High Nutrient Macro Algae/Sea Grass Reef

[Subsea]

[I bought some Seachem Flourish iron and Excell to dose both iron and carbon to my tank]

[Flourish Excel is a source of bioavailable organic carbon. All plants require a source of carbon. This is typically obtained from CO2, but, may also be derived from simple organic compounds (such as photosynthetic intermediates)]
Product description above.

Dawn,
In nature, carbon dioxide in air is converted to glucose through photosynthesis. Glucose as carbon is moved up the food chain.

In addition to carbon entering reef tank through carbon dioxide coupled with photosynthesis, carbon enters reef tank with food. Use fish to convert dry food into marine snow for your system.

 

[vlangel]

[I bought some Seachem Flourish iron and Excell to dose both iron and carbon to my tank]

[Flourish Excel is a source of bioavailable organic carbon. All plants require a source of carbon. This is typically obtained from CO2, but, may also be derived from simple organic compounds (such as photosynthetic intermediates)]
Product description above.

Dawn,
In nature, carbon dioxide in air is converted to glucose through photosynthesis. Glucose as carbon is moved up the food chain.

In addition to carbon entering reef tank through carbon dioxide coupled with photosynthesis, carbon enters reef tank with food. Use fish to convert dry food into marine snow for your system.

Thanks Patrick, but I am not quite getting all this. Are you saying that if I feed my fish heavy enough they will provide the necessary carbon through their fish wastes?

I have heard of the red redfield ratio and Michael has explained some of it to me but I still struggle to grasp it all. Plants/microalgae need nitrates, phosphates and carbon to build their structures but I am not sure how that happens. All I understood was nutrients fed plants but I did not understand how.

 

[Subsea]

Thanks Patrick, but I am not quite getting all this. Are you saying that if I feed my fish heavy enough they will provide the necessary carbon through their fish wastes?


Dawn,
Yes. Fish detritus is food for the reef as it feeds a diverse crew of micro fauna & fana that generate the microbial highway and move carbon up the food chain.


Consider carbon as the building block for all life in your tank. Major (nitrogen potassium & phosphate) and minor/trace minerals are required to grow. Pure carbon enters the reef as carbon dioxide coupled with photosynthesis.

Carbon is not the only thing in fish food It contains major & minor minerals/nutrients.

In my opinion, carbon dosing coupled with protein skimming in not only unnecessary but can be detrimental in contributing to skewed bacteria populations in the sediments: Cynobacteria comes to mind.

 

[vlangel]

Iron does cloud the water for a while. It'll clear up in a few hours.

Thank you Michael. That never happened to my tank when I added Kent iron but maybe it's more diluted. Anyway I am glad to hear.

 

[vlangel]

Thanks Patrick, but I am not quite getting all this. Are you saying that if I feed my fish heavy enough they will provide the necessary carbon through their fish wastes?


Dawn,
Yes. Fish detritus is food for the reef as it feeds a diverse crew of micro fauna & fana that generate the microbial highway and move carbon up the food chain.


Consider carbon as the building block for all life in your tank. Major (nitrogen potassium & phosphate) and minor/trace minerals are required to grow. Pure carbon enters the reef as carbon dioxide coupled with photosynthesis.

Carbon is not the only thing in fish food It contains major & minor minerals/nutrients.

In my opinion, carbon dosing coupled with protein skimming in not only unnecessary but can be detrimental in contributing to skewed bacteria populations in the sediments: Cynobacteria comes to mind.

So should I not use the Excel at all and just continue to feed fairly heavy as I have been?

 

[Subsea]

https://www.seachem.com/downloads/articles/How-to-Make-Plants-Flourish.pdf

[The final category in environmental optimization is Supplementation. Supplementation encompasses or- ganic nutrients (vitamins, amino acids, carbon, etc.) as well as micro and trace elements (iron, manganese, nickel, cobalt, etc.). Within this category there is also a
1000 Seachem Drive • Madison, GA 30650706.343.6060 • FAX 706.343.6070 • 888-SEACHEM • www.seachem.com

hierarchy of parameters that addresses progressively more specific and advanced requirements. The best method to determine what a system requires is to start with a few products and use them for a few months. If they have a positive effect then they are essential. If, however, they seem to have no effect, then it is likely that they are not necessary. If unsure, halt a particular product’s use and see if there is a negative effect. If a negative effect is seen then the product in question is required by your system.
From our (Seachem) product line we normally rec- ommend one start with FlourishTM and/or Flourish TabsTM. These provide a broad range of micro- nutrients (vitamins, amino acids) and micro and trace elements (iron, manganese, nickel, cobalt, etc) that will enhance plant health and growth. If the growth rate is substantial the trace elements are often utilized more rapidly than the other components in FlourishTM, thus in this case it would be beneficial to also employ Flourish TraceTM along with FlourishTM and/or Flour- ish TabsTM.
Once that foundation is set one can then explore the use of parameter specific supplementation. Because plant nutrient requirements, usage rates and source water can vary drastically we have determined that the ideal approach to supplementation is to separate each component so that each can be dosed individually as needed. Sometimes these requirements can be deter- mined by testing (MultiTest: IronTM, MultiTest: Phos- phateTM, MultiTest: Nitrite & NitrateTM) and some- times through simple observation of plant response. The five main parameters that need direct control are: Nitrogen (Flourish NitrogenTM), Phosphorus (Flourish PhosphorusTM), Potassium (Flourish PotassiumTM), Carbon (Flourish ExcelTM), and Iron (Flourish IronTM). Nitrogen is a component of proteins and nucleic acids, phosphorus is a component of ATP, NADP, nucleic acids and membrane phospholipids and potassium is an enzyme activator and is involved in charge balance. Carbon is the backbone of all life and is thus essential for plant growth. Iron is necessary for the formation of
chlorophyll and is involved in enzymatic electron transport and other oxidation-reduction processes.
Although planted aquariums are often considered to be too difficult for the beginning hobbyist, we believe that planted aquaria are actually ideal for the begin- ner. With the right substrate the beginner can have a successful aquarium with a minimum of maintenance. As the beginner become more comfortable in the hobby they will feel inclined to experiment a bit and thus build on the solid foundation]


Dawn,
I suggest you continue dosing iron, but was confused to which product you use.

 

[Subsea]

In my experience, for your system I suggest you consider a calcium reactor which does two important things in our macro dominated systems. First, it replaces depleted alkalinity used during photosynthesis to produce glucose. Trace minerals dissolve along with calcium & magnesium as major nutrients.

A calcium reactor adds carbon to the system and dissolved major & minor minerals required for growth. A differrent kind of recycling which combines minerals nutrients and biochemistry to move carbon up the food chain.

 

[vlangel]

In my experience, for your system I suggest you consider a calcium reactor which does two important things in our macro dominated systems. First, it replaces depleted alkalinity used during photosynthesis to produce glucose. Trace minerals dissolve along with calcium & magnesium as major nutrients.

A calcium reactor adds carbon to the system and dissolved major & minor minerals required for growth. A differrent kind of recycling which combines minerals nutrients and biochemistry to move carbon up the food chain.

Thanks Patrick, I appreciate the time you took to share all this. I need to reread it to actually digest and understand.

 

[vlangel]

Now that my focus for this tank has changed from when I had the seahorses, I am thinking that I would like to try some macroalgae that I did not have success with in the past. My hope is that now that I am focusing more on the needs of the macroalgae and seagrass, that Maiden's Fan, and Shaving Brush and other calcareous macros will do better. I really enjoy those and would like to learn how to keep them.

I would like to add some more Barnacle Blennies to the display too. They spend nearly all their time in their individual hidey holes and only dart out to grab food. I am sure that I am already feeding heavy enough to ensure that as many as 4 or 5 Barnacle Blennies would be fine. They are just the cutest little fish and I love them.

I have been thinking about an acclimation box for Plank too. I feel bad that Plank is in the basement sump. He is in continual hiding and I am hoping that spending time in an acclimation box in the display will help him get used to being with the other fish without cowering and hiding.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I like that idea. For those calcareous plants you may want to dose kalkwasser in small amounts. Previously unseen Halimeda popped up when I did it. Just don't over do it like I did!

Barnacle Blennies are awesome fish. A group would be very cool in your tank!

I think the acclimation box will work. He sounds terribly shy! Put a bunch of macro algae in there with him, so he can hide if he wants, and feel secure. That worked for me.

 

[vlangel]

I like that idea. For those calcareous plants you may want to dose kalkwasser in small amounts. Previously unseen Halimeda popped up when I did it. Just don't over do it like I did!

Barnacle Blennies are awesome fish. A group would be very cool in your tank!

I think the acclimation box will work. He sounds terribly shy! Put a bunch of macro algae in there with him, so he can hide if he wants, and feel secure. That worked for me.

Thanks, I will try adding a small amount of kalwasser and see what happens.

I hope my Barnacle blennies do as well as my prior group. To my knowledge none of them did the death spiral.

That is a great idea about adding macro algae to the acclimation box. I never thought of that but I think it could definitely help. I just do not like that I can't see him in my sump either because he hides so much. He is a super skittish fish. The sump is not covered either so he is a jump risk there too.

 

[vlangel]

I did a little reading about adding kalkwasser; it sounds tricky. Does it have to be kalkwasser or can ionics calcium and alkalinity do the same thing? I also have magnesium which I realize plays onto all this. I am really starting to see just how complex a planted marine tank can be, LOL. Sometimes I wonder if I should just buy Miracle and Mineral muds and add them to my sump to dissolve slowly in a natural way to dose some of this stuff and just replace it once or twice a year???

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm going to try to resist getting more barnacle blennies. As much as I like them, they're kinda small and invisible in my tank (until feeding time). One of my wife's chief criticisms is that she can't see most of my fish, so I'll be trending bigger going forward. I still prefer smallish fish, so I won't go nuts, but a little bigger fish would help 'the cause'.

 

[vlangel]

I'm going to try to resist getting more barnacle blennies. As much as I like them, they're kinda small and invisible in my tank (until feeding time). One of my wife's chief criticisms is that she can't see most of my fish, so I'll be trending bigger going forward. I still prefer smallish fish, so I won't go nuts, but a little bigger fish would help 'the cause'.

Ah yes, my hubby likes to tease me saying, "happy wife=happy life!" Ha ha! There is something to be said for a spouse that keeps us from going off the deep end financially, especially in this hobby where there is a lot of potential to over spend.

The deed is done in regard to Plank. He is now in the baby net with a generous amount of red titan for him to hide in. He still looks nice and round so apparently even though I rarely saw him eat he must have been eating well. I am hoping that trend continues in the baby net acclimation process. He is too beautiful a fish to be hidden away in a basement sump where he is never seen.

Oh yeah, today the sandbed had a faint rust color so it is not totally fixed yet. Maybe it never was and I just did not look close enough to see the faint reddish color!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Yep, gotta keep the spouse on board! The temptation to spend is almost overwhelming. It feels like an addiction!

Glad to hear Plank is getting another shot. Good luck!

It's always something! Right now I have gorgeous, white sand, but I know I just barely buried the cyano bacteria. So I'll need to address that. It never ends!

 

[vlangel]

My new light fixture came today. I hope the coral and macros do not get shocked from going back to 4 bulbs.

I have moved my carpenter wrasse back to the display from the sump. Plank was hiding in the sump as much as he had in the display. I have moved him into a baby net in the display in hopes that he will stop being so frightened. He is eating so that is a good sign. He is a beautiful fish and I have always liked him.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Fingers crossed! Aren't the carpenters wrasses one of the flashers? Those are so cool! Definitely not a sump fish.

 

[ThePurple12]

Need pics!!

 

[vlangel]

Fingers crossed! Aren't the carpenters wrasses one of the flashers? Those are so cool! Definitely not a sump fish.

It was a juvenile when I first got it but because of how it does seem to flash I am pretty sure that it is a male, and a flasher wrasse. Even if it's not a flasher wrasse it's too pretty to live in the sump. I will keep ya updated.

 

[vlangel]

Need pics!!

As soon as I can get the tank in photo worthy condition! Ha ha, hopefully before next year!