Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Michael Hoaster]

I used to work with a guy who had endless variations on the question,"Why you gotta busta ma balls?" "My balls, whya you busting them?"

Oddly enough, I kind of appreciate it. I sometimes tell the world I'm going to do something, so I'll get it done. That's how this thread got started! I know how lazy I am…

I appreciate what you're saying about the grasses, but I'd really like to lose the turtle grass. Now you're using reverse psychology on me! It will be a mess. I'll have to be prepared to replant most of the DSB. It could upset the balance, which is the most terrifying part. I guess I could let the caulerpa overgrow a bit, to help soak up extra nutrients…

Some caribbean zoas would be cool. But then you have keep them from overgrowing…something…blah…lazy…zzzz…ahem, I have been looking for something like that, that doesn't add work. I know how lazy I am… (copied and pasted)

I thought about getting another condylactis gigantea anemone. That opens up the possibility of sexual reproduction. Sick, raunchy, anemone sex. All those tentacles…

Thanks on the wall and root, and right back at you with your fake wall!

I'm not sure how long this tank will go on. The wife wants to travel. I could break it down, travel awhile, then take what I've learned from this tank and apply it to the big dream tank.

I'm pretty satisfied now with it, but I see so much more potential! So I guess I'm not bored yet…

[sam.basye]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

I used to work with a guy who had endless variations on the question,"Why you gotta busta ma balls?" "My balls, whya you busting them?"

Oddly enough, I kind of appreciate it. I sometimes tell the world I'm going to do something, so I'll get it done. That's how this thread got started! I know how lazy I am…

I appreciate what you're saying about the grasses, but I'd really like to lose the turtle grass. Now you're using reverse psychology on me! It will be a mess. I'll have to be prepared to replant most of the DSB. It could upset the balance, which is the most terrifying part. I guess I could let the caulerpa overgrow a bit, to help soak up extra nutrients…

Some caribbean zoas would be cool. But then you have keep them from overgrowing…something…blah…lazy…zzzz…ahem, I have been looking for something like that, that doesn't add work. I know how lazy I am… (copied and pasted)

I thought about getting another condylactis gigantea anemone. That opens up the possibility of sexual reproduction. Sick, raunchy, anemone sex. All those tentacles…

Thanks on the wall and root, and right back at you with your fake wall!

I'm not sure how long this tank will go on. The wife wants to travel. I could break it down, travel awhile, then take what I've learned from this tank and apply it to the big dream tank.

I'm pretty satisfied now with it, but I see so much more potential! So I guess I'm not bored yet…

No travelling!
I'll have to find someone else's balls to bust...


Removing the turtle grass will probably get you Dino's or diatoms for a couple weeks, but it will go back to normal shortly. You need more wavy greenness in the planter.

Another nem would be neat, what about the curly que nem? And shrimp to go with?

Chances are that multiple condy's will not equal babies, maybe the raunchy sex part, but no love children. Lol

What about some of the Carribean stony corals amongst the grasses?

[jraker]

I know there was a lot of talk about large Caribbean fish on this thread, so when I was at my LFS today, I thought I would take a picture to show how big queen triggers get.

[Michael Hoaster]

The problem with the turtle grass removal is the roots-they're kind of huge. So ripping them out is going to be like a boat motor went through. It's going to suck, but it's going to get done at some point. I look forward to the look of only manatee and shoal grass!

Another nem is possible. Adding new shrimp is problematic, now that Big Daddy has a taste for them.

As for breeding condylactis, I'm less concerned with offspring, though it would be cool. I just like the idea of the animals and plants I keep being able to enjoy sex. Is that weird?

Caribbean stonies are illegal to collect, except what you can find on farmed rock. I may add more live rock at some point, so it could happen.

That's a big fish, jraker! I'm trying to picture in my head how big a mature blue tang would be in comparison.

[Michael Hoaster]

[Michael Hoaster]

[McPuff]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

That's awesome, McPuff! Are you having it built on-site? Have you started a build thread? What does DD mean?

It's a 72 x 36" footprint... 27 high. It'll actually fit down my stairs and it the biggest tank I could possibly get down those steps as I have a 90 deg turn in the middle. It's going to be a tough move though. This changeover has been spur of the moment as I found a great deal on a setup and had to move on it quickly. I have already unloaded the majority of my sps over the weekend as I will not have many sps in the 300 for obvious reasons. I may keep a couple of colonies that have not yet sold. When I eventually put in the juvenile angels (still months off) we'll see if they pick at the corals or not... same will apply to the lps. Should be interesting to say the least!

[Michael Hoaster]

That is a big tank! One question: Will it make that 90 degree turn? Have you measured the longest, diagonal measurement? If you aren't sure you could make a full-size mock up in cardboard for a test run.

Good luck!

[McPuff]

It will only make the turn standing on end. It'll have to slide down the first flight on its bottom, then we'll stand it up, and slide it down the second flight on its side. I'll put plywood on those surfaces and cover in cardboard. It's going to take some serious manpower but I should be able to get 6 guys total for the job. I will remove the handrails to provide a bit more space. We'll have to do similar upon reaching the bottom. Back on edge, then lower onto its bottom again. From there, slide to final destination and lift onto stand. Still not sure about those heavy duty suction cups... do I trust them?

[Michael Hoaster]

Sounds like you've got it figured out. Gonna start a thread for it?

[McPuff]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Sounds like you've got it figured out. Gonna start a thread for it?

I'm not sure yet. I'll take a bunch of pictures of the process. Not sure if I'll write up a thread on it though. I suppose it depends on how successful the tank is after a month or two. :0)

[Michael Hoaster]

Watching the macros reemerge is a daily pleasure. They are everywhere! Having them return naturally, after Zippy mowed them down, is better than any landscape I could design myself. I'm getting some variety as well, with at least four reds, and the blue hypnea is spreading around all over.

The red non-photosynthtic gorgonian finally looks happy, mounted on the fake wall, with a tree sponge frag. It's polyps have been open for feeding at feeding time, hopefully signaling it's in sync. If so, that's a good sign it could make it.

[sam.basye]

Out of curiosity, do you have any sort of budget for adding fish or the like? Obviously the cheaper the better, but depending on how big your wallet is / how much your wife knows / there might be some 'rare' fish that would look good and serve a purpose in your tank. Lol
This could open doors for suggestions.

[Michael Hoaster]

I don't have a specific budget, but I'm about as cheap as they come! I'd love to get a Swissgarde Basslet, which is pretty pricey at around 90 bucks. Most importantly, any new fish have to be small, and not destructive to vital ecosystem organisms, which is where it gets tricky. I'd love to find a new herbivore that only ate caulerpa, and leaves the other macros alone. Plankton pickers are probably the best option, as they tend to just eat the added fish food and put less pressure on the plankton in the tank.

I do appreciate suggestions, but I'm not terribly concerned that I don't have a lot of fish. The royal grammas and barnacle blennies are very entertaining, and non-destructive.

[Michael Hoaster]

See the new grasilaria hayi?



Good polyp extension.



Towering seagrass!



The Condylactis anemone wandered out onto the sand to get on a small rock. You may be able to see Mr Pederson, in front of the blue hypnea.



The beautifully weird macro. Notice how much darker it is than the grasilaria sprouts.



I forget which one this is. Still rather small, but pretty!



This one looks like tiny, balloon animals.



The tree sponge frags are hanging in there. Little, red macros popping up, here and there. One of the best things about the macros coming back, is they are ALL firmly and naturally anchored.

[Chibils]

Are you feeding anything to the sponges? Phyto and such?

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[Michael Hoaster]

I do feed phytoplankton for the sponges and others. I also dose sodium silicate, which is a building block material for them. It is very important, like calcium for corals. Most aquariums, especially unfiltered ones like mine, contain plenty of dissolved organics, which the sponges feed on as well.

[Chibils]

Excited to see how the NPS life evolves in there. 😀 Love the tank!

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[Michael Hoaster]

Me too, Chibils! I'm amazed at the variety of filter feeders that have appeared, thanks to no artificial filtration! It's another example of Mother Nature stepping in to help, where no man-made "solutions" are substituted for the "real thing".

[EdimarOliveira]

Beautiful, Michael!!

Because you put Gracilaria in that position? Any particular reason?

[Michael Hoaster]

Thank you, EdimarOliveira!

I think you are referring to the first photo above, where I ask if you can see the grasilaria hayi, right? I was really just pointing out where it is popping up. I haven't positioned any of the macros that are coming back, with the exception of the blue hypnea. I have moved some of that around, mostly because I've been removing stray chaeto, that was tangled up with it. I have put some of it where I think it will be happiest.

All of the red macros are growing where they want-I haven't positioned any of them. Mother Nature is taking care of that, and doing a much better job than I could ever do. It's a strategy I stumbled onto, I can highly recommend!

I started out, buying a bunch of red macros. With the strong current in my tank, I had trouble anchoring them down. Nothing worked, including superglue. Then I added the tang, which basically ate them all. Then I removed the tang, and the magic happened. Tiny red macro sprouts are now growing from the rocks, fake roots and wall. One of the best things about it is, they are only growing where conditions are best suited to them. A big bonus is that they are all firmly anchored, naturally, so I don't have to do anything!

[EdimarOliveira]

Very cool then, Michael!

And it's amazing how, if we let things happen, everything will primping ...

[EdimarOliveira]

Michael, I love marine planted, but are rare in Brazil, including the difficulty in obtaining specimens. Follow your topic for a long time, for this reason.

City changed and I am taking the opportunity to reassemble my marine, but facing the planted.

For all I have read, I find it difficult, or impossible, to have a planted and have also corals. Or not?? Well, I have a display that measures 80 x 60 x 50 (length x depth x height), another small aquarium, which measures 50 x 10 x 20 (length x depth x height). This small aquarium fits perfectly on one side of the sump. That is, can cause the fall of the overflow go through it and then go to the sump, where it returns to the display. In this sump, I have a compartment that can also be used as a refuge.

I ask: You can make three environments with different macroalgae, three different biotypes in a system like this?

What is your opinion about it?

Suggestions?

[Michael Hoaster]

It is difficult to combine macros with the most challenging small polyp stony corals. The reason for this is that their needs are so different. SPS like pristine, low-nutrient water, macros like nutrient-rich water. For this reason I think it's best to decide ahead of time what is your "pivotal species", or the plant or animal that is most important to you. Then you can optimize conditions for that species, and then see what other organisms can also do well in those conditions. My pivotal species is manatee grass.

Fortunately there is some overlap, with less demanding "lagoonal corals", that thrive in the same conditions as macros. At the other end of the scale, seagrasses outcompete macros in nature by surviving on lower nutrients than macros can. This makes them better suited to low nutrient SPS-type tanks. Just don't expect them to grow very fast. So, plants and corals can be combined in an aquarium, if you find the right combination.

Your idea of combining three different macros in three separate boxes should work fine. Just keep in mind that water conditions will be the same for all three. You can vary light levels and water movement in each box to suit different macros.

My question for you would be, why three boxes? Every box you add also adds complexity, work, and potential plumbing failures. I'm not sure how much of this thread you have read, but I'm a big fan of simplicity. Rather than hiding plants in a sump or inside a cabinet, I like EVERYTHING right there in the display. I don't even have a sump. You may find that you enjoy looking at the tanks in the cabinet more than the display tank. But that's just me. You may have very good reasons for having three separate zones for three separate algae. I'd love to hear more!

[Darth_Tater]

I have a remote sump with a few different kinds of macros in it connected to a display with SPS in it and a very small bioload (I only empty my skimmer cup like once a month). The macros are all still green, but they are growing a vastly different rates. In my case, it's actually the slower growing ones that are growing well and the super fast growers (especially Ulva) are struggling and are looking like they might die off.

My personal opinion is that it would be really hard to get different species of Macro to grow well together without dosing NO3 and probably PO4 to remove the nutrient competition factor. I'm not sure how SPS would respond to that.

I'm now trying to remember if you're dosing those Michael, and if not then I've been proven wrong already!

By the way, tank is looking good and those sponges are pretty awesome!