ADA 120-P + Elos Mini dual NPS tank journal

I would seriously believe that algae of some (Caulerpa) type would produce more food (plankton gametes) than any type of seagrass. They are often difficult to keep from "spawning" in refugias provided you use some night time for them. They would deal very well with nutrients too, even though that is not your main idea.

Might want to think about that.

It seems like an exciting build, I'll be keeping an eye in here to see the progress (like always).

Edit-
With the right type of inverts eating around in the fuge, you might actually induce spawning as well (some algae react to grazing by doing their 'thing' one last time).

Have you thought about some bio pellet reactors to provide bacterial plankton?
 
Yes, I do keep caulerpa in my fuge and I run biopellets. I don't think of caulerpa spawning as a food source and never meant to imply that seagrasses actually produce food directly themselves. I believe macros and plants along with mangrove roots provide an environment conducive to microfauna and bacteria production.

IME so far seagrasses have a better time balancing out with biopellets, maybe because they can slow their growth rate better than caulerpa? I don't know. But ever since my biopellets kicked in the caulerpa keeps dying off once it reaches a certain mass while the seagrasses just keep slowly growing. Maybe I'm becoming depleted in a certain element/nutrient? Iron? Potassium? Certainly not nitrates or phosphates!
 
So as not to deal with specifying quantities, do you think that someone could be successful with a tank like yours by primarily feeding the inhabitants with an unlimited supply of live rotifers of all three sizes, brine shrimp and pods? "¦this, along with purchased concentrated (dead) phytoplankton. Or, have you found that your corals require more than commonly available cultured plankton no matter what the concentration is?
 
I was going to reply to your pm, but I'll just reply here. The best I can do is give you a guess since I have never tried feeding only rotifers, brine shrimp and pods (live or dead). I think with an unlimited supply you could keep gorgonians and LPS corals and be fine. I am more hesitant to say that about dendronephthya. I think it would be a great "experiment" though. For all we know dendronephthya in nature survive mostly on non-motile or weakly motile food, such as detritus, eggs/sperm, autolysed phytoplankton, bacteria/mucus clusters, etc. In captivity when fed "dead" foods they can capture other things including particles from frozen foods that break apart when added to the water, clay like particles that absorb nutrients/lipids and deliver them to the coral (ie FM Ultra Life), and of course a wide assortment of powder foods made from combinations of plankton. So I GUESS that you will need to still supplement other foods but I think the live foods will at the very least help a lot.
 
herrGreen said:
I would seriously believe that algae of some (Caulerpa) type would produce more food (plankton gametes) than any type of seagrass. They are often difficult to keep from "spawning" in refugias provided you use some night time for them. They would deal very well with nutrients too, even though that is not your main idea.

Might want to think about that.

It seems like an exciting build, I'll be keeping an eye in here to see the progress (like always).

Edit-
With the right type of inverts eating around in the fuge, you might actually induce spawning as well (some algae react to grazing by doing their 'thing' one last time).

Have you thought about some bio pellet reactors to provide bacterial plankton?
Click to expand...

They are also known to inhibit the growth or corals so while you may be giving them food, your hurting them as well. These corals tend not to live in macro algae infested areas, quite the opposite in fact.
 
Good point.

Another thing I would change - no crabs in the display! I had 2 emerald crabs in mine, both became 100% coral eaters. I will admit at first they did an excellent job of just cleaning the rocks, especially all the nuisance hair algae that the tank started with that nothing else could reach. But then, they both became EVIL. I have managed to remove one, which has cut the destruction in half, but I'm still losing coral heads at an alarming rate due to the remaining one that has been extremely elusive and sneaky. I would say these 2 emerald crabs have cost me 200-300 in coral losses so far, mainly because they seem to prefer dendrophyllia corals, large and small they don't care. Every day I find new destruction on a healthy coral!
 
uhuru said:
Good point.

Another thing I would change - no crabs in the display! I had 2 emerald crabs in mine, both became 100% coral eaters. I will admit at first they did an excellent job of just cleaning the rocks, especially all the nuisance hair algae that the tank started with that nothing else could reach. But then, they both became EVIL. I have managed to remove one, which has cut the destruction in half, but I'm still losing coral heads at an alarming rate due to the remaining one that has been extremely elusive and sneaky. I would say these 2 emerald crabs have cost me 200-300 in coral losses so far, mainly because they seem to prefer dendrophyllia corals, large and small they don't care. Every day I find new destruction on a healthy coral!
Click to expand...

unreal -- good info
 
uhuru said:
I was going to reply to your pm, but I'll just reply here. The best I can do is give you a guess since I have never tried feeding only rotifers, brine shrimp and pods (live or dead). I think with an unlimited supply you could keep gorgonians and LPS corals and be fine. I am more hesitant to say that about dendronephthya. I think it would be a great "experiment" though. For all we know dendronephthya in nature survive mostly on non-motile or weakly motile food, such as detritus, eggs/sperm, autolysed phytoplankton, bacteria/mucus clusters, etc. In captivity when fed "dead" foods they can capture other things including particles from frozen foods that break apart when added to the water, clay like particles that absorb nutrients/lipids and deliver them to the coral (ie FM Ultra Life), and of course a wide assortment of powder foods made from combinations of plankton. So I GUESS that you will need to still supplement other foods but I think the live foods will at the very least help a lot.
Click to expand...

Based on my feeding & limited NPS experience you are 100% correct -- also thanks for info about FM Ultra Life I though it was just for helping skimming.
 
uhuru said:
As I said, tank is fully stocked now haha

_MG_1080.jpg


_MG_1095.jpg
Click to expand...

amazing

tanke that serves me as inspiration ......
 
Thanks guys. This wouldn't have been possible without the help and support of all of you. I wish I could get better pics but it is so hard with the LED spotlights and my time has been very limited.
 
Just finished reading your thread...Awesome!..absolutely stunning.

Picked up some great ideas about your feeding method..Thanks.
And congrats on the TOTM award..well deserved.
 
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