Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[falcona2552]

Just want to say I love your tank and what you have done, need to see more tanks like this.

Love the macros and how natural the ecosystem looks, I am hoping to recreate a shallow reef with a mangrove and macro section like yours in a small corner of it. Awesome work.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks falcona2552, and welcome, neighbor!

Your idea of a mangrove/macro section in a reef tank sounds cool! Plants are so pretty, it's a shame to confine them to a sump. It's a tricky balancing act, but starting with a small bio mass of plants makes sense, since reef tanks generally are nutrient poor. The slower growing red macros or even seagrasses may be your best bet, since they don't require heavy nutrients. Good luck!

[Ron Reefman]

Michael, what kind of blenny is that in the photos?

[McPuff]

As you know, I have been planning to have blennies in my tank... but I may have just decided to go with barnacle blennies. They are just too cool! And I do have a little barnacle cluster as well so maybe they'll actually use it.

As for mollies, I'm down to 2 out of 6. I should have probably acclimated them in my refugium before the main display but that didn't happen and I learned my lesson. The 2 that remain are male/female and are eating so hopefully they will be ok.

Your tank is really full of life and it's terrific to see how it all connects as an actual ecosystem. I'm sure I'm echoing myself but it is so true.

[Michael Hoaster]

Ron Reefman, they are Panemic Barnacle Blennies, or Hancock Barnacle Blennies is another name for them.

McPuff, I fell for the barnacle blennies after seeing them in a video. Then I walked into my LFS, and they had some barnacle shell clusters. Plus, I had wanted something to add to the end of my DSB planter, so it all added up nicely. Only one of them chose the barnacles at first. I think if you direct them towards the barnacles upon introduction they may head right for them.

Sorry to hear about the mollies. I have lost a few as well. I wonder why? I think with the industrialized process of fish farming, these fish can be hit or miss. Maybe try some from a different fish store. I got mine at petsmart. My LFS didn't have the white ones.

Thank you for the compliment on my little ecosystem. There is so much I've learned that is contrary to classic aquarium keeping. The big thing for me is changing my thinking about how to work WITH Mother Nature, rather than substituting her with artificial solutions that can never equal her.

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks Michael, they are very interesting and I had never seen them before. Now they are on my list for potential new fish.

BTW, my new display refugium is now a month old and the algae and soft corals together are holding their own. I only lost a small sample of a blue algae that looks like steel wool. While the others aren't growing by leaps and bounds, they all still look good. And the DT is only 2 months old and the refugium a month old and the bio-load isn't all that heavy... yet.

We are going to the Keys for a few days and hope to do some snorkeling if the winds allow. I'm hoping to collect a few different algae samples for both the new display refugium and the soon to be reworked shallow reef tank which will get just live rock from TBS. But they need the wind to die down so they can get out and harvest some rock from their 'farm'.

[Michael Hoaster]

Sounds like your gorgeous setup is coming along nicely! I envy your proximity to 'the source'!

I'd recommend restraint in adding more macros, until your system bio load increases. Your refugium is indicating how much macro algae your system will support right now. Adding more would be like adding more mouths to feed, with the same amount of food. As the bio load increases, your macros will tell you, by growing, you can add more. That's my 2 cents anyway!

Have fun in the keys! Jealous!

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks for the help Michael, I do appreciate it. I'll limit my collection of algae to just 1 or 2 as I do have a 2nd system with a 165g (4'x2'x14") shallow reef and a 25g (2'x2'x10" frag tank with a 100+g sump and a small refugium (1'x1'x1') where chaeto grows like a weed. So I can always keep some in the shallow reef. A month ago it was full of LR, corals and fish (after the 180g tank leak). But not it's down to a few good size colonies of coral I'm trying to sell and just a hand full of smaller fish. The 125g DT and 50g display refugium now have more fish (5 in the DT and 2 dwarf angels in the display refugium). So bio-load is slowly going up.

I'll post some photos from the trip in my thread in this forum and the snorkeling in the Keys thread in the scuba section, assuming we get to snorkel. The wind looks like it could make for some rough water and reduced visibility. My wife takes tons of photos when we snorkel (thanks to simple digital cameras) and I get to concentrate on collecting. It's no small part of why I live here, I've always loved being around the water.

[Michael Hoaster]

My pleasure, Ron! You are proceeding smartly. I know it's like a kid in a candy store, when you're collecting. It's got to be tough, editing your choices! I also envy your extra tanks. It gives you some flexibility.

It is nice down there. My wife and I lived in Jax Beach for ten years, before we moved to Boulder. I've snorkeled in the keys several times. If we ever moved back to the South, I'd love to be in the keys and collect my own, like you.

Hope the wind dies down for y'all and I look forward to pics!

[Ron Reefman]

Allow me to return the favor. I lived in Michigan my first 30 years and was an avid snow skier. I gave it up when I started racing sports cars (one of moderate means can only have so many expensive hobbies... especially while married). But I use to get out to the Rockies at least once a winter. I'd still love to try it again after 30+ years!

Now you'll tell me you don't ski! LOL!

[Michael Hoaster]

Oh yes! On powder days, I snowboard. On regular days I ski cross country. If I'm really feeling it, I do both in one day. I'm a big mountain biker in the warmer months. To avoid burning out on the bike, I put it away all winter and ski. It's a great way to stay fit throughout the year, and its so much fun!

Come on out and ski again!

[Michael Hoaster]

The full width. Grasses and reds and blues going off. 30 fish to watch. I'm good.


It's tough to capture the beauty of this weird fish, but I try.


Silver Sailfin Mollies. Really are white. Pretty, in their way.


It's hard to get a shot without a molly. Grasilaria hayi and Hypnea pannosa.


Seagrass lushness.


Sheldon's clearly happy in this one.


Mom, the Fighting Conch, vacuuming. Those two white things are corals, which came on the live rock.


I got a little, pink sponge under the purple rubber band. It doesn't seem to mind the light. Photosynthetic?


From the dark side.

[sam.basye]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

The full width. Grasses and reds and blues going off. 30 fish to watch. I'm good.


It's tough to capture the beauty of this weird fish, but I try.


Silver Sailfin Mollies. Really are white. Pretty, in their way.


It's hard to get a shot without a molly. Grasilaria hayi and Hypnea pannosa.


Seagrass lushness.


Sheldon's clearly happy in this one.


Mom, the Fighting Conch, vacuuming. Those two white things are corals, which came on the live rock.


I got a little, pink sponge under the purple rubber band. It doesn't seem to mind the light. Photosynthetic?


From the dark side.

Sheldon sure is a strange looking fish. A very intriguing one! The silvery body is weird, but in a cool way.

How would you characterize it's behavior?



Here's your "why you gotta busta ma balls" moment

- starting to have a nice aiptasia garden in there. Lol

Guessing the berghias aren't quite keeping up? Or are all MIA now?



I thought of something that would be perfect for your tank the other day, but it course I can't remember it anymore...

[Michael Hoaster]

Sheldon is like a chrome surf board that came to life! He's a freak! No aggression at all. He seems a bit bored without a friend, but he schools with the mollies a little. He's very aware of me, when I'm near the tank, keeping one of those big eyes on me, in case I'm bringing food. He's a model citizen of the community. I'd definitely recommend this fish, if it weren't for the large size they get. So far, the gyre currents are keeping the tank big enough for him.

Believe it or not, my aiptasias are slowly disappearing. The left half of the tank is all but devoid of them now. The right end is where they form a meadow. I've been shutting my main pump down at night, so the berghias don't have to fight that current. I expect them all to vanish eventually. Cheapskate that I am, I didn't get enough of the little nudibranchs to do the job quickly. But it is getting done. Two key points: they only eat aiptasias, and when they're done, the aiptasias will not return, like they did with peppermint shrimp and the file fish.

I saw one of the berghias the other day, for the first time since I added them, so I know they are in there. Very slow process though!

[sam.basye]

I like that, chrome surfboard. Lol
It's awesome that they have so much personality and is interactive.
Plans on getting another anytime soon??

I remembered!!
You need a bunch of Christmas tree worms. On the wall, root and rocks. They were all over last I was snorkeling in the Caribbean.

[Michael Hoaster]

That white thing is a berghia nudibranch.



Sheldon, the lookdown. Shiny.



I'm getting an interesting variety of flora in the seagrass meadow.



A male molly, checking his look in the mirror.



Four barnacle blennies. Dora went up to the back wall.



When he catches the light it's pretty cool.

[Michael Hoaster]

Christmas tree worms would be great. Maybe if I ever get more live rock I can ask for some. I did have some small fan worms around for a while, but not lately. They probably got crowded out by the aiptasias.

Speaking of crowding out, the grammas have gotten more cryptic lately. I think it's the sheer number of mollies. The biggest male and female mollies are a match for the grammas. Maybe I'll pull out the largest mollies and see if I can get a better balance. But I really want to get a bunch of babies going first. I've got a few in the QT now and they grow fast.

[Chasmodes]

Looking great!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Chasmodes!

Any news on your tank? I look forward to seeing your vision come to fruition.

[JZinCO]

Man your tank is a piece of art. I love the photo heavy updates. Hope my tank progresses as well as yours has done.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks a lot, JZinCO! Kind words!

You're off to a great start with your new tank. I look forward to following your progress.

The first six months of planted marine tanks can be tough. There's just not a lot of consensus on how to proceed. Even with a very low bio load, I had a three month battle with cyanobacteria. It seems we all have to go through a difficult phase with our tanks. How we get through that phase and progress is is the key.

Good luck and keep us informed!

[Chasmodes]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks, Chasmodes!

Any news on your tank? I look forward to seeing your vision come to fruition.

I'm at a standstill because of $ That said, I'm optimistic that I can be back on track within a couple months, maybe sooner. There isn't any hurry to get it going because all of the fish that I want have been moving deep, so collecting them isn't realistic now. Still, I want it up and cycled with some life in it before I start adding fish.

I've been working on my freshwater tank background and should have that done soon. I'm still carving it, trying to get it to look as realistic as possible. It's tough to translate what I have in my head to making it real, but it's getting there. I have almost all of the equipment that I need for that tank and should be able to set it up and get it cycled.

Until then, I'm living through tanks like yours and a couple others on here. My wife thinks that your barnacle blennies are really cute, so maybe there's a nano macro tank for me in the future (that sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it )

[Michael Hoaster]

I was asked if I had any rules of thumb to pass along. I came up with a few, but really, a lot of this stuff is a mystery to me. Planted marine tanks are still a bit of a wild frontier. I've got one foot standing in the old school of basic aquarium husbandry, and another exploring new ideas.

After years in the hobby, it is very difficult to let go of old habits and rules of aquarium keeping. We all seem to be clinging to the notion that aquariums should be this clean, idealistic showcase of what we have accomplished technologically, rather than a place where we let nature take its course.

One thing that has become abundantly clear to me, is that planted tanks have considerably different needs than reef tanks. For example, detritus. Reef keepers are obsessed with removing detritus, employing all manner of techniques and gadgets to rid their tanks of this pesky problem. In planted tanks, this stuff is very important. As it is processed and decomposed, it releases nutrients that plants need. This is why I have made efforts to build a big, diverse detrivore community. It's also why I do not vacuum the sand bed, nor do I keep sand sifting fish or sea stars. In nature, as well my aquarium, the sand bed is not a filter, it's a home, to a cast of thousands, willing and able to help me keep this little ecosystem humming along.

[JZinCO]

I'm 99% of the way with you there. IME, the goby also doesn't put a dent in sand-dwelling invertebrates compared to how much my starry blenny decimates pod populations. So, I don't know what's wrong with a sand sifting organism sitting at the top of a trophic cascade. At any rate, I see my goby as filling a unique niche and he's not going to crash any communities of sand dwelling invertebrates.

Anyway, I agree with your general sentiment; though these are systems we can't manage them in a command & control fashion because there are many dynamic interactions among its components. What'd John Muir say? Something about when you pull on one thing you find it connected to everything in the universe? In my industry, we've seen command & control philosophies lead to devastation of ecosystems because of our hubris to think we understand the system's components. Our new paradigm is adaptive management.

I kind of like to just let it be. At each stage, there are a myriad of ways the tank can evolve and we can nudge it but we can't drag it with us. Don't manage for getting every thing right. Even if getting everything right simultaneously is feasible (some goals might be incompatible), the micromanagement of a tank is just one step away from a mistake. Instead I just manage my tank to avoid the undesirable consequences. That way I passively allow it to evolve towards 99% of its potential pathways that are not undesirable instead of actively managing for that most desirable 1%.

[Michael Hoaster]

Lot's of great jargon in there but I disagree. I see your sand-sifting goby filling a unique niche, and that is preventing a diverse detrivore community from ever forming in your aquarium. Those fish routinely starve to death in aquariums, once they have completely wiped out their food source. I think the problem is scale. My 180 gallon tank produces pounds of caulerpa every week. I added a juvenile Atlantic Blue Tang to handle the pruning for me. This four inch fish wiped out almost ALL of my macros in less than six months. I seriously doubt a 20 gallon tank could support a detrivore population big enough to reproduce in numbers sufficient to keep one goby alive, long term. I did find an article by a guy that figured out how to train them to eat introduced foods: http://www.oocities.org/stylatin/gobies.htm I hope it helps.