Soft Coral Dominated Tanks... Let's See 'em

[Timothy01]

it something like 1 inch of fish for every gallon of water, throw in a sump and a fuge increase your water volume. ive seen people run water through a 50 gal rubbermaid trashcan just to add more fish

 

[bradleyj]

Thanks everyone for your nice comments. I do have alot of fish for a 65g. I've had all of them in my tank for over two years now and they have all tripled in size. I do weekly waterchanges and have a nice skimmer and run ozone , all which help tremendously in keeping these fish healthy. I am in the process right now of setting up my new 225 gal and my tangs and rabbitfish can't wait.

 

[finding nemo]

Oh cool, the softies forum, finally
Here is one of two of my tanks, it is a 75 gallon one year old(after a move of over 1000 miles)

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/karenssaltwater/2-20-06.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>


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[reefnewbie54321]

wow I like the look of that macro in there, does your tang keep it under control or do you have to prune alot?

 

[sunfishh]

wow I like the look of that macro in there

Me too

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

11 fish and 4 tangs in a 65g? :eek1:
..although the tank is very colorful, that is the most overcrowded tank i've ever seen on here
...glad there's a 225g coming, they'll all love you

Timothy....that is not a good rule of thumb at all

 

[finding nemo]

No the tang does not eat it, it is feather caulerpa, I have been selling what I cull out of this tank on the for sale forum.

 

[finding nemo]

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/karenssaltwater/caulerpainthesand.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Here is some of it in my 125. The pods reproduce like crazy in it so I let iit get very thick on that end, and there are baby xenia and white dusters to.

 

[Timothy01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7288747#post7288747 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E-A-G-L-E-S

Timothy....that is not a good rule of thumb at all

May not be a good rule of thumb but all those sumps and refuguims, do add water volume to your tank, it has been in wide practice for a long time, not that i agree with all those fish in such a small tank

 

[Nagel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7292281#post7292281 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Timothy01
May not be a good rule of thumb but all those sumps and refuguims, do add water volume to your tank

but....

sumps and refugiums do not add swimming room..

 

[reefnewbie54321]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7290382#post7290382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by finding nemo
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/karenssaltwater/caulerpainthesand.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Here is some of it in my 125. The pods reproduce like crazy in it so I let iit get very thick on that end, and there are baby xenia and white dusters to.

I never thought of adding any kind of macro or see grass to my tank until I saw this picture ... thanks for inpsiring me! I always thought it would look ugly but you proved me wrong.

Caulerpa ... looks GREAT but how fast does it spread? I also know this macro is notorious for heavy nutrient export but also for its problems. Have you had it go sexual? Your tank is ovbiously not lit 24/7, but then agian it isnt jam packied in a fuge.

I would love to here more about this

 

[finding nemo]

Reef, this kind does not go sexual, I have had it for over 8 years in my tanks with no problem.
It grows very fast, on sand or rock, thus I keep it pulled every month or so.
I like the nature look that it gives a tank and have it in all of my tanks.
Makes for a very natural look.
By the way, I don't have fuges or sumps on any of my tanks.
One reason I feel that I dont need it is have the combination of this caulerpa and other filter feeders in my tanks keep them crystal clear.

 

[finding nemo]

Here is a full tank view , the picture above this is in the left hand corner of the tank.
I let it grow all over the tank, keeping it pulled if it starts to invade the corals which they do fast.
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[Nagel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7292882#post7292882 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by finding nemo
Reef, this kind does not go sexual

Uhm...

ALL caulerpas can go sexual.. Including this one (feather caulerpa). I've had it go sexual in a 10g fuge on a 29g tank. Made for a milky white tank for 36 hours..

Your regular pruning helps keep it from reaching critical mass, aka, when it goes sexual..

 

[finding nemo]

Nagel, I have never had it go sexual in all the years I have had it. So if it does it hasnt for me.
Maybe because I keep it pulled out before it takes over everything that keeps it from doing that.
Don't know but I love the stuff

 

[reefnewbie54321]

It can go sexual and probably isnt the best canidate for a fuge macro BUT this is a display were dealing with, from waht ive read it goes sexual when lare amounts build up and it gets crowded. You would have to be pretty careless to let this happen in a display tank. If it does go sexual on you I guess you kind of deserve it lol.

I realy like the look of this. It gives the greyish/baige/white softys a little pizazz

 

[Nagel]

Thats exactly what I said, though I guess "critical mass" is a bit cryptic..

When it has nowhere left to grow, and you are almost busting at the seams with it (and many fuges do look like this), that's when it goes sexual..

The regular pruning helps to keep it from getting to this point, hence you never had to deal with it going sexual..

I would keep some in my main tank, but the tangs, they love it. I basically recycle caulerpa from my 75g refugium as tang food..

 

[reefnewbie54321]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7293101#post7293101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nagel
Thats exactly what I said, though I guess "critical mass" is a bit cryptic..

When it has nowhere left to grow, and you are almost busting at the seams with it (and many fuges do look like this), that's when it goes sexual..

The regular pruning helps to keep it from getting to this point, hence you never had to deal with it going sexual..

I would keep some in my main tank, but the tangs, they love it. I basically recycle caulerpa from my 75g refugium as tang food..

What kind of tangs and what kind of caulerpa?
My hippo and yellow wouldnt eat my caulerpa but they were probably spoiled becuase before that I bought a tang heaven macro pack and was feeding them that. I woudnt mind getting rid of the tang heaven macro in my fuge and replasing it with cheato and let them feed of the caulerpa in the display (wich I think I;m going to add soon).

 

[finding nemo]

I have this in both big tanks and have a yellow tang in both, I have never seen them eat it nor have I seen it mowed down, so just don't think they eat this kind.
But then again, I have so much of it maybe they do eat a bit of it and I don't notice
Either way, I love the stuff and like the looks of it.
Give it a try and see how it looks in yours.
But keep it from getting away from you as I do. Pull and relocate is the key

 

[reefnewbie54321]

I was going to put a small seagrass patch in the back corner of my tank but now I think I'm gunna use the feather caulerpa

Any other good softie tanks out there?