Thanks McPuff! I could see some blennies in your tank. They are amazingly tough. And bold! I remember one facing down a look down that got too close.
Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank
- Thread starter Michael Hoaster
- Start date
Another sea hare hunt today. And there are still more. They really got out of hand all of a sudden! It's too bad. A few would have been fine, but hundreds, not fine.
The mysis I added are down to just a few remaining. I'm holding out hope they'll have babies and bounce back to a sustainable population. We'll see.
As I searched the tank looking for mysis, I noticed that pretty much every square centimeter of my substrate is moving! Now THAT'S live sand! And it is diverse, with multiple worm and pod species, serpent stars, snails and a cucumber. Establishing this guild of the ecosystem is essential to its stability. Understanding how it all works together naturally is awe inspiring. And it's less work for me…
The mysis I added are down to just a few remaining. I'm holding out hope they'll have babies and bounce back to a sustainable population. We'll see.
As I searched the tank looking for mysis, I noticed that pretty much every square centimeter of my substrate is moving! Now THAT'S live sand! And it is diverse, with multiple worm and pod species, serpent stars, snails and a cucumber. Establishing this guild of the ecosystem is essential to its stability. Understanding how it all works together naturally is awe inspiring. And it's less work for me…
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Do any fish eat sea hares?
Fantastic! That would be my goal. And a side benefit is that it makes the tank that much more interesting with more to watch.
Fantastic! That would be my goal. And a side benefit is that it makes the tank that much more interesting with more to watch.
Pandagobyguy
New member
Any good sources of info about making a biotope tank?
John Tullock's book, "œThe Natural Reef Aquarium" is all about biotypes and pivotal species.
Pandagobyguy
New member
Thank you!
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! I went camping and mountain biking in Moab.
After four days away, I came back to more ulva, more seagrass and more sea hares. They had just about wiped out all of the caulerpa on the back wall, and they were going after more macros. I am in the process of getting rid of them. It's just going to take a while.
I am VERY excited about the shoal grass! It's multiplying! I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'd love for the manatee grass to come back too, but I see no signs of it, so I doubt it will. If any ever becomes available again, I will get some more. But I'm happy the shoal grass is coming back nicely.
The ulva is kinda piling up. I can just toss some in the QT if it gets to be too much, but I like it in the display. It looks natural and it's a great food source for the herbivores.
Today I did some seriously tedious work on the tufted joint algae. It had gotten all tangled up with the black grasilaria, so it was this black and green mass, that didn't look so good. So I carefully separated the two and returned the tufted joint algae to the tank. Hopefully, it will recover. I had to really cut it back.
I guess I'll have to wait on the caulerpa a bit longer, but I should have 'the greenness' eventually.
I did not find any mysis shrimp today. Maybe they're all gone, maybe there are some babies.
After four days away, I came back to more ulva, more seagrass and more sea hares. They had just about wiped out all of the caulerpa on the back wall, and they were going after more macros. I am in the process of getting rid of them. It's just going to take a while.
I am VERY excited about the shoal grass! It's multiplying! I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'd love for the manatee grass to come back too, but I see no signs of it, so I doubt it will. If any ever becomes available again, I will get some more. But I'm happy the shoal grass is coming back nicely.
The ulva is kinda piling up. I can just toss some in the QT if it gets to be too much, but I like it in the display. It looks natural and it's a great food source for the herbivores.
Today I did some seriously tedious work on the tufted joint algae. It had gotten all tangled up with the black grasilaria, so it was this black and green mass, that didn't look so good. So I carefully separated the two and returned the tufted joint algae to the tank. Hopefully, it will recover. I had to really cut it back.
I guess I'll have to wait on the caulerpa a bit longer, but I should have 'the greenness' eventually.
I did not find any mysis shrimp today. Maybe they're all gone, maybe there are some babies.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Nice update Michael. Glad the shoal grass is doing so well and I hope the manatee grass comes back too. As far as Ulva goes, I'm fond of it as well.
How are you removing the sea hares, manually? Does anything eat them that would fit in your biotope, to maybe keep the population in check?
How are you removing the sea hares, manually? Does anything eat them that would fit in your biotope, to maybe keep the population in check?
Thanks Kevin!
Yes, I'm manually removing them. It's kind of a chore, but it's working. I don't know what eats them. It would help if I could ID the species, but I haven't been able to find anything online that resembles them. If I remember correctly, most, if not all nudibranchs are not palatable to fish. I think that is their main defense. I bet there's a crab or something that eats them. But for now, it's just me, simulating sea hare predation…
It is great to see the shoal grass reproducing again. I wish I knew what exactly caused them to stagnate, and what got them going again! My best guess is that hypo salinity, then a return to higher salinity knocked them back, and it took some time for them to recover. Now that they are recovering, I think the CO2 and ammonia dosing helps a lot. With a very low fish load, regular dosing is imperative.
Yes, I'm manually removing them. It's kind of a chore, but it's working. I don't know what eats them. It would help if I could ID the species, but I haven't been able to find anything online that resembles them. If I remember correctly, most, if not all nudibranchs are not palatable to fish. I think that is their main defense. I bet there's a crab or something that eats them. But for now, it's just me, simulating sea hare predation…
It is great to see the shoal grass reproducing again. I wish I knew what exactly caused them to stagnate, and what got them going again! My best guess is that hypo salinity, then a return to higher salinity knocked them back, and it took some time for them to recover. Now that they are recovering, I think the CO2 and ammonia dosing helps a lot. With a very low fish load, regular dosing is imperative.
I decided to go ahead and move some ulva down to the QT. It was getting to be too much and I want the grasses to have plenty of light and nutrients.
I've noticed a decrease in flow rate from my main, closed loop pump lately, so I started to take the plumbing apart to look for obstructions. But then I looked at the grated return outlet to the tank. It was pretty obstructed right there, so I decided to clear that out first. That did it! I turned the pump back on at full power and it was way too much. I throttled it down a bit and it's all good. No plumbing work required. Every once in awhile, the easy option works!
Things are humming along pretty well. I think it's good to acknowledge, when things are going well. Sometimes I feel like it's a never ending battle, so it's nice to stop and notice when the work pays off. Yay!
If all goes well and I eradicate the sea hares, the caulerpa should recover, and I'll have the lush, greenness again!
I've noticed a decrease in flow rate from my main, closed loop pump lately, so I started to take the plumbing apart to look for obstructions. But then I looked at the grated return outlet to the tank. It was pretty obstructed right there, so I decided to clear that out first. That did it! I turned the pump back on at full power and it was way too much. I throttled it down a bit and it's all good. No plumbing work required. Every once in awhile, the easy option works!
Things are humming along pretty well. I think it's good to acknowledge, when things are going well. Sometimes I feel like it's a never ending battle, so it's nice to stop and notice when the work pays off. Yay!
If all goes well and I eradicate the sea hares, the caulerpa should recover, and I'll have the lush, greenness again!
I am definitely happier now. The tank is doing well! It was a long process of recovery after hypo and I was getting impatient. It was tough, posting pics, when my tank was a shadow of itself, compared to the peak growth I had, before adding the look downs.
The clog was a combo of snail shells and plants. This is the result of no mechanical filtration, and a worthy one. It keeps my water column alive with all manner of life continuously circulating through the tank.
I think these particular sea hares specialize in caulerpa, but with little caulerpa left, I have found a few on the ulva. I did another sea hare hunt today. I have definitely made a dent in their numbers, but there are still a few tiny ones, that are difficult to remove. So I give them another day to grow.
The clog was a combo of snail shells and plants. This is the result of no mechanical filtration, and a worthy one. It keeps my water column alive with all manner of life continuously circulating through the tank.
I think these particular sea hares specialize in caulerpa, but with little caulerpa left, I have found a few on the ulva. I did another sea hare hunt today. I have definitely made a dent in their numbers, but there are still a few tiny ones, that are difficult to remove. So I give them another day to grow.
McPuff
New member
It's amazing how even a small amount of debris can reduce flow considerably.
True that, McPuff. I couldn't believe how reduced the flow was, from what seemed like very little obstruction. It was a huge relief not to have to disassemble the plumbing.
Looking at the tank this morning, I'm seeing a lot less sea hares.
Looking at the tank this morning, I'm seeing a lot less sea hares.
I think the QT is just about ready to receive new guests, but I've got to watch the funds, with Christmas 'n stuff. I'm considering a small school of masked gobies. These fish are even tinier than the barnacle blennies. I like small fish in my big tank. What really piqued my interest in them, is that they are known to spawn in captivity. Not that I would attempt to raise fry, but spawning behavior is fun to watch and any fry would be a nice addition to the food chain. Plus, they're Caribbean.
Any time I consider non-biotope-correct fish I just don't feel right about it. As I've mentioned before, technically, the barnacle blennies aren't exactly Caribbean. They're from the Pacific side of Panama. But hey, couldn't it be possible for them to migrate through the canal? So I'm still pretty close to a strictly Caribbean biotope. I'd really like to keep it that way.
I've been keeping the aiptasias in check with regular ammonia poisoning, but they just won't go away completely. I was thinking of adding a peppermint shrimp to help, but then I remembered that I've already tried to and Big Daddy 2.0 ate them, so that's out. Maybe I'll give the Aiptasia-X another shot.
I've just about gotten rid of all the sea hares!
Any time I consider non-biotope-correct fish I just don't feel right about it. As I've mentioned before, technically, the barnacle blennies aren't exactly Caribbean. They're from the Pacific side of Panama. But hey, couldn't it be possible for them to migrate through the canal? So I'm still pretty close to a strictly Caribbean biotope. I'd really like to keep it that way.
I've been keeping the aiptasias in check with regular ammonia poisoning, but they just won't go away completely. I was thinking of adding a peppermint shrimp to help, but then I remembered that I've already tried to and Big Daddy 2.0 ate them, so that's out. Maybe I'll give the Aiptasia-X another shot.
I've just about gotten rid of all the sea hares!
Agreed, Subsea. It's frustrating because peppermints represent an elegant, natural solution to my problem. If only I could catch the gramma, I could get one in there, before adding back the new gramma harem. Getting a shrimp in BEFORE the grammas is the key. Now that my worm population is large and diverse, I think one shrimp wouldn't wipe them out, when it runs out of aiptasias to eat.
I'm so envious of you guys that can collect your own.
I'm so envious of you guys that can collect your own.
Saturday morning update and observations:
Another day, another sea hare hunt. I'm finding fewer and fewer to remove. My catching technique has gotten pretty refined. I take a fish net and flick the hare from its perch with the corner of the net, then I net it up as it swirls in the water column. My caulerpa is showing signs of recovery, with less grazing pressure.
I'd noticed the chaeto in the overflow-turned-refugium was getting a bit much, so I exported as much as I could, which was a lot. Unfortunately, hundreds of tiny fragments were released into the display, so I'll be picking those out for basically the rest of my life.
I went ahead and exported the largest pieces of ulva as well. I throw it all into the QT, so it's not going to waste. I like the larger pieces but they often end up hung up in the dark end of the tank, on the fake roots and live rocks. The smaller pieces are more resistant to the current and settle down into the seagrass, which is fine.
Most of the coralline algae at the brighter left end of the tank has died off. Now I'm seeing it pop up at the dimmer right end of the tank.
Despite all my efforts (and failures) to keep 'display' sponges, I've had much better luck with the small, 'hitchhiker' sponges. They are everywhere! The recent tree sponge I added lost a one inch section that I 'replanted'. Now that it has lost the dying part, it might just have a chance. I've been lucky, in that it has stayed right where I put it, on introduction. That way it doesn't have endure repeated handling or readapting to a new location. The last one I tried was actually growing, before it withered away in the QT, during hypo treatment.
I was looking in the overflow section of the flow-through wall and found lots more sponges and possibly tunicates (hard to tell). Then I spotted something that was very surprising - a small anemone. Why should I be surprised, with all the aiptasias, you might ask? Because I'm 99% sure it's NOT an aiptasia. It's about an inch and a half tall, pinkish at the base of the column, and has a 'bush' of tentacles, rather than just a ring of them (like aiptasias). I know this sounds crazy, but I think it might be my long-lost Purple Condylactis! It had withered away in QT, during hypo. When I put it back in the display, it had shrunken down to about two inches, and it wouldn't attach anywhere. So it tumbled around for a while and eventually disappeared.
So, what do I do now? Since it was able to slip through the weir even when it was much bigger, I'm sure it could come back into the display whenever it's ready. So, rather than trying to dislodge it and move it back into the display, I think I'll let it do its own thing and see what happens. It is right at the top, where it gets a little light, and I guess, plenty of food. I think it will go towards the light, and back into the display, when the time is right. Unbefreakinglievable!
Since my ammonia poisoning/dosing wasn't getting rid of the aiptasias completely, I decided to give Aiptasia-X another try. I reread the directions but I still forgot one critical step - I forgot to turn off all pumps. So today they're back, but I do think it could work if I follow directions to the letter. So I'll give it another try…
Another day, another sea hare hunt. I'm finding fewer and fewer to remove. My catching technique has gotten pretty refined. I take a fish net and flick the hare from its perch with the corner of the net, then I net it up as it swirls in the water column. My caulerpa is showing signs of recovery, with less grazing pressure.
I'd noticed the chaeto in the overflow-turned-refugium was getting a bit much, so I exported as much as I could, which was a lot. Unfortunately, hundreds of tiny fragments were released into the display, so I'll be picking those out for basically the rest of my life.
I went ahead and exported the largest pieces of ulva as well. I throw it all into the QT, so it's not going to waste. I like the larger pieces but they often end up hung up in the dark end of the tank, on the fake roots and live rocks. The smaller pieces are more resistant to the current and settle down into the seagrass, which is fine.
Most of the coralline algae at the brighter left end of the tank has died off. Now I'm seeing it pop up at the dimmer right end of the tank.
Despite all my efforts (and failures) to keep 'display' sponges, I've had much better luck with the small, 'hitchhiker' sponges. They are everywhere! The recent tree sponge I added lost a one inch section that I 'replanted'. Now that it has lost the dying part, it might just have a chance. I've been lucky, in that it has stayed right where I put it, on introduction. That way it doesn't have endure repeated handling or readapting to a new location. The last one I tried was actually growing, before it withered away in the QT, during hypo treatment.
I was looking in the overflow section of the flow-through wall and found lots more sponges and possibly tunicates (hard to tell). Then I spotted something that was very surprising - a small anemone. Why should I be surprised, with all the aiptasias, you might ask? Because I'm 99% sure it's NOT an aiptasia. It's about an inch and a half tall, pinkish at the base of the column, and has a 'bush' of tentacles, rather than just a ring of them (like aiptasias). I know this sounds crazy, but I think it might be my long-lost Purple Condylactis! It had withered away in QT, during hypo. When I put it back in the display, it had shrunken down to about two inches, and it wouldn't attach anywhere. So it tumbled around for a while and eventually disappeared.
So, what do I do now? Since it was able to slip through the weir even when it was much bigger, I'm sure it could come back into the display whenever it's ready. So, rather than trying to dislodge it and move it back into the display, I think I'll let it do its own thing and see what happens. It is right at the top, where it gets a little light, and I guess, plenty of food. I think it will go towards the light, and back into the display, when the time is right. Unbefreakinglievable!
Since my ammonia poisoning/dosing wasn't getting rid of the aiptasias completely, I decided to give Aiptasia-X another try. I reread the directions but I still forgot one critical step - I forgot to turn off all pumps. So today they're back, but I do think it could work if I follow directions to the letter. So I'll give it another try…
Are you lurking?
Hi there! Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear from you. ALL questions and comments are welcome. Come on down and let's discuss stuff!
Hi there! Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear from you. ALL questions and comments are welcome. Come on down and let's discuss stuff!
Michael,
Please explain the purpose of hypo treating inverts like anemones & Sponges.
With respect to application,of Aptasia X, there is an art to it. Yes, turn pumps off so solution touches tentacles, which draw in XXX. Aptasia detect the slightest movement, if spooked, they will withdraw completely. That is the Art. Don't let the bait scare the prey. At that moment, the Aptasia thinks it is the Predator and it is a voracious eater. When feeding on Aptasia X, Aptasia will implode.
