Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Michael Hoaster]

Here's a pic of the betta bowl.

[Michael Hoaster]

Got some shrimp in the tank. They're all an inch or less. Some died overnight. Some have eggs. Another link in the food chain. I discovered a serpent star this morning, eating one of the dead ones.

[karimwassef]

Those hatched in my tank. Awesome!

[karimwassef]

Check this out on the redfield ratio

http://buddendo.home.xs4all.nl/aquar...dfield_eng.htm

[Michael Hoaster]

Very cool, Karim. I'll have to take a look and see if it conflicts with the ratios for my seagrasses, but I'd like to give it a try!

[karimwassef]

How are your shrimp doing?

I had another spawning event
https://youtu.be/2MMR0p3ASg0

[CoralReefBoffin]

Sounds like a few of you have successfully taken the advice of coralreefdoc and his innovative use/recommendation of dosing nitrate derivatives in applications/systems which are NO3 limited and/or PO4-NO3 imbalanced ...

[Michael Hoaster]

The shrimp are good! I've been out of town camping for four days. I left the light off, and algae have receded. The shrimp hangout all over, except in the highest flow zones. I'm hoping that the addition of shrimp and more pods will help the system reach an equilibrium, keeping algae in check. The tricky part is leaving enough for my eventual top herbivore, the Atlantic Blue Tang. I'm tempted to go ahead and add one, but I'd really like to get the Royal Grammas in there first, so they can really settle in, unharassed.

But first, I want to get more sponges going. Maybe a Purple Tube Sponge. That would be sweet!

[Michael Hoaster]

I thought some new pics were in order. Got a new iphone. Here we go…


Here's some of the baby red macros that are popping up around the tank. See the tiny snail? These little guys are multiplying!


Barnacle Blenny. These guys are so funny looking! Still have one in the barnacles, three in the fake wall.


Here you can see the ten pounds of live rock I added.


Seagrass and Ulva and shrimp. The Turtle Grasses are putting out new daughter plants. They've really pulled ahead of the other grasses. The shrimp are looking to be excellent cleanup crew members!


The seagrasses are plugging along. As the DSB matures, and the root systems get established, I think growth rates should increase.


The new rocks have lots of life on them.

The tank seems good. I still have a little more algae than I'd like, but it's 'manageable'. I'm trying not to do anything that might disrupt the process of maturation. It's strange how my red macros gradually disappeared, only to be reborn as 'baby' plants here and there. I think the low nutrient environment I'm striving for, for the seagrasses, isn't sufficient for them. I suspect the babies will stay pretty small to compensate.

Having the Turtle Grass put out new plants is a very good sign! And I'm seeing new sponge growth as well. Cyanobacteria is trying to come back a little. I plan to give it another Chemiclean treatment when it's been a month since the last one.

All in all, I'm happy with the progress. Although the display is still a long way off from 'complete', I'm enjoying the journey!

[sam.basye]

Sounds like you're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Still waiting for the lush jungle o' seagrass. And fish additions.

Do you get a lot of shrimp sucked out of the display since they are weak swimmers??

[Michael Hoaster]

Yes, I think I could add more seagrass, now that algae is under control. It looks like Turtle grass does the best of the three I got, even resisting cyanobacteria smothering. I had hoped the Manatee grass would've done better. Oh well!

I look forward to more fish additions as well, but I think a few more inverts will precede them. I want to get some 'decorative' caribbean sponges and an anemone or two. From what I've read the Condylactis anemones tend to wander around before settling down, so I'd like to get it settled before adding more fish. The right end of the tank, with its low light and high current (and fake mangrove root), is looking to be a perfect place to for a 'sponge gallery'. So while I'm waiting for the sponges on the live rock to spread, it would be nice to add some fancy ones as well.

I still have the small gorgonian. It's hanging in there, but I think I'm going to have to feed it. It's a photosynthetic variety, so I hoped I wouldn't have to. I'm looking into food for it and the other filter feeders.

With the shrimp, I left one of the pumps off to make it a little easier on them, and they were fine. Like the Mollies, they're able to find areas of lower current. I turned the pump back on yesterday, and they all adjusted easily. Between them, the mollies and the snails, the algae is kept in check, I think (hope, pray, beg). They really are an interesting addition to the community!

[Michael Hoaster]

I must say, I'm really digging the shrimp! I've had shrimp before, but never this many. It's a fascinating little community of individuals! Almost like a heard of cattle on a different scale. Seeing them go about their lives and interacting with each other looks very natural-like a shallow lagoon setting you might see in the Keys. And that's what I'm going for!

Also, I'm loving the Biotope thing! Modeling a specific location is so much more interesting and challenging. Having a plan for the way the tank will evolve and mature, using only appropriate species, etc. makes it more rewarding than any of my previous projects.

Using a 'natural' approach to aquarium husbandry is yielding some very natural looking results! I can feel Mother Nature gradually taking over control of the tank. I just need to know when to get out of her way, and when to step in to make small adjustments. This approach does seem to go slower though. Where as most reefers can have a pretty sweet looking tank within a year or so, I think this tank will probably take two. That's cool with me. I guess I'm reaching the age where I'm no longer rushing to get to the end. Although, I wouldn't mind if the seagrasses picked it up a little…

[tajaba]

Hey Michael, quick question about the tank (since I didn't go through all 32 pages)

are you keeping this tank at 1.026? or lower

I am soon starting my own little experiment, before putting down a tank for my house.

btw: your tank looks great! good thinking with the Ghost Shrimps! you can definitly put a chalk bass in there after their population is established.

[Michael Hoaster]

Lower - 1.018. This is the preferred SG of the Manatee Grass. Now that the Turtle Grass is pulling ahead, I'll probably bring it up a bit, since they prefer a higher salinity. Since I am modeling a mangrove/seagrass lagoon, which tends to have varying salinity, I'm not too concerned with keeping it super stable. I'll probably lock into a specific specific gravity later, as I add more sensitive organisms.

Thanks for the tank compliment! It still has a long way to go, but so far so good. The shrimp are very cool. Between them and the rapidly multiplying snails, algae is receding. Chalk Bass are on my list. Have you kept them? Did you enjoy them?

Tell me about your experiment! That's a great idea, testing your theory before committing to your display tank.

[tajaba]

I personally have never kept one, but many here in Thailand do, apparently, ghost shrimps help alot with the feeding, and they don't eat that many per day.

I plan to start a 1mX1mX50cm tank in a couple of weeks with varying types of seagrasses/ marine tolerant plants and some frags from my bedroom nano to determine what will and won't work together salinity wise.

heres a pic of my tank now, got 2 mangroves in a reef tank, it was supposed to be mainly LPS and softies, I honestly don't know what happened

I'm still trying to figure out how to attach pics to this forum

Edit: cmon http://*******.com/m/imqq05/3

[Michael Hoaster]

Full view.


Mother Nature is taking control-and I love it!


Manatee Grass and Turtle Grass. Almost all of the turtle grasses have daughter plants.

Did some good algae export today. The red macros are still popping up around the tank. It's wild seeing algae recede.

[sam.basye]

Looking good! Really like the second pic, looks really natural.

[saltwater sam]

Looking good! It's always rewarding to realize progress!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Sams! Things are going well. The way the algae is going away, I'm a little concerned I may end up with a snail die-off. The tiny conch-shaped (Strombus?) snails have multiplied like crazy. So have the Cerith snails. I'm also seeing several shrimp with babies attached. I guess I'll need to remove some soon, and trade for LFS credit. I guess it does give me a little more leeway for feeding. I've been adding some phyto and zooplankton for the filter feeders.

I look forward to adding sponges, an anemone and more seagrass! I'm building up a new mountain bike at the moment , so I don't have the cash to throw at the tank right now. That's OK, I'm thoroughly enjoying the evolution of the system that is occurring naturally. I see something new everyday!

It's liberating to allow various algae to flourish on the fake wall and elsewhere around the tank. And the large 'tufts' that grow are super easy to remove when it's time to export. I'm now able to use the red macros as sort of a barometer of nutrient levels. When they grow rapidly, it indicates higher nutrient levels than are ideal for the seagrasses, which indicates the need for a water change/algae export.

Once I have all the plants, algae and sponges I'm planning, I may be able to dispense with water changes altogether! Wishful thinking, perhaps, but it's an ideal worth chasing. As I stated on page one of this thread, I want Mother Nature to do most of the work for me.

[sam.basye]

Got any updates for us??

What about a timeline for the future additions like the anemone and the FISH.

Did I ask about the fish already?? I'm starting to think there aren't going to be any.. lol

[Michael Hoaster]

Weird, I was just looking for something to read on RC!

Updates, huh?

Well, the snail population explosion continues. Almost no visible micro algae left in the tank. Sounds great right? It is, but I'm worried about a crash. By that I mean, the snails run out of algae, and a mass die-off occurs. Called my LFS, and they said they would not give me store credit, but they'd be happy to take them off my hands-how nice! I'm still thinking on this one. Should I remove snails, or let the population levels self-adjust? I've read a few threads on the subject, but no definitive answer yet.

On the plus side, the red macros are coming back with a vengeance. Even the caulerpa racemosa, which disappeared months ago, came back. And all these new guys are 'rooted', so they stay put. Plus, out of nowhere, I now have one of those blue macros growing. I never purchased one. It just popped up and started growing.

There is one new micro algae growing that no one seems to eat. It looks like red cotton candy. I removed as much as I could the other day but it comes back.

The back wall is really getting covered with various macros. Looks cool!

The seagrasses are still doing well. More daughter plants! I was thinking of buying more, but it's probably not going to be necessary.

The next addition will probably be a Caribbean anemone or two. I want to get them settled in before adding more fish. As for fish, I think the royal grammas are next. As insane as it might sound, I'm thinking ten of them! With all the plastic-bottle caves in the wall, it could work. After them, some chromises. Next, chalk basses. Maybe a swiss guard basslet and/or a black cap basslet. I'm going to try a small harem of 4 pygmy angels, and probably last will the the caribbean blue tang.

As for a time table, it's tricky. See, my wife and I work together, running our own business, so…it's tricky! There's finesse, subterfuge, bargaining, begging, lying, etc. involved. It doesn't help that I'm building up a new mountain bike, part by part.

So it's gonna take time. Great for the tank. Not so great for anyone wanting to see some progress other than water changes! So hang in there and check in every now and then.

Thanks for asking, Sam!

[ichthyogeek]

Just wondering, but do you have Padina and Codium in your setup? I recently went snorkeling in Florida, and saw a pretty good amount of both algae in the water. There were also some schooling fish that I think would look good, but I can't seem to find the species names...one looked like a saltwater form of Thorichthys, another looked like silvery chromis, and a third I was almost certain were juvenile barracudas...

Any updates besides water changes?

[Michael Hoaster]

I don't (think) I have either of those algae. Good to know they thrive in Florida. I'll keep an eye out for them. I'm hoping to get some Sunshine Chromises from Florida. They have magenta and yellow colors, like the Royal Grammas, but top and bottom, rather than front and back.

Not much to report, update-wise. I just added Chemiclean to the tank. Cyanobacteria is rearing it's ugly head again! Gonna nip it in the bud this time…Going camping, and will do water change when I return.

Otherwise, everything's chugging along. Seagrasses continue to grow, but no lush meadow yet.

[jimbob321]

i was out fishing and found some star grass washed up, threw it in my refugium. this is the first time i've gotten it to live, usually it gets crowded out from the caulerpa..

http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Halop_engelm.htm

[Michael Hoaster]

Nice! Star grass is cool. You're in the perfect location for 'found' seagrass down there. I used to live in Jax Beach. Loved fishing for Redfish and Flounder.