Anyone out there growing Seagrasses?

[BlueCat1949]

The resized pix

The resized pix

Here is the pix at about 6 months. Ok it won't allow me to post an 800 x 600 pix hmmm...

 

[BlueCat1949]

Take Two

Take Two

Hopefully it will work this time.

As you can see I had a hard time cleaning the bottom third of the tank.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Welcome BlueCat1949! Sounds great! I see no pix. Now I see it on post #3! Gorgeous! Is it still up and running?

I wanted a manatee grass tank, but added turtle and shoal grass. Turtle grass does well in my tank. I finally got the manatee grass to multiply, so I'm looking forward to a lush meadow, eventually.

That's awesome you had flowering! That makes you a master in my book! I'd love to hear more!

 

[BlueCat1949]

More

More

Well I did a ton of research before setting up the seagrass tank. There wasn't much info in the hobby in 2004 but I found some science papers about trying to grow turtle grass in a lab setting. I visited an aquaculture facility that grew seagrasses in Carlsbad, CA but they grew their seagrasses in a lagoon right next to the ocean so they had success by growing stuff that was already there and not indoors in an aquarium.

I have been in the hobby for 58 years and I had a strong background in FW planted tanks and the saltwater hobby for 39 years and i have bred 7 species of seahorses and over 350 species of FW fish. I wanted to make this tank a erectus seahorse tank but it ran way too hot (never below 80) and erectus do much better in the low 70's so I never put the seahorses in with the turtle grass.

The tank only did well for about a year and at that time I was too busy raising seahorses ( I had 20 seahorse tanks) to pay much attention and the seagrasses began to fade. At the time I had read that they usually didn't last more than a year indoors so I let other macros take over the tank.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I did a ton of research too. The "Old Helpful Posts" in this forum were a big help as well. A lot of them were posted around 2004.

Wow, you've been at it for quite awhile! Very impressive experience. I'm guessing those numbers in your member name are your DOB? I too got into FW planted tanks, as well as reefs.

I've been very focused on the seagrasses, and I'm coming up on a year and a half. My grasses just seem to be hitting their stride now, so hopefully they keep growing.

Again, I'd love to hear more from you! Any insights you might have regarding seagrasses would be greatly appreciated. Check out my thread, "Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Aquarium", in this forum.

Are you thinking of starting up another grass tank? If so, great! Start a thread and share your wealth of experience.

 

[BlueCat1949]

Actually I am going to do another seagrass/ macro tank in a 55 tall tank that is up and running with nothing but sand and live rock. The tank has been running empty for about 3 years now.

I will post a thread when I get things going. BTW I probably posted in the seagrass threads you talked about studying from the past. I was active on RC back then but under a different name. Since I had not been here for almost 8 years I decided to start fresh (couldn't remember my name or password). I am sure that I must have posted my 70 tall build back then.

Bruce

 

[nawilson89]

Actually I am going to do another seagrass/ macro tank in a 55 tall tank that is up and running with nothing but sand and live rock. The tank has been running empty for about 3 years now.

I will post a thread when I get things going. BTW I probably posted in the seagrass threads you talked about studying from the past. I was active on RC back then but under a different name. Since I had not been here for almost 8 years I decided to start fresh (couldn't remember my name or password). I am sure that I must have posted my 70 tall build back then.

Bruce

I look forward to subscribing to your thread once you post!

 

[piquesegue]

Hi,
i'm joining too!
Sorry for my poor english, i'm a french guy living in Germany, so english is not my mother language.
I'm trying to Keep Thalassia testudinum in my mangrove tank, that's anyway the only grass i could get in Europe.
I keep it in a 8cm black sand bed, in a mixed tank, macro algae and corals together, the worse thing i've ever tried.
I'll get a Kessil Led Tuna Sun spot next week, i hope it will help.
I'm already lighting the tank with a Kessil spot, but with the corals version, and it's way too blue for seagrasses, i guess.

I'll post a couple of pics if anyone gets interested.

 

[nawilson89]

Hi,
i'm joining too!
Sorry for my poor english, i'm a french guy living in Germany, so english is not my mother language.
I'm trying to Keep Thalassia testudinum in my mangrove tank, that's anyway the only grass i could get in Europe.
I keep it in a 8cm black sand bed, in a mixed tank, macro algae and corals together, the worse thing i've ever tried.
I'll get a Kessil Led Tuna Sun spot next week, i hope it will help.
I'm already lighting the tank with a Kessil spot, but with the corals version, and it's way too blue for seagrasses, i guess.

I'll post a couple of pics if anyone gets interested.

Yes. Pics please

 

[saltwater sam]

I'll post a couple of pics if anyone gets interested.

Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[piquesegue]

Uuups, don't expect too much, it's a small tank (appr. 50 Gallons)!
the tank light ist off now, i'll make a couple of pics tomorrow, but this is how it first looked, two years ago (pic 1).
Since then, i removed a lot of things, the tank went bad for many reasons, and it has only the half of water now, because of small mangroves i'm trying to grow in it.
On pic Nr2, you can see the turtle grass, a couple of days after i received it, and before i emptied the tank from most of the corals.
My problem for always and ever, is that i can't decide myself between corals and macro algaes... mixing them is a mess, really.

Well, you'll see the rest tomorrow, when the light is on.

 

[Subsea]

Piquesegue,

Picture #2 is great. On the right side of picture is a brown macro algae. sargassum? On the left side of the tank about 1/4 up from the bottom is a bright red thing. What is it?

Why do you feel that corals and macro are not compatiable in a captive tank? I have several macro/coral lagoon theme tanks. Perhapes it depends on particular corals or macro. I focus on LPS and soft coral like leathers and mushrooms.

What problems did you experience?

 

[piquesegue]

Hello Subsea,

yes, the Brown algae is a Sargassum, which really good grows in this tank but colors the water a bit, i think.
The "bright red thing" ist a sponge.
I don't really say corals and algae are not compatible, but a lot of them grow like mad and have the tendency to overgrow corals.
You always have to cut and control, just like in a FW tank.
Some red algaes are better for this, but i guess there's always a kind of chemical war going on between corals and macros and these often win the battle.
But this may be because i like running my tanks skimmerless, only with GAC.
A skimmer would maybe be better in this case, but i'm from the "Plenum old School", can't help it.

Back to seagrasses, I remember a couple of people, who did a very good job with it, once upon a time.
Especially Sarah Lardizabal, who wrote this awesome article and also spoke about her tank here on RC:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I regard Sarah Lardizabal as the 'Queen' of seagrass. I've read here article on the subject many times, and her posts in "old helpful posts' in this forum on RC. I only wish I had been active on RC at the time she was posting!

For anyone interested in keeping seagrasses, her article is a great start.

As for corals' and macros' compatibility, they certainly can be kept together. But doing so isn't ideal for either. Macros like high nutrients, corals, low nutrients, very generally speaking. Softies are more forgiving in this regard, which is why you see more of them in planted tanks.

One of the things that puzzles me in this hobby, is why do we feel the need to keep so many different species in our aquariums? Isn't it challenging enough keeping even one organism in our tiny boxes? Why keep organisms with vastly different needs? Why do we attempt a 'balancing act' of attaining conditions optimal for none, but 'survivable' for many? Too many of us are 'collectors'!

I think our knowledge of specific organisms, and the hobby, would advance quicker, if more of us were more specialized. Mother Nature has large areas of single species, capitalizing on ideal conditions. Why not us? I think more of us would have more success if we focused on fewer, more compatible species.

End of rant…

 

[nawilson89]

I regard Sarah Lardizabal as the 'Queen' of seagrass. I've read here article on the subject many times, and her posts in "old helpful posts' in this forum on RC. I only wish I had been active on RC at the time she was posting!

For anyone interested in keeping seagrasses, her article is a great start.

As for corals' and macros' compatibility, they certainly can be kept together. But doing so isn't ideal for either. Macros like high nutrients, corals, low nutrients, very generally speaking. Softies are more forgiving in this regard, which is why you see more of them in planted tanks.

One of the things that puzzles me in this hobby, is why do we feel the need to keep so many different species in our aquariums? Isn't it challenging enough keeping even one organism in our tiny boxes? Why keep organisms with vastly different needs? Why do we attempt a 'balancing act' of attaining conditions optimal for none, but 'survivable' for many? Too many of us are 'collectors'!

I think our knowledge of specific organisms, and the hobby, would advance quicker, if more of us were more specialized. Mother Nature has large areas of single species, capitalizing on ideal conditions. Why not us? I think more of us would have more success if we focused on fewer, more compatible species.

End of rant"¦

Another +1 for Sarah.

Also when I'm not snooping on Michael's thread I revisit this one below:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1160264

It's a really great looking setup with an awesome sandbed I plan on replicating.

 

[Subsea]

Hello Subsea,

yes, the Brown algae is a Sargassum, which really good grows in this tank but colors the water a bit, i think.
The "bright red thing" ist a sponge.
I don't really say corals and algae are not compatible, but a lot of them grow like mad and have the tendency to overgrow corals.
You always have to cut and control, just like in a FW tank.
Some red algaes are better for this, but i guess there's always a kind of chemical war going on between corals and macros and these often win the battle.
But this may be because i like running my tanks skimmerless, only with GAC.
A skimmer would maybe be better in this case, but i'm from the "Plenum old School", can't help it.

Back to seagrasses, I remember a couple of people, who did a very good job with it, once upon a time.
Especially Sarah Lardizabal, who wrote this awesome article and also spoke about her tank here on RC:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/

Apparently you and I went to the same "old school". My oldest tank is a 75G Jaubert Plenum on top with a 30G Eco-system mud filter on bottom. This tank keeps filter feeders and NPS.
I have been in the hobby for 40 years and operate my other five tanks (about 500G total) as macro lagoons with corals: sponges, leathers, gorgonians and clams.. A 1" sandbed handles nitrification and macro and corals handle removing nitrate from the water column, I run nitrates 20-40ppm. I harvest macros and coral for nutrient export.
With respect to chemical warfare between macro and coral, there is chemical warfare between different corals. The use of GAC is the most effective means of removing TOC. The best skimmers will remove 35-45%. GAC will remove 60-65%. The same study showed the hidden componant of bio filtration to remove 30-40% if TOC.