Sps guy needs some help with plants

[mntl]

I am in the process of setting up a nano specifically for A. suharsonoi. Half of the tank will be a single rock that will keep the acros about 4" off the sand. The other half of the tank I would like to be planted, specifically a low leafy type, that does not grow vertically, more like a tuft (dont know what you guys would refer to this as). The tank will be 12" deep with sand 2" deep, it will be lit with a single 175w mh in a luminarc mini, most likely an iwasaki aqua2 bulb.

I am looking for indo-pacific plants, I dont care what color or shape, only that it must stay low (not tall grass), be sustainable in a low nutrient environment (it will be well fed and high in micro fauna, but very clean) and must be non-detrimental to sps.

Other than that I do not know where to start, I am new to plants but not to difficult to keep coral so meeting the needs of things usually is not a huge issue. There will only be shrimp and snails in the tank as far as mobile animals are concerned.

Any interesting recomendations? If possibly post a pic and care instructions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-John-

 

[Samala]

Hmmmm. My immediate gut reaction is to tell you to consider a Halophila species seagrass, H. decipiens (paddle grass) or H. ovalis (oar grass) will fit the indopacific origins requested. They will also do fine in 2" substrate, under the light you're providing, and will stay low and "leafy". No known detrimental interactions with coral either.

However, since it will be a low nutrient tank, it would be a good idea to supplement the substrate with muds (and possibly fertilizer tablets) to keep the 'grass happy. If thats a project you're willing to undertake then these little seagrasses may be your answer.

I'll have to mull over macroalgae selections and get back to you. Many do fine in lower nutrient environments, but some revolt and crash in extended situations.

>Sarah

 

[piercho]

A. suharsonoi is from lower reef slopes, according to AIMs. If it were me, I would try for a calcified red like this fantastic one Art Vandelay posted. Hard to get unless you know someone who has it. A common algae that comes to mind is Halimeda opuntia. A pretty green, prostrate and manageable Halimeda in my tank. H. opuntia also survives at fairly low nutrient levels, IME.

I like your idea for a tank. Growing a single genus of macroalgae in a low nutrient tank can be a difficult and it will be interesting to see if you can pull it off. Less desirable algaes that were not introduced on purpose may eventually dominate.

 

[mntl]

Thanks for the responses!!

Samala- I am glad you mentioned H. ovalis, it is one of the ones I have seen (on this forum) and I am currently looking into it. Visually a mat of this is exactly what I am looking for. The tank will be low nutrient but that does not mean low-fed. There just will not be much decay (food in-food-out). There will be sand in the tank but it will have a very slow draw through it (barely faster than gravity fed) so there will be no deposites at the bottom, but stuff (detritus/fish poop/food) will be passing through it slowly all the time. I am placing inhabitants in the tank in a sequence, with smaller life forms first and then larger ones as I develope a food chain, the mat of plants will be the breeding area for much of the pods/fauna, which in turn will be a feeding area for something else (havent decided on this yet).

Any specific info on H. ovalis would be greatly appreciated, I dont even know where to find it yet.

piercho- The needs of the acros I can easily meet, I already have a colony grown out. the Halimeda looks great, the only problem is that it looks like it needs a rock to grow on and the area it will be growing in cannot have rocks as this will interfere with the sand filtration in that area and will not suite the "theme/layout) of the tank. Another issue is, will it go sexual? can it go sexual? (I am such a newb to plants/macros/micros). The tank is going to be more natural so I will be sourceing neat hitchhikers to populate the main rock, I do not mind if things try to spread on this rock, accept if they will out-compete the acros or pose a threat to them.

This tank is a patch reef, basically a spot in the water that is not a full reef but a single rock away from the main reef that happens to have a mix of life on it. the main rock will be for the A. suharsonoi and maybe a A. lokoni and some sourced, interesting hitchhickers (like what is on the rocks on a deeper-reef). This is half 1/3 the tank. The rest is just clean sand with a patch of plants as a different habitat other than the rock maybe I will have a pair of bumble-bee shrimp there also.

-John-

 

[Samala]

After mulling it over.. I agree with Howard that a calcerous macro, like Halimeda, is a good shot if you dont end up with the seagrass. They can be planted directly to the sand. They can go sexual but its pretty rare. Keep them trimmed (which you'll do anyway to keep them low in the tank) and I think it'll work out.

Known source for H. ovalis is seacrop, thats it unfortunately! The very similar Halophila decipiens is starting to creep into the hobby, but no commercial sources just yet. I know of one place that is working on it though! So, you'll have to beg from hobbyists who are working with it.

>Sarah

 

[piercho]

Art, you can try a sand-associated Halimeda like tuna, but I've had BAD luck with tuna creeping up onto the rock and getting into branching coral. Will actually try to keep sand-associated Halimeda out of my next tank. Brittle Halimeda (opuntia) is the most prostrate and most controllable Halimeda IME but yes, it does need some rock to cling to. I've tried Udotea and Penicillus and these are strickly sand associated. Shaving brush (Penicillus) seems to need fairly high nutrient levels to persist. Mermaid's fan (Udotea) can go gangbusters even in a lean tank but it will grow taller than 4". Udotea is also urchin candy for any genus urchin I've had in the tank. I don't think either Udotea or Penicullius comes from the Pacific, though. Hard to get sand-associated Pacific plants and alga at this time.