Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

First Birthday

First Birthday

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September 24th marks the one year mark, of The Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank. It still feels pretty young. As I said before on this thread, I expect this tank to take two years (or more) to come to fruition. There's more work to be done on its food web. I hope to get some decorative sponges to thrive, and double as living filters. And the more tiny critters I can add to the mix, the better. And some more fish would be nice.

I'm also looking into clams. Not the giant kind, but the ones that live in association with seagrasses, buried in the sand. I just read some very exciting articles regarding the mutualism of these clams, housing a bacteria that consumes the sulfide that builds up in the leaf litter/detritus in seagrass beds. I wonder if these clams could be brought to the hobby. I would imagine they'd be great for deep sand beds.

Taking stock, I'm mostly happy. I did made some mistakes. One was to carbon dose too early in the tank's life, before it had stabilized. I think this, combined with the (feeding of the) barnacle blennies, caused the cyano bacteria outbreak.

I really have enjoyed the red macros, but I'm not sure they're a perfect match for my tank. There's too much current for most of them. I've removed almost all that are not secured to something. This gets back to trying to optimize conditions for multiple species, where no one is totally happy. Since seagrasses have turned out to be pretty challenging, it may have been better to have just focused on them alone, at least at first.

I don't regret not adding a separate refugium or sump. I love the simplicity! I also love that everything works together, right in the display.

Converting my coast to coast overflow into an in-tank refugium, simulates "the shallows" of a lagoon environment. It's full of cheato and other algae. It's difficult to inspect it, but I would think it's well colonized with pods 'n stuff.

I've learned a lot! Modeling an ecosystem of primary producers (plants), seems like a more natural and sustainable method of aquarium keeping. The inhabitants themselves do most of the maintenance heavy lifting, processing nutrients, ultimately making my job easier, and my gizmo count low.
 
Thanks Karim! Aren't you just a couple of months ahead of me on your start date? We've been through some stuff, haven't we? Now that we've past the year mark, it's all smooth sailing…I hope!
 
Congrats Michael! I'm glad there is someone else here very passionate about both their tank, and sharing it on the forum! I look forward to watching your tank progress for years to come!
 
Thank you, Sam. I guess I am pretty passionate! I'm also using this thread as my aquarium journal, which is why I post so often. It's easier I think.

I look forward to years of watching your tank as well. Our tanks have much in common, which is great too. Cheers!
 
Thanks!

Updates:
Well Spot is still in the anemone and Junior is not. The caulerpa is starting to come back. The seagrasses look about the same, maybe a little taller. A little yellowing still, but less. I've been hoping for daughter plants of the manatee grass. I'm seeing a little nub at the base of one of them. So maybe. The test sponges look good. I may have more sponges soon. Keeping these very simple organisms is going to be a real challenge. If I succeed, they're going to be beautiful!
 
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Trying to capture the beauty and movement of these amazing plants.

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This creepy, dark macro has emerged. Looks Tim Burton-esque.
 
Crazy how new macros keep popping up; like the blue macro. To what do you attribute this to? A tiny piece of one hiding in the ones you purchased and it slowly makes its presence known?
 
Ooooo aaaaaaa

Since you shared your "interesting" looking fish and talked of jawfish, I thought I'd share my dark one... He is called "ugly" lovingly:

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/82D8E32F-0788-42EE-BB84-F6C0079AF842_zpszno5m5c0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/82D8E32F-0788-42EE-BB84-F6C0079AF842_zpszno5m5c0.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 82D8E32F-0788-42EE-BB84-F6C0079AF842_zpszno5m5c0.jpg"/></a>

He made his burrow in 3" of sand and he has collected every bit of rock, dead coral and rubble to create a little fortress!

An invading (wandering) hippo gets the open mouth look- reminds me of the space worms from Star Wars. The ones that live in the holes in asteroids.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/ABFE0521-73F6-4A69-93A1-BC599D6C14B2_zpskqyivtka.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/ABFE0521-73F6-4A69-93A1-BC599D6C14B2_zpskqyivtka.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo ABFE0521-73F6-4A69-93A1-BC599D6C14B2_zpskqyivtka.jpg"/></a>

Curious rabbit and two yellow tangs cut through his lands.
Eeeek! Too many! Too many to defend against! Retreat!

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/1512CC18-E6E9-43F2-BE7D-CA39158899AF_zpsf4r5itco.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/1512CC18-E6E9-43F2-BE7D-CA39158899AF_zpsf4r5itco.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1512CC18-E6E9-43F2-BE7D-CA39158899AF_zpsf4r5itco.jpg"/></a>

Squirrel!

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/7071D0A6-0299-4F5E-8D61-5AB5A2A4CD34_zpsfrkkx2z6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/7071D0A6-0299-4F5E-8D61-5AB5A2A4CD34_zpsfrkkx2z6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 7071D0A6-0299-4F5E-8D61-5AB5A2A4CD34_zpsfrkkx2z6.jpg"/></a>
 
Yes, Sam, I think they were tiny hitchhiker fragments. The blue hypnea probably came from GCE, in the red macro variety pack. This new dark red/brown one, I wonder if it could be another phenotype of one of the reds I bought. I kind of doubt it, since it's right in the brightest area. The reds tended to bleach out in the bright zone. Whatever it is, I like it! I've got little bits of the blue stuff around the base of the DSB planter. That should look pretty cool if it fills in. I like that I have removed a lot of the reds. I just want a few. I appreciate them more this way.
 
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