Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[McPuff]

That really looks nice. I'm sure you'll see some very interesting inverts along with these macroalgae. Very cool.

[Darth_Tater]

That Cymopolia Barbata is cool! I may have to look into it for my fuge. Are you going to have to dose calcium for it?

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, McPuff! I'm liking the looks of the new plants too. I really love how the tufted joint algae ties the seagrass bed together. So natural looking. I did find a mini serpent star, and a couple of macro fragments. Who knows what else I got! Time will tell.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Darth_Tater. It is cool! From what I've read, it may be a bit tricky to keep alive, long term. Honestly, I was expecting them to be bigger, so they would move in the current more. If I'm lucky, maybe they'll grow a bit.

Essentially, I'm already dosing calcium. In my canister filter I have one basket containing calcium carbonate media. I'm also running CO2 through it, giving me a calcium reactor. I another basket, I have bio pellets, as a bacteria reactor, for sponges and other filter feeders. In the third, I've got bio balls, for a nitrate reactor. So my canister filter is a multi-reactor! It appears to work quite well for calcium, as I have abundant coralline algae, including some of the cool plating variety. Also the grasilaria hayi does well, and it's a bit calcified.

[Michael Hoaster]

Hey, if you came straight to the last page, check out the new pics at the bottom of page 75. I got some good ones of the new plants.


This one shows the new Dictoya, mounted to the fake root with rubber bands. These look really cool, moving in the current. These, to me, are the quintessential seaweed. They even smell funky, like when you get to the beach and there's some drying in the sun.

Also, at top right, with the blue rubber band, is a frag of blue scroll algae. Not much to look at right now, but if all goes well, it'll be pretty freaking cool!

[Darth_Tater]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks, Darth_Tater. It is cool! From what I've read, it may be a bit tricky to keep alive, long term. Honestly, I was expecting them to be bigger, so they would move in the current more. If I'm lucky, maybe they'll grow a bit.

Essentially, I'm already dosing calcium. In my canister filter I have one basket containing calcium carbonate media. I'm also running CO2 through it, giving me a calcium reactor. I another basket, I have bio pellets, as a bacteria reactor, for sponges and other filter feeders. In the third, I've got bio balls, for a nitrate reactor. So my canister filter is a multi-reactor! It appears to work quite well for calcium, as I have abundant coralline algae, including some of the cool plating variety. Also the grasilaria hayi does well, and it's a bit calcified.

Oops, guess I missed that post! It's a good idea for a DIY reactor.

[Michael Hoaster]

With 76 pages, I hardly blame you for missing it! I'm happy to answer any questions on my tank. I consider it a running discussion.

The multi-reactor is working well-both for calcium and CO2 supplementation. Plants need CO2 as a carbon source. I think most people shy away from it because of the additional complication/expense, as well as a perceived risk to their fish. Plants also use calcium. So I do recommend some kind of calcium reactor for heavily planted tanks, like mine.

[jraker]

The new macro looks cool. I like the variety in your tank, and it seems like there are a ton of small pieces of macro growing in by themselves. That really adds to the diversity and the visual appeal. I like the look of it.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, jraker! That's high praise!

I'm loving the new macros, for sure! It's crazy how adding just a few more plants makes such a difference. Possibly the coolest one, the blue scroll, isn't even visible yet. For now, I hope to keep everything alive and settling in.

[Michael Hoaster]

Well, I got back from a weekend camping trip, and most of the Dictoya is gone. I expected to lose some, from the rubber banded bunches especially, but I'm puzzled that most of it has vanished. Looking around the tank, I would expect to find a lot of large pieces laying around, but really, I'm only finding a few small fragments. This would seem to suggest that someone is eating it.

Hopefully, I'm in a situation where they vanish, then come back, firmly anchored in place, like most of my other macros. The downside is I have no control where. I'm really hoping to get some growing on the fake root. I'm not sure there is enough light there though. I did get my new blue compact fluorescent bulb in, over the weekend, so I'll get it placed. I want to fill the shadowy area on the right with a faint, blue light, to simulate depth and to stimulate the blue color in the blue scroll algae.

[Michael Hoaster]

I got the blue light set up. I think it's going to be just right. A hint of blue, without the disco.

I went around the tank and recovered as much dictoya as I could find. I only managed some small leaf fragments. I bunched them up and re-secured them under one of the now-vacant rubber bands on the fake root.

If it happens, I may be the first person to ever kill dictoya. Thinking back, it was in pretty sorry shape when I got it. I noticed GCE was sold out of it right after I got mine. I may have gotten the dregs. I still have hope that it will come back. We'll see!

[Michael Hoaster]

The snails were eating it! So, if they mowed it down that fast, it may not be able to come back. Like the red cotton candy algae, the snails really like that species of dictoya. Could be doomed. It sucks because both really do move well in the current.

The hint of blue light looks good. Combined with blue scroll algae, minds could very well be blown.

[Michael Hoaster]

[sam.basye]

Next thing we know, your tank is going to look like a Chinese all you can eat buffet restaurant in a strip mall with all the different colored CFL bulbs in the ceiling...


Lol tank is looking great!

[Jboone82590]

I can't see the pics is there a reason why?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[Michael Hoaster]

Here it is a little smaller.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Sam!

Funny, me, Mister no blue, bluing it up!

[Michael Hoaster]

Hey, I just wanted to invite all you guys to stop by and chat. See something you like? See something you don't? Have a question? Post a comment. I love getting them and it helps to motivate me. So come on down!

Here's a pretty good shot of the seagrass.

[sam.basye]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Hey, I just wanted to invite all you guys to stop by and chat. See something you like? See something you don't? Have a question? Post a comment. I love getting them and it helps to motivate me. So come on down!

Here's a pretty good shot of the seagrass.

Still gonna thin out the grasses???

[nawilson89]

I'll go first! I wanted some thoughts on my next build and you're really great with giving advice.

So I plan on starting up two new nano tanks instead of one 55g. Reasons being is the size of my apartment and then moving the tanks when I move into a permanent home.

20g long.

So this tank here is going to be a 20long that i've been thinking of doing for a few months. I tried seagrass in my 20g and it got over run and then killed off so I wanted to try again. This tank is to have a dsb of mud and sand plus blended macros mixed into the mud like a fertilizer. I plan on keeping a few seagrass and some mangroves. The back wall will be foam and i plan on adding grape caulerpa to it. I dont plan on keeping any live rock or keeping as little as possible to make room for more mangroves and seagrass. I'm hoping to get as much filtration done by macro algaes and mangroves.

The second tank is going to be a 10g. It will mirror my 29g as being heavy in macro algaes. I plan on building rock walls using foam on the back and one side of the tank. A small sand bed mixed with reef mud and blended macro for ferts. Again I want to do a grape wall and use the rock on the sand bed for fern caulerpa, gracilaria and a few others. I plan on going back to my little Gobies for this tank and possible small inverts such as sexy shrimp.

Anyways these are what i want to finish up this year.

[Michael Hoaster]

I think I've just about given up on removing the turtle grass-at least uprooting it. It would just be too disruptive to the rest of the ecosystem. As an alternative, I may try just cutting them off at the base. This will give me an idea how it looks, without it being permanent. Then, if I decide I like them 'gone', I could keep cutting them back until they starve. I don't hate them-I just don't want them to displace or limit the manatee grass' growth.

[JZinCO]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

I think I've just about given up on removing the turtle grass-at least uprooting it. It would just be too disruptive to the rest of the ecosystem. As an alternative, I may try just cutting them off at the base. This will give me an idea how it looks, without it being permanent. Then, if I decide I like them 'gone', I could keep cutting them back until they starve. I don't hate them-I just don't want them to displace or limit the manatee grass' growth.

I can drive over and collect them for you

haha, btw I have been following your thread for a couple weeks now and love it.

[Michael Hoaster]

Doing a tank with a real mangrove and seagrass sounds awesome! One thing I'd do differently with seagrass, nawilson89, is to focus on one, and research its specific needs. Then I'd plant just the one and nothing else. I'd tweak the dosing until the grass was well-established before adding anything else. It felt like most of my dosing went right to the grape caulerpa.

For fake walls, I like my thread for the bottle caves, and sam's for his very natural-looking foam application. I'm sure there have been other excellent fake wall builds since ours as well.

Here's my build thread for the fake wall: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2403722
Here's sam.basye's fake wall thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2457621

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, JZinCO! Glad to hear you're enjoying the thread.

I took a look at your thread, and plan to follow along. Glad you got your electrical issue resolved. Good luck with the build and let me know if I can help, Neighborino!

[JZinCO]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks, JZinCO! Glad to hear you're enjoying the thread.

I took a look at your thread, and plan to follow along. Glad you got your electrical issue resolved. Good luck with the build and let me know if I can help, Neighborino!

Thanks. It will be a big undertaking. 50g reef + 29g seagrass/macro + 29g mangrove and marshgrass

yup, I'm going to try to have some substrate around the water level and grow, probably, Spartina spp.. I have only seen some poor examples (like the TX state aquarium) so we'll see....

I'm really excited to watch your thread over the next few months as I piece together my system one tank at a time.