Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Michael Hoaster]

If you are referring the Grasilaria hayi, I haven't lost it, but it is reduced in size. I thought it may have been caused by a lowering of iodine levels, but I've since started dosing iodine, and I've not seen improvement. So I don't know. With the recent reduction in caulerpa biomass, I'm hoping there will be more nutrients to go around. I'm using a different iron supplement now, so maybe that's a factor. My best guess at this point is I'm missing a trace element that gets sucked up quickly. I'll keep playing with it.

[Chibils]

Yes, and they're beautiful! 👍 👍

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Chibils! I freaked when you said my pics weren't showing up. Especially since one of them is the best anemone shrimp pic I've ever taken! You can see right into its eyes!

Now, if I could just get one good pic of Mr Zippy!

[jraker]

How are the blennies doing? Do you even see them in a tank that large?

[Michael Hoaster]

The blennies are great! Their heads are visible at all times, which is good because their faces are priceless. Someone looking at my tank for the first time may not notice them. They do blend in. But knowing where all their homes are makes them easy to spot. I enjoy them immensely, even in the big tank. With a surplus of holes and real estate, I hope to provide them with a near-natural, low stress environment.

[jraker]

Awesome, I also love the faces on those guys. I am planning on getting some sailfin blennies for my tank, KP aquatics is the only place I could find them for sale.

[Michael Hoaster]

[Michael Hoaster]

[jraker]

Nice pictures! You can really notice now that Zippy is getting a lot darker.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, jraker! Sailfin Blennies are cool. And sex-able! I'd love to get a little harem of those.

Today was all about Mr Zippy. He's such a challenge to photograph! He rarely is still, so you have to move with him, which blurs everything else. Hopefully, you can see some of his new-found blue.

I had my hand in the tank today, so I touched the white caulerpa. I was expecting it to fall apart, but it was still firm. So, I grabbed some and it pulled right up! I wasn't really planning to pull it all out, but it was so easy, I couldn't help myself.

At this time, the caulerpa biomass is the lowest it's been in months. What's left's in good shape, so I should be okay. This was a choice. I had left it unchecked, so it could grow and keep the tang well fed. Now I see that I can prune occasionally, when it gets too thick, and still keep up with the tang's consumption. Less caulerpa, less competition for nutrients with the seagrasses.

I fertilized the manatee grasses with plant tabs again. They seem to help. Growth rates slow after about a month. With all the new plants, I'm going to have a pretty impressive little meadow here soon! So close to the dream!

All but one piece of codium is still glued in place. Woo! It's such a cool macro. I hope it does well in my tank!

[Chibils]

Love your pics Michael! And you really can see Mr. Zippy changing on a near-daily basis. I never would have expected the change to be so rapid!

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Chibils! I really love to get pics of the tank.

The funny thing about Zippy, is, he's still quite yellow, most of the time. But he changes with his mood, and he's added more blue to his repertoire just recently. I've seen some gorgeous images of atlantic blue tangs in transitional colors. Hopefully, I can get some too!

[Michael Hoaster]

[ichthyogeek]

Is it me, or is Zippy more brown than he was initially? He was bright yellow when you added him in, and now he's more of a Tomini brown. Is this one of the transitions from yellow -> blue? He's still absolutely gorgeous though.

[Michael Hoaster]

You're right, icthyogeek, he is changing. He's not as brown as he looks in the pics, but he's definitely browner. His color changes constantly with his mood, so, while he can still be quite yellow at times, he has more variation, including hints of his future coloring.

[cksss]

The photos and tank are looking great
I like how the blenny is always present and hidden in the some of the photos, kind of like finding wally, though its always in the same barnacle!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, cksss! It was good to do a little pruning. The tank looks better. Though I do miss the nice shadow on the back wall. It helped the grasses stand out in photos. I shouldn't have to wait long for it to come back.

Yes, I like those little photo bombers too!

[Michael Hoaster]

Kinda quiet around here these days. I guess it's that time of year, when everyone wants to go outside and play. Me too! I'm a big mountain biker. With the recent spring snow here in Colorado, I had to travel down to Lake Pueblo to find dry trails. I got a big, four hour ride on Sunday.

As for my tank, all is well. I'm still looking for the right combination of dosing media. I got a new bottle of iron to try out. I'm hoping to get the grasilaria hayi back to its robust size. I'm also trying to make sure Zippy has a varied diet. I got some New Life Spectrum Algaemax Herbivore pellets. This looks to be one of the best herbivore foods on the market, with a huge variety of plant material in its ingredients. He seems to like it.

What's next? I don't know if I'll ever get to replace my turtle grass with new manatee grass, but I hope to. Now that the weather is improving and collection is resuming, I also hope to get a sponge or two. I'm seeing new sponges in the tank already, so I think conditions are good for them. I'm still considering schooling fish. I may just try a school of silversides. They're cheap, so if they all get eaten, it's not too big of a loss.

[nawilson89]

It's way to hot outside for me. I'm spending most of my time playing video games, playing with my daughter or trying to get my 29g to not be so darn cloudy.

I was thinking of recommending sheepshead minnow like the one sam has (least I think it's sam who has it, my memory is a bit foggy right now), they may not be a schooling fish though.

They do breed readily in tanks though.

[Michael Hoaster]

Ah, Tampa! What do you get, like, ten months of summer? We still have snow on the ground!

You know how, every once in a while, your aquarium lets you know you've done something right? My anemone has traveled all over the tank. You know where it is now? In the exact same spot I put it in, upon introduction. As long as it doesn't creep over the barnacle shells we're cool.

[nawilson89]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Ah, Tampa! What do you get, like, ten months of summer? We still have snow on the ground!

You know how, every once in a while, your aquarium lets you know you've done something right? My anemone has traveled all over the tank. You know where it is now? In the exact same spot I put it in, upon introduction. As long as it doesn't creep over the barnacle shells we're cool.

10 months of summer, 2 months of wicked rain and flooding here.

I never wanted an anemone, my girlfriend wanted one with a pair of clowns, but I generally don't take her aquarium advice. She can get a pair of clowns but no nem. Though a few months ago I started liking rock flower anemones a bit.

It's cool that yours is traveling around the tank. You should be taking pictures of it moving all the time! Make a time lapse video!

[jraker]

Rock flower anemones don't host clowns.

[nawilson89]

Originally Posted by jraker

Rock flower anemones don't host clowns.

I'm aware. I wanted it for myself

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[Michael Hoaster]

Some detail pics:


Here you can see a codium frag glued to the fake root. They lasted a few days, but now they're starting to un-attach. I guess I'll have to resort to tying them in place with monofilament. I really hope the codium makes it. It's a cool looking macro, and Zippy doesn't eat it. Having it and the G. hayi growing on the root would look very natural!




The new little yellow sponge grows! Between the feeding brew and the sodium silicate dosing, I think conditions are very good for sponges.




These white, stringy sponges encrust the fake root pretty well. You can see the yellow ball sponge below Zippy. I hope to add some more decorative sponges, when they become available. Maybe I'll have better luck this time. On my two previous attempts to get sponges, they both arrived DOA.




Here you can see the greatly-reduced grasilaria hayi, halfway up the root, and the other one that was buried under caulerpa, a little lower. They seem to be recovering well.

[Chibils]

Shipping sponges sounds like a dangerous proposition. They don't tolerate air exposure well. Was the bag filled all the way with water?

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk