Weeds

Hey Dawn! Yes, it's been pretty quiet around here. I'm still keeping a 'hands off' policy with the tank to see if the herbivores will do the work for me. So far it's been slow. The Caulerpa has been eaten back in places, but not a lot of progress so far. I'm still feeding the tank pretty heavily, so that might be affecting their appetite for weeds. Everyone is getting along swimmingly, ha, ha!

I'm glad to hear your angelfish is getting along. I had concerns your tank might not be big enough, but it sounds like she's doing well. Yay!
 
I am happy to hear that all is well with the 'Weeds' and it's inhabitants! You may be right about the heavy feedings. I can see 2 aspects to that: 1. The fish fill up on prepared food and do not have as big an appetite for caulerpa, and 2. All the processed fish food fertilizes the caulerpa so that it's growth is even faster than normal, (if that is even possible). Any plans to cut back on the feedings? I guess with that comes the risk of 'hangry' fish ( flash back to Snicker's commercials), and nobody wants that!
 
Hey Michael, how are things going. Have the fish picketed because of their diets? ( Hangry fish are no doubt not a pretty sight). Are they grazing more on the caulerpa and are they making an impact?
 
Hey Dawn! Things are good. I'm still slacking on tank maintenance, to see if the herbivores will do it for me. They are eating Caulerpa, but they're not having a huge impact. Their consumption has barely made a dent in it, and in some places none at all. The seagrasses are still doing well. They've all grown to the surface again, and I need to prune them down-again. The fish are all doing well and are still entertaining to watch.

So, we're basically dealing with an overgrown jungle. I need to work on it, but lately I lack motivation.
 
I managed a little gumption and cleaned the glass on Saturday. Just doing that inspired me to do more, but I waited until Sunday, which was a bike ride day, so I was too pooped! I'm still feeling motivated, so maybe I'll get something else done.

Just being able to see the fish better made me appreciate them so much. I really love these fish!
IMG_9535.jpg
 
Thanks Dawn and Vinny! The Manatee Grass is seemingly on autopilot. I prune it way down, then it grows to the surface again. I'm definitely planning a simulated manatee grazing event. Let's call that the 'Before' pic.

I love the magnifying glass! It's great for checking on 'the little people', aka pods and worms. I've got tons!
 
what lighting do you use? im thinking about getting a 2 pack of 50w led floods for my tank that contains a pair of hippocampus erectus. i want to grow gorgonians, halimeda, seagrass, other macroalgae, & sponges
 
Hi Noah_Reefing! I use a 400 watt 6500K metal halide light, with a spider light reflector. My tank is 30 inches tall, and seagrass need very bright light, so my 'old school' lighting is just the ticket. I doubt the LED floods would work with seagrass, but they may work for some red macro algae, which don't need so much light. Good luck with whatever you end up doing, and let us know how it goes!
 
Michael Hoaster said:
Thanks Dawn and Vinny! The Manatee Grass is seemingly on autopilot. I prune it way down, then it grows to the surface again. I'm definitely planning a simulated manatee grazing event. Let's call that the 'Before' pic.

I love the magnifying glass! It's great for checking on 'the little people', aka pods and worms. I've got tons!
Click to expand...
I also love looking at my tank with a magnifying glass. The 'tiny folk' can be so fascinating!
 
How about some more pics Michael? I know, I know, none of us wants to show pics unless our tanks are pristine and now you are probably busy with springtime pursuits! I get it but just longing to see some pics of the fish! I could only see royal Grammas and one other fish in the FTS!
 
Noah_Reefing, metal halide setups are still available at most internet fish stores. They just don't carry a large selection these days, with LEDs being so popular now.
 
Here are some more pics taken today. I did a serious plant biomass export, pulling large handfuls of caulerpa and clipping the Manatee Grass down to around ten inches tall. The fish seem to like having much more room to swim.

IMG_9560.jpg
Here you can see the scalping I gave the seagrass.

IMG_9597.jpg

Stanley and Dick.

IMG_9583.jpg

Kind of a group shot.

IMG_9568.jpg

The best shot I got of Max.

IMG_9574.jpg

Love this blue fish!
 
Wow, Stanley is gorgeous! And yes, Max is such a beautiful shade of blue. How can anyone not love that? I did not remember that you had a red tree sponge, Cool! The tank looks great as do all the fish. How many fish do you have?
 
Last edited:
Thanks Dawn. Blue Tangs have captivated me since I got into the hobby. There's just something about them. I've had that tree sponge for awhile now. It died back a bit, but now seems to be holding steady. Fish count!

3 Allen's Damsels (blue), Allen, Allen and Ellen
2 Talbot's Damsels (yellow), Dick and Jane
3 Royal Grammas, Big Daddy, Phyllis and Fifi
1 Barnacle Blenny, Jo Anne
1 Foxface, (Where's) Waldo
1 Sailfin Tang, Stanley
1 Tomini Tang, Scarlett
1 Blue Tang, (Miracle) Max

13 Total fish!

They really are enjoying the swimming space above the seagrass, taking advantage to swim the whole width of the tank. Best fish watching yet!
 
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