Dawn's seahorse garden!

[Michael Hoaster]

Ok, maybe it's still unheard of. But you're close!

Your Nualgi explanation made me curious! I checked their web site. Here's a quote from it:

"HOW DOES IT WORK?
Within 3 – 5 hours of applying Nualgi Ponds, a bloom of Diatom algae (the good kind!) will develop. The diatom algae bloom out-competes nuisance algae for CO2, N, P and other nutrients, causing the bad algae to die off. It then locks away some of the harmful nutrients in the new bio mass that is consumed as live food for your fish and zooplankton."

That supports your silica theory. So you're using it as an algicide/sponge food? What affect does it have on your tank?

It's an interesting idea, using diatoms to outcompete algae, and critters and fish to eat the diatoms. It sounds like an elegant, natural solution. But does it work? In my experience it seems like diatoms always come first, then the greens come in and take over. It's hard to imagine diatoms overtaking greens because I've never seen it. It is a cool idea though. Maybe I'll try dosing silica when I get my algae phase. My mini strombus snails have been multiplying like rabbits in my holding tank, so they can help.

 

[vlangel]

Ok, maybe it's still unheard of. But you're close!

Your Nualgi explanation made me curious! I checked their web site. Here's a quote from it:

"HOW DOES IT WORK?
Within 3 "“ 5 hours of applying Nualgi Ponds, a bloom of Diatom algae (the good kind!) will develop. The diatom algae bloom out-competes nuisance algae for CO2, N, P and other nutrients, causing the bad algae to die off. It then locks away some of the harmful nutrients in the new bio mass that is consumed as live food for your fish and zooplankton."

That supports your silica theory. So you're using it as an algicide/sponge food? What affect does it have on your tank?

It's an interesting idea, using diatoms to outcompete algae, and critters and fish to eat the diatoms. It sounds like an elegant, natural solution. But does it work? In my experience it seems like diatoms always come first, then the greens come in and take over. It's hard to imagine diatoms overtaking greens because I've never seen it. It is a cool idea though. Maybe I'll try dosing silica when I get my algae phase. My mini strombus snails have been multiplying like rabbits in my holding tank, so they can help.

I have never had serious ugly algae problems in my tanks but I do get the rust color on the sandbed. I was hoping that the nualgi would help with that. It seemed like the first tank I used it in did clear up the sand pretty well but I remember that it took about 7 weeks. I also remember that the LPS responded very favorably to it. I can not see any difference in the seahorse tank yet.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Really? Wow! I've never NOT had a serious algae problem in all of my tanks. That's impressive, Dawn! Keep us informed on your experience with Nualgi. I'd like to hear more!

 

[taricha]

Dawn's seahorse garden!

It sounds like it's silica plus trace, grows diatoms, and depletes N or P to outcompete algae.
Very cool.
I'm messing around with dosing Si, and depleting trace.

Edit: has anyone seen mini strombus scavenge? I am 90% sure I watched one eat mysis scraps today.

 

[vlangel]

Really? Wow! I've never NOT had a serious algae problem in all of my tanks. That's impressive, Dawn! Keep us informed on your experience with Nualgi. I'd like to hear more!

I think it's all the water changes I do plus keeping the tank free of excess food and detritus. Cooler temperature may play a role in it too as well as all the macro algae in both the display and the fuge.

I will let you know if the Nualgi has any effect on the tank after I have used longer.

 

[vlangel]

It sounds like it's silica plus trace, grows diatoms, and depletes N or P to outcompete algae.
Very cool.
I'm messing around with dosing Si, and depleting trace.

Edit: has anyone seen mini strombus scavenge? I am 90% sure I watched one eat mysis scraps today.

Yes, that is what I heard as well. I had read you were dosing Si which is what prompted me to dig in my fish room to see if I still had the Nualgi. Maybe we can compare results?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

taricha, I have not seen my mini strombus snails eat flesh. But I haven't looked for it either. They climb and clean macros and seagrass like no other snails.

Good idea to compare notes, Dawn. taricha, let us know what you find. I'd been dosing sodium silicate for a while, for the sponges. I had some mild diatom blooms but I never noticed it outcompeting algae. I'll pay more attention next time.

 

[taricha]

Totally. I'll be happy to post more details later.
On sponges, my orange ball sponge has actually been more consistently open and feeding than my orange tree sponge.
The ball sponge never went through a tissue receding period like my tree sponge has either.


And on silica and nutrient competition, I was looking at specifically targeting dinos. To overgeneralize, N and P limitations are a better choke point for halting green algae, and trace elements make a better target to limit when trying to control dinos. Some encouraging results, no silver bullet.
However, what I found that was dramatic was that silica dosing completely put a halt to cyano patches, made them disappear and never return.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Good stuff, taricha! I'm particularly excited to read that last statement, regarding cyano. I had a doozy of a cyano phase in my last tank. It would be wonderful to skip that, this time around!

 

[taricha]

Good stuff, taricha! I'm particularly excited to read that last statement, regarding cyano. I had a doozy of a cyano phase in my last tank. It would be wonderful to skip that, this time around!

When I got my SiO2 up over 0.5ppm cyano stayed gone.
Apparently it's somewhat known to use Si to suppress cyano in freshwater systems.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Good to know! Thanks! The future looks less blue-greener…

 

[vlangel]

The seahorses continue to do well in their tank with sand. I still have some rust color on the sandbed but the rest of the tank stays fairly clean and algae free.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Congrats on your success with sea horses. Not to mention, the rest of your tank!

 

[vlangel]

Congrats on your success with sea horses. Not to mention, the rest of your tank!

Thanks Michael! The business of summer has kept me occupied with other pursuits but just wanted everyone to know that my ponies and I were/are well. Hopefully I can post a pic soon.

FTS Aug 2018 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr

 

[Chasmodes]

Your tank looks fantastic Dawn. A little life on the sand bed makes it look more realistic anyway. Glad the ponies are doing well!

 

[vlangel]

Your tank looks fantastic Dawn. A little life on the sand bed makes it look more realistic anyway. Glad the ponies are doing well!

Thanks Kevin. I am still planning to add blennies but haven't pulled the trigger because of the special care of QT them. It would be best to purchase all the fish at the same time and QT them all at once . With seahorses its complicated.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks Kevin. I am still planning to add blennies but haven't pulled the trigger because of the special care of QT them. It would be best to purchase all the fish at the same time and QT them all at once . With seahorses its complicated.

I understand completely. What species of blenny are you considering?

 

[vlangel]

I understand completely. What species of blenny are you considering?

I was going go back in this thread because you and Michael had given me some good suggestions of species that would be peaceful, quiet and not likely to rake the seahorses' delicate skin with algae teeth.

 

[Chasmodes]

So you don't have to search much, here are a few that might interest you:

The barnacle blennies that Michael kept would be a fun addition. They eat large plankton and pods, and are not algae eaters. He had the Panamic Barnacle Blenny, (Acanthemblemaria hancocki). If you get them, you'd have to get some barnacles for them

KP has some other ones that should be OK are the Goldline Blenny (Malacoctenus aurolineatus), Roughhead Blenny (Acanthemblemaria aspera), Yellowface Pike Blenny (Chaenopsis limbaughi), Sail Fin Blenny (Emblemaria pandionis), and the Saddled Blenny (Malacoctenus triangulatus). None of these are algae eaters and the largest is only about 3 1/2" long.

Be careful if you see a "sailfin blenny" in your LFS or while visiting an on-line store, because that name is used frequently for various species, including the large algae eating blennies such as the lawnmower blenny. The sail fin blenny above is much different.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I do love the barnacle blennies! But I wonder if they are good tank mates for the horsies. My concern is their feeding mode. They dart out really fast and right back, so I worry they might be too quick, and out compete for food. They are great community members though, never bothering anyone. Clown/gumdrop gobies could be good. They aren't so fast. Also the pike blennies are cool, and slow.