Weeds

[Michael Hoaster]

OK, let's wait and see.

For now, this ecosystem-in-a-box is cruising along. It's a bit bushy, with all the feather caulerpa.

Looking forward, I find myself considering adding an herbivorous fish to crop the macros back. I've done this before, in the previous version of this tank (v1). I got a juvenile, yellow phase Atlantic Blue Tang, named Mr. Zippy. He gradually grazed the macros down to almost nothing, before I removed him. I thought I might have gotten more time if I had let the tank get overgrown first. So, if I try this again I will attempt to do that.

Of key importance is will I like the look of the tank with the macros mostly gone? With new real estate available for colonization, I can focus on other cool encrusting life forms, like sea squirts and sponges. Overall, it'll look pretty different! Probably kinda stark at first. I did want the seagrass to dominate the tank visually. This would accomplish that.

Considering possible future sponges steers me away from pygmy angelfish, and towards a tang, perhaps.

[vlangel]

I am really pleased with the tomini tang. Of course Tommy, (the name I gave the tomini tang) has not been in the display long enough for me to know just how his grazing is going to ultimately effect my macro algae. He does not even look at the red halimeda and I doubt he would bother codium. I have some feather caulerpa up high near the overflow and nems and he has not bothered it as of yet but when he has the nuisance algae gone that could change. Also I am heavily feeding frozen green food like emerald entree, spiralina enriched brine shrimp and formula 2 so Tommy is getting a lot of greens in his diet. Since most of my other fish are herbivores or omnivores I can do that. Anyway, I will keep you up to date as to how Tommy's addition to my display effects my macro algae in it.

[ThePurple12]

I had bad experience with tangs, at least a yellow tang. As soon as I added it to the tank, it started mowing down the shoal grass! It would have eaten it all if I hadn't caught it. I don't know if it's most tangs, just the yellow tang species, or if it was just a rogue tang. Or maybe tangs will eat shoal grass, but not the thicker manatee grass?

[Michael Hoaster]

Good luck with Tommy! I think he'll leave your macros alone. I've been looking at the bristletooth tangs myself lately, and I believe they prefer detritus and micro algae. Good idea to get him on the veggie fish food, so he doesn't get any ideas.

[Michael Hoaster]

I remember you posting about your yellow tang eating your grasses, ThePurple12. I don't think they're supposed to do that. Seagrass is too fibrous. Isn't their preference filamentous algae? Maybe the shoal grass was the closest thing available?

I'm glad you brought it up again, because I've considered one for my tank. I've got a smorgasbord of algae, but would it go after my seagrass after that? I agree that the manatee grass is a good bit more substantial than the shoal grass, so maybe it would be fine.

I'd like to find a fish that eats most macro and micro algae, but not Manatee grass or sponges. Ah research…

[ThePurple12]

If that was a "defective" yellow tang, it's great news for me, that way I can get another one! I'll probably try a different species just in case. I'll be interested to see how it goes with you, whatever fish you choose.

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm tempted to get another Atlantic Blue Tang. The yellow juveniles are gorgeous! It's also fun to see them change color over time. Eats Caulerpa.

On the other hand, it's fun to try something new. Of the Bristletooth Tangs, the Whitetail looks amazing and costs a lot. These fish also have a yellow juvenile phase, but their adult coloring is also striking. These eat detritus, which might be a good addition.

Now that Yellow Tangs are being captive bred, I should get one of those. But since their diet is mostly filamentous algae, they might ignore the caulerpa, which would be bad. I need whatever I get to LOVE Caulerpa.

[vlangel]

Hey Michael, my new tomini tang likes caulerpa. I am bringing caulerpa up from the fuge and putting some in my display to offer my tomini real greens in addition to the frozen that I offer. He might have eaten even more if I did not offer so much frozen.

I can not vouch that it would not eat seagrass however since he does not have access in the display.

[Michael Hoaster]

Good to know, thanks Dawn!

[Michael Hoaster]

Well, the fall camping season didn't help with my aquarium maintenance. Today I finally got my hands wet and tidied up, exporting feather caulerpa and assorted other algae. I've even got some cyano to clean up. I made a pretty good dent in it today. I'll finish up tomorrow and try to get some pics.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Well, the fall camping season didn't help with my aquarium maintenance. Today I finally got my hands wet and tidied up, exporting feather caulerpa and assorted other algae. I've even got some cyano to clean up. I made a pretty good dent in it today. I'll finish up tomorrow and try to get some pics.

I will look forward to seeing those pics.

[3D-Reef]

Hey Michael, glad to see Your still at it!
I logged on to show someone some pic's, and seen Your thread was still active. So I thought I'd chime in and say howdy.
I can't believe it's been 5 years since I took down My tank.In some ways I miss it,but in some ways not.

[Michael Hoaster]

Hey 3D! Great to hear from you! Yeah I'm still plugging along. Hopefully learning stuff!

Five years, huh? I can see the kinda do, kinda don't miss it thing. For me I'm hooked.

[Michael Hoaster]

Hey, a quick update, I'm still working on the tank so I don't have new pics yet. As soon as I get it pretty enough, I'll be ready to show it off!

[Michael Hoaster]

Ok, prettyish enough! Snapped some pics with my wife's phone.



The seagrasses look great, with many blades reaching the surface. The 'splash of red' patch reef got yet another scalping, leaving space for some new guys to flourish. See Seymour, the sea cucumber bottom right. I've had him around five years now, and he has grown. This kind of tank suits him.



From the deep end. Red macros trimmed waaaaay down.

It was good to get after it again, after slacking for so long. It's funny how much work it is just to get mediocre pics! But it gets me off the couch…

I was thinking how our aquariums are our forms of self expression. They're like art installations with living art. Science and Nature provide the boundaries. We are the artists/scientists, trying to make something beautiful and functional.

We are AQUARISTS!

[vlangel]

Well said Michael, we are both artists and scientists and those disciplines melded together make us aquarists!

I went to the art institute of Pgh and have a degree in commercial art. I definitely tap into that part of my being when I work in my tank. It is what drove me to want colorful fish. It also played into why I chose a tiered aquascape that had focal points at the third points of the tank. (If you took a FTS and then drew lines so the tank was divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically...where those lines intersected is where I strive to make focal points). Its a composition principal in art.

Then there is the science and biological aspect that we discuss regularly. So I guess you could say that keeping a reef exercises both sides of our brain! LOL

O yeah, almost forgot but your pics are beautiful. I love how the seagrass is maturing and becoming more dominant in the 'living' art you call an aquarium.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn. I thought you might get a kick out of this! You and I have art backgrounds, so we need for things to 'look right'. I was just thinking how all of us in this hobby play within a framework of scientific and artistic rules, while also expressing ourselves both artistically and scientifically. It makes for a rather addictive cocktail!

[Vinny Kreyling]

Nice Job Michael!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thank you Vinny. After slacking my way through the summer, it feels good to assert some control on this big box of unruly plants.

[ThePurple12]

Wow, it looks really different with the reds trimmed.

Seymour, eh? I didn’t know you had a sea cucumber!

[Michael Hoaster]

Yeah, I pruned back the Botriocladia, and Grasilaria big time. I know it's kinda harsh right now, but I'm trying to encourage a couple of other plants on the rocks to grow. Hopefully this will lead to a more balanced group of red macros.

Another thing different about the patch reef is that it is gradually sinking into the sand, thanks to the Allen's Damselfishs' digging. It's kind of a bummer because there's a lot of life on the rocks, and much of it is getting buried. I could get it all back above the sand, but they'll just do it again. So what I might do is add another 10lb layer of new live rocks on top of the old.

Seymour is a great detrivore, and my tank has loads of detritus to process. So, he's fat, happy and growing.

[ThePurple12]

Oops, that kind of came out wrong. It still looks great!

[Michael Hoaster]

Snapped some pics today.


Greenliness.



A different angle.



The mangroves live on.



Patch reef action.



A pretty good look at the reds. Note the golden Sargaussum weed at left. It's growing!



Some of the scalped Botriocladia is coming back.



You can see the unknown flat red here. A freaky beauty!

[Michael Hoaster]

I had an idea of what to do about my sinking live rock. I still have some old, dead coral skeletons I could put on the bottom, with the live rock on top of it. That would prevent it from settling, and the dead rock would allow for tunnels for the fish too. Everybody's happy!

So a partial re-scape then. I've got a bag of unused sand to add to the project. It would be good to regain the height I had when I first scaped it. It'll be tricky doing it in a full tank, but doable I think. I'll just have to work around the cloudiness, taking breaks to let it settle, so I can see what I'm doing.

I just thought of a complicating factor: the Mangroves. Their roots are likely to give me trouble. And my efforts could very well jeopardize their health. Worth the risk? I think so.

[ThePurple12]

Sounds like a good idea. Sand beds are really annoying when it comes to aquascaping, but it'll be worth it.