Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[braden]

Sounds awesome! I'm impressed. I look forward to more. Post a link to your thread here!

Thanks!

Last night proved to be too busy; but I did manage to take a couple of pictures. Here's the thread: braden's Caribbean seagrass/mangrove aquarium

So stoked to have another member at the party! And a no-skimmer guy to boot!

Indeed; it's good to see other people trying their hand at this sort of tank. 20-some years ago, the idea of keeping seagrass was more-or-less unheard of. In fact, sand beds in general were so poorly understood that the prevailing notion was to eliminate them entirely.

I'm by no means opposed to skimmers in general; I can't imagine running a reef tank without one. But for what I'm trying to do with this tank, I think they might actually be counterproductive.

I could be dead wrong. If I wind up overrun with nuisance algae and cyanobacteria, I'll add one. But I'd like to test the notion that the desirable plant life in this tank will render a skimmer unnecessary. (I have also considered the possibility that I might need a skimmer when the tank is young, before much of the plant life has had a chance to establish itself. We'll see.)

Is it 24" high or front to back?

That's the height.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

You and I have the same view of skimmers-not really needed for this kind of tank. I'm in that nuisance algae/cyano phase right now. I'm more tempted to bring in an army of cleaners than a skimmer. But I don't want to get more than I need when algae settles down.

I've been researching caribbean blennies to add next, but I'm also trying to take into account an herbivorous fish I'll add later-the blue tang. I suspect the tang will take care of most algae on the fake wall, so I may forgo a blenny altogether. Meanwhile, I've got algae that needs attention now. It's a bit of a quandary. I'd add the tang now, but it's too aggressive to add before the smaller, more timid fish I have planned.

Maybe I'll add more cerith snails and a fighting conch to bridge the gap. And maybe I can get away with moving the tang up the introduction list a little.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Got a fighting conch today. Surprisingly, they had one at my LFS. I did a long drip acclimation. I like this method, as you don't have to do anything once you have the drip rate right.

With this guy in place, along with the cerith snails and mollies, I feel like I may have the substrate covered, for algae control. Time will tell!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

The new conch didn't move all day yesterday, so I was worried. Finally, I moved her close to the front glass, so I could better observe. I watched and watched. Just when I thought she was dead, I began seeing eye stalks emerge. So she's OK! Whew, what a relief! Now she's doing her thing, methodically cleaning the sandbed. Yay!

 

[sam.basye]

Conchs are weird but a great addition to any tank!

Before my giant horse conchs killed it... It would roam around most of the time, but occasionally it would bury its self for a day or so with its little eyes peaking through the sand.

Finally finished the foam wall! Decided to silicone the edges and cut teeth into the overflow for the built in fugeish thing. Lol Put the sand in and have RO water on hand. Gonna let it sit a few more days before I fill it... Oh and have to make the stand extension prior to filling.

How's the cycle going for the biotope??

--> I used the contact cement and when I had the wall out, I noticed the back side of the foam wall had a few brown discolorations on the glossy black dry foam from sitting.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Yes, conchs are interesting characters. With those eyes and mouth/trunk! And they stay on the sand. For my sandbed, which has course sand and shells on top, conchs are a better choice than cucumbers, I think.

I'm at five and a half weeks, so the cycle is likely winding down. I've noticed the algae isn't coming back as strong after cleaning as it did before, so that's a good sign. I should look through my test kits, and give it a test.

Sounds like you're about ready to fill 'er up! Did you do your fake wall like mine, with sand and no rocks? How are you securing it to prevent floating? I'd love to see pics. Are you going to post a build thread? What fish, plants, inverts are you planning? I'd love to hear more!

 

[sam.basye]

I'd like to start filling it Thursday. That gives me a little more time for the little bit of foam I resprayed to cure.

I started with ziptied rocks too the eggcrate - lots of different angles with the eggcrate too. Then foamed around it and pressed the air out. I sprinkled crushed lace rock for round one but it didn't really stick so I glued beach sand to it with contact cement. I took chunks of foam off that looked unnatural, but didn't sand anything. I had the break the wall in half to get it in and I reformed the seam this past weekend. I sealed the edges with silicone to prevent snappy from escaping into the fuge. Lol
It's a pretty tight fit and the silicone should keep it from floating.

My only concern as of now is that usually nothing ever works when I try to create something the first time... The overflow concept and the hob filter return make me nervous - very narrow gap between foam ledge and lid - may have to remove more foam.

The plan is to let it run with RO water for 2 weeks then add salt and start to cycle the tank until the first week of Jan. That gives me about 6 weeks for the cycle to do its thing.

As for a build thread.... I don't know if I want to be held to the standards that I'm holing you to. Haha I'm considering it though

Snappy and my green chromis + 2 diff hermits and mithrrax crab will be relocated to the new tank. In addition to my numerous little frags. I want a tailspot blenny and to eventually breed a pair of clowns to try and fund my hobby lol some more snails and hermits and another chromis or two. A conch - getting rid of myth two horse conchs and whelk.

Will post pics later today.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I know what you mean about stuff not working the first time. I was just saying to Karim the other day, how it's nearly impossible to take everything into account, in the planning stages. So, you build it, see how it works, then modify/rebuild to finish. The trick is to have the fortitude/gumption to do it again! If I never have to fool with foam walls again, I'll die happy. I really could/should redo my overflow and foam covering…

I know what you mean about starting a thread too! It doesn't have to be fancy, just yours. And discussion leads to new ideas, especially with all the great people on RC.

Breeding clownfish would be very cool. From what I've read, the cardinals are even easier to breed than clowns, but they're kind of boring, in my opinion.

I look forward to the pics!

 

[sam.basye]

Yeah I know it, I didn't have any gloves this go around and it lasted about 3 days on my fingers. Lol

I'm more excited about it now its nearing completion! The built in fuge is one of them 'shoot in the dark with your eyes closed and hope you didn't shoot yourself' kinda experiments.

Planning on putting rubble rock in it with chaetomorpha in there.. <--- Does it float??

Been thinking of hollowing the light housing it came with and hiding my orbit marine led and putting a fan on it... We'll see.

I might make a thread when I start stocking it. That way its less boring of a thread. Hopefully I don't embarrass myself by killing everything . haha

The fiancée thinks cardinals are weird looking so that's out. Lol

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Keep in mind, a lot of people find the pre-stocking, build part very interesting. Now that my tank is up and running, interest seems to be waning a bit. I'm just watching the grass grow…

Losing fish is a bummer, but let's face it, we've all killed fish! I used the 'embarrassment factor' to motivate me through those hellish DIY projects!

So, you're doing a refugium in the overflow, like me? I look forward to seeing how it works for you. I've yet to check mine for pods, but the ulva and chaeto are doing very well, and I like the look too. Yep, it floats.

Pics?

 

[sam.basye]

Alright, guess I start a build thread this weekend :hmm5:

Heres you some pics!


Fuzzy, but the general idea. Its about 4' up so viewing will be really nice.


Left side


Center


Right side


Right wall


Left wall w/ 2-3" fuge space


Overflow teeth (3 openings) to where the skimmer will sit


HOB filter return over top of wall - area of concern due to low clearance


Different view

 

[sam.basye]

Skimmer cut-out area and heater


HOB filter compartment on right has carbon/floss. Left side will have rubble/sand? with my mangrove propagule and the floss.


Pic before adding contact cement and beach sand - crushed coral substrate

Any feedback is welcome.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Speaking of watching the grass grow…

Speaking of watching the grass grow"¦

This manatee grass shoot is over a foot tall now.

You can see it contrasting in front of a hole in the back wall.

Here's the new conch. Looking at a lot of green in front of her!

My substrate is gradually getting cleared up, thanks to my crew.

The turtle grass (thalassia) is hanging in there, growing new leaves slowly, as old leaves die.

This one will take awhile to take off, as is not a pioneering species, like the shoal and manatee grasses are. It's waiting for the sandbed to mature. Leaf litter is what it needs. When I catch dead blades, I push them into the DSB to keep them close to the grasses.

We touched on self-sustaining aquariums awhile back. I guess you could say I have one right now. I have never fed anything to this tank, yet it supports producers and consumers that are on a continuous path to balance. Of course it's much simpler now than what it will evolve into. But for now, I'm thoroughly enjoying watching Mother Nature work for me. Understanding these natural processes is the key keeping my tank low tech.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Sam, that's funny, we posted pics at the same time!

Your wall and tank look awesome! Great job with the foam! It looks like you did 'dollops', rather than rows or zig zags. It looks very natural!

I wasn't able to do any trimming on mine after I applied the resin and sand. They were too hard to cut with hand tools. Maybe your use of contact cement will allow you to still trim yours. You may want to do a test on a practice piece first. I'm sure you'll figure it all out once you get water in there.

Very nice!

 

[sam.basye]

Thanks! I wouldnt use the contact cement again, dried kinda yellow.

Xacto knife and portable dremel work well for me.


These are the current reef inhabitants that will get relocated

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Nice! Those will go well in the new setup!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

The mollies have really come around, working the surface of my deep sand bed. They're even eating cyanobacteria! I'm so glad they relearned their natural feeding behavior.

The cerith snails are a mystery. They all bury in the substrate during the day, so I don't know how many are alive and how many perished. There is evidence of cleaning, but not a lot.

The conch's doing great. My only concern is whether or not it can climb the rocks to get to the DSB. Maybe I can build it a sand ramp.

I've just about talked myself out of getting a blenny. With the blue tang and cherub angels coming later, I think I might try to keep a minimum of herbivores in the interim.

I should be able to add some fish soon. I'll probably add the royal grammas first. I can't wait to see them use the caves! It's gonna be cool…

 

[JLynn]

... Speaking of grass, did you know that none of the grass we keep in our yards (and pretty much everywhere else) is actually native to America? Apparently, American grasses are all the super-tall types that go up to your knees (at the very least). I think some of them are actually endangered.

Anyways, for inspiration, while we watch your grass grow, you should check out Guit's Rose Garden on Nano Reefs. It is a gorgeous Floridian biotope! No seagrass, but it does have macro algae and several lovely corals (Manicina areolata and Oculina sp.) that were collected as hitchhikers on Floridian live rock. It also now has 3 pretty little gobies.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I checked it out. Nice tank! Are those the corals you lust for? I also checked out that sponge site, which is very cool.

 

[JLynn]

I do like deepwater Oculina varicosa, but the one I would really love to get a hold of is Madracis mirabilis, the yellow pencil coral. It would be absolutely perfect for a tank with a shoal of small, colorful fish, or, even better, a pair of candy basslets.

I also love gorgonians a lot, and at the top of my list is Gorgonia mariae, which stays appropriately small in the wild, unlike its congenitors, who can grow to be a few meters wide.

But I have to say that Guit's "Rose Garden" makes a great case for adding Manicina areolata to my list!