I agree McPuff, but my squarish rock arrangement looks unnaturally so, within the square shape of the tank. Know what I mean? I have a plan to move just a few rocks to make it work. With all my rocks on the sand, it's easy to do.
I'm very happy with the control I have with the aesthetics in this tank. I've never had so much. In v1, I had a jungle, this time it's more of a garden. It's a pretty loose garden, but I have only the plants I want. I was surprised how big of a difference that makes.
I did some post-camping tidying up today. I exported a lot of Ulva, and a few small weeds growing on the grasses. I had to do a proper scrape on the glass to get some tougher algae off. Other than that, I can find almost no algae at all. It's weird! I also noted, after my 3 day absence, that the Neon Damsels have grown. They're getting prettier too.
The Codium continues to flourish, which amazes me, since I'd never had luck with it in the past. It looks good down amongst the ulva and seagrass. The green variations and textures are sweet. I've got one more green to add to the sand bed - Tufted Joint Algae. It's a very light green, and the segmented stalks topped with the little plumes are gorgeous. A few more greens for the back wall, and I should be just about set for plants.
I edited down some of the reds I got with the red sampler pack. Only my very favorite reds will do. Plus I have new beauties growing from the rocks. Halymenia Elongata has long, tubular branches, similar to Nemastoma. Botryocladia, or Red Grapes are also showing up. Add those two to the String of Pearls and that gives me three 'balloon animal' reds. Another small red I have looks like it could be Halymenia Floridana, which is a plant I've coveted. It resembles a red ulva. The Sargassum Weed looks like it might make it. Something eats it occasionally, but it is gaining ground.
Today I spotted a new resident. I wasn't sure whether it was a plant or animal, until I saw one of the 'branches' fold inward, like feeding tentacles towards a mouth. It's in the rock, so I'm guessing it's some rock-boring, filter-feeding worm. Welcome, Filter Feeders, to our little ecosystem! I guess it's about time to invest in some phytoplankton.
I've cautiously added ammonia dosing to the routine, which includes CO2 injection. The median C:N
ratio for seagrasses is 474:24:1. CO2 is their favorite form of Carbon, and Ammonia is their favorite form of Nitrogen. Fish food doubles as the Phosphate and trace element source. It's a simple recipe for plant success. Waiting until after the algae phase is a good idea.
(wink wink, nudge nudge) Just kidding, no pressure.
