Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Michael Hoaster]

I still like the 'analog' dump buckets, in all their low-tech glory. Probably a bit noisy for home use though. I would love to figure out a way to get some wave action in my tank. My old Tunze classic powerhead that's hidden in the fake mangrove can be set to pulse, but the sound of it going up and down is too annoying.

The drop off tank style is cool too, but I will never go deeper than twenty four inches again. Too hard to clean.

Any updates for you, Chasmodes?

[Michael Hoaster]

Eastlake, please feel free to comment and ask questions anytime. It's pretty quiet these days, down here in the macro section, so it's great to get posts. Yep, the marine planted tank keeper is a rare breed of weirdo, and I'm up there with the weirdest…

I miss my gramma harem a lot, and plan to do another one, once it's appropriate to do so. They're so freaking awesome in a group like that! Those cuban grammas are gorgeous. I haven't seen them for sale, but I imagine they're pricey!

Cheers!

[Chasmodes]

No updates Michael, as I've been on fishin' trips the past three weekends On one of them, I took my new collecting dip net and checked out some potential collecting spots. I also had a limited amount of time. They turned out to be a bust (no blennies there, wrong habitat), but I found other potential ones that I'll try and check out this weekend. I still have a lot to do with my tank, but am slowly getting things done. I have all of my equipment purchased, just need to get it done. It's tough to work on a fish tank if I'm away on fishing trips

[Chasmodes]

Any updates? How is the tank going?

I spent Father's Day with my daughter on a sampling trip, collecting benthic brackish species but not for an aquarium, rather, for a scientific study. But, I also used this as an opportunity to scout out collecting spots for blennies and other stuff that will go in my tank. The trip this time was a success. You can read the full report if you want on the NANFA page, but one picture for me is worth a thousand words. The meat and the salad:


Ain't he (or she) cute? It was the only blenny that we caught, a juvenile Chasmodes bosquianus (striped blenny). It was only about 1.3 cm long at the most. We also caught plenty of other species (a four-spined stickleback, naked gobies and small skilletfish among them). I so wanted to bring them all home and quickly set up a 10 gallon tank for them, but didn't want to put them through a cycle of stress. I think that I'll set up the 10 gallon this week. We took specific gravity measurements at each place, so I know that I can start a tank up with those parameters.

Notice the macro algae? We found a ton of Ulva, some Gracilaria sp. and another type of green macro that I'm not sure of yet. I'm very excited about the macros too.

[Michael Hoaster]

Home again. I've been traveling in Europe for the first time. Lovely trip, and it's nice to get home. I was gone for a little over two weeks.

I was expecting an occasional feeding by some friends we thought were going to house sit, but it appears they never came. At first look, I see no pike blennies. Everyone else looks good. The display needs a little tidying as expected, with chaeto popping up and a pair of aiptasias. It looks like new plant growth was limited, without daily dosing. Same with the sponges and sea squirts. I went ahead and dosed silicate for them, but nothing else yet for the plants until after I tidy.

I'll have to double check the date, but I expect the new blennies to be ready for display introduction. As preparation for that, I'm fashioning a new plastic bottle fish trap for some of the mollies. I want to reduce their numbers before adding the newbies-probably down to one male and four females or so. We'll see how it goes. Another idea would be to keep only males in the display, to control population. Maybe keep only females in the QT, to keep it's bio-capacity ready for new residents.

The QT will need to be cleaned up too.

I'm toying around with the idea of adding more light to the display. I've got another spider light reflector and a compact fluorescent bulb that fits, so I could give that a try. This would likely trigger my needing to bring my chiller online which I haven't used since my reef days, years ago. This could be tricky, with limited hidden space. The idea with adding a light would be to see if I can get better growth from the seagrasses. I would still plan to keep the right end of the tank unlit, as it gives me a nice, gradient of lighting there and, in a weightless environment, simulates depth. I'm thinking I may set up the second fixture mirroring the halide setup, with it tilted as well. I am able to slide the fixtures independently left and right, so I'll have some flexibility. Here's a quick and dirty sketch:




So this would be to supplement the light, but not to expand its coverage. I think it's a worthy experiment. With a 400 watt halide going into a 30 inch deep tank with no mechanical filtration, It would seem there's room for more light.

Thoughts anyone?

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Home again. I've been traveling in Europe for the first time. Lovely trip, and it's nice to get home. I was gone for a little over two weeks.

I was expecting an occasional feeding by some friends we thought were going to house sit, but it appears they never came. At first look, I see no pike blennies. Everyone else looks good. The display needs a little tidying as expected, with chaeto popping up and a pair of aiptasias. It looks like new plant growth was limited, without daily dosing. Same with the sponges and sea squirts. I went ahead and dosed silicate for them, but nothing else yet for the plants until after I tidy.

I'll have to double check the date, but I expect the new blennies to be ready for display introduction. As preparation for that, I'm fashioning a new plastic bottle fish trap for some of the mollies. I want to reduce their numbers before adding the newbies-probably down to one male and four females or so. We'll see how it goes. Another idea would be to keep only males in the display, to control population. Maybe keep only females in the QT, to keep it's bio-capacity ready for new residents.

The QT will need to be cleaned up too.

I'm toying around with the idea of adding more light to the display. I've got another spider light reflector and a compact fluorescent bulb that fits, so I could give that a try. This would likely trigger my needing to bring my chiller online which I haven't used since my reef days, years ago. This could be tricky, with limited hidden space. The idea with adding a light would be to see if I can get better growth from the seagrasses. I would still plan to keep the right end of the tank unlit, as it gives me a nice, gradient of lighting there and, in a weightless environment, simulates depth. I'm thinking I may set up the second fixture mirroring the halide setup, with it tilted as well. I am able to slide the fixtures independently left and right, so I'll have some flexibility. Here's a quick and dirty sketch:




So this would be to supplement the light, but not to expand its coverage. I think it's a worthy experiment. With a 400 watt halide going into a 30 inch deep tank with no mechanical filtration, It would seem there's room for more light.

Thoughts anyone?

Do you think you'll get any appreciable added light or benefit with a CF light competing against 400 watts of Metal Halide?

What part of Europe did you visit? Did you ride bikes or do any extreme outdoor sports?

[Michael Hoaster]

Yes, I do think I'll get appreciable benefit. The light is a 400 watt equivalent, compact fluorescent, so it's a decent light on its own. With the grasses' constant undulation in the current, I think this opens up more lit plant surface. As for competing with the halide, I'm not aiming to compete as much as supplement. It would also provide another step in light ramp up/down levels.

I went to London, Venice and Croatia. All three places, on the sea. No extreme sports (this time). I did some swimming. I got back on the bike yesterday, for a 'welcome home' ride in oven-like conditions.

[Michael Hoaster]

I had success with the new fish trap and caught all but six of the mollies. This is looking like a good group, with various sizes. I can adjust their numbers further later, when I can sex them all.

I should be able to get the new guys transferred tomorrow. That should be interesting!

[Chasmodes]

Thanks for the updates! I admit, I was beginning to have Caribbean Biotop Seagrass-Mangrove Mudbank Lagoon withdrawal symptoms! I'm looking forward to seeing how your lighting changes work out. Any sign of the pike blennies?

Sounds like an awesome vacation!

[Michael Hoaster]

My pleasure! No sign of the pike blennies, unfortunately.

With the lighting, I was thinking about everything I was doing to benefit the grasses, and if there was anything else I could do. As far as I know, I've got all the nutrient bases covered, so what does that leave? I've read that few of us ever really approach the light levels experienced by our charges in their natural environment. So I was thinking I could probably use more light. I already have everything I need, so it's not a big risk to give it a try. If I don't like it, or the results of using it, I will stop. So, it's an experiment of sorts, to see if there's any benefit.

I do expect that it will result in an increased growth rate in the seagrasses. It just seems to me that if I'm providing everything they need, they would grow faster, and by process of elimination, I'm guessing that more light could the key. We'll see!

If all goes well, I should be introducing all the new blennies today!

[eastlake]

Sorry to hear about the pike blennies. It's hard to find good house sitters, even harder to find ones that'll take care of aquariums properly. Just thought I'd chime in about elevated tank temperature with the addition of another light. Do you have space to install some computer cooling fans? A friend of mine is running three halides over a stock 265 glass tank and the tank rarely gets over 76*F and all he's running for cooling purposes are those three fans blowing over the top of the tank. Assuming they increase evaporation I would also venture to guess that they use less energy and take up less space than a chiller.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks eastlake. Those fish are so cool, I really hate to lose them. It sucks confessing fish losses. It seems I've had a rash of them lately.

Good call on the fans. I have two I've been using for years. One blows in, the other blows out. It might be a good idea to add a couple more. I don't even have the energy to THINK about setting up the chiller!

I meant to get the all the new blennies out of QT and into the display yesterday, but I got a bit of a neck ache, so I bailed. I feel better this morning so hopefully I'll get it done.

[Michael Hoaster]

[Chasmodes]

He's so cool!!!!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Chasmodes!

Well, the new blennies are in the display. The two biggest sailfin blennies have set up shop right in front, which is nice. The barnacle blennies are scattered about. They take a while to settle down. I have seen them in the barnacle shells a few times. I'll need to prune back the grasilaria in front of it, for a better view.

Dig Daddy 2.0 (the last survivor of the original seven royal grammas) has had the back wall all to himself for months. He's not too keen on being invaded by the tiny blennies. He has chased off the ones he spots. He's pretty big. He could easily eat one…

[Michael Hoaster]

The Purple Sponges. I rotated the rock a bit for better viewing, as well as a good angle to the current, to keep it clear of detritus. Looking less like tube sponges to me, but still gorgeous.

[Michael Hoaster]

[wilder]

Yay! Blennies! I've been away as well catching up on game of thrones. Just finished season 6 friday. I don't watch TV often, but shows like that interest me. BTW, I'm terrified of leaving my tank to sitters. I once came back to my tank half empty and an excessive amount of food sitting on the sand and floating. My powerhead was no longer submerged so it had no circulation. That was the worst ever.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks wilder!

Lot's of fun, new fish watching for me! Every fish I add brings new energy and 'plot lines' to the show. The barnacle blennies are still scouting out housing possibilities. They like to be amongst each other, but not too close. The sailfins are more loners, but they end up interacting frequently for territory squabbles and/or flirting(?).

Yes, it is difficult to leave the tank to someone else. This time it didn't work out well. I try not to dwell...

[taricha]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

The Purple Sponges. I rotated the rock a bit for better viewing, as well as a good angle to the current, to keep it clear of detritus. Looking less like tube sponges to me, but still gorgeous.

I had some that looked like those colonize my tank.

They grew cool purple mounds. Loved them, asterinas nearly wiped mine out.

[Michael Hoaster]

Those look pretty similar, taricha. And pretty! I assume mine sprung from the Florida Farmed Live Rock I used. Where's your rock from?

Asterinas ate them? I had no idea they ate sponges. I considered adding asterinas at one point, but changed my mind. Glad I did. They can reach plague populations, and I already have one plague-of snails.

[taricha]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Those look pretty similar, taricha. And pretty! I assume mine sprung from the Florida Farmed Live Rock I used. Where's your rock from?

Asterinas ate them? I had no idea they ate sponges. I considered adding asterinas at one point, but changed my mind. Glad I did. They can reach plague populations, and I already have one plague-of snails.

The rocks that brought it in were sold as "Caribbean live rock".
The rock it was pictured on was just dry base rock that got colonized.
Yeah, I had a little food chain going. asterinas ate sponges and limpets, and then harlequin eats the asterinas. Now the sponges making a little comeback, but it's more yellow sponges that the stars didn't like than the purple.

[Chasmodes]

Those sponges are cool (both tanks). Nice pics Michael. Your tank is looking terrific!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Chasmodes!

I guess things are coming along alright. Macros are filling in, detrivore community as well. I'm not happy with the seagrasses though. They're just sitting there, neither growing nor dying. I must conclude the latest batch of substrate fertilizer to be a failure. I should keep a few things in mind-the grasses may still need time to recover from hypo salinity, plus there are a lot of turtle grass roots dying, deep in the DSB. I have no idea how that could affect them.

[Michael Hoaster]

Not a lot happening 'round here at the Caribbean Biotope Seagrass-Mangrove Mudbank Lagoon. It's hot! It's hard to concentrate. I think I'll just start rambling and see where that takes us…

Ever look at your tank and feel like the Rick Moranis character in "Little Shop of Horrors"? FEED ME!!

The tank looks a little bare after a big pruning/export. I pulled a huge mass of chaeto out of the coast to coast overflow-turned refugium. I removed all but one of the hideous rubber bands from the fake roots. New plants are starting to grow from them without any rubberized help. My plague of snails has just about wiped out the ulva, unfortunately-or maybe it's a good thing. We'll see. Eliminating the fast growing plants could be good for the grasses, allowing them to get at all the yummy, chemical goodness I'm feeding them. Removing around twenty mollies also counts towards the export. Now I wish I had more fish. Sitting here on the couch, about ten feet away from the tank, there's just not that much to look at.

I may be done with adding tiny, benthic fish. I'm really jonesin' to get a new harem of royal grammas again. I may even try more than seven this time. Maybe nine! I also want to get a smallish school of Blue Reef Chromis. Having nine grammas and six or so blue chromis will be dazzling!

At the other end of the spectrum is the brown, 'Corpse Bride' grasilaria, which is getting a little too prolific for my taste. One plant is an interesting distraction from all the red and green. But now it's spreading itself all over, which is not cool. Pruning is eminent.

I'm still working to eliminate aiptasia anemones. Once a week I take some time to spot any new ones, then I go after them with the ammonia syringe. I'm pretty confident I'll get them all eradicated pretty soon. I love the two-birds-with-one-stone effect I'm getting with this method. The ammonia kills the pests, while feeding the plants. Yay!