Setting up tank...need help.

[Rendos]

I am in the process of setting up a 20 gallon tank (24" X 12" X 16") for marine plants. It will be connected to my 120 gallon SPS tank. The fuge will be fed by the outlet of my skimmer. I imagine that would increase the oxygen levels of the water...not sure how much, though.

Anyway. I have a 2 X 65 watt PC light hood that will light this tank. I need to know what type of substrate to use, and how deep of a sand bed. I hope to have sea grass (turtle weed?) in the sand and maybe some caulerpa or chaeto. I would also like to have a jawfish, or pipefish, or maybe seahorses in this tank. Will this work, and if so, is there anything special I need to do to prepare for this? How long does the tank need to be setup before adding plants?

 

[The_Nexis_One]

The fuge will be fed by the outlet of my skimmer. I imagine that would increase the oxygen levels of the water...not sure how much, though.

First off, I believe this is not an optimal solution. Normally you want your waste water (from the waste source) to go into the refugium so the plants/DSB have first crack at the protien, detritus, left over food, etc. The skimmer can go hungry, the refugium can't.

The lighting sounds fine for macro's and some seagrass, but my understanding is that Turtle grass needs higher lighting. I'm sure others can comment from experiance on this, as I don't have any Thallasia yet.

Turtle grass really needs a deep sand bed from my reading and Bill's (billsreef.com) comments on my setup. He recommends a 6' DSB if memory serves. Likewise, if the DSB is young (less than a couple years old) you may consider fertilizing the bed so the roots of your seagrasses have nutrients available there.

Cheato could outcompete the seagrass if it really takes off - additionally, it prefers to be tumbled rather than static. Tumbling will be very very difficult in a planted grass tank.

I'm sure others here with more experiance in this area will fill in the gaps.

Glad you are interested in Seagrass... but be careful - they are highly addictive

John.

 

[anemone123]

Is the DSB suppose to be 6' (feet) or 6" (inches)?

I agree the fuge should come before the skimmer.

 

[The_Nexis_One]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6961757#post6961757 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by anemone123
Is the DSB suppose to be 6' (feet) or 6" (inches)?

I agree the fuge should come before the skimmer.

LOL... well.. ya know - either way will work..
ROFL...

OOoops. yeah, 6" (inches) is what was recommended.

Thanks for catching that,
John.

 

[Samala]

Turtle grass (Thalassia.. as opposed to turtle weed which is Chlorodesmis sp.) will likely want more light than you're going to give it. I have practically the same setup you are suggesting, and my turtle grass is hanging in there, but not doing anything special. Its been in the tank ten months.. so I would hope it would have performed a magical feat by now if it was going too. It may not be only light, it may be flow rates that would spark better growth from Thalassia.. but if the end inhabitants will include pipes and seahorses I dont think you'll be providing much more flow than I do either.

For this tank, look to stock Halodule wrightii (shoal grass), Syringodium filiforme (manatee grass), even though it may get too tall and you might entertain adding Halophilas in the future if you can get ahold of them. Caulerpa prolifera does very well in the sand bed, as do the more calcerous species like Udotea, Halimeda, Penicillus. For accents in this tank, I'd look for some nice red macro (maybe Halymenia, Gracilaria, Botryocladia) and Sargassum, or similar browns if you'd like.

You may want to add some mud to the bottom layer of substrate to this tank to help the grasses along, especially since it will be hooked in line to, what I presume is likely, a nutrient poor SPS reef. Jawfish may disturb the mud layer and cause some cyano when they first dig their dens, so you'll have to weigh them as an option, but once they're established with a den they cause few problems. They are delightful tankmates with seagrass.. so long as you keep their tank covered. (Sigh! Just lost mine to this oversight.)

I would also put the fuge before the skimmer, particularly because if you end up with seahorses in this planted section they will need to be protected from too many microbubbles in the system. (I know microbubbles are kinda one of those urban myths in reefkeeping, but for SH its been linked to disease, so.. err on the side of caution, or at least I would.) Skimmer after the planted tank will certainly help minimize too many bubbles.

Its very good to hear we've got another seagrass convert! Welcome to what we've been fondly calling "the dark side" with marine plants :strooper: and definitely keep us updated on how the tank comes together.

>Sarah

 

[Rendos]

Samala - thanks for all the info, and helpful hints. I was wondering about the "miracle mud" type substrates. Are you saying to put it in first, and then cover it with sand, or just the mud by itself?
It is not set up at all right now so I have plenty of time to consider all the options. Also - lighting, and other equipment can be changed. I just happen to have the PC lights so I thought I would use them. What about the Coralife HQI MH that clamps onto the edge of the tank? Do you think the 150 watt would be enough light for the turtle weed? I said turtle weed, but really any of the grassy, large blade marine plants interest me.

 

[Samala]

I think you could certainly answer the question of whether or not it is more light Thalassia wants if you use the Coralife clamp.. I have considered it myself lately as a light upgrade. You can definitely start the tank with the PCs.

Mud.. miracle mud I havent used but I have had Walt Smith's fiji gold. Both are good for mixing into the bottom 2" or so of the substrate, then covering over this enriched part with an additional 2-4" of sand. Mineral Mud (caribsea) is pretty nice for this as well and makes a, well, 'fluffy' substrate that the grasses grab into very readily when also mixed up with sand. Mineral mud can be mixed all the way to the top layer of sand, as it doesnt cloud the water. The other two must be restricted to the lower levels as contact with your water column will cause clouding.

>Sarah

 

[Rendos]

Sarah - I think I will get some of the CaribSea Mineral Mud. How much Mineral Mud would it take to get the 2" depth in a 20 gallon tall tank (24X12X16)? I think it is sold by the gallon. And do you suggest any particular substrate to go on top of this? Oolitic sand, puka shell, or something in between? I saw last night on the CaribSea website that Grand Bahama Biome is grain size of 0.1-2.0 mm. Do you think this is a good choice?
I really appreciate all your help and advice.

Also - what kelvin light would you get with the Coralife fixture? I think it comes with a 20K, but I was thinking about getting the 10K bulb instead. I would think since this is a shallow water environment that most inhabitants would prefer the 10K versus the deeper water 20K for spectrum/par.