Weeds

[Michael Hoaster]

And more pics!

A good look at the Sargassum and Grasilaria, and the Pearls in the foreground.

Good sponge growth at center, and the flat red just above.

Another one from the end.

And another.

Pretty good view of the Galaxaura and a couple of String of Pearls frags.

Galaxaura, Pearls and flat red.

And last but not least, the grasses. A little beat up from the pruning but no Caulerpa to compete with on the sand.

 

[ThePurple12]

The flat red macro looks like a growth form of Gracilaria hayi. I could be wrong, but I've seen the same look in some of my hayi. How long have you had it?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

It could be but I don't think it's G. hayi. It does look similar but the growth is quite different. If I was to guess, I'd say it was in the Grasilaria family. I think it's a plant that I got as a freebie with an online order about 3 years ago, though it's growing in a different shape now. Or it's a completely new plant that grew from the live rock. I've seen something similar in a macro tank on Pinterest. It would be nice to know what it is, or at least get close, so I could assign an actual name. I'll do a little looking. If it is hayi, it is the best example of (wait for it) PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY I've ever seen! Whenever I use that phrase, my wife says I made it up…

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I did some looking. It appears to be a Halymenia species.

https://eol.org/media/11780138
Halymenia floresii

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url...ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLjjhdXYt-4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Halymenia durvilaea

 

[vlangel]

Holy moly, those are the cleanest most crisp pics I have ever seen of your tank. I think it is because the sandbed is so pure without caulerpa so the sand really reflects back the light. Whatever it is the effect is quite dramatic in a wonderful way. No wonder you want to sit in front of the tank for hours and even take a nap there.

Also it appears that your patch reef is totally recovered from adding the foundational rock and it seems to look like it is growing in the ocean and has never been disturbed. I am impressed that your sargassum seems to be doing so well as I have heard that that can be a tricky macro to grow. I had planned to see how well you did with it before I ventured to give it a try.

All I can say is 'Bravo Michael', it looks amazing.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Dawn you sure know how to flatter a guy. Thanks for the kind words!

I'm liking the patch reef too, especially with it getting filled in with plants. Yes, I think Sargassum is a challenging plant. It's ironic because it washes up on beaches by the ton! I doubt I could have kept it, had it not grown out of the rock. I'm sure it would grow bigger if it was in brighter light, but I want to keep it where it is. I've optimized the placement as best I could. It grows slowly.

With the snails going nuts on my new Ulva I had to take drastic measures. I have suspended them on monofilament. This should give them a chance to grow unmolested until there's enough biomass to outpace predation. Doing this is something I said I would never do again. But it was kinda pricey and I know it would be gone by tomorrow if I didn't intervene. Here's a pic:

Isn't that lovely?! Take that, army of hungry snails!

 

[vlangel]

Dawn you sure know how to flatter a guy. Thanks for the kind words!

I'm liking the patch reef too, especially with it getting filled in with plants. Yes, I think Sargassum is a challenging plant. It's ironic because it washes up on beaches by the ton! I doubt I could have kept it, had it not grown out of the rock. I'm sure it would grow bigger if it was in brighter light, but I want to keep it where it is. I've optimized the placement as best I could. It grows slowly.

With the snails going nuts on my new Ulva I had to take drastic measures. I have suspended them on monofilament. This should give them a chance to grow unmolested until there's enough biomass to outpace predation. Doing this is something I said I would never do again. But it was kinda pricey and I know it would be gone by tomorrow if I didn't intervene. Here's a pic:

Isn't that lovely?! Take that, army of hungry snails!

I assure you that I am completely sincere in my praise of your tank. It is really maturing beautifully.

Way to stick it to the hungry snails! We love our clean up crew until they start cleaning up something we want to keep! Well, a reefer has to do what a reefer has to do, right? Ulva grows fast if I recall correctly so hopefully you do not have to endure the solution to the hungry snails too long! LOL

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn! It's great to have our little community to encourage each other. It's hard to quantify how much it adds to my enjoyment of doing this stuff, but I know it's a lot! Sure, there's not many of us these days, but I think our supportive vibe could attract new people.

So today the new Ulva intestinalis looks about the same, which is way better than gone. If I had left it on the sand there would be nothing left today! Seriously. I confess that when I looked at it this morning I hoped it had grown. Not realistic! I expect it is still adjusting to the light. I dosed a small amount of ammonia yesterday to give it a little kick. My experience with 'regular Ulva' is that it can take high light and high nutrients. I expect to see some growth soon.

I was also worried the Damsels might go after them, hanging in the middle of the tank like that. They routinely prune the Caulerpa away from their hidey holes in the back wall, which then ends up on the sand bed. So far they appear to be leaving it alone.

They just need a little time to get going, and then they should make it. Once they get well established, I'll need to figure out where to plant them permanently. Ideally, I'd eradicate the Feather Caulerpa from the tank completely, and leave the Fern (mexicana) variety to coexist with it on the back wall. Caulerpa mexicana is less invasive and I like the look of it.

 

[vlangel]

Thanks Dawn! It's great to have our little community to encourage each other. It's hard to quantify how much it adds to my enjoyment of doing this stuff, but I know it's a lot! Sure, there's not many of us these days, but I think our supportive vibe could attract new people.

So today the new Ulva intestinalis looks about the same, which is way better than gone. If I had left it on the sand there would be nothing left today! Seriously. I confess that when I looked at it this morning I hoped it had grown. Not realistic! I expect it is still adjusting to the light. I dosed a small amount of ammonia yesterday to give it a little kick. My experience with 'regular Ulva' is that it can take high light and high nutrients. I expect to see some growth soon.

I was also worried the Damsels might go after them, hanging in the middle of the tank like that. They routinely prune the Caulerpa away from their hidey holes in the back wall, which then ends up on the sand bed. So far they appear to be leaving it alone.

They just need a little time to get going, and then they should make it. Once they get well established, I'll need to figure out where to plant them permanently. Ideally, I'd eradicate the Feather Caulerpa from the tank completely, and leave the Fern (mexicana) variety to coexist with it on the back wall. Caulerpa mexicana is less invasive and I like the look of it.

I am sure the ulva will be great once it settles and acclimates. I am glad that the damsels do not seem interested in it. That would be very tricky to keep them away!

I agree that this particular community engaged in the macro algae and seagrass add so much to my reef experience. I have benefited tremendously by the experience of others on here, including you.

And to think that I was intimidated when I first read your v1 thread. I lurked forever because I didn't know much about macros and nothing about seagrass.

To any other potential lurkers, I pronounce these aquarist to be among the most friendly, helpful and least contentious folks that I have met on reef forums!

Back to your tank, I have never tried caulerpa mexicana but have been tempted to get some from gulf coast ecosystems. I will have to study your back wall closer to see the difference in it and the feather. Being less invasive would be wonderful compared to the feather caulerpa.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Yep, if the damsels decide to pick on them, they'll likely perish. It's possible they then could plant themselves randomly around the tank (like the Caulerpa does), but then they're susceptible to the snails again.

It's been a real pleasure having you around, Dawn! To any lurkers, it doesn't matter if you know nothing about seaweeds. Ask any question you can think of. I'd be delighted to answer.

I like the way mexicana looks - almost fake, which goes well with my weirder-the-better plant theme. It doesn't grow as fast as the feather stuff, but it's still Caulerpa. It makes for a great export medium, like Chaeto or Ulva, so it could be a good fit for your fuge.

 

[ThePurple12]

How much are yellow tangs now at the LFS? I haven't been to mine in a while. I heard since the Hawaii ban on aquarium collecting, the price has shot up. Apparently Liveaquaria was selling one for $500 on Diver's Den??

 

[vlangel]

How much are yellow tangs now at the LFS? I haven't been to mine in a while. I heard since the Hawaii ban on aquarium collecting, the price has shot up. Apparently Liveaquaria was selling one for $500 on Diver's Den??

Whoa, that is some serious dough! They are striking but not $500 worth, or at least that is too rich for my blood. I guess I am glad that my tank is too small anyway.

 

[vlangel]

Yep, if the damsels decide to pick on them, they'll likely perish. It's possible they then could plant themselves randomly around the tank (like the Caulerpa does), but then they're susceptible to the snails again.

It's been a real pleasure having you around, Dawn! To any lurkers, it doesn't matter if you know nothing about seaweeds. Ask any question you can think of. I'd be delighted to answer.

I like the way mexicana looks - almost fake, which goes well with my weirder-the-better plant theme. It doesn't grow as fast as the feather stuff, but it's still Caulerpa. It makes for a great export medium, like Chaeto or Ulva, so it could be a good fit for your fuge.

Maybe a plant oriented birthday present is in order.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Then captive bred tangs are cheaper now. Hopefully this will push the industry to fully convert to captive bred.

Happy Birthday!

 

[ThePurple12]

That would be great!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

My new Ulva Intestinalis still lives! That's a new longevity record for me. What is it now 3, 4 days? Believe it or not, the day after suspending it, I came in to check on them in the morning, and some had snails! Apparently, they were able to hitch a ride on some of the taller seagrasses and managed to get onto the Ulva. I even thought of that possibility, but discounted it because as they get higher on the blade, it sinks lower in the tank. Resourceful little buggers! So I've added a snail check to my morning routine. Hooray!

Oh, and my Iron finally arrived, after it's two week journey. So I added some to the tank. I'm really hoping for improved colors in my red macros. It'd be nice if the Hypnea turned blue too.

This weekend I'll go over my sand bed with a fine tooth comb to remove any Caulerpa stragglers that will have inevitably popped up.

 

[ThePurple12]

I wonder how intelligent snails actually are. Apparently more than we give them credit for!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Good point! Apparently they can smell stuff, as evidenced by nassarius snails emerging from the sand at feeding time. So they must be able to track down preferred food. But climbing seagrasses to get to Ulva seems a bit of a stretch. It seems more random chance to me, but who knows!

 

[ThePurple12]

You're probably right, it seems like snails just wander around eating algae wherever they go. But yep, who knows!

 

[vlangel]

Really, how big can their brain be, ha ha! (Maybe that logic is flawed however. My head is a whole lot bigger than a squirrel's and yet they have outwitted me at my bird feeders for years!). They (the snails) must have some sensory devise in their make up that directs to food sources. It's both fascinating and frustrating, LOL.