Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Chasmodes]

On the overflow/sump question, if you're not putting the filtration in the sump, it has to be in the display. I did it with plants and detrivores and the food chain. What will you do it with? How about plants from the bay? That would be cool!

That's what I'm thinking. Honestly, I was looking to do the same thing with the sump just being a big fuge, no filtration other than biological, using either macros or an ATS.

By the way, do you still have a gorgonian? If I ever get my tank to full salt, I may try and collect some further South in the Bay.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

With your oyster reefs, it may look weird to crowd them with plants, so it may work better to put them in a sump/fuge. Acrylic tanks are so easy to cut and drill, etc. I've done a ton of mods to mine. Regular, wood, hole saw bits are cheap and work fine, as do regular jig saws. Depending on how you place the tank, you could do a coast2coast, or a corner overflow. Plus, you can put them on the outside of your tank, so they don't take up any space. You can even skip the overflow and just use screened bulkheads, but you won't get the great surface skimming of a long overflow, and they could clog.

Do you have any plans to soak/cure your reefs? It seems likely those oyster shells would leach some stuff that might cause an algae bloom. A trash can or baby pool might be handy for that, or you could put them in the tank with no light, and change the water frequently until it's done.

I know it's a bit daunting to start hacking away at your brand new tank, but it may be about that time! Good luck!

I still have 3 gorgonians. None are thriving, in my opinion. I'm sure I could do more to favor them, but I want them to work without any special treatment, like target feeding. I know I'm way too lazy for that. They have to survive with my regular broadcast tank feeding.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I got two new sponges and a tree grasilaria today. A red ridge sponge and an orange fan sponge. Ironically, the sponges looked much better than the grasilaria, upon arrival. Both sponges are in the four inch range, which I like. I want to start small and see growth. I got the sponges wedged into some live rock holes in pretty dim light, far to the right. I knocked lose all three of the fake roots in turn, in the process. They pressed right back on. I placed the tree grasilaria under the same rubber bands I used for the late dictoya. It looks cool on the roots, with the current. I don't think the snails will eat this one.

It's kind of fun to focus on the ecosystem-y stuff, while I wait for the berghias to do their thing. My sand bed is full of life, and I tweak it's composition as I see what it needs. The more diversity at the bottom of the food chain, the better. Sure, fish are the stars of the show, but the supporting cast is very cool too!

Rather than me maintaining a filter, I let everything settle out, right in the display, where it can be processed and recycled by the cast of thousands. It's just Mother Nature, taking care of my tank for me!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I thought it might be fun to post some pics, showing the return of the macros, since I removed Zippy, the Atlantic Blue Tang.

April 19, 2016. Zippy is still here. Note the last remaining strongholds of caulerpa at the top of the back wall and around the barnacles. Most of the back wall, the fake roots and the DSB rocks are all but bare.

May 15. Not much caulerpa left. Fake root bare. Mom, the fighting conch, contemplates a big step down…

June 11. Almost no caulerpa! Seagrass is happy without the competition for nutrients, but the tank looks rather stark.

July 3. Caulerpa is making a comeback, on the back wall and DSB planter.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

August 8. After almost 3 weeks out of town, I returned to this. Massive caulerpa coverage, grasilaria hayi showing up on the roots, tons of coralline algae on the front glass. I wonder what's under all that caulerpa"¦

August 14. After a massive caulerpa pruning that filled a bucket, lots of other macros are revealed. Blue hypnea, and various red macros are bouncing back nicely.

August 29-two weeks later. Macros are growing like gangbusters! The blue light is added to the right end of the tank.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

The new guys:

Orange fan sponge bottom right. Top middle right is tree grasilaria.

Red ridge sponge left. Plating coralline algae mid right. Fan sponge shares a rock with a small ball sponge.

Both sponges visible, as well as tree grasilaria.

 

[JZinCO]

Not sure if you have addressed this but, do.you spot or broadcast feed your sponges?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Broadcast. I'm feeding phytoplankton daily, for the sponges and the tiny crew. No mechanical filtration. Bacteria from the bio pellets. I'm dosing sodium silicate, for sponges and snails. Most aquariums produce lots of what sponges like, like DOM, dissolved organic matter.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I pruned a lot of turtle grass. I pinched them off at ground level, so they are temporarily gone.

I like it.

The tree grasilaria and sponges.

Alien landscape.

Full tank.

After hours…

I pressed some plant tabs into the DSB for the manatee grass. I did the weekly dosing as well. I have upped the sodium silicate dosage, for the new sponges.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm still liking the fewer turtle grass shoots. Less clutter, more negative space for the manatee grass!

We're a colorful bunch.

Right on que, the condylactis anemone is bigger. I fed it a larger piece of fish last week. Pretty conclusive!

Hey, this is my closeup!

The evil Corpse Bride Grasilaria. In this colorful company, it stands out being duller.

 

[McPuff]

I love that shot of the blennies! :0)

 

[Chasmodes]

I love that shot of the blennies! :0)

Me too, that's awesome!

Thanks for the overflow suggestions Michael. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet exactly, but that gives me food for thought. I don't want to show any equipment if possible, that's my goal anyway.

Do you have any plans to soak/cure your reefs? It seems likely those oyster shells would leach some stuff that might cause an algae bloom. A trash can or baby pool might be handy for that, or you could put them in the tank with no light, and change the water frequently until it's done.

I don't plan to soak them. Actually, they still have some dried up dead material in some of them. I was thinking that the right bacteria might be there to cycle the tank, and they'd provide the food. It will be my version of a fishless cycle.

Also, there might be some life come back from them that would make the tank that much more realistic. I'm not worried about algae too much, because I think an ATS or perhaps just macros in the fuge will eventually out compete anything. We'll see. It is a big experiment, kind of like how you started. Everything in the food chain from the Bay and into my tank. I'll run fallow for a while so as to reduce or eliminate fish parasites.

Oyster reefs are not clean and beautiful like our coral reefs. Most people might think of them as kind of nasty. But, they seem beautiful to me, and hopefully good enough for my future tank inhabitants. I want an interesting tank full of local life, highlighting my feature blennies. That is the end goal.

Man, those pics of your tank get me so fired up. Very inspirational, thank you!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks McPuff! Those guys are always ready to pose. They usually end up in the background, like Where's Waldo.

That reminds me, four out of six barnacle blennies are now in the barnacles! I took some pics to prove it, but none were good enough to post. It is especially fun at feeding time, the way they rapidly shoot back and forth-it's a frenzy!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

"Everything in the food chain from the Bay and into my tank." -Yeah! That will be awesome.

"Oyster reefs are not clean and beautiful like our coral reefs. Most people might think of them as kind of nasty. But, they seem beautiful to me, and hopefully good enough for my future tank inhabitants. I want an interesting tank full of local life, highlighting my feature blennies. That is the end goal." -I love it!

Coral reef tanks are nice, but haven't we seen enough? There are so many OTHER environments in the ocean to model. What you are doing, modeling a local biotope, with all hand-caught species, is the ultimate! And it IS beautiful!

No visible plumbing is the way of the future. Good luck with the tank!

I'm glad you like the pics, and thanks for saying so!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Well, the tree grasilaria didn't make it. On arrival, the plant was green and its water was red. I went ahead and put it in the tank, but it kept getting worse. Today they were all but gone.

On the plus side, the sponges were in great shape. And aquarium depot is crediting me for the plant. Yay!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I bought two new halymenia-type macros today. It said frag, so they're going to be small. Kinda pricey, but the shipping was cheap, so I'm good. Maybe these will be the right macros for the root.

I found 2 pieces of tree grasilaria that might still be viable. I put them back on the root. I'm really determined to get some flowy macros growing on it. They look really cool and they will help shade the sponges.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I was looking through old pics and found this one…

 

[sam.basye]

I was looking through old pics and found this one"¦

Zippin' right along!

 

[McPuff]

I actually have a few barnacles now as well and hope my blenny additions will take to them as yours have!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Man, Sam, I miss that fish! So pretty and so much personality! I don't miss what he did to my macros…if only he only ate caulerpa, that would be sweet. It's great to have a photo history of my tank. Really helpful and pretty fun! I refer to it often.

McPuff, those barnacle shell clusters are almost irresistible to small fish. Even the royal grammas go in there! Have you got the new tank up and running? Are you past the tank-scare?