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Unread 05/12/2016, 01:07 PM   #1626
simonh
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That looks amazing. Totally different. It's nice to see someone trying something different and pushing the hobby forward. We're always dealing with the reality of trying to get things to work in a glass box and the solution may not be ideal but if it works then so what.


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Unread 05/12/2016, 03:35 PM   #1627
Michael Hoaster
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Thank you, simonh! I appreciate the kind words. Please come again!


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/12/2016, 04:54 PM   #1628
taricha
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Tell me more about these magical tiny strombus.
I have one large strombus and between actively munching red cyano and scraping diatoms off of pebbles, it does more to keep my sandbed white than any other species I've ever had in my tank.

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Unread 05/12/2016, 05:15 PM   #1629
Michael Hoaster
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Picture a conch shrunk down to about a quarter inch in length. Now picture juveniles the size of pods, and every size in between. Their population explodes then regulates to match the food available. They can keep the most intricate, delicate macro spotless. They're like an army of nanobots constantly cleaning your tank.

They are pretty magical! If you ever come across some, get them! I stumbled across them at my LFS and I jumped on 'em! I think I bought about five. Now I have hundreds-seriously. Indo Pacific Sea Farms used to sell them, but I don't see them on their site (ipsf.com) any more. I've never seen them for sale since.


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Unread 05/12/2016, 05:51 PM   #1630
Michael Hoaster
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I had another thought on the tiny strombus snails. They're probably not for everyone. When their population explodes, it looks very natural, but they are everywhere. It may be too natural looking for some. If you keep a sterile cage kind of tank, you may not like the look of an army of snails.

I got used to it pretty quickly, when I saw what they could do. When I see a lot of them on the front glass, I know its time to clean it.


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/12/2016, 06:41 PM   #1631
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Do these snails of yours climb the walls or just sand bed dwellers?
I want pictures


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Unread 05/12/2016, 10:09 PM   #1632
Michael Hoaster
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They go everywhere-rocks, roots, walls, sand, seagrass and macros.

For a pretty good pic, go back to page 65, post 1618. Fourth pic down, just left of the anemone, on the seagrass.


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Unread 05/13/2016, 12:14 PM   #1633
Michael Hoaster
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After further observation, I'm going to go ahead and change Phil's name to Phyllis. She appears to be near full-grown, and has no bristles at the base of her tail. So far, she has shown no interest in aiptasia anemones, preferring instead to hunt benthic pods. I'm not terribly concerned at this juncture, because I just read a good article on these fish. The author had loads of experience with them, and he said it's typical that they ignore aiptasias at first, then, at about the two week mark, they "git after 'em". He also said about 10% of them never show interest in aiptasias. So, for now, I'm just enjoying watching her. I'm repeatedly amazed at how well this fish hides in plain site. Yesterday, I walked up to the tank and looked for her, and could not find her. Then I realized she was right at the front, not six inches from the glass! Her constantly changing camouflage and slow, drifting-like swimming motion are a huge contrast to the gaudy colors and frenetic action of the grammas and tang. I would highly recommend this fish to anyone that wishes they could keep a seahorse in their community tank. You get the same hovercraft-like swimming style and chameleon-like, independently moving eyes and color variations, without the tedious feeding regime. I would think it would be a great addition to a seahorse tank as well, especially if you've got aiptasias.

Mr Zippy has been soliciting for cleaning services-from just about everyone in the tank. He started, logically, with Mr Pederson, the cleaner shrimp, to no avail. This shrimp, so far, has proved to be an enigma. It has no interest in inhabiting an anemone, or performing cleaning services. He just wonders around the sand bed, eating detritus, which I guess is helpful, but not what I got him for. Next, he tried Spot, the anemone shrimp, to no avail. I don't think he's actually a cleaner, so he is excused. Zippy's latest attempt has been with the barnacle blennies! They're having none of it! One other curious behavior Zippy has adopted is to get between two squabbling grammas, like a referee, to "break it up". It's kind of ironic, given the way he swims around, forcing the grammas to get out of his way. Tangs are like spoiled rich girls. They always need to be the center of attention.

As for general tank conditions, the manatee grass continues to grow and multiply, which makes me very happy. Also, my two small shoal grass plants have begun multiplying as well. Shoal grass looks like a mini manatee grass, maxing out at less than a foot tall, and having flat blades, as apposed to tubular. For anyone wanting to try a seagrass, I recommend it. It doesn't need a tall tank or a deep sand bed.

I've been a little concerned with the caulerpa lately. Its growth has stagnated. I'm not sure if I removed too much, when I pulled out the giant overhanging mass a month or so ago. It could be that I've found the lower limit of sustainably growing biomass, in relation to the grazing action of the tang. But I don't think it's that. It looks different. It's darker and the round 'leaves' are smaller. I suspect my dosing regime. Between the new iron and iodine and vastly reduced biomass, I think it may be over dosed. I have suspended dosing for the last week or so, and plan to reset things with a water change this weekend.

Well this post has gotten rather long. But it's good to record this stuff, as this thread doubles as my tank journal.

Happy Springtime!


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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
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Unread 05/15/2016, 08:46 PM   #1634
Michael Hoaster
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Got a few snaps in.


Full tank shot.



Phyllis is shy.



Into the seagrass…



Color adapting to surroundings, hunting.



Sponge growth is great! With the phytoplankton and sodium silicate additions, the sponges have responded well.



Seagrass growth is great! Notice also, the purple condylactis anemone has settled into a new spot. It looks very happy there.



Zippy's starting to look like a blue tang! He's changing almot daily.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/15/2016, 09:19 PM   #1635
sam.basye
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Tank is looking good!

Have you considered some sort of supplemental lighting (I'm talking like the equivalence of a widely dispersed flashlight) for the right half of the tank. Not sure if it's just the FTS pic, but it looks rather dark. Or does the angled MH cast more light over there than what's shown?

Also, in pic 5, be wary of that white sponge/tunicate growth on the root.
I had this hitchhike on a zoa plug and it started smothering and killing off the zoa's. <--- something else you need, Caribbean zoa's lol


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Unread 05/15/2016, 11:11 PM   #1636
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks Sam!

The full tank shot is fairly accurate. The light coverage is purposely asymetrical. I wanted a gradient of light levels, coming from a single point light source, like the sun. Plus I wanted a dimly lit area for sponges and possibly other nonphotosyntetic organisms. The fake root suggests a tree, that shades that area. It also simulates deeper water.

I'm cool with that sponge. The more the merrier. I'm stoked with all the hitchhiker sponges I have. I'm looking to add more. I'm too lazy to keep zoas' prolific growth under control. Plus those seem more like a reef tank kind of thing, which this is not.


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/17/2016, 12:50 PM   #1637
Michael Hoaster
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The first posted pic of Zippy, and still my favorite. Funny to note that 90% of the macro algae in the background has passed through his digestive system!

So, Zippy and the grammas have been with me for six months now. I remember that stressful day they arrived. Fifteen degrees, two feet of snow and drip-acclimating eight fish simultaneously. Intense!


Today, the harem still works, which to me, is a minor miracle, with two males. It's so freaking cool to have seven grammas in one tank!

Before I got the tang, I was concerned that my macro algae were too overgrown and outcompeting my seagrasses, for the nutrients I was dosing. I wanted to significantly reduce their biomass to remedy the situation. I thought it would be cool to bring in an herbivore to do the work for me. I also wanted to see if I could get a balance of consumption v growth. I know some of you were sorry to see a lot my macros gobbled up. They were pretty nice, but the seagrasses were much more important to me. And my tank layout wasn't really ideal for them. The left end was too bright, and the right end was too turbulent. So I traded in the biggest reds for store credit at my LFS, and left the fragments to their own devices.

Now, the situation is near ideal. I have much reduced macros and the seagrasses are growing like gangbusters! I especially like that I can see the bounding wall of my DSB planter again, after months of being buried under caulerpa.

So what's next? I'm still working on a deal to replace all my turtle grass with more manatee grass. My biggest concern is the disruption to the system that pulling out over 30 plants and their large roots will cause. I plan to do it, but I'm very nervous!

In the more immediate future, I'm going to try a red tree sponge, a purple gorgonian frag and a red gorgonian frag. I should have them by the end of the week. Depending on the size and shape of the sponge, I may frag it into multiple pieces. With the growth of my "test sponges", I'm pretty confident I can keep this sponge happy-provided it doesn't arrive DOA. I expect the photosynthetic purple gorgonian to do well too, given my success with a tan one for over a year. The biggest challenge will likely be the red gorgonian. It's not photosynthetic, so I will have to make sure it gets enough food. This should be doable with all the planktonic foods I add to the tank, plus there's plenty more on the market these days to try if needed.

I'd also like to thank you for reading! It's been a great experience to hear from you all, and share our knowledge and passion. I look forward to more!


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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
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Unread 05/19/2016, 11:45 PM   #1638
Michael Hoaster
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I'm pretty good at this chore! It's important to be comfortable while observing the tank.




See Phyllis? Day eight and no interest in aiptasias yet. Come on, two week mark!




Zippy.




See the dark, purplish sponge? This popped up on dead coral skeleton-not live rock. So, it must have hitchhiked in on something else. I may try transferring a fragment to the fake root.




The tiny, bright yellow sponge is getting bigger. This could grow into a gorgeous specimen!




The anemone really seems to like it there. It may be the right combination of light, current and shelter.




The shoal grass is expanding over the wall. It's tempting to move it back, but I'm kinda curious to see where it goes.




Manatee grass, showing coralline algae.


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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
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Unread 05/20/2016, 08:28 AM   #1639
sam.basye
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Tank is looking great! Is that a little ball anemone in pic 7 on the right?
They are pretty neat, miniature little nems. I used to have one in my 2.5g and enjoyed feeding it pellets.

What is the color range Phyllis has been? Is it just different shades of brown or can it do colors as well like blending in with the grasses? Definitely cool.


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Unread 05/20/2016, 09:21 AM   #1640
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks, Sam!

No, it's not an anemone, it's some kind of caribbean single-polyp coral. It broke off one of the live rocks and I stuck it there. I wanted to see how it did in bright light, since the other ones are all on the dim end of the tank. I'm amazed how many of these guys are still around, with no intentional care.

Phyllis the filefish has a range of mottled grays and browns, when she is around rocks and fake wall/roots. When she goes into the seagrass, she gets a pale green color, somewhere between the color of the sand and grass. Look at pics 3 & 4, post 1634, above. She is a cool fish! I just hope she starts earning her keep soon.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/21/2016, 06:25 AM   #1641
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Will you be getting a cleaner species such as a neon goby to entertain Zippy's desire to be cleaned?


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Unread 05/22/2016, 06:15 PM   #1642
cHRoNzZe 619
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Great looking tank... I love the see grass.... ..... Haven't read all the thread but does your tangs nip at the see grass??? Again great looking tank


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Unread 05/23/2016, 06:21 AM   #1643
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Wow, I can't believe how fast that tang is changing into adult coloration. I wondered about the time it would take. How much bigger has he grown since first arriving? I guessing at least a doubling of size?


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Unread 05/23/2016, 07:42 AM   #1644
nawilson89
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Looks better and better every time I see it!

The seagrass looks AMAZING! I almost feel like the next good size tank I have must be dedicated strictly too them!


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Unread 05/23/2016, 10:38 PM   #1645
Michael Hoaster
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Wilder, I'm hoping the pederson shrimp will step up and start cleaning. Neon gobies are an option, but they may be too good at pod hunting.


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/23/2016, 10:41 PM   #1646
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks, cHRoNzZe 619! The tang leaves the fibrous seagrass alone.


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/23/2016, 10:47 PM   #1647
Michael Hoaster
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McPuff, He was about 3 inches long when I got him, six months ago. He's in the 4-5 inch range now.


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/23/2016, 10:52 PM   #1648
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks, nawilson89! I'm loving the seagrass too!


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 05/24/2016, 06:43 AM   #1649
nawilson89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster View Post
Thanks, nawilson89! I'm loving the seagrass too!
Is Phyllis a permanent member of the tank? Or just temporary?

Do you plan on adding any more anderson cleaner shrimp?

Also.

More gobies!


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Unread 05/24/2016, 08:33 AM   #1650
Michael Hoaster
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Phyliis is a temp. Unless I change my mind, she'll go back to the LFS, or possibly the QT. I have no plans to add more Pederson shrimp. He's been a disappointment, neither hosting in my anemone nor performing cleaning services.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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