Weeds

[vlangel]

Very cool Michael on your new acquisitions. I love Blue tangs too and am happy for you. Hopefully the new grammas will settle in with the 3 and make a nice little Harem.

I am glad to hear that Scarlett is finally acting more like she should and not so skittish, especially about feeding. It sure took her long enough.

Hopefully her and the blue will work out any possible aggression issues. I never really had a big enough tank to have multiple tang species but I guess they can be a bit testy with one another, especially in the beginning. Its good that Scartett got introduced first. How big is the blue tang? I have seen some pretty little ones.

Good job in caulerpa removal!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn. I checked this morning and the new guys are all alive and well in QT. As I mentioned before, that if I were to try to add grammas, they'd need to be small, so as not to upset the balance of 'who gets to be the male' in the emerging harem. They just happened to have smaller ones at my LFS, so I grabbed 'em.

I agree, most of the affordable Blue Tangs are tiny these days, and I was prepared to try one, but I know the tiny ones are iffy. So I was quite surprised that they had a 5-6 inch tang for $69.99. I asked the manager and she confirmed that the price was correct. Woohoo! Not that they're cheap, but that's a great deal these days.

Multiple tangs can be tricky, but these two species are on the mellow side, so I'm confident they'll get along. Two tangs zipping around the full length of the tank is going to be fun to watch!

Scarlett is getting bolder by the day. She really mixed it up with the others this morning at feeding time. That's a huge relief. She also enjoys eating the other fish's poop, which is called coprophagy. The net effect will be a cleaner tank. Blue Tangs do it too, so yay!

I'd like to get the rest of the sand bed caulerpa pulled, so I can pull shoal grass. Then I'll be ready to trade!

QT2

[vlangel]

It all sounds very promising and exciting for your tank. I can't wait until the new fish are done with QT and everyone is acclimated to the 'Weeds' tank! A lot to look forward to for sure.

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm pretty psyched. The new fish look great. I'm so excited to have a gramma harem again, as well as another Pacific Blue Tang. I'm already enjoying the fish watching much more. With the new fish added, the display is gonna go up a notch.

QT3

[Michael Hoaster]

I got the caulerpa off the sand bed, pretty much. I'd like to go back and do a finishing touch, to get stragglers. I noticed Scarlett was taking more interest in nibbling on the bottom already. That's good. I think she will be a prominent member of the clean up crew.

Next up is Shoal Grass. Looking at the tank, the bottom 12 inches of the grasses are getting too thick. Pulling the shoal grass will solve this problem. My Bristletooth Tang will be able to get to the bottom. I think I'll like the look better. Water movement will improve as well.

The patch reef is growing tall. One of the Sargassum is right up to the surface. It really adds weight to the overall design, and it's great to use the vertical space of the tank. I'm approaching maximum height for both the grasses and the macros. That's getting pretty close to the vision.

Nice fish watching today too. Scarlett makes these nice, full-tank-length arcs. She's so graceful. That's one of my favorite things about tangs. You can see self-expression in the way they swim. They seem rather intelligent.

The new Blue Tang and Royal Grammas are looking good in QT. Blue Tangs look like fish that Picasso might have painted. So I'm naming mine Pablo. With the QT just below the display, I was able to watch both tangs in action. Scarlett doesn't look so twitchy, compared to Pablo. He's an aggressive planktivore and moves quickly. I really look forward to getting him in the display.

With the three new fish on the way, I'm thinking the tank's going to really get entertaining.

QT5

[vlangel]

Wow, all good stuff in regard to your tank! I envy how Scarlett is able to cruise the length of your tank in a more tang like fashion. I knew my tank was on the small side for Tommy and it probably isn't really fair having him in a tank my size as no doubt it cramps his style. He appears very comfortable and healthy however and I do really enjoy him.

That is amazing that the shoal grass gets so thick that it impedes flow. It sounds like the 'rid the caulerpa campaign' is going very well. When Pablo gets in the display, perhaps he will join with you in the effort to keep caulerpa at a minimum? BTW, I like the name that you have chosen for him. I think Alantic blue tangs are a very cool fish. I remember seeing them when I snorkled in Key Largo on the Penchamp reef (I think that was the name). That was 15 years ago and sadly I have read that that reef is not doing well now. It was amazing when I was there.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn. We're getting there! That last third of the sand bed was a challenge. The Shoal grass needs to go next. I want Scarlett to be able to work the sand bed. Right now, it's just too thick.

I wouldn't mind if Pablo went after Caulerpa. He's a Pacific Blue Tang, btw. My biggest fear is that he'll go after the String of Pearls plants. From what I've read, they tend to move away from plant eating as they age, and more towards plankton picking. Since he's already around six inches, I'm hoping he'll behave. We'll see.

I did keep an Atlantic Blue Tang in v1. Great fish. I was able to keep it for around eight months, before he'd almost wiped out all my macros. Tangs are very fun fish, if a little challenging in planted tanks.

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm devastated. Yesterday, right after I posted here, I checked on the quarantine tank. The water was milky white and all three fish were dead.

[Michael Hoaster]

Trying to move on. I wish I could captive raise all the fish I've killed over the years and replace them in the ocean ten-fold. THAT would make me feel better.

This morning I got my hands back in the tank to remove Caulerpa stragglers from the sand bed. Now Scarlett has a clearer shot at the sand and detritus. There appears to be more cyanobacteria. I'll have to work on that too.

Next up, Shoal Grass!

[vlangel]

Oh Michael, I am heart broken for you. It is hard to move forward when something like that happens. Its unfortunately part of the risk of the hobby but it sure is tough when it happens to you. So sorry that you had to go through that.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn, it is heartbreaking. They were doing so well. I notice Pablo was scratching a little, so I went ahead and started medication. It was a new one, supposedly with the same active ingredients as General Cure, which my LFS were out of. The next morning, death. I don't want to blame it on that, but I doubt I will ever use those meds again.

It is very hard to move forward, but I'm determined to keep doing what I planned to do. So I will be pulling Shoal Grass soon. Then we can trade! I'm excited about that, both for me AND you.

Onward.

[vlangel]

I would make the same assessment about the new medication, and I would not use it anymore either.

I am looking forward to a trade. My rainbow BTAs really look robust and I am excited to send one your way. I think it will be an interesting addition to your tank. My codium has never done better and I can send you a nice piece of that as well. And I will send some purple sponge too. I kept an insulated box from the prior shipment from liveplants.com so this shipment will be done better than my last one. I am looking forward to getting more shoal grass too. The fuge is more stable with good grow lighting and garden dirt so I am hoping that the seagrass will settle in quicker and flourish.

[Michael Hoaster]

I think I'm going to have a lot of Shoal Grass for ya. Maybe the snow is over here at last. We got another 5 inches the other day, but it melts fast this time of year. I'll take it, with the drought conditions we're expecting this summer.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

I think I'm going to have a lot of Shoal Grass for ya. Maybe the snow is over here at last. We got another 5 inches the other day, but it melts fast this time of year. I'll take it, with the drought conditions we're expecting this summer.

We have been having frosts but no snow here for several weeks. Yesterday afternoon through this morning we have had a lot of rain. Like you, we need the precipitation. I mow the 12 acres at our church and the ground is hard and dry, which is not good for April and May. The past week and a half has been helpful. We have gotten close to 2" of rain. It's so much rain that I have my patio planters covered so the plants don't drown.

Today is cool enough that I am burning logs in the fireplace. Dave is home from work not feeling up to par, ( he had a COVID test this morning and the rapid test was 84% negative). Anyway, I thought he might like the fire and it feels good to me as well.

[Michael Hoaster]

Nothing like a fire to warm your bones. We keep getting flashes of Spring, then returns of Winter.

I'm really looking forward to our trade! Now I just have to muster up the gumption to pull Shoal grass. I really think it will benefit the ecosystem, opening it up to better water flow-through and Scarlett's bottom feeding. She's really starting to reveal herself as a valuable member of the crew. By giving her more room to move at the sand surface, she'll be able to access more detritus and algae.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Nothing like a fire to warm your bones. We keep getting flashes of Spring, then returns of Winter.

I'm really looking forward to our trade! Now I just have to muster up the gumption to pull Shoal grass. I really think it will benefit the ecosystem, opening it up to better water flow-through and Scarlett's bottom feeding. She's really starting to reveal herself as a valuable member of the crew. By giving her more room to move at the sand surface, she'll be able to access more detritus and algae.

Well Dave's COVID test came back positive so I guess we are going to be here at home for the next 10 days. The good news is that he is all better, no fever and no aches. I guess we enjoy more fires, (it's another damp rainy day today), enjoy my tank, do a puzzle, play Duel Code Names and watch Disney+ and Netflix.
Anyway, I will not be able to go to the post office until the 17th to mail you coral. Sorry if that delays you.

[Michael Hoaster]

I hope all goes well with Dave.

No worries on the trade dates. It'll happen when it happens. My plan is to pull shoal grass on Sunday. Ideally I'll get it done then.

Just out of curiosity, do you think Tommy has contributed to keeping your sand bed clean? I get the feeling that Scarlett is gradually cleaning up the tank. Which reminds me why I chose to get a bristletooth tang!

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

I hope all goes well with Dave.

No worries on the trade dates. It'll happen when it happens. My plan is to pull shoal grass on Sunday. Ideally I'll get it done then.

Just out of curiosity, do you think Tommy has contributed to keeping your sand bed clean? I get the feeling that Scarlett is gradually cleaning up the tank. Which reminds me why I chose to get a bristletooth tang!

I have been wondering what has changed that the sandbed is so clean now. My gut feel is that Tommy is not the reason. It changed almost over night. If Tommy were the reason I would expect that it would have happened more gradually.

Is it possible when I dosed Seachem Flourish, that the macros reacted favorably to the Flourish, and immediately starved out the rust color micro algae on the sandbed? It seemed like the sandbed cleared up very shortly after I dosed that. I only dosed it once however and I do not know how quickly that carbon could be used up. In fact since Flourish is a fresh water product, I do not know if Flourish is even able to be utilized by saltwater macros and seagrass. Anyway, that is my theory at this point but I will confess that it is only a guess. I wish I had a more definitive answer but I do not.

[Michael Hoaster]

Interesting! Yes it sounds like Flourish had more of an effect than Tommy. When I see Scarlett swimming around, tasting everything, I get the feeling that she's gradually cleaning up the tank.

I had some Flourish awhile back. I think some of the ingredients can work in SW and some can't. These days I dose individual ingredients. And less often. With the CO2 addition, it appears my plants need little more than my heavy fish feedings.

[vlangel]

I never set up a CO2 unit and I have the Flourish. I doubt I would be using Flourish either if I was using CO2 or a product specifically for saltwater. Scarlett does sounds like a very valuable member of your ecosystem

[vlangel]

O yeah, I forgot to mention: Dave is doing well with COVID. Every day he feels a little better and has more energy so everything is going as it should. He never was very sick so apparently he has a very mild case. I am not manifesting any symptoms at all so it's just one big party here, a party of two that is since we are quarantining, LOL.

[Michael Hoaster]

That's good to hear. Take care!

[lapin]

The Co2 will increase a plant carbon uptake. Not sure if that applies to salt water macros or not. But maybe as you have demonstrated

[Michael Hoaster]

It seems to be working well. Most fresh and saltwater plants are Carbon-limited, both in Nature and in aquariums. And it's the nutrient they need the most of. Also CO2 is their favorite form of Carbon.

Thanks for dropping by lapin!

[Michael Hoaster]

Okay, so I've been slacking. Biking and camping have kept me away from my usual weekend aquarium upkeep. That time of year, I guess. Today I thought I'd do something a little different, and post a 'before' look at my tank, to show what a jungle it has become. Then, hopefully I'll get to work, and then post 'after' pics.


Much of the Manatee Grass has grown to the surface-more than ever, actually. It has also grown around the patch reef, both in front and back. The white spots on the glass are Spirorbid Worms. These likely popped up after I got the Tree Sponge and started feeding it Phytoplankton.


From the right end. More Spirorbid Worms and seagrass trying to take over the tank. Also visible are the Royal Grammas and Tomini Tang.

So, now I'll get to work, and hopefully post 'after' pics.