Seagrass

[bitts]

LOL Keydiver if you mean the one on nutrient flow through the water column & sand. Let me know if you have questions. Still working on the macro write up though. Will defiantly be sourcing this thread. Awesome work Seabass.

[naturalwonders]

I've been wanting to set up a tank with seagrass like this. This is cool.

[seabass]

Thanks bitts! Go for it naturalwonders.

 

 

A couple more shots of the Shoal grass (taller) and Oar grass (shorter):

 

[Builder Anthony]

Im not sure f you have fish or not.It looks undisturbed in those photos.Could make for a nice breeding tank.

[seabass]

BA, I think so too. There's a clownfish in there now; but down the road, I'll probably keep gobies instead.

 

 

Check out the oar grass under the substrate:

[SbCaes]

anyone ever kept seagrass in a sub 10 gallon tank say... 5-6? pico sized tanks? any foreseeable issues?

[Amphiprion1]

The only issues I can foresee are primarily pH related. In very small systems without much gas exchange (protein skimmer, etc.) or CO₂ addition, heavy plant growth can skew the pH pretty substantially. One other potential issue would be crowding, which would be largely species-dependent. Unfortunately, the hardier species are also amongst the fastest growing and most invasive. They would fill in the available space quickly, making pruning (grazing?) a frequently needed task. Pruning is absolutely critical in my experience, since it not only retains growing space, etc., but also improves flow through the grasses and into the sand bed, which is essential to retain a diverse sand bed, as well. It also minimizes diseases and "meltdowns" that occur as overcrowding ensues. Not saying it is impossible (as I proved it very possible on a small scale, compared to most seagrass setups, which are larger, shorter, with a greater surface area), but it does require some extra vigilance and work. Then again, I guess that holds true for any smaller setup.

[SbCaes]

this may sound crazy but what if one were to uhhh dose... carbonated water? or am i misunderstanding my chemistry class from way back.

edit: or even use it as top off for this system?

Edited May 10, 2011 by SbCaes

[Amphiprion1]

Well, that's a way to do it, although it is a bit cruder and more difficult to control/maintain. Amano-san used carbonated water as a means of inorganic carbon dosing back in the day in FW tanks, actually. If you want to pursue that route, the following would be helpful: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rhf/index.php#9

 

Also, consider the fact that the grasses will also be using carbonate alkalinity, so it would be wise to either supplement or keep on top of water changes.

[seabass]

I tried that. However, I didn't do it very scientifically. My results didn't tell me much. For topping off, I'm not sure how much CO₂ would be left over time.

 

You really need to monitor pH closely when dosing CO₂. I'm currently using a CO₂ tank, regulator, solenoid, and controller to dose it. I think that having a skimmer helps maintain oxygen levels.

[SbCaes]

hrmmm that aside. do any of you think. the fluvals lighting will be enough for oar grass?

what options do i have?

[Amphiprion1]

Stock? Definitely not--or at least I wouldn't attempt it.

[SbCaes]

Stock? Definitely not--or at least I wouldn't attempt it.

was thinking of the mr11 led upgrade? or later down the road. the nanotuners fixture.

[Amphiprion1]

That fixture should work for oargrass. It is probably the least demanding, IME

[animalmaster6]

This is an awesome thread.

[SbCaes]

i think im gonna give the seagrass bed a try with a fluval edge.

maybe some ochtodes and brotoclyadia and some other crap i can get my hands on.... should be interesting.

[SbCaes]

http://www.seagrasswatch.org/magazine.html

 

a great resource. for those keeping sea grasses. maybe seabass you can add the downloads to the section? and maybe write them up from the summaries? would make for a great resource on NR =)

[seabass]

Good find SbCaes! I'll have to take a closer look when I have some time.

[seabass]

Strombus snail (Strombus maculatus) keeping the shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) clean. Plus some oar grass (Halophila decipiens) in the foreground.

[ednangel]

awesome and inspiring, i'm wondering what kind of lighting you have? seems to me MH but i couln't find it on the thread. good luck!

[seabass]

Thank you! I am running a T-5 HO 24" 4x24W Sunlight Supply Tek Light over a 24" x 12" x 14.4" tank (with roughly a 6" sandbed and 7 inches of water).

[bitts]

Found something for you guys.

http://www.seagrasses.org/handbook/europea...rasses_high.pdf

[ednangel]

thx reading thru it already, chk page 11 how seagrasses spread.

[bitts]

& this one

http://www.tbeptech.org/TBEP_TECH_PUBS/200...otnutrients.pdf

[NirvanaandTool]

Subscribing. Need to read all these articles. Toying with the idea of growing some oar grass to keep with my G. Viridis mantis shrimp since he is a grass flat species. Upgrading his tank to a 16" cube from a 12" cube so I thought of adding more sand (3") and sticking with minimal rock work in favor of a grass bed. Just unsure whether the minimal livestock (him, some cleaners/food, and a chromis or two) will be enough bioload/co2 for the grass.

Either way, the seagrass tank idea seems really cool to me. Was checking out seabass' seagrass tank thread and that got the idea rolling around in my head.