Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[sam.basye]

Were all a bunch of losers together :rollface:

I'm constantly reminded by the fiancee that I spend too much time looking at the "fish forum thing" on my phone...

"And when the inevitable imperfection comes along, it's so easy to start grasping at straws, to fix it. Then of course, you only make things worse!" - I'm especially good at this one :headwallblue:

Michael, other than the algae and flagfish, how it the tank holding up as a whole? Good growth with all the pants/macros? Foam wall and root? Flow increase yet?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

It's doing well, Sam. The grasses and macros are growing. Fake wall and root seem solid. No flow increase yet. I may try gluing the reds to rocks, so they are anchored.

The algae's coming back with a vengeance. I turned off the lights early. I have to walk away and not look at it. If I stay, I want to 'fix' it! I'm going to let it go for a few more days, so it can bind up more nutrients, before I remove it. Joy.

 

[karimwassef]

Go Go GFO?

It'll add some iron and eat up phosphates.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I kinda wanted the plants to do that. I need to try to figure out the C-N-P (Carbon-Nitrogen-Phosphorus) ratios of the tank. I would think that nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, would be in abundance right now. Same for phosphorus-phosphate. Carbon, however I'm not sure. I'm injecting some CO2, through my canister. Also I've got biopellets, to boost bacteria. Maybe I should consider doing some carbon dosing, to get the ratio to favor my plants over algae. I think it's around 400-40-1 for seagrasses on average.

I think I should probably not do much, until the tank has cycled. Hmmm…

 

[karimwassef]

Then water changes, you must do.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

You are wise, Master…

 

[JLynn]

That show never quite worked for me. I remember being excited upon hearing about it, but when I watched, it was just"¦disappointing. They really didn't address anything about actual aquarium keeping, which would have been awesome. I wasn't so psyched for a 'reality' show about people, in a business, that fabricates 'gimmick' aquariums. Now that I think about it, some of the tech stuff probably was interesting to a tech master like yourself.

I don't understand why anyone finds that show entertaining to begin with. It skips over all the fun parts! All you see is them installing the aquarium- they don't even show you the fish shopping! And please, give me a break from all the fake corals. Their attempt at humor is pretty pathetic, too. I just can't believe that people find a show that is mainly about customer "drama" and glass boxes entertaining.

It just occurred to me that my two favorite passions (excluding the wife of course), aquarium keeping and moutainbiking, are all but ignored by television. Does that mean I'm a weirdo?

Not in the slightest. It just means that your passions have too much depth to be captured in 30 minutes. As far as I am concerned, that is a good thing. TV shows- especially "reality" TV- tend to cater to people with the attention span of a fruit fly, nowadays.

 

[sam.basye]

TV shows- especially "reality" TV- tend to cater to people with the attention span of a fruit fly, nowadays.

+1

Hit the nail on the head with that one JLynn!

 

[karimwassef]

Well... As a techie, I like thei big and wild tank builds. Not so much the small gimmicky ones. Also, they have some interesting tools like a fish feeder based on a pressurized blast and in the next show, they're converting a pool into a salt water tank...

 

[JLynn]

Ah. I can understand that. Well, to each their own, I suppose. I wonder how they intend to deal with the salinity and unpredictable things like rain and wild animals. I mean, if you tried to do that in my neighborhood, the coyotes would be all over it, and your fish would be gone in days.

 

[sam.basye]

It's hard enough maintaining a tank that is a controlled environment, sounds like a major project. Lol.

I used to have a neighbor that converted his outdoor concrete pool (that connected by a round underwater opening to the inside of his house) into a giant koi pond. It was a constant battle with the raccoons picking off the fish...

 

[sam.basye]

Michael, any updates???

I was thinking about the mollies you converted to SW and was wondering if the are a certain breed that eats algae?

I have orange swordtail mollies in my freshwater tank and they could care less about the algae growing in the tank...

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Hey guys, just back from camping. I took a quick look at the tank. The mollies are accounted for, but so is the algae. I'll be doing another manual removal/water change as soon as I can.

Sam, I got one black mollie and one silver. I think the black is closest to the wild type. I think Mollies are the only ones you can convert all the way to full seawater. So far, the most algae I've seen them eat is when I'm removing algae, and there's a lot floating around. They are nibbling about the tank, but they're no urchins. I think these farm-raised fish are so far removed from the wild, they're used to eating fish food, not forage about, like they're wild cousins. I'm trying to 'reconnect' them with their natural diet and behavior…

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I've been thinking about my tank, and the algae/cyanobacteria. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why my nutrient-poor water would support so much 'muck'. I have not fed the tank at all.

So, that leaves me with two (that I can think of) possibilities. Multiple snail deaths would probably do it. The other thing is the biopellets. Not much I can do about the snails, except a water change, which I'll do.

I've been studying up on carbon dosing, and biopellets vs vinegar/vodka dosing. I think I jumped the gun on this methodology. I think I should have waited for the tank to cycle first, and then added filter feeders to consume the excess bacteria, or if I was using one, a protein skimmer. I just thought I was adding such a small amount of the pellets, that they would only have a small and slightly beneficial effect on my tank. It seems I was wrong. Maybe a combination of snail deaths and the pellets was a 'perfect storm' of circumstances.

Since it's too early in the tank's life to add delicate filter feeders, I'm going to remove the biopellets.

Here's the plan:
1 Massive algae removal
2 Water change
3 Biopellet removal

As nasty as the tank looks right now, I am encouraged that something is eating algae in there. There's a nice swath of clean sand, where there was algae before. So, all in all, I'm still pretty happy. It's great to have years of practical experience under my belt right now. Without it, I'd be freaking out. With it, I know it's just part of the process…

 

[karimwassef]

I support your initiatives. I don't think it's the pellets though.

Cycling just takes it's course. I think water changes are the key.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, Karim. I just did a big algae clean/water change. Salvation.

I experienced water that was cloudier than normal. It was a more of a white color, not green. I read up on biopellet use. They recommended a solid skimmer, and/or lots of filter feeders, or risk cloudiness. I have neither, so I decided to discontinue it for now. I'll bring it back online when I am ready to add filter feeders.

The good news is, this stuff seems to work! I think sponges, tunicates and scallops will thrive with this method. Yay!

But right now, I just want the seagrasses to grow and get entrenched.

Five weeks into the nitrogen cycle. Getting close…

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Now that most of the algae has been removed, the mollies are feeding on what remains. I knew they'd come around eventually…

 

[karimwassef]

Yes. I learned that algae eaters are specific to the length of the algae. Their mouth shapes and tips are tailored to eat only certain types. With 3 tangs and a rabbit fish, I could see their unique eating habits.

All herbivores are not created equal - unless you're an urchin.

 

[JLynn]

Thanks, Karim. I just did a big algae clean/water change. Salvation.

I experienced water that was cloudier than normal. It was a more of a white color, not green. I read up on biopellet use. They recommended a solid skimmer, and/or lots of filter feeders, or risk cloudiness. I have neither, so I decided to discontinue it for now. I'll bring it back online when I am ready to add filter feeders.

The good news is, this stuff seems to work! I think sponges, tunicates and scallops will thrive with this method. Yay!

But right now, I just want the seagrasses to grow and get entrenched.

Five weeks into the nitrogen cycle. Getting close"¦

Now that most of the algae has been removed, the mollies are feeding on what remains. I knew they'd come around eventually"¦

Yippee!:bounce3: It's great to hear that everything is coming up roses for you! And it seems like the biopellets will work just fine. Can't wait to hear more about it.

Yes. I learned that algae eaters are specific to the length of the algae. Their mouth shapes and tips are tailored to eat only certain types. With 3 tangs and a rabbit fish, I could see their unique eating habits.

All herbivores are not created equal - unless you're an urchin.

Interesting! Good observation.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks, JLynn. I was surprised at how effective the biopellets were. Even just in my canister filter. They certainly had plenty to work with, with the tank still cycling.

The mollies finally seem to be discovering their roots as herbivores. Before, they seemed to have no idea why they were hired and what their job was. But they have responded well to training…

So true about mouth shapes and diets of different fish, Karim. Right now I'm shopping around for a Caribbean Blenny. It's tricky, because often blennies are lumped together and given the same description, diet, etcetera, on the fish sellers' web sites. But a lot of them are carnivorous, yet labeled algae eaters. You've got to look at their mouths.

Right now, I like the Horned Blenny, but not the Rhino Blenny. These two look pretty similar, but the mouth shapes are different. The Red Lipped Blenny is also under consideration. The problem with this one is that I've seen several different ones labeled as Red Lipped Blennies. And some aren't from the Caribbean. But I'm pretty sure I can get the right one from a Caribbean collector. I think I read somewhere that they can get a bit nippy, though. The Horned Blenny seems less so, and a mated pair could coexist in my tank. Having a mated pair would be sweet!

I think a blenny, a fighting conch and some more cerith snails should do it for my cleanup crew. I may need some more detrivores as well, once I get some fish in there.