sixpackgarage
reef mechanic
Thanks again.. a lot of solid info in there. I've been supplementing Reef Plus, but I'm not sure there's iron in there, I'll have to look tonight.
Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank
- Thread starter Michael Hoaster
- Start date
Thanks again.. a lot of solid info in there. I've been supplementing Reef Plus, but I'm not sure there's iron in there, I'll have to look tonight.
karimwassef
Active member
Drop a rusty iron bolt in there...
Without coral, you'd be amazed at what rust does in salt water. It's like pod heaven for some reason.
Without coral, you'd be amazed at what rust does in salt water. It's like pod heaven for some reason.
sixpackgarage
reef mechanic
I'd try that in a heartbeat if I didn't have a display connected with 60+ corals :lol:
A quick update on the dosing and seagrasses:
The yellowing seems to be subsiding and the grasses are getting taller. I think with the CO2 and iron dosing, nitrogen became the limiting factor. I have suspended iron for now, and I mixed up a new batch of sodium nitrate, which seems to work better. My guess is that I'll be able to ramp up the nitrate dosage, but I'm easing into it slowly.
A water change and caulerpa export this weekend should provide a bit of a reset.
One of the things I learned in all this, is that my grasses showed signs of nutrient deficiency in a 'mobile' nutrient. That is, the plants are able to 'move' a deficient nutrient from old leaves to bolster the new leaf growth. Pretty cool! This tells me that if this happens again, I don't want to rush pruning of dying leaves. All the leaves that turned, broke off by themselves anyway. Mother Nature, taking care of business!
The yellowing seems to be subsiding and the grasses are getting taller. I think with the CO2 and iron dosing, nitrogen became the limiting factor. I have suspended iron for now, and I mixed up a new batch of sodium nitrate, which seems to work better. My guess is that I'll be able to ramp up the nitrate dosage, but I'm easing into it slowly.
A water change and caulerpa export this weekend should provide a bit of a reset.
One of the things I learned in all this, is that my grasses showed signs of nutrient deficiency in a 'mobile' nutrient. That is, the plants are able to 'move' a deficient nutrient from old leaves to bolster the new leaf growth. Pretty cool! This tells me that if this happens again, I don't want to rush pruning of dying leaves. All the leaves that turned, broke off by themselves anyway. Mother Nature, taking care of business!
I just got busted by my girls, dancing with my aquarium…
Top that, weirdos!
Top that, weirdos!
It's like a jungle in there
It's like a jungle in there
It's like a jungle in there
sam.basye
New member
I bob and wiggle with my clowns. Lol
The pics from the side behind the roots are the sh*t! Almost looks like a natural scape out of water. The caulerpa really is taking hold of everything with lots of big bushes of it. The condylactis is looking pretty good as well.
Need more seagrasses in there..
The pics from the side behind the roots are the sh*t! Almost looks like a natural scape out of water. The caulerpa really is taking hold of everything with lots of big bushes of it. The condylactis is looking pretty good as well.
Need more seagrasses in there..
Hey, it's only natural! The music's playin' the seagrasses swayin'…
Those are my favorite pics too! Yes, those end shots are da shizell. I can say that because I'm a middle age white guy at home on a friday night, you know, chillin'…
As you can see, I've got seagrass breaking the surface. And caulerpa racemosa, var. peltata pretty much everywhere else. These will be my 'before' shots. (big pruning tomorrow) The pic of the bottom of the roots shows my test sponges, on the root and rocks. Little hard to see. The anemone looks happy.
Still working on the meadow. I'll keep tweaking the soup!
Those are my favorite pics too! Yes, those end shots are da shizell. I can say that because I'm a middle age white guy at home on a friday night, you know, chillin'…
As you can see, I've got seagrass breaking the surface. And caulerpa racemosa, var. peltata pretty much everywhere else. These will be my 'before' shots. (big pruning tomorrow) The pic of the bottom of the roots shows my test sponges, on the root and rocks. Little hard to see. The anemone looks happy.
Still working on the meadow. I'll keep tweaking the soup!
Post "Manatee Visit" Simulation Event
Post "Manatee Visit" Simulation Event
Well I got after that caulerpa today. Handful after handful of the stuff. I also removed a lot of red macros. I still have several-the secure ones. I also dispersed many blue hypnea fragments. I'd love to see this stuff around the tank!
The DSB and the grasses.
Full tank view.
Post "Manatee Visit" Simulation Event
Well I got after that caulerpa today. Handful after handful of the stuff. I also removed a lot of red macros. I still have several-the secure ones. I also dispersed many blue hypnea fragments. I'd love to see this stuff around the tank!
The DSB and the grasses.
Full tank view.
saltwater sam
New member
Wow, lots of awesome pictures. Everything is looking great! Cheers!
Couple more pics from today:
Neighborinos!
A different angle.
I brought all the caulerpa and gracillaria that I removed down to my LFS, and got some store credit. So, I picked up two different anemone shrimp! One Pederson and the other is a white spotted anemone shrimp - Periclimenes brevicarpalis, I think. I couldn't get decent pics of them but I'll try again later.
I wanted to point out in the full tank shot above, the sand-scaping at the right end. See how it's shallowest at the end, and slopes up around the live rocks? That was all done by the current. I helped by using 3 different substrate sizes. I noticed when snorkeling that there were lots of grain sizes on the sandy bottom. And the currents constantly sculpt them. I'm thrilled to get a similar feel in my tank.
A water change was done today. I don't vacuum the bottom any more. I don't want to destroy the guild of creatures so vital to my system.
I'm getting a few tiny patches of coraline algae on the glass. I guess with the calcium carbonate (and CO2) in my canister filter it is functioning as a mild calcium reactor.
I dosed iron and nitrate after the water change. I'm hoping that the reduction in macro biomass will give my grasses a leg up. Maybe growing blade length is a precursor to rhizome growth, and new plant production. The grasses look great. I just want more of them.
The sodium silicate won't get dosed for another week or two. I'll watch the diatom levels. Test sponges all look good. I think I'm seeing some tiny sea squirts as well.
Neighborinos!
A different angle.
I brought all the caulerpa and gracillaria that I removed down to my LFS, and got some store credit. So, I picked up two different anemone shrimp! One Pederson and the other is a white spotted anemone shrimp - Periclimenes brevicarpalis, I think. I couldn't get decent pics of them but I'll try again later.
I wanted to point out in the full tank shot above, the sand-scaping at the right end. See how it's shallowest at the end, and slopes up around the live rocks? That was all done by the current. I helped by using 3 different substrate sizes. I noticed when snorkeling that there were lots of grain sizes on the sandy bottom. And the currents constantly sculpt them. I'm thrilled to get a similar feel in my tank.
A water change was done today. I don't vacuum the bottom any more. I don't want to destroy the guild of creatures so vital to my system.
I'm getting a few tiny patches of coraline algae on the glass. I guess with the calcium carbonate (and CO2) in my canister filter it is functioning as a mild calcium reactor.
I dosed iron and nitrate after the water change. I'm hoping that the reduction in macro biomass will give my grasses a leg up. Maybe growing blade length is a precursor to rhizome growth, and new plant production. The grasses look great. I just want more of them.
The sodium silicate won't get dosed for another week or two. I'll watch the diatom levels. Test sponges all look good. I think I'm seeing some tiny sea squirts as well.
I don't know how to do that.
That's weird. I've been uploading 72 dpi jpegs, like always.
sam.basye
New member
Define 'like always', Michael... I remember back in the early days of the biotope you getting on my nerves because I had to go out of my way to click Web View on my phone to see pics because they were gif's. Lol you've been better about it recently.. Till now.
Loving that barnacle blenny!
Notice any degradation in the barnacles yet?
Loving that barnacle blenny!
Notice any degradation in the barnacles yet?
karimwassef
Active member
I have no issues on my iPhone
Nope, I just checked. ALL of the photos I've ever uploaded are jpegs. This something I do well, as I'm a graphic designer. Maybe it's because I'm on a Mac? I don't know what RC does to them after upload. Maybe it's your phone.
Sorry you've had trouble, but I've NEVER uploaded gifs.
No, I haven't noticed any degradation.
Sorry you've had trouble, but I've NEVER uploaded gifs.
No, I haven't noticed any degradation.
sam.basye
New member
It's all good, you never know what some of this stuff goes through prior to the final product. As long as the pics keep coming 
(and can be viewed somehow!)
I ask about the barnacles because I have a cluster just like yours that is fine, but my single barnacle is losing pieces here and there.
Have you ever taken a baster to the barnacles? A lot of crap and detritus collect in mine. Not sure if their placement near the mp10 affects the collection or not in mine.
(and can be viewed somehow!)I ask about the barnacles because I have a cluster just like yours that is fine, but my single barnacle is losing pieces here and there.
Have you ever taken a baster to the barnacles? A lot of crap and detritus collect in mine. Not sure if their placement near the mp10 affects the collection or not in mine.
I will go through RC's photo procedures again to see if I need to do anything differently. I've never had any trouble myself. Hmm…
Yes, I remember you had one losing material. I wonder what caused that. I know that in a calcium reactor, the CO2 lowers the pH, and this dissolves the calcium carbonate media. It doesn't seem likely you had low pH in your tank, causing it. Maybe barnacle shells are more susceptible. But didn't it happen to the conch shell as well? And you're sure it wasn't the urchins.
I have not blasted the barnacle shells. The barnacle blenny does a funny dance to keep his clean. I didn't see much detritus when I was picking caulerpa off them today, but I'm sure it collects in there.
Yes, I remember you had one losing material. I wonder what caused that. I know that in a calcium reactor, the CO2 lowers the pH, and this dissolves the calcium carbonate media. It doesn't seem likely you had low pH in your tank, causing it. Maybe barnacle shells are more susceptible. But didn't it happen to the conch shell as well? And you're sure it wasn't the urchins.
I have not blasted the barnacle shells. The barnacle blenny does a funny dance to keep his clean. I didn't see much detritus when I was picking caulerpa off them today, but I'm sure it collects in there.
