Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Michael Hoaster]

I did some tank maintenance today.

10% water change, target caulerpa pruning, plant tabs inserted into substrate for the manatee grasses. I fed the anemone and dosed sodium silicate.

After waiting 3 weeks for it to come back, I attempted the 'rubbing technique' with the cotton candy algae, on the fake root. Hopefully this will work and it'll have a chance to get a foothold, before Zippy notices it.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Post water change Full Tank Shot

Zippin' 'round.

 

[cksss]

Beautiful!
It looks like the Atlantic tang just can't stop eating :lolspin:

Post water change Full Tank Shot

Zippin' 'round.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks cksss!

He keeps pretty busy. He eats a variety of macro algae. His grazing is changing the tank.

 

[jraker]

I have a few questions:

A) what kind of barnacle blennies are those?

B) where did you get them? I really want some.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Hancock's Barnacle Blenny - Acanthemblemaria hancocki

I got mine from Petsolutions.com. I've also seen them at BlueZooAquatics.com, thatfishplace.com and my LFS.

 

[jraker]

Thanks. I was thinking of starting a macro tank of my own, and I really wanted some of those blennies. How often do you even see them? Most websites say that they really like to hide.

BTW, amazing tank you got there.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Macro tanks are great! Start one! Unlike reef tanks, in macro tanks, high nutrient levels are a good thing.

I don't see them available that often, but I'm not looking for them either. Nowadays, most companies have a "email when available" button, when they're out of stock. I'd take advantage of that. They do like a place to hide, but their heads are always out, looking for passing food, so they're always visible. They are great aquarium fish, and just plain funny looking! I'm quite sure the patrons at "The Crabby Patty" (Sponge Bob) are based on this fish.

I see your avatar is a sail fin blenny. Are you currently keeping these? Would you care to share your experience with them?

Thank you for the compliment on the tank!

 

[jraker]

Macro tanks are great! Start one! Unlike reef tanks, in macro tanks, high nutrient levels are a good thing.

I don't see them available that often, but I'm not looking for them either. Nowadays, most companies have a "email when available" button, when they're out of stock. I'd take advantage of that. They do like a place to hide, but their heads are always out, looking for passing food, so they're always visible. They are great aquarium fish, and just plain funny looking! I'm quite sure the patrons at "The Crabby Patty" (Sponge Bob) are based on this fish.

I see your avatar is a sail fin blenny. Are you currently keeping these? Would you care to share your experience with them?

Thank you for the compliment on the tank!

Yeah, I just started a thread on possibly starting one up. My avatar is a Gulf Signal Blenny, similar to a sailfin blenny, but I am not sure they have ever been collected. Definitely my dream fish for some day. I am not currently keeping one, but I might in the new macro tank.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Is My Manatee Grass Flowering?!!!!

Is My Manatee Grass Flowering?!!!!

I was giving the tank the old morning once-over, when I noticed some new 'sheaths' on a manatee grass plant. I have not seen these structures before on any of them. After referring to the interwebs, I have concluded I have flowers on the way!

Unfortunately it is in the back, so the pics are pretty sucky. I marked on one with white brackets to point out what I'm talking about:

 

[saltwater sam]

No way!! Congrats man, that is a real milestone.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Sam. I'm going to hold off celebrating until I'm sure. I've done some studying and it makes me less sure. I'll keep observing.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

So, there are male and female manatee grass plants. Male and female flowers, and underwater pollen. The whole sexual process occurs underwater. Most freshwater plants have emergent flowers.

I still believe that one of my plants is flowering. One other possibility is new stem growth from the old stem, like a branch, sort of. But I've seen this in some of the other plants, and it doesn't look like these new structures. So I'm fairly confident they're flowers.

I wonder if any others will flower too. That would be so cool! Male and female flowers having sex in my aquarium! Producing fruit and seeds!

 

[sam.basye]

That's going to be pretty cool, assuming it looks like a flower? I'll have to Google it. Lol

You don't have anything running that will trap all the pollen right? Just the circulation pump in the root and closed loop deal with no filters.

Maybe you will get hybrid grass. Lol turtatee grass!

Still got your conch?

My LFS charges ~$70 for a panamic barnacle blenny...
Needless to say, they have sold many.

 

[sam.basye]

We'll, slightly disappointed your tank isn't going to look like a daisy patch after googling it..

The concept however, is still pretty cool! Should make you feel like you're doing something right and things are working like you planned!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Right, I have no mechanical filtration. So pollination could be possible, IF I get male and female plants to flower.

I still have the conch, yes. Such a cool snail!

My LFS has barnacle bennies too. They want 40.

The purple condylactis anemone moved up the wall 3 or 4 inches. It's the first time it hasn't been in contact with the sand. I noticed some very white caulerpa this morning. I took the scissors to them pretty quick. The grammas are growing. The harem social structure is still working. It's a fairly peaceful community, interacting naturally. It won't be long before…bow chicka chicka bow bow.

Yeah, not really a daisy patch, but beautiful to me! I do feel like I'm doing something right! I wish I knew what that was!

 

[sam.basye]

Nothing better than sitting back and watching what you have created after realizing you started with an empty glass box.

Plan on adding any sort of new critters any time soon??

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Word.

I've been wracking my brain trying to decide on the next fish addition. I considered some of the small caribbean gobies, but I need to be careful about adding benthic plankton predators. I don't want them to wipe out these crucial detrivore members of my little ecosystem.

With aiptasia anemones popping up all over, I may need to add a peppermint shrimp again, for temporary work.

I'm considering some of the caribbean chrommises. The downside with them is that they are another plankton picker, adding more competition for the blennies and grammas. Not too big a deal, since I can just feed more.

I'd love to add caribbean butterflies, but they'd go after my condylactis. Maybe if I could find a crab that would defend and protect the condylactis, it could work. I considered adding Zoanthids, which can spread out of control, then add butterflies to keep them cropped back.

I'm looking at angels as well. The cherub is a possibility, but they can be mean, so they are a last fish added to the tank kind of fish. The rock beauty is another one. They eat sponges, which I hope to have in numbers, if the universe will let me. So far, I'm 0 for 2 with sponges. If I gave up on sponges, I could keep rock beauties, and feed them sponge-heavy angelfish food.

Unfortunately, the two most desirable (by me) fish require bigger tanks than mine. They are the queen angel and the lookdown. I'm already dreaming up a new tank design that could accommodate them. But that is way down the road…

 

[jraker]

What about a spotfin butterfly?

I heard the rusty angelfish is pretty peaceful, I am getting on for my new macro tank.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

The spotfin eats anemones, the rusty is not caribbean. But thanks, jraker!