Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Michael Hoaster]

More pics comin' at ya!

I have never enjoyed the end view of my tank so much as I do right now!

Love it!

Another end view.

Sculpture by Mother Nature.

Got some barnacles today. Might try a group of Banacle Blennies.

A nice addition I think. More color, more tiny apartments…

Here's an overall view of the reds. Yes, I moved some again!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

"Tank is looking great!

How is the foam holding up and I'm interested to know if it has changed color or not - other than diatoms or algae.

Is is completely covered in the resin? Are there any parts of the wall that are exposed to air above the water line? - color difference?" - Sam.basye

Thanks, Sam!

The foam is holding up well, I think. No movement since install. On a sandier area under the light it's getting some diatoms. The foam itself hasn't changed color.

I brushed the resin on quickly and loosely, not completely. Some of the top edge of the overflow foam gets some air exposure. No color change noted so far.

The fake mud bank is doing alright, providing a natural looking backdrop for my tank. The gaps where the pieces come together were annoying, but they provide easy attachment points for macros, so they'll be disguised soon enough. As long it doesn't try to float away I'm good.

Two things I look forward to:
The wall getting encrusted with a variety of life.
Getting all those fish caves filled with Royal Grammas!

 

[karimwassef]

Great addition with the pink barnacles

 

[JLynn]

Two things I look forward to:
The wall getting encrusted with a variety of life.
Getting all those fish caves filled with Royal Grammas!

Roger that!

Barnacle blennies would be very nice additions. :thumbsup:

And you really have got to stop moving your red macros around!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I think I've really stopped. I believe I've found the best arrangement-for me and for them!

I haven't been able to find the light requirements of each species. I haven't even been able to identify each species! I got a red macro sampler pack, so I got the luck of the draw. In my research, it appeared that most reds, in general, prefer medium to low light, with some exceptions. So I've been rotating them through the mangrove root to see where they are most happy.

 

[sam.basye]

Thanks for the update...I'm going to continue asking about the color of the wall over the next couple weeks

Once I'm less busy I'm going to look at my foam wall project again lol

I found an old barnacle under the sink that looks just like yours I'm going to cut up and foam to the wall to house either a bicolor or a tailspot blenny.

Make sure to blow out them caves so stuff doesn't settle in there. Want those grammas to use them!

-Sam

 

[Michael Hoaster]

OK, Sam, I'll keep an eye on the foam color. What is you concern about that?

I did a turkey baster test to see if there was any trapped air or detritus - all clear! I don't imagine they'd get very dirty, since they're kind of out-of-the-way. I expect once the fish move in, they'll keep it tidy.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Field of Dreams Theory

Field of Dreams Theory

So, back to my built-in refugium idea.

I've finally found an online vender that had ulva in stock, but apparently I got the last one. Seems odd that everybody is out of this easy to grow macro!

I've decided to go forward with this project, despite concerns that the pods would vacate and not return. With so little effort required to give it a try, I might as well"¦

I'd like to test a theory. Lets call it the "Field of Dreams" theory. "If you build it, they will come."

So, this will be an experiment. I want to test the pods ability/preference to 'find' the refugium. I will not be stocking this refugium with any pods at all. Rather, I will construct an environment I think is inline with their needs, and see if they populate it, of their own 'free will'. Sounds nuts, doesn't it?

If it works, great, bragging rights galore. If not, I will quietly set up the external version I had originally planned"¦

 

[karimwassef]

But we will not forget!

 

[karimwassef]

Where did you get the barnacles?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Karim, I thought you were all about experiments!

Trying something different can be a lonely road, but I'm happy to go down it. Makes me feel special…

I think it's a fascinating experiment! If free-swimming pods can find locations ideally suited to them in an aquarium, and I think they can, then why not in my overflow?

Got my barnacle shells at my LFS. Reefcleaners.org sells them.

 

[JLynn]

Do you already have free-swimming pods in your tank? I would expect amphipods to be on the live rock, but I am not sure about copepods. Just meaning to say that if there are no free-swimming pods to begin with, your experiment is doomed to failure .

Either way, it'll be a learning experience for all of us.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Good point! I don't know if any are pelagic or not. I bought mixed pods.

I have no live rock at all in the tank, at this time. I do plan to add 25 lbs of caribbean live rock, once the tank cycles/settles down-probably in about a month and a half or so. I wanted to ease the tank through the cycle without a heavy nutrient load. Once the grasses show that they're taking off, I'll feel more confident adding LR.

I do want some pelagic pods for sure, but I don't think they would be the only ones to visit the refugium. Don't forget my fake wall. Benthic plankton should be able to walk right up!

 

[Portsie]

I am loving this thread. Always something interesting going on. Keep up the good work Michael, and keep the pics coming!

 

[karimwassef]

Get some base cured LR. It'll accelerate your cycle.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Portsie. I'm glad you find it interesting! I was wondering about the pics. Haven't gotten much response to them lately. I thought maybe everyone was tired of my lousy pics!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Karim, please elaborate!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Do you mean it adds to the nutrient load? So bacteria population levels rise to meet the load, and this accelerates the nitrogen cycle?

 

[JLynn]

If I understood him correctly, karim meant that base cured live rock would add to the bacteria population directly. Cured live rock is live rock that has been sitting in tanks for a while and has already cycled, so that beyond the small die-off and resulting nano-cycle that will occur due to the transportation period, you will have stable bacteria populations from the get-go. If you get that rock locally (there is probably an LFS in your city or at least in a nearby city that offers this), then the die-off and cycle are even smaller, so much so that it probably won't even be noticeable.

And as for the photos... well, artistically speaking, they aren't particularly good photos, but the subject matter certainly is good, and that's what we are really interested in, anyways! So by all means, keep posting them. I don't normally comment on them, because I feel ridiculous when I repeatedly say "It looks so great!" over and over again (I just have this thing about redundancy...), but it is always nice to be able to see what is going on in the tank. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and all of that. I just figure I should hold off on commenting regularly on the ones where I don't have anything of substance to say. Besides, I fully anticipate years of pictures to come to comment on. And maybe someday you will take a photography class, too.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Ah, I see what you mean. It adds to the bacteria population. I didn't think of it because I plan to use uncured rock, which would start out as a burden, before it cures. I may still cure it externally, but it would be cool to put it right in the tank, where I can observe it better. We'll see.