I do appreciate the suggestion though; it’s really neat that everyone is helping out.

It should completely stop it. It would be easy to test (you can see the bubbles). Either way, you would need a solenoid. I think with the pic you posted the bubbles wouldn't make it into the tank, unless I am missing something.

I am a user of Flourish Excel, in addition to CO2, and it definitely harms lower plants/algae. I don't think it would work well in marine tanks.

Thanks, I’m going to get a solenoid and try it out the way that you posted (this would keep pressure in the CO2 bottle the lowest). However, if some CO2 is still released at night, I’ll try it the way that I posted (with the 2-way valve adjusted so that the path to open air would be fairly restricted). This would direct most of the flow to the tank when the solenoid is open, but would still allow the release of some gas (to lessen pressure) when the solenoid is closed.

The two way valve that you talk about, what kind of valve is that? If it's a T and doesn't restrict flow at all, then I think there won't be enough pressure in the line for the CO2 to go into the water. If it does restrict flow, you want to be very careful that you don't make the walls in that room sugar and yeast coated
Putting a solenoid directly inline is risky with DIY CO2.

One thing about the pic I posted, is that I would go with only 2 check valves rather than the 3 it shows. I don't think you need one right before the solenoid, and I think it would work a little better without it.

My little lagoon will probably look kind of crowded with 2 powerheads, so I’m thinking about using just one. Even on the wave timer, I feel that there should still be enough flow. And since the Maxi-Jets have a Venturi injector option, I wouldn’t need a separate powerhead for the CO2 (although I’m kind of fond of Reggae Reefer’s idea of attaching it to the intake of my HOB filter instead).

Wow, I’m getting so close to the stock requirements. If I just changed the 50/50 daylight bulb back to the standard 50/50, I’d probably qualify. I’m not sure if a CO2 system would be allowed; but without an additional powerhead for it, it’s just a simple dosing system (so who knows). Anyway, I guess I’m not too scared of all the wicked cool tanks in the custom category, so I’m sticking with the daylight bulb.

Just a simple 2-way gang valve like this. Thanks for your help.

I just ordered the following.

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms order: Live Sand Activator Plus with ReefWorms Diversity Package

CO2 dosing:
• CO2 Solenoid
• Dennerle CO2 Check Valves
• CO2 resistant tubing
• Red Sea Turbo CO2 Bio-System

Other additives:
• ESV B-Ionic Calcium (and alkalinity) Buffer
• ESV B-Ionic Magnesium
• Kent Marine (Super Chelated) Iron and Manganese

Awesome. Have you ordered from IPSF before? Their site seems like a lot of sales pitch, no real substance.

Yeah, I’ve ordered from IPSF before (but not the Live Sand Activator). It’s kind of weird, I’d buy from them again; but at the same time, I don’t go out of my way to recommend them. It’s a decent place, but the costs seem a bit high and their web site is hard to order from (no shopping cart, and even determining the cost of specific items seems more difficult than it should be). Individual products seem more expensive than some of their combo deals. In addition, they ask you to send your credit card information via Internet email (clear text for all the bad guys to steal); however, they do have the option of leaving your credit card information on their voicemail (which is more secure). I just felt that jumpstarting my sand bed with some more biodiversity would be a good thing.

Substrate:
I was at PetSmart the other day and noticed a couple of bags of Seachem Gray Coast Calcite. I didn’t know much about it so I went home and did a few searches. It looks promising as a planted marine substrate; and my substrate is still a little shallow, so this evening I bought a bag to mix into my existing substrate.

It appears to have good buffering capabilities and is relatively high in iron. I feel that adding additives to the water column can be helpful, but it isn’t quite the same as having a rich sand bed. Hopefully this will be a good addition as I have another shipment of seagrass ordered.

Woop! Now your sand is EXACTLY like mine!

I love the stuff, and my 'grass seems happy. Good purchase.

I didn’t know; that’s pretty cool. I’ll probably mix it in when I get my next seagrass shipment.

October 20th, 2006

Not much change for the seagrass:


Time to clean:

Too lazy to re-read all the thread. Anyhow, I found this site for macros. I don't know if it's been posted, or if everyone but me knew about it.
Whatever, here it is...
http://www.marineflora.com/

I know what you mean.

Nice site, thanks for the link RayWhisperer! Obviously, my setup should be macro algae friendly, and I’ve been slowly changing my mind about not keeping them. I’d still like my tank to focus on seagrass, and I want to see results without adding macros into the mix. However, as the cutoff for adding new corals/livestock approaches (and if the seagrass isn’t consuming all of the nutrients), I still might look at adding a macro or two.

It’s official; all of the seagrass leaves are now gone. However, I’m leaving the root structure in place, just in case (but I’m not very hopeful). I should get another shipment this week. I hope that I don’t disappoint.

All you had was the Halophila, right? Ask Sarah if she can ship overnight, that might lesen the shock to the plants...

Otherwise, get some Halodule.

Yes, she is going to ship them overnight; I’m hopeful that it will do the trick. I’d like to keep Star grass (Halophila engelmannii), but I will try Shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) if it doesn’t work out this time. I’m really looking forward to getting this started.

I have livestock coming this Saturday! In addition to a couple of things for my 40-gallon tank, I ordered the following from LiveAquaria.com:
• 4 Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
• 4 Caribbean Nassarius Vibex Snails
• 2 Astraea Snails
• 3 Caribbean Cerith Snails
• 2 Pacific Nerite Snails
• 1 Trochus Snail

I also ordered a replacement Yellow Clown Goby for my 40-gallon, which I will quarantine in my 10-gallon during this contest.

My tank will be going through a number of changes in the next few days. I should get my shipment from IPSF on Thursday, my seagrass from Sarah on Friday, and my livestock from LiveAquaria on Saturday.

This Wednesday night I added the Seachem Gray Coast Calcite to the substrate (be prepared to rinse and rinse if you use this product). My sand bed is now a little darker in color, and a bit over 3” deep. It’s all ready for the IPSF goodies that are coming in the morning.

Oh yeah, more test kits are on the way (I know, shame on me; I have no idea when I saw them last). However, if you are just starting out, please use your test kits on a regular basis until well after everything has stabilized. For this project, test kits will be important for evaluating critical nutrient levels.

It’s been awhile since I’ve dosed anything into any of my tanks. For this project, I’ll be monitoring pH, alkalinity, nitrate, and phosphate; however, I’m not planning on getting test kits for everything that I plan to dose. Again, this is not something that I would recommend for people just starting out.

To get around possible problems due to overdosing, I plan on performing larger water changes to help stabilize the water chemistry that has been altered by dosing. In addition, I will be careful to dose a bit less than the recommended amounts; and I will be using products/elements that are relatively safe.

Finally, I have a bucket of Tropic Marin Sea Salt that I’m thinking about using. I will probably use tap water as well. I believe that the seagrass will utilize the nutrients in the tap water. I know it sounds kind of weird using bio-media and tap water in a tank that will house corals, but we’ll see how it plays out down the road.

I got my shipment from IPSF today (Spaghetti and Bristle Worms, amphipods, N-reducer bacteria, live sand activator, WonderMud, crabs, and snails). There were lots of worms, probably more than should go into a 10-gallon tank. Luckily my 40-gallon tank is right above my nano lagoon.

Live Sand Activator Plus with the ReefWorms Diversity Package:


WonderMud:

Oooooo, nice Seabass. Now to the contest, eh?

What exactly is the Miracle Mud?

I wouldn't worry about the worms. Put them all in and feed the tank very well. Do large regular weekly water changes and try to get your substrate to growing and maturing. With the animals you put in the tank, be careful of ammonia spikes as that may fuel algae growth. One thing I ALWAYS found with FW plants--if you still want to try the seagrass--the substrate will need to mature a couple of months. It's hard to just start from scratch as a lot of the plants won't take hold and grow well--especially special care plants. It's almost as though the substrate needs to season and produce some of its own mulm. But once it matures a little, your plants will begin to take root and multiply. Keep giving them the nutrients and light they need and they'll take care of the rest.

I bet that's the part Sarah has left out of the equation which is causing all the problems. She's working with a seasoned substrate while you're working with a new one. I know it sucks to be trying this the first time, but if you're patient and wait for it to mature, it will surprise you when it does. Especially if you add CO2 and N-P-K + Fe!

Thanks WarEagleNR88; I think that you are right about a mature sandbed. However, I don’t feel that even that could have saved the first batch of seagrass (it looked better in the pictures than in person).


WonderMud is a small amount of mature mud that’s full of critters. Here is their description; I hope that it helps the sandbed. I still might try injecting one of the other mud products that are available.

I received my Star grass today. I have to say that it’s like night and day from the last shipment. I’m very happy that they look so healthy!

I sure hope they make it; thanks for checking in jeremai!

I got a Yellow Clown Goby, some crabs, and some snails from LiveAquaria.com today. He's a cute little guy:

I put a small frag of Blastomussa merleti in today, primarily as a check:


One of the Blue Leg Hermit Crabs checking out his new home:

so you think it was the quality of the 1st shipment rather than the mud? they almost look like terrestrial plants! very nice!

Thanks, good to hear from you tinyreef! The first shipment was very stressed, most of the leaves had already fallen off before I opened the box; plus it smelled like a shipment of coral that had gone bad. In contrast, this latest shipment came in much better shape. Only a couple of leaves had fallen off, and the water didn’t smell bad.

I like how it looks too, but I’ve never seen Halophila in person. This makes it more difficult for me to judge the health of the plants (for example, I’m not really sure how translucent a healthy leaf should be). However, I think that they are in pretty good shape; I just hope that they start to thrive in their new sand bed.

From what I’ve read, the substrate that I have provided should be adequate, but I also get the impression that Star Grass is less forgiving than some of the other seagrasses. I’m hoping that the WonderMud and a little sand from my 40-gallon tank will help.

wow, that new shipment looks aweseome! cant wait to see how it grows!

Thanks sandlot13! Me too, I’m not entirely sure what to expect. There were four small plant colonies; which seems to be a good amount for a standard 10-gallon tank. I still wanted some room to be able to show growth; and I’m hoping that I’ll get to harvest some, to prevent crowding, before the contest is over.

I also put a small piece of red Gracilaria (that was shipped with the IPSF pods) on one of the LR frags. I broke off those two pieces of LR to allow room to move the main rock into the right-hand corner; plus, I like how the small pieces look stuck in the left-hand side of the sand bed. I’m not sure that I will keep the Gracilaria, but it adds a little diversity to the look. I think that I would prefer something like Haliptilon instead, but I’m leaving it for the time being.

10 Gallon Star Grass Lagoon
October 31, 2006

Setup and maturing was the theme for this month. I still have to make a few adjustments, but it is mostly setup. The majority of the livestock has only been recently added.

It’s been a relatively problem free month; and I quickly won battles over Aiptasia and bubble algae. However, I lost my first batch of seagrass (which was severely stressed in shipping). Also, my tank is currently going through a typical diatom bloom (which I’m hoping won’t affect the seagrass).

My initial plans haven’t changed that much; however, they have deviated slightly. I’ve decided to make changes to my dosing plans, the substrate, flow, and temperature control.

Nutrients
To help limit unwanted algae growth, I haven’t implemented my plans to increase the nutrient levels yet. However, as my seagrass becomes established, I plan to install my HOB filter’s bio-wheel, switch to salt mix with either tap or spring water, and possibly add Aqua Chargers bio-balls to help produce additional nitrates. At this time, I don’t believe that dosing additional phosphate will be needed.

CO2
I was originally undecided about adding CO2, but as soon as pH starts to get high during the day, I will install the new CO2 system (as that will indicate CO2 depletion). I will be using a yeast reactor with a solenoid on a timer to regulate supply.

Additional dosing
My initial thought was to continue the practice of not dosing additives. However, I have ultimately decided to supplement E.S.V. B-Ionic 2-Part Calcium Buffer, E.S.V. B-Ionic Magnesium, and Kent Iron . I will be buying a magnesium test kit to help maintain suitable levels; however, I will not be purchasing kits for Iron or other trace elements.

Substrate
The substrate is currently made up of:
• 1 gallon of CaribSea Mineral Mud
• 20 lbs of Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand
• 20 lbs of Seachem Gray Coast Calcite
In addition, it has been seeded with about a couple of cups of: Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, Live Sand Activator Plus (with WonderMud) and some sand from my 40-gallon tank.

Flow
Instead of two powerheads, I’ve decided to stick with just one. The flow of the Penguin BIO-Wheel 150 Power Filter, along with one Maxi-Jet 600 Powerhead on the Natural Wave Timer should be quite adequate. In addition, I didn’t want to add the additional heat or take up valuable space with a second powerhead.

Temperature control
The pumps seem to be maintaining an adequate temperature at night and the lights add only one or two degrees, so I haven’t felt the need to add my Stealth heater. It would be primarily taking up space and adds the potential risk of (stuck on) failure; so I might save it for something else down the road.

Livestock
• Star Grass
• Spaghetti and Bristle Worms
• Amphipods
• 4 Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
• 4 Caribbean Nassarius Vibex Snails
• 2 Astraea Snails
• 3 Caribbean Cerith Snails
• 2 Pacific Nerite Snails
• 1 Trochus Snail
• 1 Yellow Clown Goby which was just added and hasn’t started eating yet (but that’s not entirely unusual for this species)

October 1st:

October 13th:

October 31st:

October 31st:

I was out of town for the last few days. I had a tanksitter, but with the diatom bloom, I was still afraid of what I might come home to. While the diatom bloom seems to be subsiding, the seagrass ended up losing a number of leaves. However, there is also some new growth, so it’s looking promising.

Check out the new growth:








Notice what looks to be a root structure developing:

are the leaves getting transparent?

do you have a mg test kit? i forget what the transparency points to but i seem to remember something about mg.

Looks great! I'm jealous... maybe I'll put in another order for Halophila and see how it does.

Some of the original leaves are relatively transparent. Although I’m still getting used to what a healthy leaf should look like, it seems that the more transparent leaves tend to lose color and fall off. Conversely, the new growth seems to be brighter green and more opaque. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing that the stress of shipping had more of an impact on health than the lack of nutrients.

I’ve been dosing a small amount of magnesium and iron; however, I haven’t gotten my magnesium test kit yet, so I’m not sure what the levels are (I’ll be placing an order for the kit this week) . I’ve also been doing frequent 20% water changes, so I’m thinking that the levels should be fairly normal.


Thanks jeremai! I’d try again if I were you; Star grass would be a nice foreground plant that should compliment the Shoal grass. It looks like I’ll have enough healthy plants to eventually fill this tank.

Looking good! now u just need to wait for those little things to grow

Thanks DarkDevil; they seem to be recovering from transplant shock, so I’m hoping that growth start improving shortly.

Diatoms:
The diatom bloom is finally over.

Nitrates:
I added the bio-wheel last night. Looks like I’ll have to start monitoring nitrates now.

Livestock:
My male clownfish decided jumped from my 40-gallon. His mate is looking pretty bummed about it; so I’ll temporarily quarantine a juvenile in this lagoon for her. That should help add some more nutrients as well.

My Yellow Clown Goby is now eating a bit. It looks healthy, but I expect to see its appetite improve some more.

The Peppermint Shrimp are living up to my previous impression of them. They ate all the feather dusters and now they are picking at the Blasto frag that I put in there. It’s time to give them a new home before I add more Blasto.

This Saturday I’m planning on adding a Taam Rio Nano Skimmer ($30 needle wheel skimmer), primarily for improved gas exchange (more balanced O2 and CO2/pH), but also for improved water quality. However, since skimmers will reduce dissolved organics before they can be broken down into nitrates, I’m thinking of adding the bio-balls to help improve nitrate production. I’ll have to see if the 110gph pump actually produces that much flow.

In preparation of adding my coral, I’m getting rid of the Peppermint Shrimp. I know that they are considered reef safe, but (maybe from feeding pretty lightly) these guys are picking at the Blasto and small feather dusters; speaking of which, I’m planning on adding a couple of feather dusters too.

Finally, I changed my mind and purchased an iron test kit. Now I just have to find the time to test all these parameters. The grass is doing pretty good; there is definitely some noticeable growth. And although some of the original leaves have fallen off, I’m almost positive that these plants are going to make it.

Any updates, on the skimmer especially? I had to yank all my grass (heavy feeding>high DOC>algae>smothered grasses), and I'm looking for a good, cheap skimmer - this one seems promising, my guinea pig friend.

Sorry to hear about your seagrass. My Star Grass has been growing noticeably. Plus, the macro almost tripled in size. However, I gave the macro away with the shrimp. Since it was growing quite quickly, I didn’t want it to out compete the seagrass for nutrients.

The skimmer arrived, but I was afraid to introduce anything new to the tank because I was headed out of town for Thanksgiving. I have a tank sitter; so I’m hoping that everything still looks good when I get back. The skimmer looks pretty interesting (just like a small HOB filter). In addition to water quality, it should assist with gas exchange and pH stability. I’ll post an update and some pictures early next week.

So I’m now back from my Thanksgiving ski trip, which was nice. While I was gone, the seagrass lost a few more leaves; however, there are still some relatively healthy looking plants with new growth. Still, I was still hoping that they would have grown a little more.


I’ve added a couple of pinkish Fan Worms which appear to be doing fine. Here is the Blastomussa merleti that I've added. I’ll be breaking it up and distributing it amongst the live rock.


I have a Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) coming this Saturday; which I will be quarantining in this tank (destined for my 40-gallon reef). A Fire Shrimp is also on its way. Here’s Butters the Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae). His appetite has definitely improved.

I’ve added my Taam Rio Nano Skimmer tonight. It is 7 1/4” x 4 3/8” x 10 5/16” (taking up 2 1/2” in back of the tank, and 4 7/8” above the rim). It runs just a little louder than a regular HOB filter, but it’s not that bad.


A carbon filter goes on the left hand side (although I’m not sure where to get replacements). Currently I don’t have it installed, so there are tons of micro bubbles in the tank. However, I’m thinking that the gas exchange will help everything.


Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but here is the needle wheel. All in all, it seems like a neat little skimmer. I’ll post some updates after it has been running for awhile.

Woop!

Tons of micro bubbles:


Pink Fan Worm:


10 Gallon Star Grass Lagoon
November 30, 2006

I’ve added a skimmer, a couple of Fan Worms, and my corals this month. In addition, I have a False Perc and Fire Shrimp coming on Saturday (that should do it for my livestock). The pod population has notably increased with the introduction of the skimmer; which I’m sure that my Clown Goby appreciates. His appetite is good (he’s primarily fed Formula One and Formula Two flake food).

There are still a few changes that I’ll be making, including the introduction of the CO2 system and Natural Wave Timer. I have both, but have yet to setup either. I’ll also probably do something about the micro bubbles that the skimmer is producing, but nothing really seems to mind.

The seagrass seems to be taking hold. The original leaves have mostly fallen off, but the new growth seems to be more than keeping pace. I’m hoping that the CO2 will increase its growth rate even more.

Filter
I’ve ditched the bio-wheel (at least for now). I had three motors go bad, so I finally just bought a Wal-Mart AquaTech Filter to have something more reliable (must be a bad bunch of motors).

Flow
Seems I’m constantly changing the flow (dead filters, good filters, powerhead, skimmer, Wave Timer…). I’m happy that everything seems OK with it all.

Skimmer
I haven’t bothered trying to adjust it yet; however, it is producing tons of micro bubbles. The inhabitants don’t seem to mind, so I don’t either. Not much for skimmate yet, but I’m not too concerned. It’s increasing gas exchange and I’m guessing that it is adding maybe 100gph of flow.

October 1st:


October 31st:


November 30:

awesome, let us know how the skimmer goes. i have heard nothing but good rebiews as of yet. maybe it just needs some tweaking

Thanks travisurfer! To be fair, I haven’t even tried to adjust the skimmer yet. I’ve been kind of digging the bubbles for now (nothing seems to mind and the pods are all over now). Maybe this weekend I’ll tweak it to reduce the micro bubbles.

Tonight I broke up the Blasto and glued in to the rock. Plus, I’m getting my clownfish and shrimp in the morning, so I’ll post some more pictures this weekend.

Did the info that came with the skimmer mention a break in period or anything? Might take a bit for it to settle down into a groove, if you know what I mean.

But yeah, try and adjust it - I wanna see it perform!

jeremai, I still haven’t added the carbon filter or made any real attempt to tune the skimmer. However, it mentions a 24 to 72 hour break in and best operation when salinity is between 1.020 and 1.025. Operation can be also be affected if there are oils on the surfaces (carbon might help remove impurities), or if the variable venturi needs cleaning. Plus you can adjust water level and the venturi (by raising the venturi tube, the air volume will increase and water flow will decrease).

The Fire Shrimp was about three times the size of my new False Perc and Yellow Clown Goby, so I put him in my 40-gallon instead. He immediately found the other Fire Shrimp; now they are both out and about. Shrimp tend to be bolder when there is another one of their kind in the tank.

Here’s my new clownfish ‘Chips’. I’m going to quarantine him in this tank for a few weeks until he’s well acclimated and eating well. His future mate ‘Fish’ is in the 40-gallon acting depressed.


You can see that I’ve broken up the Blasto and put in on the LR. It will probably take a bit for them to recover from my rough fragging technique.

I’ve been gone for Christmas so I’m glad that everything is doing fine. Chips is doing very well and his colors are much brighter now. As you can see, the seagrass is hanging on but not thriving:




The coral is also doing well: