Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

More great info, vlangel! Wow, you horse keepers are dedicated! Respect! That kind of maintenance is close to the opposite of what I do. The more I know, the less I look like a pipefish keeper…

Chasmodes just turned me onto some Caribbean dragonets I'd never even heard of. Maybe they would be a better choice for me.

Thanks again for your insights!
 
I think for my 20g high, I'd need a high capacity turkey baster and 20g weekly water changes to get it in seahorse shape, LOL.
 
Michael Hoaster said:
More great info, vlangel! Wow, you horse keepers are dedicated! Respect! That kind of maintenance is close to the opposite of what I do. The more I know, the less I look like a pipefish keeper"¦

Chasmodes just turned me onto some Caribbean dragonets I'd never even heard of. Maybe they would be a better choice for me.

Thanks again for your insights!
Click to expand...

You are very welcome. Someday when I am ready to give up ponies maybe I will take my tank in a similar direction as yours as I really liked how your tank progressed before the fish got ich.
 
It makes me wonder, as sensitive as seahorses are, how are they not extinct? Given all the crap that ends up in the sea, you'd think they'd be gone, or at least endangered.

Thanks, vlangel. It would make sense to me, that after all the hard work you've done for them, that you'd be ready to kick back and do something easier. I'm sure it's a labor of love.

"…I really liked how your tank progressed before the fish got ich." Me too! Kind of a setback… I even remember, before everything went to hell, I was thinking, "This is really great! Now what's going to happen to screw this all up?"

I guess what's important, is how we react to a tank disaster. After enduring a hefty dose of shame, I am now proud of how I am getting back on track. In fact, I think it's time to stop saying things like " after killing so many fish", or "after my hypo salinity ordeal". It's time to put that behind me.

My tank's doing great and the future looks bright!
 
Michael Hoaster said:
It makes me wonder, as sensitive as seahorses are, how are they not extinct? Given all the crap that ends up in the sea, you'd think they'd be gone, or at least endangered.

Thanks, vlangel. It would make sense to me, that after all the hard work you've done for them, that you'd be ready to kick back and do something easier. I'm sure it's a labor of love.

""¦I really liked how your tank progressed before the fish got ich." Me too! Kind of a setback"¦ I even remember, before everything went to hell, I was thinking, "This is really great! Now what's going to happen to screw this all up?"

I guess what's important, is how we react to a tank disaster. After enduring a hefty dose of shame, I am now proud of how I am getting back on track. In fact, I think it's time to stop saying things like " after killing so many fish", or "after my hypo salinity ordeal". It's time to put that behind me.

My tank's doing great and the future looks bright!
Click to expand...

In regards to seahorses being endangered, I hear and read that some species actually are endangered in some areas. Its loss of habitat that is the big culprit. What they have in their favor is they are extremely prolific. My mated pair were pumping out 200+ fry every 19 days, LOL.

Although my tank is only 56 gallons, it a tall tank and I am a fan of deep sandbeds. I like how your tank has different depths and I have often contemplated doing that as well. I might actually try to grow live mangroves in the very deep side. I also like sargassum and that might be a.better choice for me given my tank's small size. It will still give me the vertical lines if I can get it to grow. Who knows, maybe I will go for a southern FL biotope too since your tank is so inspirational. That is all years down the road since ponies are my passion for now.

It is reefers who respond the way you did that further and perpetuate the hobby. Too many folks when faced with setbacks tear down their system and go in a different direction or some just quit altogether. I applaud you for persevering. Its always sad to lose livestock but I won't even tell you how many fish I have lost in my 'many' years in aquaria. My husband and kids used to say that my FW tank was the nazi death camp for fish and when I walked into the lfs the fish trembled with fear, ha ha! Fortunately that has not been my experience for quite some time now. I have kept animals for a decade or more so I am not advocating being reckless with livestock. Its just the reality of our hobby that animals can perish if something goes wrong and there is always the possibility no matter how conscientious we are, that something can go wrong. The fact that you were honest and real about your tank helps the rest of us know what to avoid. It also encourages us that the tank can and will come back if we just hang in there and give it a chance. I look forward to what your tank will become in a year from now.😊
 
I feel the same way with my tank. I see the old pics and vids of them and it still makes me sick to think about it. I guess I need to forget about it and move on. I've learned...
 
Michael Hoaster said:
On the lurking post, I hope I didn't make anyone feel guilty. I just want to encourage anyone who's reading to comment or ask questions. I'm like a spoiled child that needs attention!
Click to expand...

Ah don't feel guilty. Sometimes the encouragement prompts me to think more about what is going on with your tank and then I get an idea of what to post, other than what is in my head during my pre-caffeine ingesting period (like, "emmm, that's cool"...)

I sometimes feel that nobody is even lurking or interested in my tank at times when I'm the only one posting time and again. Like, if I stopped, the thread would drift away forever and nobody would care. But, I keep posting anyway. There are a few folks that chime in now and then and make it all worthwhile. I like to go back and re-read what happened now and then from the beginning, reminding me of what worked and what didn't.

So, you gonna get that dragonet as your holiday gift to yourself :lol2:
 
Following along. Would turtle grass be good in a 20gxh (24 inches tall?) With 8-12 inch sand bed that would leave 12-16" for seahorses and growth of seagrass.

Thanks,

Jason

Sent from my P00I using Tapatalk
 
Welcome redlobstor! That should work. You could go as shallow as seven inches on the sandbed, to give you a little more room above. When I had turtle grass, most of it was in the twelve inch range.

I'm stoked to hear you're doing seagrass. Consider starting with shoal grass, as it is a pioneering plant that helps prepare the substrate for turtle grass, which is a climax species. It worked just that way in my tank, with the turtle grass gradually taking over.
 
Thanks vlangel, for the kind words! (and the expert advice!)

Having just read a bunch, I seem to remember that they are very prolific, but less than 1% of the babies survive, which would seem to support your statement that in some locations, there ARE endangered. I'm still in awe of the efforts you have to take to keep them healthy. I can see how they are your passion!

I'm thrilled that my tank inspires you. I can't think of a better compliment! Plenty of room for you, down here in the weirdo, planted tank basement, whenever you're ready! I too have considered sargassum, but I haven't pulled the trigger. It's probably because I have some plants I want to get to progress further, before adding something new. Like terrestrial gardening, the work is never done!
 
Right on, Kevin! We learn from the past, for a better future.

I know what you mean, wondering what would happen if you stopped posting. Your thread being in the popular reef discussion forum has positives and negatives. While you were out sick for fives days, I found your thread on page 4! On the positive side, you're exposing your unique tanks to folks who never venture down to the plant section. With mine being in the less popular plant forum, not to mention my non-stop posting, I seem to stay on page one. I don't even think there is a page 2 these days…

So lurkers take note! We'd love to hear from you! Just a quick comment or question is fine. I promise it'll be fun!
 
No, Pandagobyguy, I have no experience with either of those grasses. My focus was on manatee grass, and then I learned a bit about shoal and turtle grass, sine I added them as well.

Does it grow in Florida or the Caribbean? If not, that's probably why I overlooked it. Now that you've brought it up, I'd love to hear more about it. Do tell!
 
Michael Hoaster said:
Welcome redlobstor! That should work. You could go as shallow as seven inches on the sandbed, to give you a little more room above. When I had turtle grass, most of it was in the twelve inch range.

I'm stoked to hear you're doing seagrass. Consider starting with shoal grass, as it is a pioneering plant that helps prepare the substrate for turtle grass, which is a climax species. It worked just that way in my tank, with the turtle grass gradually taking over.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I was planning on shoal grass in a 40G but I could mix in with the turtle grass as well. Should I slope the sand from front to back since shoal grass doesn't require as deep a sand bed.

When you say start with shoal grass do you mean plant it first and leave for a little while before adding the turtle or start with both at same time. If starting shoal first then how long should I wait before adding turtle grass.

Jason

Sent from my P00I using Tapatalk
 
When I started posting about my tank, I honestly couldn't decide what forum to post it in. I guess because it's an oyster "reef" biotope, I figured it fit there, LOL.

Michael Hoaster said:
I almost forgot. Kevin that Lancer Dragonet sounds and looks like a real possibility!
Click to expand...

Great! It will be refreshing to see a dragonet that few others post about! Good luck with your attempts at getting one!
 
Michael Hoaster said:
Thanks vlangel, for the kind words! (and the expert advice!)

Having just read a bunch, I seem to remember that they are very prolific, but less than 1% of the babies survive, which would seem to support your statement that in some locations, there ARE endangered. I'm still in awe of the efforts you have to take to keep them healthy. I can see how they are your passion!

I'm thrilled that my tank inspires you. I can't think of a better compliment! Plenty of room for you, down here in the weirdo, planted tank basement, whenever you're ready! I too have considered sargassum, but I haven't pulled the trigger. It's probably because I have some plants I want to get to progress further, before adding something new. Like terrestrial gardening, the work is never done!
Click to expand...
Yep, in nature not many survive. If captive bred their odds are much better, as high as 90% by a seahorse farm. I only raised them once but even I managed to raise 15 out of 22. They were H erectus which is the easiest pony to raise.
 
It's totally up to you on both the sloping thing and order of introduction, redlobstor. But of course I'll give you my opinion…

The sloping of substrate suggests you would put the shoal grass in front. I think it would be better to spread it throughout the sand bed, thus preparing all of it for the turtle grass. No need to go shallower on the sandbed, unless you're trying to save money on sand. It's probably ideal to add the shoal grass first, as in nature, but I added all my grasses at the same time. I have no idea how long you would wait to plant turtle grass. As you may be finding out, there's not a lot of info available on seagrass aquariums. Have you checked out the "Old Helpful Posts" at the top of this forum? It's a goldmine!

Great questions. With that kind of thinking, I have no doubt you will succeed!
 
Yes, Kevin, I can see how it must have been a quandary deciding which forum. I think you made the right choice.

Those lancer dragonets are cool! Hopefully I can get a male/female pair. In the meantime, I've got sea hares and aiptasias to kill and macros to resurrect!
 
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