Macroalgae and softie lagoon

[smootie]

I set up this tank on August 11, 2018 (my first planted marine aquarium ever!) and have been slowly adding "plants" from Reef Cleaners, Gulf Coast Ecosystems, and fellow hobbyists. The tank is finally cycled and I had the day off so it seemed like a good time to share.

Equipment:
Innovative Marine 25 gallon Fusion Lagoon
Innovative Marine APS stand

Flow:
Sicce Syncra 1.5 pump (upgraded the stock pump, which is now being used to mix saltwater)
Vivid Creative Aquatics random flow generators x 2

Lighting:
Kessil 160WE Tuna Sun light
Kessil gooseneck with 90° adapter
3/4" black velcro cable wrap

Scape:
CaribSea Fiji Pink, 20 lbs
Live rock, 9 lbs
Rubble for attaching/weighing down specimens

Shopping list for the future:
Kessil A-series spectral controller
Heater

Livestock:

• Caulerpa cupressoides (cactus caulerpa)
• Caulerpa paspaloides (palm caulerpa)
• Bryothamnion sp. (flame algae)
• Penicillus capitatus (pencil cap)
• Grateloupia filicina
• Amathia alternanata (alternating bryozoan)
• Ulva fasciata (narrowleaf sea lettuce)
• Ulva lactuca (broadleaf sea lettuce)
• Gracilaria hayi
• Caulerpa racemosa var. peltata (button caulerpa)
• Rhipocephalus phoenix (pine cone)
• Cryptonemia crenulata
• Caulerpa prolifera
• a few zoas and mushrooms

Livestock on the way:
Hypnea pannosa
more zoas
two varieties of ricordea

Pictures forthcoming!

 

[smootie]

Link to full album


Here is the current rock layout:

The all-black stand didn't fit in with the decor of the house so I added some decorative metal elements:

The metal panels are held on by magnets (in case I change my mind later):

FTS today (before I added the zoas and mushrooms):

Left side:

Right side:

Not sure why they are so blurry (compression maybe?) but that's all of the pics for now. Will add more when my next order arrives!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Looks great, smootie! Nice plant selection. Cool rock scape. Are you going fishless? How will you feed your plants?

 

[smootie]

Looks great, smootie! Nice plant selection. Cool rock scape. Are you going fishless? How will you feed your plants?

I am going fishless and therein lies my current problem. My ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate are all at zero. There is some rotting vegetation in there from die-off as a result of shipping/transport, but I think I may have to dose at some point.

I spent much of the afternoon reading posts on here about fertilizing and dosing and am trying to absorb it all. My water volume is so small that I don't want to get too crazy with additives.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

The simplest way to feed your plants would be to feed the tank fish food, as if you had fish, and add some pods and snails to process.

Fish provide CO2 and a constant nitrogen supply, which plants can use. Without them, or some other animals that you feed, you will definitely have to dose. Dosing is pretty simple. Absorb.

 

[smootie]

That's a great idea, I think I'll go the fish food route for now.

 

[Subsea]

Add micro inverts like pods and rotifers.

https://www.algaebarn.com

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Yes, you need some kinds of critters to eat the food input, to start it down the food chain to your plants.

If you're going the fish food route, I recommend one or two Nassarius Snails. They are high speed snails that pop out of the sand when they smell fish food in the tank. Certainly a bag of mixed pods, also a serpent star, reproducing Cerith snails, and a fighting conch are all critters I think would benefit your aquarium.