steviejitsu Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I'm liking the tank a lot now. The grass looks awesome. I like the oxygen bubbles too. Link to comment
seabass Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 I didn't read the whole thread, but why is the sand bed so deep? Is it to accommodate the sea grass? (I know nothing about it. )Yeah, while oar grass can live in a three inch sand bed, it should be a little deeper for shoal grass. So, I figured I'd try a true deep sand bed (6 inches deep). It's kind of unusual, but it has grown on me. I like the resulting shallow water. I'm liking the tank a lot now. The grass looks awesome. I like the oxygen bubbles too.Thanks Steve. You don't notice the bubbles as much with the MP10 running. Sometimes, I'll shut off the powerhead and just watch them. Link to comment
Zo0k365 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Tank has been looking nice. Looks like it will fill in well. Link to comment
yoshii Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Grass is looking good, really filling in If the plate is gets irritated by the grass, won't it just move away by itself? Link to comment
seabass Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Thanks Zo0k and yoshii. The Fungia can move and has moved where it is now. However, everyday there is less real estate available for it to move to. I'm kind of interested in how it will work out. However, I'm fond of it, so I won't risk its health. Link to comment
steviejitsu Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I just realized. How do you keep your sand so clean? Link to comment
yoshii Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I just realized. How do you keep your sand so clean? Magic. Lol I'm also wondering, plus how do you keep your glass so clean? Link to comment
seabass Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 I don't do a lot for any of it. About every other month, I'll siphon out discolored sand. Once had two small patches of Cyano that I siphoned up (probably due to heavy dosing of DT's Phytoplankton), which never returned. I'm guessing that not stocking a lot of fish or large snails helps keep. I've never had much of a micro algae problem on the glass. I assume that the seagrass uses up the nutrients that it would need. However, I do scrape the glass every other week or so. Most of the pictures are a day after I scrape the glass, but there isn't really that much to scrape. I think the snails might help keep the seagrass clean. Maybe three times, I used a turkey baster to clean off the leaves (especially the shoal grass). Also, I think the MP10 helps keep it clean. The tank has been relatively low maintenance and a joy to keep. Link to comment
steviejitsu Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I agree, seagrass probably uses most of the nutrients before algae Nice, how often and how much do you feed the tank? Link to comment
seabass Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Nice, how often and how much do you feed the tank?I'm feeding my clownfish everyday. I'll target feed the coral and anemones anywhere from everyday to once a week. I've dosed large amounts of phyto everyday to a little once a week. How's that for inconsistent? Oh yeah, I've done one water change so far (although I'm not recommending that anybody else follow my lead). Link to comment
steviejitsu Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 How is algae growth compared to other tanks in the past? The idea of this tank gets better and better! Link to comment
seabass Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 There wasn't much algae that got brought into this tank, so it hasn't been much of a problem. However, I have noticed less micro algae on the glass. I'll test nitrate and phosphate again on Monday or Tuesday and post the results. This tank features a decent skimmer (given the size of the tank), a DSB (6 inches deep), and nutrient uptake into the seagrass (essentially acting as a refugium). As a result, it is not dependent on water changes for nutrient export; however, I'm still convinced that water changes are beneficial (and would benefit this tank). Link to comment
.Newman. Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 yes they would. are you thinking maybe 1 water change every 3-4 months, or even longer than that? have you thought about that purple tube nem suggestion? would be really nice with the glowing middle portion it has ;P Link to comment
seabass Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 I'm thinking that I'll shoot for monthly water changes. I like the idea of a tube anemone and even looked for an interesting one; however, I'm not sure if it would appreciate the constant encroachment of the seagrass. Link to comment
Amphiprion1 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I'm thinking that I'll shoot for monthly water changes. I like the idea of a tube anemone and even looked for an interesting one; however, I'm not sure if it would appreciate the constant encroachment of the seagrass. Sand-dwelling anemones do not like significant seagrass growth in the sand. I learned this first-hand with a small Heteractis crispa, which is normally a sand dweller. As the rhizomes began filling the sand bed and becoming denser, they forced the anemone to move and eventually pull its column/foot out of the sand. The anemone no longer had a spot to bury its foot and starting doing poorly until I brought it back to the LFS. I don't think cerianthids would be an exception. Link to comment
.Newman. Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 that is unfortunate. do you really plan on growing a dense carpet of grass though? how about clearing the area out around the anemone? Link to comment
Amphiprion1 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Sounds like work. It can be a bit of work with the faster-growing species. Link to comment
~LadyBug~ Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 what if you sunk a glass/cup/piece of pvc into the sandbed and filled it back up with sand? do these guys walk? Link to comment
Mudfish Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Sounds like work. Sounds like it might not be the right species for this tank. Link to comment
funkngroovy Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 You could try one of the carpet anemone species. They all love living in seagrass. There are plenty of tube anemone species that also live in seagrass, The tube would protect them from roots not a problem. There are plenty of them near where I live, also carpets. This is a pic of a large haddini. Gold Coast, Australia Link to comment
seabass Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 That's a really cool picture. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I might end up putting a Maxi Mini on a small rock; we'll see. Link to comment
spanko Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Am wondering about nutrient export here. I know the seagrass will do a lot of the uptake but to really remove the nutrient the grass would have to be harvested regularly. Do you have a plan for that or are you thinking that the DSB coupled with the grass will take care of most of the biofiltration here? Inquiring minds need to know!! Link to comment
seabass Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 That's a good question. It's hard to say how much the sand bed is processing. However, the growth of the seagrass indicates that it has been utilizing a good amount of nutrients. In addition, the growth has been relatively fast so I think that (Amphiprion1 is right and) I will have to harvest it regularly so that it doesn't become overcrowded. I haven't harvested any yet. Link to comment
seabass Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 As promised, I tested for nitrate and phosphate today. Both were undetectable using API test kits. I finally installed my RO/DI system (it's not just for this tank build; so I didn't repost it on this thread). Link to comment
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