Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank
- Thread starter Michael Hoaster
- Start date
Definitely! IF I catch him…
eastlake
New member
Originally I had one big male gramma, similar to your present situation, and then I later added 2 much smaller gramma. The only struggle that occurred was that he couldn't find algae to build nests with fast enough lol, and then sadly when his girlies died he stopped eating as though he lost the will to live and passed. But each situation is unique, that's not to say that yours would just reject the newbies, it very well may be easier to start with a new colony I'm sure you'd have no problem rehoming the fellow you have now. But my experience was a positive one. Thought I'd throw my two cents in.
Jaws?
Thanks for chiming in, eastlake. That's very encouraging to hear. I have faint hope of ever catching him. You said he was a good guy to the new girls, but then you said they died. He had nothing to do with their deaths?
Thanks for chiming in, eastlake. That's very encouraging to hear. I have faint hope of ever catching him. You said he was a good guy to the new girls, but then you said they died. He had nothing to do with their deaths?
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Yep. I love that movie. :rollface: My demented mind moved from hiring a fisherman to a Jaws quote. :fun5:
It's a classic for sure! Demented? Yep! Who puts oyster shells in an aquarium? Weirdotown, population: you.
BonesCJ, it varies with the mollies. As you may recall, I first bought them to make babies/feeders for my ill-fated Lookdown adventure. Then I kept them around to help with algae control, during hypo salinity. Now, I'm feeling like I don't need any, so I'm down to one in the display and two in QT. I still have the fish trap set, so hopefully I'll catch the last one. It was cool when they had a bunch of babies.
Sorry for the vague answer. In my opinion, the most important number is how many males to females. If you want babies, two females per male is recommended. If you don't, then no males, or no females. If I had an algae problem, I'd try to get their population up again, or if I needed feeders. If you don't mind the rather freshwater look of them, they are very handy to have on hand!
BonesCJ, it varies with the mollies. As you may recall, I first bought them to make babies/feeders for my ill-fated Lookdown adventure. Then I kept them around to help with algae control, during hypo salinity. Now, I'm feeling like I don't need any, so I'm down to one in the display and two in QT. I still have the fish trap set, so hopefully I'll catch the last one. It was cool when they had a bunch of babies.
Sorry for the vague answer. In my opinion, the most important number is how many males to females. If you want babies, two females per male is recommended. If you don't, then no males, or no females. If I had an algae problem, I'd try to get their population up again, or if I needed feeders. If you don't mind the rather freshwater look of them, they are very handy to have on hand!
Chasmodes
Well-known member
:wildone: You've got me pegged! :beer:
It was my highest form of compliment.
JohnZena
New member
It is actually a funny story. I had wanted Fiji rock and hyperthetically I qas willing to go to Fuji to get it. A dozen trials and tribulations later I couldnt find any decent Fiju rock. So I bite the byllet and get some gorgeous clean Caribbean rock. About a month later Im reading on a site called Offer Up and thia guy is selling Fuji Rock for dirt cheap. Long story short he has 200 pounds of Fiji rock sitting in a horse watering vatt filled with saltwater for the past 2 months. It was a beautiful purple with sponges and pieces of coral all over it. My heart was pounding. $200 later it is sitting in a Brut garbage pail filled with saltwater growing like mad. Waste not want not I came up with the idea for a wall. I made a little mock up and it was way beyond my wildest dreams. It was awesome. Now keep in mind that in between all this I am being tranferred and am in the process of moving. Hence the delay.
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Sweet! Keep us apprised of your progress. Good luck with the move!
Chasmodes
Well-known member
That's the way that I took it. Thanks! :thumbsup:
Do you have any pics of your blennies? What fish species are now in your tank (stock list)? How are the Chromis doing?
Right now I have three sailfin blennies, four barnacle blennies, a molly and a royal gramma. I haven't gotten any good pics of the blennies lately, as most of them hang in the shady end of the tank. They just look like rocks! I'll try and make an effort to get some decent pics.
The three blue chromis are doing well in QT and eating well. They prefer the smaller cyclops to the mysis. They are a gorgeous blue color. It sucks I lost two, but I'll learn from this and add it to my experience with them. I'd love to have a large school of them, but maybe it's best to start with fewer, while I get to know them. I'm very curious to see how they differ from blue green chromis, in regards to how well they get along in the confines of my tank. So far, observing them in QT, they seem much less aggressive. I've yet to see a singe squabble.
The back wall is getting less and less bare. Lots of unidentifiable stuff popping up. I'm seeing some cool, turf algae as well. A couple of them are starting to show what look like small, round 'leaves'. I think they are caulerpa racemosa, coming back from the grave! I'm trying to think how to get rid of them without leaving a trace. Maybe I incorporate a plastic bag in the removal process. I could also inject the site with ammonia. I guess if that stuff comes back again I'll have an excuse to get another Atlantic Blue Tang, or another herbivorous fish.
The three blue chromis are doing well in QT and eating well. They prefer the smaller cyclops to the mysis. They are a gorgeous blue color. It sucks I lost two, but I'll learn from this and add it to my experience with them. I'd love to have a large school of them, but maybe it's best to start with fewer, while I get to know them. I'm very curious to see how they differ from blue green chromis, in regards to how well they get along in the confines of my tank. So far, observing them in QT, they seem much less aggressive. I've yet to see a singe squabble.
The back wall is getting less and less bare. Lots of unidentifiable stuff popping up. I'm seeing some cool, turf algae as well. A couple of them are starting to show what look like small, round 'leaves'. I think they are caulerpa racemosa, coming back from the grave! I'm trying to think how to get rid of them without leaving a trace. Maybe I incorporate a plastic bag in the removal process. I could also inject the site with ammonia. I guess if that stuff comes back again I'll have an excuse to get another Atlantic Blue Tang, or another herbivorous fish.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I love that aspect of trying to replicate nature. It makes a tank that much more exciting as long as the things popping up aren't pests!
Me too! Making my tank look like a natural place is the goal. I have truly enjoyed my fake wall. It's a fascinating challenge, combining random, encrusting organisms with things like plants that you purposely plant. Last weekend, while pruning, it occurred to me that what I'm doing is basically gardening, with the added complication of ecosystem building, all in a pretty confined, underwater environment. Aquarists are an ambitious bunch, aren't we?
I feel like I'm learning a lot more about the natural world, utilizing nature's players, to achieve some semblance of balance. It seems so normal to me, yet I often feel like a very tiny minority, in this rather tech-obsessed hobby. Where some see excessive detritus, they think mechanical filtration, and I think detrivores. To each, his own!
I feel like I'm learning a lot more about the natural world, utilizing nature's players, to achieve some semblance of balance. It seems so normal to me, yet I often feel like a very tiny minority, in this rather tech-obsessed hobby. Where some see excessive detritus, they think mechanical filtration, and I think detrivores. To each, his own!
Here's a pic of two of the sailfin blennies:
I must admit, I'm a little disappointed with them. I'm not seeing any of the 'flagging' demonstrations they are known for. The largest male is rather pugnacious, trying to prevent the others form eating, including the barnacle blennies. I much prefer the interactions of the barnacle blennies alone. I'm concerned the barnacle blennies may not get enough to eat. If this keeps up, I may decide to move them to QT or trade them for store credit.
I must admit, I'm a little disappointed with them. I'm not seeing any of the 'flagging' demonstrations they are known for. The largest male is rather pugnacious, trying to prevent the others form eating, including the barnacle blennies. I much prefer the interactions of the barnacle blennies alone. I'm concerned the barnacle blennies may not get enough to eat. If this keeps up, I may decide to move them to QT or trade them for store credit.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Cool little fish. Too bad they're all in the same area of the tank. Seems like a tank that size should have plenty of other hiding spots (the barnacle blennies, I mean).
I bet if you put a mirror up along side the tank, you'd get that flagging behavior! Unfortunately, that might make them more aggressive. Maybe they only do that when they're about to spawn?
Good luck with them. Hopefully, they'll come around and behave. If not, gotta do what you gotta do!
I bet if you put a mirror up along side the tank, you'd get that flagging behavior! Unfortunately, that might make them more aggressive. Maybe they only do that when they're about to spawn?
Good luck with them. Hopefully, they'll come around and behave. If not, gotta do what you gotta do!
I'm just back from a great eclipse camping trip! Mother Nature put on a great show!
So, the big sailfin blenny (I'm calling him Leroy) did some 'flagging'. It was directed towards the remaining, small molly. So this was territorial defense flagging. There is also male to male flagging and male to female flagging. In case you're wondering, it is a display in which they rapidly erect and collapse their sizable dorsal fins. I'm still not really digging them. It would be so much cooler to just have more barnacle blennies, who are much less aggressive.
So, the big sailfin blenny (I'm calling him Leroy) did some 'flagging'. It was directed towards the remaining, small molly. So this was territorial defense flagging. There is also male to male flagging and male to female flagging. In case you're wondering, it is a display in which they rapidly erect and collapse their sizable dorsal fins. I'm still not really digging them. It would be so much cooler to just have more barnacle blennies, who are much less aggressive.
I forgot to mention I added a sea cucumber to the detrivore crew last week. It's a pretty, beige one. It's been hiding during the day. I should go take a look now, at night... Nope. Well, the lights haven't been off that long.
Also, today I exchanged my 5lb CO2 tank for another. I have to change it 2-3 times a year. It a great way to get the most important nutrient to your plants.
The recovery continues. The red macros are coming back nicely. Sponges are popping up here and there. Even the seagrass looks better. The new tufted joint algae and caulerpa look OK. I think they'll make it. Back wall flora is coming along. I've gotten several plants wedged in and holding, plus, there's the small patches of caulerpa racemosa making a come back.
I still haven't eradicated the aiptasia anemones, but I'm keeping them at bay, sort of. If I keep at it, I think I can beat them. I'm still using a syringe to inject them with ammonia, which also serves as a nitrogen supply for the plants. Ammonia is not as safe as potassium nitrate, but plants prefer ammonia over nitrate. Plus, I have a very low fish load right now and a lot of plants, and the dosage is low.
The 3 blue chromis still look good in QT. I think they have another week or two to go. I sure look forward to the injection of life and color and movement to the tank!
Also, today I exchanged my 5lb CO2 tank for another. I have to change it 2-3 times a year. It a great way to get the most important nutrient to your plants.
The recovery continues. The red macros are coming back nicely. Sponges are popping up here and there. Even the seagrass looks better. The new tufted joint algae and caulerpa look OK. I think they'll make it. Back wall flora is coming along. I've gotten several plants wedged in and holding, plus, there's the small patches of caulerpa racemosa making a come back.
I still haven't eradicated the aiptasia anemones, but I'm keeping them at bay, sort of. If I keep at it, I think I can beat them. I'm still using a syringe to inject them with ammonia, which also serves as a nitrogen supply for the plants. Ammonia is not as safe as potassium nitrate, but plants prefer ammonia over nitrate. Plus, I have a very low fish load right now and a lot of plants, and the dosage is low.
The 3 blue chromis still look good in QT. I think they have another week or two to go. I sure look forward to the injection of life and color and movement to the tank!
