Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank
- Thread starter Michael Hoaster
- Start date
Yep, macros from GCE (Gulf Coast Ecosystems), seagrasses from Florida Pets. Both companies, as well as KP Aquatics, are excellent, in my experience.
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
I did a rescape, so these pictures are incorrect now, and the 90 is only about 2/5 full, but here's a few pics. I also ruined my Caribbean biotope, I added a blue damsel... :/ Oh well. I'm getting another group of females and a non-blue morph male too. I really need some brittle stars to clean up the poo from all of those mollies which have since been removed (except a few fry that got sucked up into the filtration)
Yup, he's a male. The males from the Philippines & Japan are completely blue with dark bars on the fins, while the females lack the black spot and have fairly clear fins.
Here's my volley or basketball sized clump of Caulerpa lentellifera, C. prolifera, C. brachypus, Gracilaria sp, Chaetomorpha sp, and many more. I also have a giant colony of C. paspaloides, individual pieces look like mini palm trees.
The long way before the rescape
http://s356.photobucket.com/user/se...1333305711-393230826_zpsbvkailwh.jpg.html?o=4
It's Botryocladia sp, I have some too.
Here's my Red Grape farm, I also have a frag of it I made that is approaching the size of a tennis ball
Yup, he's a male. The males from the Philippines & Japan are completely blue with dark bars on the fins, while the females lack the black spot and have fairly clear fins.
Here's my volley or basketball sized clump of Caulerpa lentellifera, C. prolifera, C. brachypus, Gracilaria sp, Chaetomorpha sp, and many more. I also have a giant colony of C. paspaloides, individual pieces look like mini palm trees.
The long way before the rescape
http://s356.photobucket.com/user/se...1333305711-393230826_zpsbvkailwh.jpg.html?o=4
Yo - Grass guys!
So I found a strange hitchhiker in my sump chaeto mass... a refugee from almost two years ago who has survived and is fighting for room...
In some cases, it's nearly out of the water. I have a surge so the water line goes up and down - so being exposed like this is usually temporary but I'd think it would grow down towards the constantly submerged region...
Red bubble caulerpa???
I think a couple of bubbles came in by accident in the water the chaeto came in with and just disappeared. It looks like it got a foothold in the corner and has been staging a comeback.
Just thought you'd get a kick out of it. Surprised me.
It's Botryocladia sp, I have some too.
Here's my Red Grape farm, I also have a frag of it I made that is approaching the size of a tennis ball
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karimwassef
Active member
Very pretty when in a big bunch. Maybe I'll transport some to my DT. See if tangs will leave it alone.
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
Doesn't seem to be appealing to herbivorous fish, the bubbles are filled with a jellylike substance. It does spread fairly quickly though, I have small bubbles covering a few rocks. And you have a 12 foot skimmer?!?!
karimwassef
Active member
lol yes. Maybe I'll give them a dedicated zone in the refugium.
I like the blue damsel, Genera. Nice pics too!
Are you are adding a group of females to start a harem? Why add a second male? Do you have a thread for this tank? Love to hear more!
Are you are adding a group of females to start a harem? Why add a second male? Do you have a thread for this tank? Love to hear more!
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
I put an empty light bulb in my tank :rollface: , and yes, I have a batch of females ready to go soon, 5 of them. I'm adding a second male because I'd like to see how they interact, and if it doesn't go well, I have a place for him to go afterwards. I can pretend that someone didn't want their damsels so they threw them into the Caribbean. :rollface: I wish I had a thread, but I don't... :/ I plan to downsize/upgrade this tank into 40 breeders in a few weeks/months, and I'm going to attempt to make a few indoor ponds made of pond liners and cinder blocks, with glorifying touches, I'll attempt to make threads for those. I just have to convince everyone to allow me so. On a side note, I'm into the freshwater and other parts of the hobby as well. I have a snake that lives with a 7-legged spider, and I have a few planted tanks emersed & submerged, along with sunfish (found them in a freezing stream with the lake frozen over so I took them in, will be releasing in the spring), white cloud minnows, and a pair of huge goldfish (giving to someone with a pond). I'm also in the process of cleaning/redoing my fish room, to make it look less like a big mess (and sound like a giant bumblebee), and more like a relaxing place.
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nawilson89
New member
Here's pic of my rogue shrimp.
He's a Caribbean variety: Dark emerald green w' translucent blue tail.
His Lair
It's safe to say. That's not a pistol shrimp. That's something that ate the shrimp and is wearing it's skin.
I think I speak to everyone when I ask "What happened to the eighth leg?"
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
I don't really know! I found it with 7 legs. Maybe a fairy ate it and regurgitated it to her foster children.
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
Ah, here we are. I got a HUGE clump (about the size of a child's head) of Halimeda, and I finally got a bunch of these tiny shrimp hitchhikers I've been trying to get! I think they are mysid shrimp, not sure. I also got a bunch of pods, worms, stars, etc. The thing is this monstrous Halimeda clump was $10! Don't mind me, but LiveAquaria sells 1.5-3in clumps for $15. I'm also mixing 10 gallons of water to put in, too see what it would look like filled up a bit more.
Halimeda
Don't worry, these are good worms.
Pretty sure these are mysid shrimp, I've been wanting to establish a colony for a while, and now I have a bunch.
Mollies again
FTS? I think it looks ok.
Halimeda
Don't worry, these are good worms.
Pretty sure these are mysid shrimp, I've been wanting to establish a colony for a while, and now I have a bunch.
Mollies again
FTS? I think it looks ok.
I attempted to shoot a video of the tank today. Too many reflections! I'll try again tonight. In the meantime, here are a few pics:
The grammas have started to spread out a bit. Of course they still mess with each other.
Mister Pederson makes a rare photographable appearance.
In the Meadow.
Maybe my best pic so far of a gramma. Still not near good enough…
Happy New Year!
The grammas have started to spread out a bit. Of course they still mess with each other.
Mister Pederson makes a rare photographable appearance.
In the Meadow.
Maybe my best pic so far of a gramma. Still not near good enough…
Happy New Year!
Getting there…
Here's the weird macro that started out nearly black and is now nearly white.
These fish are so freaking cool! See the blenny bombing the photo, saying, "Hey I'm still here! You guys aren't THAT pretty!"
nawilson89
New member
This is amazing. Everyone is celebrating the new year and us "weird cousins" are updating forums!
Yep! The cool kids…
So, for a little update, the tang does not appear to be eating any of the foods I've introduced. He seems to be eating only local flora. I've noticed, in a couple places, the macro algae looks pruned back. It looks better! I keep checking, and he does appear well fed. So the tang-macro equilibrium scheme has a chance! Could it be possible that I never have to feed the tang AND I never have to prune the macros again?
While most of my focus has been on the new fish lately, I'm still keeping an eye on the grasses. One thing I'm doing differently is allowing dead blades to settle on the bottom, as in nature. It would seem to be beneficial, not to remove something that's normally there. It's a natural recycling process that I'd like to see happen in my tank. I think it will benefit the detrivore community as well.
As the Royal Grammas have settled in, they've spread out more around the tank. They still appear to be in a harem social structure though, as the larger male checks in with each female and reassures them that he is da man.
So, for a little update, the tang does not appear to be eating any of the foods I've introduced. He seems to be eating only local flora. I've noticed, in a couple places, the macro algae looks pruned back. It looks better! I keep checking, and he does appear well fed. So the tang-macro equilibrium scheme has a chance! Could it be possible that I never have to feed the tang AND I never have to prune the macros again?
While most of my focus has been on the new fish lately, I'm still keeping an eye on the grasses. One thing I'm doing differently is allowing dead blades to settle on the bottom, as in nature. It would seem to be beneficial, not to remove something that's normally there. It's a natural recycling process that I'd like to see happen in my tank. I think it will benefit the detrivore community as well.
As the Royal Grammas have settled in, they've spread out more around the tank. They still appear to be in a harem social structure though, as the larger male checks in with each female and reassures them that he is da man.
I hate it when I post pics and then it goes to the next page. Here are some repeats that have been cropped tighter:
I had no luck attaching gracillaria or any other macros. I tried super glue. The glued part would die and release the plant. All the attached plants I have grew from nothing (spores?), and were firmly connected to their substrate, be it dead coral rocks or fake mangrove root. My tank was too nutrient-starved for them at first, and they all gradually broke down. When nutrient levels increased, new plants popped up all over. The caulerpa completely disappeared for months, then came back with a vengeance!
I have manatee, turtle and shoal grass. I bought a 'red sampler pack' from GCE. I can't remember which varieties now. The green caulerpa is racemosa, var. peltata. There are a few unknown macros that just popped up as well. Condylactis gigantea anemone and two shrimp-one pederson and one periclimenes yucatan. There are several unknown encrusting sponges on the few live rocks I have. One looks to be a small yellow ball sponge. The sponges I got from Griffin are some type of tube sponge, but as far as I can tell none survived. I added lots of mixed pods, and live mud containing brittle stars and spaghetti worms, etc. There are a few solitary polyps of (tooth?) coral on the live rock as well. Oh, I have a frag of tan gorgonian that's been hanging on for more than a year. I have two snail varieties, both reproducing-cerith and strombus.
I'm sure I've forgotten some, but that's about it.
I have manatee, turtle and shoal grass. I bought a 'red sampler pack' from GCE. I can't remember which varieties now. The green caulerpa is racemosa, var. peltata. There are a few unknown macros that just popped up as well. Condylactis gigantea anemone and two shrimp-one pederson and one periclimenes yucatan. There are several unknown encrusting sponges on the few live rocks I have. One looks to be a small yellow ball sponge. The sponges I got from Griffin are some type of tube sponge, but as far as I can tell none survived. I added lots of mixed pods, and live mud containing brittle stars and spaghetti worms, etc. There are a few solitary polyps of (tooth?) coral on the live rock as well. Oh, I have a frag of tan gorgonian that's been hanging on for more than a year. I have two snail varieties, both reproducing-cerith and strombus.
I'm sure I've forgotten some, but that's about it.
