red macros. I superglued the Codium on the fake root. I put some in the blender and poured it in the tank. Maybe some will pop up. I also rubbed some on the fake root. Who knows!

Michael Hoaster · 04/16/2016, 08:28 PM

Michael Hoaster · 04/16/2016, 09:45 PM

Michael Hoaster · 04/16/2016, 10:57 PM

wilder · 04/17/2016, 04:52 AM

I absolutely love your tank and the idea behind it.

Michael Hoaster · 04/17/2016, 06:49 AM

Thank you, wilder, and welcome!

Michael Hoaster · 04/17/2016, 03:37 PM

Michael Hoaster · 04/17/2016, 08:34 PM

Michael Hoaster · 04/17/2016, 09:10 PM

Well, it's been a lovely weekend in the caribbean! In my tank I mean. There's a couple feet of spring snow outside. Cleaned the tank a bit saturday morning, then kicked back and watched it.

The Purple Condylactis Gigantea Anemone has done some roam'n! I am so fortunate to have it in a tank that will allow it to do so without killing other inhabitants. So, it started at the back wall, meandered across the sand bed, through the seagrasses, onto and over the rock planter, not far from the original placement. It was in the caulerpa, but now it's found bare rock, where I pulled out caulerpa. It's a cool location!

Zippy added a discernible shade of blue today! But he's very hard to photograph. It was cool to see. Such a fun fish!

cksss · 04/18/2016, 07:33 AM

Love love the latest photos

I noticed the magnifying glass at the front of the tank, there must be alot of surprise find in such as huge tank. Looking forward to new photo of Zippy!

Michael Hoaster · 04/18/2016, 09:05 AM

Thanks, cksss! I did a good glass cleaning saturday, so you know I've got to get some pics!

The magnifiers are handy! I do find a lot of stuff in there. After the latest caulerpa export, I found a near black sponge growing on the the rock DSB planter, behind the barnacle shells. I'm still dosing sodium silicate for sponge growth, so this is encouraging. Someday, the fake root will be sponge-encrusted!

I'll chase Zippy around again and see if I can get a descent pic. Speaking of descent pics, I'm especially proud of the shot I got of the anemone shrimp above (Money!). You can see into his eyes!

Michael Hoaster · 04/18/2016, 10:16 AM

You can see some pattern on his side and some blue on the gill cover and cheek.

McPuff · 04/19/2016, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

You can see some pattern on his side and some blue on the gill cover and cheek.

Looks like he's definitely beginning to transition into adult colors. That is pretty cool to see. With all the macro he's looking really healthy and fat.

Chibils · 04/19/2016, 07:13 AM

Michael -
None of your pictures are loading on Tapatalk from post #1546 onward. Except #1559, which did for some reason. Regardless, the one that loaded looks great!

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Michael Hoaster · 04/19/2016, 08:19 AM

Thanks, McPuff!

Zippy's doing well on the homegrown macro algae, plus he's joining in the feeding frenzy at feeding time.

Michael Hoaster · 04/19/2016, 08:36 AM

Thanks for letting me know, Chibils. I got a little greedy on the image size with the last bunch. I'll repost them at the recommended 600 pixel width.

Michael Hoaster · 04/19/2016, 08:38 AM

Can everyone see all ten pics in the above post, #1568?

sam.basye · 04/19/2016, 10:01 AM

I can now, same boat as Chibils.

Glad to see the Condy is better.

Michael Hoaster · 04/19/2016, 10:37 AM

Good! Thanks Sam.

This morning, some of my caulerpa went sexual. My water is a little cloudy as a result. I'm wondering how big a deal this is, in my tank. I would think the pods and filter feeders would be enjoying it. I'm tempted to do a water change, but I don't know if it's necessary. I guess I better do a little research…

Michael Hoaster · 04/19/2016, 11:28 AM

Well, I looked into it. Without sensitive corals, I doubt any harm will come from it.

I'm tempted to remove the caulerpa that turned white and do a water change. I'm also considering doing nothing. I'd like to see what happens next. Do conditions worsen? Do they self-correct?

If I understand the gist of what's happening, basically all the nutrients that were sucked up by the plant are dumped back into the water column-like an un-measured dosing event. So, I think I will suspend nitrate dosing for a few days, and observe.

For now, I'm going to do nothing, but observe. If conditions worsen, I'll take the above mentioned actions. If they improve, I'll relax and thank Mother Nature for taking care of business.

nawilson89 · 04/19/2016, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Well, I looked into it. Without sensitive corals, I doubt any harm will come from it.

I'm tempted to remove the caulerpa that turned white and do a water change. I'm also considering doing nothing. I'd like to see what happens next. Do conditions worsen? Do they self-correct?

If I understand the gist of what's happening, basically all the nutrients that were sucked up by the plant are dumped back into the water column-like an un-measured dosing event. So, I think I will suspend nitrate dosing for a few days, and observe.

For now, I'm going to do nothing, but observe. If conditions worsen, I'll take the above mentioned actions. If they improve, I'll relax and thank Mother Nature for taking care of business.

In February when I was down with the flu, I could on watch in horror as prolifera went sexual. The prolifera went white, the tank got cloudy. For a day I couldn't barely anything. After it cleared up, I lost 90 percent of prolifera, dragons breath and sargassum. The grape caulerpa took all the nutrients and exploded in growth.

Now I can see prolifera coming back. Shoots keep coming up.

Hope to see what happens for you. Maybe an explosion of growth somewhere else!

Michael Hoaster · 04/19/2016, 01:48 PM

Thanks for sharing your experience, nawilson89.

Looking at the tank now, the cloudiness is almost gone. I'm not running activated carbon or any mechanical filtration. This indicates to me that something is consuming the soup.

So far, I've seen nothing to indicate any stress on the system. Maybe the size of my tank, and the lack of sensitive organisms, like SPS corals, gives me more leeway in dealing with this kind of event. A large sexual event in a smaller tank would be a much more serious situation.

An explosion of growth somewhere else would be delightful! How about in the new codium and the old grasilaria hayi!

nawilson89 · 04/19/2016, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks for sharing your experience, nawilson89.

Looking at the tank now, the cloudiness is almost gone. I'm not running activated carbon or any mechanical filtration. This indicates to me that something is consuming the soup.

So far, I've seen nothing to indicate any stress on the system. Maybe the size of my tank, and the lack of sensitive organisms, like SPS corals, gives me more leeway in dealing with this kind of event. A large sexual event in a smaller tank would be a much more serious situation.

An explosion of growth somewhere else would be delightful! How about in the new codium and the old grasilaria hayi!

I've been meaning to ask. Do you know why you lost the gracilaria? Since I have some now in my 29g I'm a bit anxious.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

04/16/2016, 07:08 PM	#1551
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	__________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/16/2016, 07:41 PM	#1552
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	__________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/16/2016, 08:07 PM	#1553
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Manatee Grazing Event I pulled some caulerpa today. Mostly at the right end of the DSB. I uncovered some long lost red macros. I superglued the Codium on the fake root. I put some in the blender and poured it in the tank. Maybe some will pop up. I also rubbed some on the fake root. Who knows! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/16/2016, 08:28 PM	#1554
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	__________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/16/2016, 09:45 PM	#1555
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	__________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/16/2016, 10:57 PM	#1556
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	__________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/17/2016, 04:52 AM	#1557
wilder Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 28	I absolutely love your tank and the idea behind it. __________________ "If everyday is an adventure, then life is a journey"

04/17/2016, 06:49 AM	#1558
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Thank you, wilder, and welcome! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/17/2016, 03:37 PM	#1559
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Money! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/17/2016, 08:34 PM	#1560
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	__________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/17/2016, 09:10 PM	#1561
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Well, it's been a lovely weekend in the caribbean! In my tank I mean. There's a couple feet of spring snow outside. Cleaned the tank a bit saturday morning, then kicked back and watched it. The Purple Condylactis Gigantea Anemone has done some roam'n! I am so fortunate to have it in a tank that will allow it to do so without killing other inhabitants. So, it started at the back wall, meandered across the sand bed, through the seagrasses, onto and over the rock planter, not far from the original placement. It was in the caulerpa, but now it's found bare rock, where I pulled out caulerpa. It's a cool location! Zippy added a discernible shade of blue today! But he's very hard to photograph. It was cool to see. Such a fun fish! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/18/2016, 07:33 AM	#1562
cksss Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 142	Love love the latest photos I noticed the magnifying glass at the front of the tank, there must be alot of surprise find in such as huge tank. Looking forward to new photo of Zippy!

04/18/2016, 09:05 AM	#1563
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Thanks, cksss! I did a good glass cleaning saturday, so you know I've got to get some pics! The magnifiers are handy! I do find a lot of stuff in there. After the latest caulerpa export, I found a near black sponge growing on the the rock DSB planter, behind the barnacle shells. I'm still dosing sodium silicate for sponge growth, so this is encouraging. Someday, the fake root will be sponge-encrusted! I'll chase Zippy around again and see if I can get a descent pic. Speaking of descent pics, I'm especially proud of the shot I got of the anemone shrimp above (Money!). You can see into his eyes! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/18/2016, 10:16 AM	#1564
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	You can see some pattern on his side and some blue on the gill cover and cheek. __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/19/2016, 07:13 AM	#1566
Chibils halide loyalist Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sugar Hill, GA Posts: 2,213	Michael - None of your pictures are loading on Tapatalk from post #1546 onward. Except #1559, which did for some reason. Regardless, the one that loaded looks great! Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk __________________ always learning Current Tank Info: 75G new world cichlid, 25G reef in planning

04/19/2016, 08:19 AM	#1567
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Thanks, McPuff! Zippy's doing well on the homegrown macro algae, plus he's joining in the feeding frenzy at feeding time. __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/19/2016, 08:36 AM	#1568
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Thanks for letting me know, Chibils. I got a little greedy on the image size with the last bunch. I'll repost them at the recommended 600 pixel width. __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/19/2016, 08:38 AM	#1569
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Can everyone see all ten pics in the above post, #1568? __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/19/2016, 10:01 AM	#1570
sam.basye Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Lynchburg, VA Posts: 1,227	I can now, same boat as Chibils. Glad to see the Condy is better. __________________ }<`SAM`;{°< Current Tank: 30 Cube build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661418 26g Foam Rockwall build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621 Foam Wall

04/19/2016, 10:37 AM	#1571
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Good! Thanks Sam. This morning, some of my caulerpa went sexual. My water is a little cloudy as a result. I'm wondering how big a deal this is, in my tank. I would think the pods and filter feeders would be enjoying it. I'm tempted to do a water change, but I don't know if it's necessary. I guess I better do a little research… __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/19/2016, 11:28 AM	#1572
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Well, I looked into it. Without sensitive corals, I doubt any harm will come from it. I'm tempted to remove the caulerpa that turned white and do a water change. I'm also considering doing nothing. I'd like to see what happens next. Do conditions worsen? Do they self-correct? If I understand the gist of what's happening, basically all the nutrients that were sucked up by the plant are dumped back into the water column-like an un-measured dosing event. So, I think I will suspend nitrate dosing for a few days, and observe. For now, I'm going to do nothing, but observe. If conditions worsen, I'll take the above mentioned actions. If they improve, I'll relax and thank Mother Nature for taking care of business. __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

04/19/2016, 01:48 PM	#1574
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	Thanks for sharing your experience, nawilson89. Looking at the tank now, the cloudiness is almost gone. I'm not running activated carbon or any mechanical filtration. This indicates to me that something is consuming the soup. So far, I've seen nothing to indicate any stress on the system. Maybe the size of my tank, and the lack of sensitive organisms, like SPS corals, gives me more leeway in dealing with this kind of event. A large sexual event in a smaller tank would be a much more serious situation. An explosion of growth somewhere else would be delightful! How about in the new codium and the old grasilaria hayi! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018