Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

[Chasmodes]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

What's next for me is two new plants come in today! Tim is still hangin' in his new spot. I've seen a few spaghetti worms! Hallelujah!

Alright!!!!

TIMMAH!!!!

[Michael Hoaster]

I got most of the new plants placed. As usual, GCE sent great portions! I scored a few hitchhiker worms to boot, adding more diversity to the sand bed.

I guess everything's humming along fine. I'm enjoying the journey, back to a healthy, well-planted ecosystem!

[Michael Hoaster]

Note the halimeda on the back wall.



The three white arrows point to the three tiny purple sponges. I'm very excited about these!



It's coming along.


Tim is now in a snail shell. He can fully hide in it!



Still loving the rubble. There's at least three different worms in there. Between them and the pods, I've got an active detrivore community.



The ulva at the top is growing pretty well now.

[JZinCO]

Glad to see the update. I also like when I see some monstrous sponge growth. I have a 2" shelf rock with sponges thicker than it on the bottom, with about 6 colors and a few varieties of shapes.
Did you by chance see the elephant ear sponge on sale at GCE? I just put in an order and at $6, decided to throw that in.
I bought a panamic barnacle blenny a few days ago as well.

Anyway, your tank is looking suh-weet. I remember asking months ago if your prior algae on the back wall was halimeda. Well, now that you have it, I am really interested to see how it does.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks JZinCO. Good to hear from you again!

It sounds like you're getting some good sponge growth. I did see those sponges at GCE. I had one of those ear sponges before, and it did well. I haven't purchased any new sponges yet, as I'm watching what I have first, to see if I can get them to grow.

Those blennies are fun fish aren't they? I hope to get mine some friends, when they're available again.

You're the one that got me to look into halimeda, for my wall! Hopefully it will survive.

[Chasmodes]

Pic update, yay! I love that pic of Timmah in the shell. The sponges are interesting to me too. The grasses look great and I love the look of the Halimeda and Ulva on the back wall.

[Michael Hoaster]

I thought you'd get a kick out of the pic of Tim in a shell, Chasmodes. It really shows how little he is!

I'm really hoping those purple sponges take off. I still can't believe I found them cleaning up muck 'n stuff.

To me the, Halimeda looks too 'man-planted' right now, but I'm hoping they like the location and flourish. If they do, it's likely they will 'naturalize' and look better. I really hope to keep the ulva growing up top. Between it, the halimeda, and whatever else I can get to grow up there, I hope to get a nice overhang, so the lower 2/3s of the back wall are shaded.

[sam.basye]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

To me the, Halimeda looks too 'man-planted' right now

It looks like it's all wedged in one long seam or crack? Nature generally doesn't follow straight lines. Mix it up a little bit and it will look more natural. Less Michaelized. Lol

[JZinCO]

Not to hijack but I think it looks fine.
Plus there are enough straight lines (trees growing in calm winds, crystals, travelling photons, mineral cleaves, soda straws) and straightish lines (most trees, soil horizons, geologic faults) that I wouldn't be concerned with straight lines looking unnatural.
Anyway it'll grow over and look 'natural' in time.

[Michael Hoaster]

Yeah that's what I don't like about it, sam.basye.

But, it works for practical reasons, for now. It's an overlapping seam in the pond foam that holds plants perfectly. Unfortunately, it's pretty straight, so they're all lined up, up there. That's an interesting thought, on any future possible fake walls. There are several more, planted on the substrate as well. The GCE portions are big! My hope is that they will grow and spread, and will naturally, get more natural.

So it's a temporary unnaturallity. I'm sure I'll be adjusting them, as I see what I want. Overnight, one in the middle, fell down onto the DSB. It helps to break up the line, so I'll leave it. Nature finds a way.

I guess the same goes for my lovely rubber bands. They're not pretty, but they present practical advantages that can help me achieve my goals. But it does bring up the question, when is it ok to have unnatural additions to your aquarium, and when is it not? For me, it's ok because my tank is bouncing back from hypo. But at what point is it 'done'? For photos?

It's a work in progress. So I don't mind a little less perfection to get there.

[Michael Hoaster]

See sea squirts upper middle.



I moved some excess ulva from up top to the roots.



These were on the root, but didn't look right, so I moved them to the left end of the tank. I think it might like the lower current.






These two grasilarias look kind of flattened by the current, but they may be just growing away from the light.












Note more natural halimeda placement.

[Chasmodes]

Lookin' good to me Michael. Even better when it all grows in. As far as the rubber bands go, what about maybe dying them brown or try and match the root color (or macro color) so they blend in?

[Michael Hoaster]

My wife turned me onto a spool of clear rubber band-like stuff, but it was too thin. I found some wider stuff, but it wasn't stretchy enough. I'm still looking. Dying is outside my comfort zone. Every time I take pictures I'm reminded how ugly they are. The light purple ones look the least bad, since they blend in with the coralline algae somewhat.

It has been a difficult problem, trying to get plants growing on the roots. With low light and strong current, it's quite a challenge. By the way, my snails ate the dictoya again, so I'll have to give up on that one.

My overall plan is to get some plants on the well-lit roots and some sponges and other encrusting stuff on the dim-lit roots.

I'm encouraged with the tiny sponge frags I have, as they seem to be growing. If I can get conditions optimized for them, I would expect them to spread around themselves. With my bad luck with store-bought sponges, I'm more inclined to see what my tank can support sponge-wise, with the ones I already have on the live rock. From what I've read, sponges filter huge amounts of water, so I would expect my tank to support only so much sponge mass.

[sam.basye]

Have you tried gel control super glue? That's what I glue all coral with. Not sure if it would kill the plant where it's glued though.

What about the twist ties at the grocery store. Remove the paper and just use the thin wire inside. It would oxidize and blend in with the root?

[Michael Hoaster]

I have tried gel super glue. They came loose after a few days. I like the twist tie idea! Wait. I've tried them. The problem with them is you need three hands-one to hold the plant in place and two to twist the tie. A one-handed procedure is preferable. That's why the broccoli rubber bands, cut and tied work. I can hold the plant in place with my middle finger, while grasping the band 'handle' with forefinger and thumb, pulling a gap between the band and the root. Slide the plant under the gap and we're done.

One other idea I had was to use the small, dental rubber bands they use to bag fish. I could remove each root and slide the bands up, from the bottom. These would be pretty discreet. They would require two hands though-one to open a gap and one to hold the plant. But I could do it outside the tank, which would be much easier! It could work. I'll give that a try!

Yet another example of discussion leading to breakthroughs! Thank you, gentlemen.

[sam.basye]

I would advise against moving the root around. Mainly in my experience, the more you move something, the looser it gets​. Next thing you know you're cussing at the root that is sitting in your hand, no longer connected to the rest of it. Lol

How do the rubber bands hold up for you? I have used small little bands to try to keep a toadstool or shroom on a plug, but they​ get brittle and break after a long period of submersion.

Can't you twist the wire on to the root loosely with both hands, then slide the plant in place, and re-tighten it with one hand to cinch it down?

[Chasmodes]

I have an idea, what about using clear fluorocarbon 2 lb. test fishing line? Even 4 lb. might work. It is virtually invisible underwater for the most part, although I haven't seen it in an aquarium before.

You can buy a 75 yard spool of 2 lb. test Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon ice fishing line for about $6 from Cabelas. 2 lb. test is very thin. Plus, eventually algae might grow on it making it blend in even more. I believe that folks ice fish out your way so you might find some thin ice fishing fluoro line at a local tackle shop.

Another option are thin diameter green translucent fishing lines that might blend in too.

[Michael Hoaster]

I occasionally knock roots loose when cleaning. They reattach without issue, but I wouldn't want to do it frequently. Since adding rubber bands would be a (hopefully) one-time thing, I think I could get away with it. My main concern is ease of use with this method. Without tying them, I don't get the ends to use as handles, and we're looking at a two-handed operation. Couldn't hurt to try though.

The broccoli rubber bands hold up pretty well for awhile. Then they get brittle and break.

I tried twist ties without success. Might work outside the tank. I've also tried monofilament. Same problem. You need three hands. Could work outside the tank as well, but I'd really prefer to leave the roots attached and in the tank.

Thanks again for the input guys!

[Chasmodes]

Just offering alternatives that you might not have considered. Maybe there are some clear zip ties out there that might work too? I was going to suggest them before but they have kind of a large footprint vs. the fishing line that is nearly invisible. Does it matter to you that the rubber bands eventually break? Or would you prefer something more permanent?

BTW, your tank looks great no matter how you do it.

I found these on the web, check these out: http://www.aerorubber.com/clear-band...FcWKswodq3wCng

[Michael Hoaster]

I appreciate it, thanks! I think zip ties would be too hard for most plants. The rubber bands I'm using do break after awhile, which can be a bummer, but it does keep me looking for something better.

I checked out that site. That looks like what I need, but it looked to be a wholesale, volume situation. I haven't looked at office supply stores to see what they have, so I'll take a look.

[Chasmodes]

If your local stores don't carry them, then maybe email Aerorubber or give them a call to see who sells them retail. The might even sell directly to you cheap. Ya never know. They might even send you a sample box or something for free.

[Michael Hoaster]

Good idea, thanks!

I think I finally have enough plant biomass to not feel too lacking. It feels more comfortable. Having the ulva gives me some wiggle room with nutrients and dosing. Controlling its bio mass affords more control.

My sand bed is really crawling with nature, with pods, tiny snails, and worms aplenty. With a magnifying glass, it's pretty entertaining! I can definitely recommend GCE's live sand. And the bonus rubble is divine!

I'm also cautiously excited about the sponges and sea squirts. I've upped the dosing of sodium silicate, and that seems to make an appreciable difference. Silicate is THE key building block material for sponges. My unfiltered tank has tons of DOC, bacteria and who knows what else, plus I dose phytoplankton, so food shouldn't be a problem. So far, I'm very encouraged with growth I'm seeing in all the sponges. I'd be particularly pleased to resurrect two sponges I had written off - the red tree and whatever the purple ones turn out to be. The sea squirts have also multiplied.

This ecosystem is getting up to speed!

[rucnnefish]

Congrats on getting your "bottom" off to a fantastic start!! I can see another harem of grammas in the not too distant future.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks rucnnefish. My obsession with the bottom is bearing fruit!

I really do look forward to another gramma harem. Big Daddy 2.0 looks so lonely. But I want to get some smaller guys in first, so it may be awhile. In the meantime I'm enjoying the molly fry. I call them my school of fancy mullet!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks rucnnefish. My obsession with the bottom is bearing fruit!

I really do look forward to another gramma harem. Big Daddy 2.0 looks so lonely. But I want to get some smaller guys in first, so it may be awhile. In the meantime I'm enjoying the molly fry. I call them my school of fancy mullet!