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Unread 07/01/2018, 07:09 PM   #151
vlangel
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Dawn Gilson
2018-07-01_08-44-26
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2018-07-01_08-44-26 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
Here is my new tree sponge. It looks to me that it is still healthy and appears to be feeding. I am optimistic about its future in my tank.


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Unread 07/01/2018, 07:28 PM   #152
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Dawn Gilson
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Here is my new tree sponge. It looks to me that it is still healthy and appears to be feeding. I am optimistic about its future in my tank.
Very nice. Pretty in Red.


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Unread 07/01/2018, 07:33 PM   #153
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Its been unusually hot here in western PA and the seahorse tank was almost 75°. I submerged ice bags in the DT tank. I have the chiller that I can hook up if necessary but prefer not to if possible.

I did a WC in case the heat causes an outage. They seem to be weathering the weather just fine.

2018-07-01_08-41-42 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
What is target temperature?


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Unread 07/02/2018, 08:43 AM   #154
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What is target temperature?
For H erectus seahorses the target temperature is 70°-74°. For every degree over that ideal range the pathogenic bacteria that negatively affect seahorses reproduce exponentially. Typically I keep my system running more like 70°-72° just to be safe. If I suspect a seahorse is fighting infection then I target 68°. That is another limiting factor for coral as most do not grow at their optimum rate in those temperatures. My coral are mature enough that it does not matter to me. The macro algae don't seem to mind the cooler temps at all.


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Unread 07/02/2018, 10:02 AM   #155
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For H erectus seahorses the target temperature is 70°-74°. For every degree over that ideal range the pathogenic bacteria that negatively affect seahorses reproduce exponentially. Typically I keep my system running more like 70°-72° just to be safe. If I suspect a seahorse is fighting infection then I target 68°. That is another limiting factor for coral as most do not grow at their optimum rate in those temperatures. My coral are mature enough that it does not matter to me. The macro algae don't seem to mind the cooler temps at all.

I think that macro grown at lower temperature would grow much cleaner. Yours looks magnificent.


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Unread 07/03/2018, 11:14 AM   #156
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I think that macro grown at lower temperature would grow much cleaner. Yours looks magnificent.
I never thought of that but you may be right. Also once a week I shake the macro algae that are not attached in a 5 gallon bucket of tank water. Macros that are attached get a good shaking in the tank to dislodge detritus. Thanks for the kind words.


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Unread 07/03/2018, 01:41 PM   #157
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The tank looks fantastic, as does the sponge!


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Unread 07/05/2018, 08:55 AM   #158
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The tank looks fantastic, as does the sponge!
I am really excited about how well this tree sponge is doing. Even a small tree sponge I got 5-6 months ago has perked up and looks better now that I am dosing Nualgi. If in a few months they continue to look so healthy I am going to order ball and frilly sponges too.


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Unread 07/28/2018, 12:35 PM   #159
Michael Hoaster
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That's awesome you're having success with sponges! Combining that with macros, corals, AND seahorses successfully is unheard of! Congrats.

I've not heard of Nualgi. What's in it?


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 07/28/2018, 07:17 PM   #160
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That's awesome you're having success with sponges! Combining that with macros, corals, AND seahorses successfully is unheard of! Congrats.

I've not heard of Nualgi. What's in it?
Actually in the last 3 weeks, something bad is happening to my big sponge. The one side has begun to turn white and I am pretty sure its not a good sign. So, ...its still unheard of. LOL

Nualgi was a new product about 4 years ago for helping with nuisance algae, especially on the sandbed. No one knows what is in it exactly but it was theorized that silica was a main ingredient.



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Unread 07/28/2018, 09:58 PM   #161
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Ok, maybe it's still unheard of. But you're close!

Your Nualgi explanation made me curious! I checked their web site. Here's a quote from it:

"HOW DOES IT WORK?
Within 3 – 5 hours of applying Nualgi Ponds, a bloom of Diatom algae (the good kind!) will develop. The diatom algae bloom out-competes nuisance algae for CO2, N, P and other nutrients, causing the bad algae to die off. It then locks away some of the harmful nutrients in the new bio mass that is consumed as live food for your fish and zooplankton."

That supports your silica theory. So you're using it as an algicide/sponge food? What affect does it have on your tank?

It's an interesting idea, using diatoms to outcompete algae, and critters and fish to eat the diatoms. It sounds like an elegant, natural solution. But does it work? In my experience it seems like diatoms always come first, then the greens come in and take over. It's hard to imagine diatoms overtaking greens because I've never seen it. It is a cool idea though. Maybe I'll try dosing silica when I get my algae phase. My mini strombus snails have been multiplying like rabbits in my holding tank, so they can help.


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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 07/29/2018, 07:22 PM   #162
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Ok, maybe it's still unheard of. But you're close!

Your Nualgi explanation made me curious! I checked their web site. Here's a quote from it:

"HOW DOES IT WORK?
Within 3 – 5 hours of applying Nualgi Ponds, a bloom of Diatom algae (the good kind!) will develop. The diatom algae bloom out-competes nuisance algae for CO2, N, P and other nutrients, causing the bad algae to die off. It then locks away some of the harmful nutrients in the new bio mass that is consumed as live food for your fish and zooplankton."

That supports your silica theory. So you're using it as an algicide/sponge food? What affect does it have on your tank?

It's an interesting idea, using diatoms to outcompete algae, and critters and fish to eat the diatoms. It sounds like an elegant, natural solution. But does it work? In my experience it seems like diatoms always come first, then the greens come in and take over. It's hard to imagine diatoms overtaking greens because I've never seen it. It is a cool idea though. Maybe I'll try dosing silica when I get my algae phase. My mini strombus snails have been multiplying like rabbits in my holding tank, so they can help.
I have never had serious ugly algae problems in my tanks but I do get the rust color on the sandbed. I was hoping that the nualgi would help with that. It seemed like the first tank I used it in did clear up the sand pretty well but I remember that it took about 7 weeks. I also remember that the LPS responded very favorably to it. I can not see any difference in the seahorse tank yet.


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Unread 07/30/2018, 04:20 PM   #163
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Really? Wow! I've never NOT had a serious algae problem in all of my tanks. That's impressive, Dawn! Keep us informed on your experience with Nualgi. I'd like to hear more!


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 07/30/2018, 10:30 PM   #164
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Dawn's seahorse garden!

It sounds like it's silica plus trace, grows diatoms, and depletes N or P to outcompete algae.
Very cool.
I'm messing around with dosing Si, and depleting trace.

Edit: has anyone seen mini strombus scavenge? I am 90% sure I watched one eat mysis scraps today.


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Unread 07/31/2018, 05:55 AM   #165
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Really? Wow! I've never NOT had a serious algae problem in all of my tanks. That's impressive, Dawn! Keep us informed on your experience with Nualgi. I'd like to hear more!
I think it's all the water changes I do plus keeping the tank free of excess food and detritus. Cooler temperature may play a role in it too as well as all the macro algae in both the display and the fuge.

I will let you know if the Nualgi has any effect on the tank after I have used longer.


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Unread 07/31/2018, 05:59 AM   #166
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It sounds like it's silica plus trace, grows diatoms, and depletes N or P to outcompete algae.
Very cool.
I'm messing around with dosing Si, and depleting trace.

Edit: has anyone seen mini strombus scavenge? I am 90% sure I watched one eat mysis scraps today.
Yes, that is what I heard as well. I had read you were dosing Si which is what prompted me to dig in my fish room to see if I still had the Nualgi. Maybe we can compare results?


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Unread 07/31/2018, 10:28 PM   #167
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taricha, I have not seen my mini strombus snails eat flesh. But I haven't looked for it either. They climb and clean macros and seagrass like no other snails.

Good idea to compare notes, Dawn. taricha, let us know what you find. I'd been dosing sodium silicate for a while, for the sponges. I had some mild diatom blooms but I never noticed it outcompeting algae. I'll pay more attention next time.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 08/01/2018, 10:24 AM   #168
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Totally. I'll be happy to post more details later.
On sponges, my orange ball sponge has actually been more consistently open and feeding than my orange tree sponge.
The ball sponge never went through a tissue receding period like my tree sponge has either.
20180711_164940.jpg

And on silica and nutrient competition, I was looking at specifically targeting dinos. To overgeneralize, N and P limitations are a better choke point for halting green algae, and trace elements make a better target to limit when trying to control dinos. Some encouraging results, no silver bullet.
However, what I found that was dramatic was that silica dosing completely put a halt to cyano patches, made them disappear and never return.


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Unread 08/01/2018, 11:02 AM   #169
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Good stuff, taricha! I'm particularly excited to read that last statement, regarding cyano. I had a doozy of a cyano phase in my last tank. It would be wonderful to skip that, this time around!


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 08/03/2018, 10:25 PM   #170
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Good stuff, taricha! I'm particularly excited to read that last statement, regarding cyano. I had a doozy of a cyano phase in my last tank. It would be wonderful to skip that, this time around!


When I got my SiO2 up over 0.5ppm cyano stayed gone.
Apparently it's somewhat known to use Si to suppress cyano in freshwater systems.


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Unread 08/03/2018, 10:40 PM   #171
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Good to know! Thanks! The future looks less blue-greener…


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 08/27/2018, 02:47 PM   #172
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The seahorses continue to do well in their tank with sand. I still have some rust color on the sandbed but the rest of the tank stays fairly clean and algae free.


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Unread 08/27/2018, 09:58 PM   #173
Michael Hoaster
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Congrats on your success with sea horses. Not to mention, the rest of your tank!


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey

Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 08/28/2018, 10:24 PM   #174
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Congrats on your success with sea horses. Not to mention, the rest of your tank!
Thanks Michael! The business of summer has kept me occupied with other pursuits but just wanted everyone to know that my ponies and I were/are well. Hopefully I can post a pic soon.

FTS Aug 2018 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr



Last edited by vlangel; 08/28/2018 at 10:30 PM.
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Unread 08/29/2018, 06:05 AM   #175
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Your tank looks fantastic Dawn. A little life on the sand bed makes it look more realistic anyway. Glad the ponies are doing well!


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