High Nutrient Macro Algae/Sea Grass Reef

This week I did a water change and did finally get around to cleaning the glass. It still did not look too bad but it looks better now.

Rice Krispie continually moves the sandbed so his excavation creates dust on everything. Uhhg, not what I was hoping for but it's ok. A turkey baster cleans it up somewhat or at least temporarily.
 
I need to do some clean up too. I want to shoot more pics, but I want to get the Shoal Grass out first.

I get something similar to your shrimp with my Allen's Damsels. They use their TAILS to dig, so it can get messy. Not ideal!
 
Hi all! Well we have been a quiet bunch lately. My tank and system are chugging along just fine but there is nothing new to report. I am guessing it is the same with everyone.

My fish are great. Everyone is very healthy as far as I can tell and they are living in harmony with one another. That is a blessing when one has as many fish as I do. Corals and macros are ok, some thrive but some do not. I will have to keep working at that. Generally speaking however, things are good.
 
I did a bigger than usual water change this week. I am hoping that the coral and macros that are not flourishing will perk up as a result. Here is keeping my fingers crossed!
 
I am not sure. My tank system had taken a downward turn and I was not sure why. It seems to have leveled off but I lost a long time gorg, and most of the shoal seagrass. I did another 15 gallon water change this week in hopes that things will continue to improve. I will let you know, lapin.
 
How are things going? Sorry to hear you've had some losses. Are you back on track? I wonder what's happened. Maybe a delayed reaction to the new substrate addition? That seems unlikely, since it basically just adds filtration capacity. I've heard of mini-cycles happening in similar situations. Maybe there was a Nitrite spike.

Water changes seem like a good strategy. Changing out charcoal and/or letting some macros grow out a bit more might help. With a large number of fish, it would make sense to maximize the filtration capacity of your refugium, so it may help to let it get shaggy.
 
Michael Hoaster said:
How are things going? Sorry to hear you've had some losses. Are you back on track? I wonder what's happened. Maybe a delayed reaction to the new substrate addition? That seems unlikely, since it basically just adds filtration capacity. I've heard of mini-cycles happening in similar situations. Maybe there was a Nitrite spike.

Water changes seem like a good strategy. Changing out charcoal and/or letting some macros grow out a bit more might help. With a large number of fish, it would make sense to maximize the filtration capacity of your refugium, so it may help to let it get shaggy.
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I am perplexed too. I also wondered about the addition of the garden dirt causing a delayed reaction but like you, I thought that was unlikely. I did worry however that there might have been something toxic in the dirt. That too seems unlikely since I actually have been running a bit of carbon for a month or two. The water definitely has a tint to it when I do a water change. It might just be tannins from all the food I feed so I plan to continue with the larger water changes for a while.

I wondered about the new probiotic food I have begun feeding since the frag swap. Again that seems unlikely because I am sure that the food has been extensively tested but the downward trend did coincidentally seem to start after that. At any rate I have discontinued feeding it for now.

I also had decided to not prune the macros back so much in the refugium thinking that might help. At this point it is a wait and see what happens. Downward trends can be discouraging but I need to remind myself that this is minor compared to a while system crash. I do not want to over-react. I will make these smaller adjustments, and see if the ship rights itself. Typically my tank has become very stable and I need to keep that in mind.
 
Good plan. No need to panic. A tint to the water does suggest tannins. I got them from adding dirt to my substrate. Seems unlikely to be the reason for a downturn though. I agree with everything you're doing. I think it will right itself.
 
With it being late spring and summer around the corner, this is a good time to just let the tank settle with slightly larger water changes but no other changes. Like you I get busy with a lot of other pursuits this time of year so it's not really even frustrating not to do something new with the tank.

I did end up with a new fish unexpectantly. Friends of mine who have had a fish tank were down to their last fish...a 'been around the block a time or two' percula clown. They had moved him into a 10 gallon tank but when their son was getting married in another state they decided it was time to re-home the clown. They asked me if I knew anyone, ha ha! Of course I felt sorry for him being in a 10 gallon tank so now he lives with Guardian and Molly McQuire. I have dubbed him Perky and he settled in well. He is a big fish, 3Xs the size of Guardian but he seems chill about living in the fuge and I have not seen any aggression. I was afraid that he would beat up or kill Ozzie which is why I did not put him in the display tank. They think that he is about 10 years old but I know clowns can live a long time. I had a mated pair of tomato clowns that were still spawning at 15 years when I rehomed them. So Perky may be with me a while, ha ha!
 
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Hi everyone! My hubby and I celebrated our 40th anniversary at Chincoteague, VA this past weekend and what fun. We did a walking tour through town Friday night when we arrived to get history and oriented. We also jet skied, did a wild life boat tour, ate some amazing seafood( I know, that is kind of wrong for a marine aquarist) and enjoyed the beach. Before we came home I filled a small bin with some water, mud, what I think is Ulva, nassarius snails and some dead oyster clusters. I thought this small amount of samplings from the Chesapeake area could add some beneficial biolife to my system. I have never added anything to my tank that I collected but I decided to take a risk. This morning everything looks fine so hopefully I have not begun a marine equivalent of a pandemic in my tanks! I will take pics of the fuge when everything is cleared up.
 
Happy 40th Anniversary! That's a milestone to be very proud of.

Very cool that you collected some stuff for your tank. More bio-diversity! I look forward to seeing it.
 
Michael Hoaster said:
Happy 40th Anniversary! That's a milestone to be very proud of.

Very cool that you collected some stuff for your tank. More bio-diversity! I look forward to seeing it.
Click to expand...

Thank you Michael. It's hard to believe that we have been married that long and a little sobering how fast it goes. Still I feel very blessed!
 
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