40g Long Naturally sun-lit tank

[karimwassef]

You said they started struggling. How are they doing now?

When I snorkel, those are my favorite... in the sunlight, they shimmer with translucent multi colored branches. They're usually on the breaker rocks where the surf can be fast and even a little violent.

 

[cksss]

You said they started struggling. How are they doing now?

When I snorkel, those are my favorite... in the sunlight, they shimmer with translucent multi colored branches. They're usually on the breaker rocks where the surf can be fast and even a little violent.

Whatever left surviving in the maintank is still not doing well, still alive but not thriving. Thanks for the tips! Yea the overflow area kindof simulates inter-tidal water movement, maybe i should give them direct current in the maintank. I think it might also be the good direct sun exposure we get in November..hmm

 

[karimwassef]

Ok. If you figure out any special needs, please share.

 

[Genera]

What species are those brittle stars, and where did you get them? I love their patterns (even though they're brown). I've always wanted to have aquariums, little ponds in bins/buckets, mini aquaponic systems and all kinds of plants outside on my deck (which is HUGE), but the harsh MN winters don't allow that. You're lucky you can do that, and your deck and the stuff on it is absolutely stunning!

 

[cksss]

Thank you Genera!
It has always been a dream to integrate aquarium with lush greenery too, i'm still adding more elements from nature to make it natural. Currently i'm growing vertical plants on the trellis which is also the 'doors' of the aquarium rack

I have no idea which species these are, they do get really big so definitely not those "mini-stars". I saw many little arms in one of the liverock in LFS and brought it home, and they multiplied.

What species are those brittle stars, and where did you get them? I love their patterns (even though they're brown). I've always wanted to have aquariums, little ponds in bins/buckets, mini aquaponic systems and all kinds of plants outside on my deck (which is HUGE), but the harsh MN winters don't allow that. You're lucky you can do that, and your deck and the stuff on it is absolutely stunning!

 

[mr9iron]

This is an enjoyable tank to say the least. I admire the fact that you can have one on your balcony.

 

[karimwassef]

I'm so inspired that I'm going to set up a small garden greenhouse shelf plumbed to my DT and make it into a combo ATS/macroalgae refugium facing the sun.

I hope Texas weather is more forgiving in the future. My last external tank suffered mightily against the extremes. I still remember looking at my yellow tang under a plastic canopy in 30F weather during a hail storm and wondering... What am I doing??

The water never dipped below 74 but my electricity meter was running backflips...

 

[Subsea]

I'm so inspired that I'm going to set up a small garden greenhouse shelf plumbed to my DT and make it into a combo ATS/macroalgae refugium facing the sun.

I hope Texas weather is more forgiving in the future. My last external tank suffered mightily against the extremes. I still remember looking at my yellow tang under a plastic canopy in 30F weather during a hail storm and wondering... What am I doing??

The water never dipped below 74 but my electricity meter was running backflips...

Hey Dallas,
I have found that the extreme heat in Austin is a bigger issue than the brief cold fronts that we get in the Hill Country. I had to include a 40% shade cloth on greenhouse roof to get daytime PAR values below 1200 during 60% of the warm season of up to 6 months. With some months electric bill near $1000, I shut operations down for 18 months.
I have recently restarted a three tiered tank system buried in the ground, consisting of 150G Rubbermade tanks each with different mono macro systems.and uncured live rock. It was my intention to get Gulf Coast critters that were hardy to temperature extremes. I decided on pods and utilitarian macro algae with some red decorative species. With minimum cost for heating and cooling 60-90 degrees as maximum expected range.

 

[karimwassef]

Using the right glass is key, I think, to allowing visible light and uv in but reducing IR. I have a thread on glass and surface treatment options
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2537919&page=2
My inspiration was the Berlin greenhouse renovation a few years ago.
Geothermal or at least earth-mass cooling (like a concrete in ground pond) would help but I can usually manage with chillers and evaporative cooling, as long as the humidity is low enough.
I did run geothermal tubes but never finished the project... But definitely a good consideration when giving the sun easy access to the system.

 

[karimwassef]

Whatever left surviving in the maintank is still not doing well, still alive but not thriving. Thanks for the tips! Yea the overflow area kindof simulates inter-tidal water movement, maybe i should give them direct current in the maintank. I think it might also be the good direct sun exposure we get in November..hmm

Are they still doing well in the overflow?

 

[BlueCat1949]

I like the scape and the macros but I was wondering what happens when it rains?

 

[cksss]

Thank guys for the encouragement

Are they still doing well in the overflow?

Here they are on 10-Jan-2016

and how they were about a month ago

I've already transferred part of them from the overflow to the display tank and they're growing again

I like the scape and the macros but I was wondering what happens when it rains?

Thanks BlueCat! I've been lucky that the rain water doesn't get into the tank much, the stand is made from balau wood, a tropical wood meant for outdoor heavy furniture. I'm afraid that too much rain water might throw the pH or salinity off. Just keeping my fingers crossed

 

[karimwassef]

gorgeous!
Is it flow that was missing?

 

[cksss]

Probably the flow, the good light in this part of the year and nutrient, they started doing well after i started dosing Iodine + Magnesium. The overflow gets about 2-4hrs of direct sunlight in the late noon too.

gorgeous!
Is it flow that was missing?

 

[cksss]

Finally having better luck re-planting the Ochtodes and C.Prolifera into the display tank. The C.Prolifera usually got wipe out within 2-3 days, and have been in the DT for over 3 weeks now. A cluster of them in the high-flow zone sitting high up on the rockwork.

Also shown in this photo is a brown hitch-hiker macroalgae (Lobophora?)

Another cluster of the C.Prolifera are on the sandbed protected by eggcrate, they've started to take root too

Ending this post with a photo of hitch hiker banded marine worm

FTS to come maybe in a week time when the C.Prolifera are more established.

 

[karimwassef]

Looking good!

 

[Subsea]

What eats your C. Prolifera?

I have four tangs in my 55G lagoon. Prolifera is the last thing that they graze on.

 

[cksss]

Thanks karimwassef!

Subsea: i wish i knew, i've only caught my tang nipping on it once then it would leave it alone. It prefers to devour the C.racemosa though, which i've been replenishing every week since its one of the fastest growing algae in the sump. I've never really caught anything devouring it :\

 

[piquesegue]

Beautiful pics.
The Brown hitch-hiker Macro could also be Corallinales sp.
Depending on light spectrum, it can appear red or brown, and sometimes shows little dots on the leafes.
See here, don't pay too much attention to the picture, this algae can look quite different:
https://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/tiere/2620_Corallinales_sp.htm

 

[cksss]

Thank you!

So I guess it could be a brown calcareous algae? It felt soft and soapy to touch, as if it has layers of mucus protecting it.

Beautiful pics.
The Brown hitch-hiker Macro could also be Corallinales sp.
Depending on light spectrum, it can appear red or brown, and sometimes shows little dots on the leafes.
See here, don't pay too much attention to the picture, this algae can look quite different:
https://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/tiere/2620_Corallinales_sp.htm