Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank
- Thread starter Michael Hoaster
- Start date
redlobstor
New member
Thanks Michael for your encouragement and support.
The sloping was to put shorter species in front and taller species in back.
I guess I could plant all at once. May actually be better this way because if I wait its possible to damage the root structure of the seagrass already planted when trying to dig a hole for the new plant.
Thanks for your help
Jason
Ps. I haven't read all the thread because its so long but could you post a current photo of your seagrass tank.
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The barnacle blennies are all doing well, and so are are the sailfins. Leroy Brown is the boss and doesn't let anyone near the barnacles. He and the other male get into flagging contests, which is kind of fun. Neither of them have shown any interest in the female, which is a little odd. Leroy even runs her off when she gets too close. Maybe their spawning is seasonal.
I really love the barnacle blennies. Great looks and great personalities. I'd trade the sailfins for more of them in a heartbeat. But I guess the diversity is good.
I really love the barnacle blennies. Great looks and great personalities. I'd trade the sailfins for more of them in a heartbeat. But I guess the diversity is good.
Sounds like a plan, Jason.
Keep in mind seagrasses are quite slow to get established. That's probably why they aren't very popular in the hobby. Macros are much faster. In nature, seagrasses outcompete macros in pristine, low nutrient conditions. In aquariums they respond well to dosing and higher nutrients, but they have more competition if you also have macros. I added macros to help keep micro algae at bay, but often wondered how the grasses would have done without the competition. It's kind of a catch-22 situation.
I look forward to seeing what choices you make and how it works out. I think I remember reading somewhere that you have several tanks to play with. That should work in your favor, to have other tanks to distract you, while you wait for the grasses.
I'll post some pics this weekend, after I have a chance to tidy up a little. The shoal grass has recently multiplied and now they are getting taller. I hope to get manatee grass again, as it is my favorite. At their peak, I had several blades that reached the surface in my 30 inch high tank.
Keep in mind seagrasses are quite slow to get established. That's probably why they aren't very popular in the hobby. Macros are much faster. In nature, seagrasses outcompete macros in pristine, low nutrient conditions. In aquariums they respond well to dosing and higher nutrients, but they have more competition if you also have macros. I added macros to help keep micro algae at bay, but often wondered how the grasses would have done without the competition. It's kind of a catch-22 situation.
I look forward to seeing what choices you make and how it works out. I think I remember reading somewhere that you have several tanks to play with. That should work in your favor, to have other tanks to distract you, while you wait for the grasses.
I'll post some pics this weekend, after I have a chance to tidy up a little. The shoal grass has recently multiplied and now they are getting taller. I hope to get manatee grass again, as it is my favorite. At their peak, I had several blades that reached the surface in my 30 inch high tank.
Pandagobyguy
New member
I'm not super knowledgeable about them. I have been interested in trying an eelgrass biotope with dwarf sea horses but after some research it seems the choice is really substrate or sea horse. I love the idea of biotopes and your tank is awesome and inspiring, makes me want to abandon my dwarf sea horse and just do a brackish dwarf eel grass biotope.
I was under the impression that the dwarf sea horse originates from the Caribbean but after looking at eel grass range it seems i was mistaken. Keep up the awesome tank! (Ill be lurking lol)
Thanks for the compliments, pandagobyguy! An eel grass biotope sounds very cool! I'm pretty sure Florida collector KP Aquatics sells dwarf sea horses, so I think there are caribbean species.
Thanks for dropping by, ya lurker!
Thanks for dropping by, ya lurker!
redlobstor
New member
Pandagobyguy,
Search Hippocampus zosterae on fishbase.org. The dwarf seahorse is found throughout the Caribbean and under the biology section you can see where they are found with eel grass and other seagrass.
I always search fishbase for size, locale, and the biology section usually has some tidbits about habitat.
Jason
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Pandagobyguy
New member
redlobstor
New member
I think an Eel grass biotope would be perfect for dwarf seahorses. I haven't researched but I would imagine that the scientific species name is what it is because it was discovered amongst eel grass beds.
Thanks Pandagobyguy you have given me an idea of another tank that involves eel grass.
Jason
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Pandagobyguy
New member
This was my thought as well. I posted about it in the seahorse forum. I was told having a substrate for the eel grass is a no go due to infections on the DSH being more likely. I still wonder if that is not just the advice of over concerned fish keepers... i mean it is there actual habitat... but i certainly don't know anything lol
redlobstor
New member
I don't see how the substrate could cause an infection, maybe if it was extremely coarse. I think if one was to setup the eel grass bed properly then I don't see infection as a possibility. I have no experience with seahorses but trying to think logically. Can't go wrong recreating natural habitat.
Jason
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redlobstor
New member
Check out the following site: http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Seagrass_Habitat.htm
This is from an institute at Ft. Pierce and is about the Indian River Lagoon here in Florida. From all I have read up to date this is by far the most comprehensive article dealing with seagrass.
Click on the highlights of the 7 different seagrasses found there and will give lots of good info about temp, salinity, reproduction, flowering, and the different substrates the seagrass can be found in.
It is a lot of reading but very interesting plus gives a comprehensive list of invertebrates and vertebrates found within the lagoon.
Jason
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This is from an institute at Ft. Pierce and is about the Indian River Lagoon here in Florida. From all I have read up to date this is by far the most comprehensive article dealing with seagrass.
Click on the highlights of the 7 different seagrasses found there and will give lots of good info about temp, salinity, reproduction, flowering, and the different substrates the seagrass can be found in.
It is a lot of reading but very interesting plus gives a comprehensive list of invertebrates and vertebrates found within the lagoon.
Jason
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Pandagobyguy
New member
Wow very interesting! This is exactly what i have been looking for!
Great article! I've read it before and I still have my notes from it. This is one of the better articles out there on seagrasses. Clicking on highlighted species adds more detailed info. Thanks for the link, Jason!
Lots of great discussion, ladies and gentlemen! I love it when this happens. Thanks for chiming in!
On the dangers of substrates with seahorses (back me up on this vlangel), I don't think it's necessarily the substrate itself that causes infections and other maladies. It's just that the ponies are VERY sensitive and susceptible to disease, and in the confines of a box, it's difficult to protect them from harm. So the seahorse keepers' strategy is to provide as sterile environment as possible, almost like a surgical operating room (or a quarantine tank). A bare bottom is better for that. Tanks like mine are like a free for all, with little oversight, in comparison.
So they have to be the ultimate control freaks, and things like deep sand beds and live rock just introduce too many variables to take a chance on.
On the dangers of substrates with seahorses (back me up on this vlangel), I don't think it's necessarily the substrate itself that causes infections and other maladies. It's just that the ponies are VERY sensitive and susceptible to disease, and in the confines of a box, it's difficult to protect them from harm. So the seahorse keepers' strategy is to provide as sterile environment as possible, almost like a surgical operating room (or a quarantine tank). A bare bottom is better for that. Tanks like mine are like a free for all, with little oversight, in comparison.
So they have to be the ultimate control freaks, and things like deep sand beds and live rock just introduce too many variables to take a chance on.
vlangel
Premium Member
Thanks Michael, that is exactly it. The ocean's ability to filter and cleanse itself is far superior to anything that we can replicate in a glass box.
Pathogenic bacteria and DOC are specifically what seahorses have trouble with. Seshorses must eat a lot of food that is high in fat. They give off an amazing amount of waste, way more than even lionfish or other predators because they are eating 2-3 Xs a day. With their poop being so high in fats and nutrients, pathogenic bacterias like vibrio can quickly get seeded anywhere even a small amount of uneatten food or poop is settling. Sandbeds are much harder to see these places, especially if it is very lightly covered by a little sand. Seahorse keepers who do have shallow sandbeds religiously vacume them. You do not want to vacume your deep sandbed however. Most sandbed cleaners are not seahorse safe. You can employ a cucmber, sandsifting starfish or nassarius snails but the chances that they are going to do as good a job as constant vacuming or having a bare bottom tank that is syphoned clean has been shown to be poor by comparison. There are other tricks we seahorse keepers use to increase our chances of successfully keeping ponies like specie specific tanks, very large frequent water changes, lowering the temperature below 75°, and having flow that hits the tank floor to keep particles in suspension to be filtered out by our enormous skimmers. I will not say that it absolutely can not be done, but from personal experience and reading everything that I can on seahorses...your chances that they will thrive will be greatly diminished. And also from personal experience, it is heart wrenching to watch an adorable pony get sick and succumb prematurely because the enviroment was not sterile enough to keep it healthy. I am merely trying to spare you (redlobster) what I learned the hard way.
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redlobstor
New member
Ok, Thanks Vlangel for the info.
Out of curiosity are the captive-bred seahorses more disease-resistant.
Jason
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Out of curiosity are the captive-bred seahorses more disease-resistant.
Jason
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vlangel
Premium Member
I don't know if disease resistant is the right word, but they are hardier in an aquarium enviroment than wild caught. Captive bred are trained to eat frozen mysis and almost never revert to eating only live. Wild caught often will revert or may never even try frozen mysis. Captive bred have not been exposed to many of the parasites and other diseases that wild caught seahorses have. Wild caught ponies should go through a quarantine protocol of worming and other anti parasitic medications and many of them do not survive that.
However, even captive bred seahorses when mixed with other captive bred seahorses from a different seahorse farm can get sick. They don't always have the same immunity to the same diseases. Doing bigger than even the usual big water changes can help offset the risk of mixing CB ponies from differing sources.
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