The MacGyver Slinky Dream Tank- Basic New Pics

[Weetabix7]

4 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Your sargassum!

 

The macro in the middle of the tank, left of the BTAs--is that galaxaura?  Or a branching coralline?

 

I like the unedited pics too.  I have also found my laptop to be very bright/light as far as how pics look on it.

 

The tank looks so awesome!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I really need to try to "frag" that Sargassum and see if I can get a cutting to continue to grow, was just telling someone that today.

And yes, that is Galaxaura. 

It does kinda look like branching coralline though, doesn't it?

[Lula_Mae]

23 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I really need to try to "frag" that Sargassum and see if I can get a cutting to continue to grow, was just telling someone that today.

And yes, that is Galaxaura. 

It does kinda look like branching coralline though, doesn't it?

Yw!  I will be waiting to see if you can get the sargassum to grow! It does look a bit like branching coralline especially from a distance!  Plus I've only ever seen teeny fragments in real life (of the coralline--haven't seen galaxaura before!).

[lkoechle]

question about the sargassum, how many people usually "mount" it?  Naturally, it isn't anchored to anything.  It literally just floats on top of the ocean as it's own little island.  Maybe it would grow after cutting if it could left on the surface somehow?

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, lkoechle said:

question about the sargassum, how many people usually "mount" it?  Naturally, it isn't anchored to anything.  It literally just floats on top of the ocean as it's own little island.  Maybe it would grow after cutting if it could left on the surface somehow?

When I had it, it grew out of a little brown nub on the live rock as a hitchhiker.  Not sure if it would float or not!

[Lisa166]

It is so pretty! 

[Weetabix7]

1 hour ago, Lisa166 said:

It is so pretty! 

Thx!!

[RayWhisperer]

On August 7, 2017 at 8:43 PM, lkoechle said:

question about the sargassum, how many people usually "mount" it?  Naturally, it isn't anchored to anything.  It literally just floats on top of the ocean as it's own little island.  Maybe it would grow after cutting if it could left on the surface somehow?

I'm not much on macros. However, I thought it grew just like any other macro. The floating masses of sargassum were just what broke loose.  Perhaps that's how it spreads... By floating to new locations and anchoring there?

[Weetabix7]

On 8/7/2017 at 9:43 PM, lkoechle said:

question about the sargassum, how many people usually "mount" it?  Naturally, it isn't anchored to anything.  It literally just floats on top of the ocean as it's own little island.  Maybe it would grow after cutting if it could left on the surface somehow?

I actually think mounting it is key to getting it to thrive in the aquarium. I've done some research and every account I've read where it was allowed to float, it melted after a few weeks. 

Every account I've read where it did well, it came in as a hitchhiker and grew from rock. Mine began growing only after I securely attached it to rock and it in the path of strong flow. The guide on live-plants.com also says it likes to be anchored.

3 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

I'm not much on macros. However, I thought it grew just like any other macro. The floating masses of sargassum were just what broke loose.  Perhaps that's how it spreads... By floating to new locations and anchoring there?

It will break off portions and float in the tank too, it's done it in mine, but I think it really needs to be anchored to thrive and grow.

[Weetabix7]

Adding Mud substrate to this tank...... NOW!!!   

[Weetabix7]

Wheeeeee, Mud!!!! 

 

 

 

[fishfreak0114]

Wow, that sure made it cloudy!  Is it in a container like your sand or is it on the bottom of the tank?

[Lula_Mae]

13 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

Wheeeeee, Mud!!!! 

 

 

 

Most disgusting looking wonderfulness! Which type/brand did you go with?

[Weetabix7]

11 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Most disgusting looking wonderfulness! Which type/brand did you go with?

 

Fiji Mud. 

I used it before on my 4g planted Pico and had great results, so that's what I went back to. 

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes the water to clear up. 

I remember it taking several hours on the Pico. 

[Lula_Mae]

9 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Fiji Mud. 

I used it before on my 4g planted Pico and had great results, so that's what I went back to. 

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes the water to clear up. 

I remember it taking several hours on the Pico. 

That's the one with the black label, right?  Wish I could find the tiny container of it, pretty sure I got it from DFS back in the day.

[Weetabix7]

23 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

That's the one with the black label, right?  Wish I could find the tiny container of it, pretty sure I got it from DFS back in the day.

 

This stuff: https://www.marinedepot.com/Walt_Smith_Fiji_Mud_Refugium_Starter_12lb_Mineral_Reef_Mud_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Walt_Smith-WS1115-FISSMD-vi.html

 

Also comes in a 24 oz "refugium booster" size and a 6 lb. size. 

[TinyOcean]

Muddy goodness!

[Lula_Mae]

6 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

This stuff: https://www.marinedepot.com/Walt_Smith_Fiji_Mud_Refugium_Starter_12lb_Mineral_Reef_Mud_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Walt_Smith-WS1115-FISSMD-vi.html

 

Also comes in a 24 oz "refugium booster" size and a 6 lb. size. 

Yep that's what I was thinking of.  I had the booster size once upon a time lol.

[Lisa166]

Can you explain what this mudthing does? And where do you put it in your tank? 

[seabass]

It makes the macros invisible to alien predators.

 

Actually, some mix it in with their substrate, while others just release it into the water.  It essentially provides nutrients to the algae.  I used it before in a seagrass tank.

[Weetabix7]

58 minutes ago, seabass said:

It makes the macros invisible to alien predators.

 

Actually, some mix it in with their substrate, while others just release it into the water.  It essentially provides nutrients to the algae.  I used it before in a seagrass tank.

 

Lol!!!

 

Yes, what seabass said. 

I have previously used this Fiji Mud in a refugium that I built and added on to my 4g Pico tank. 

I was attempting to duplicate the results seen in the Ecosystem Method because I was very interested in the results they saw, which included increased Microfauna, no need for Dosing or Skimming unless you have a large amount of SPS, an increase in cryptic life and filter-feeders, etc.

When I used it then I saw an immediate improvement and deepening of color in my Macroalgaes. 

Here's the original tank thread from where I used it before, feel free to see the first page for further explanation and pics on the second page: https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/235460-weeties-4-gallons-of-simplicity/

 

 

The paper that comes with the Fiji Mud says " Mud that is harvested from the ocean in clear water patches will contain all of the essential minerals & trace elements that are found in the sea in their natural state & composition. When your water passes over this concentration of minerals & elements in your refugium it carries with it some of the most important nutrients that you can furnish your system in it's natural state."

 

For anyone interested in more info on the Ecosystem Method developed by Leng Sy, here's a link: http://358ban29ceos4uuc3vp5yqn31.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/images/stories/PDF/The_Natural_Mud-Filter_Method.pdf

And a list of some other links: http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/testimonial-article/

 

I am using a different brand of mud and not the Miracle Mud that Leng Sy developed, but the results should be very similar if not better. 

You can also add Fiji Mud to aquariums for the trace elements and minerals at a rate of 1 teaspoon to 100 gallons. 

Oh, just remembered, I also know that in Leng Sy's systems he saw a reversal of HLLE in fish. 

 

I'm getting ready to add a thin layer of fine sand on top of the mud, just to prevent the mud from getting kicked up and clouding every time something touches the surface. 

2 hours ago, Lisa166 said:

Can you explain what this mudthing does? And where do you put it in your tank? 

 

I answered most of this above. 

It is usually added to a Refugium. 

In this tank, I am adding it to the smaller section on the right that is lit by natural sunlight and 70w of Metal Halide. 

[gena]

Cool!  "got, mud?"

Seriously, adding mud, especially to a macro tank, just makes sense.  I love stuff like this! 

[Lingwendil]

Capping mud with sand reminds me of all the glorious nutjobs in the freshwater world that use a layer of Miracle-Gro potting soil capped with sand!

 

I love where this tank is going.

 

Those little brittle stars are the coolest, I need some for my tank, haven't seen any micro brittles at all which is unusual for me, they usually end up on every tank I've ever set up, but none snuck in on this current tank of mine.

[Weetabix7]

9 minutes ago, Lingwendil said:

Capping mud with sand reminds me of all the glorious nutjobs in the freshwater world that use a layer of Miracle-Gro potting soil capped with sand!

 

I love where this tank is going.

 

Those little brittle stars are the coolest, I need some for my tank, haven't seen any micro brittles at all which is unusual for me, they usually end up on every tank I've ever set up, but none snuck in on this current tank of mine.

 

Thanks!!

I actually have a ton of little micro brittlestars in here. 

I had to "rescue" a bunch of them from the bottom of the right side and move them to the other side so they wouldn't get buried in the mud. 

One of the things I have really wanted for this tank is a TON of microfauna and between all the micro brittles and teensy baby stomatellas it looks like I'm already getting my wish, so I'm thrilled!! 

 

Once I get this mud bed settled I'm thinking of putting together some mini Refugium Starter packs to sell and they should be full of all the microfauna I'm seeing in here.

[Weetabix7]

Update time!!

Over the last week I've been distracted by preparing for school, made more interesting by the fact that I have one child starting Middle School & one starting High School. 

Time to make up for my silence and bring you up to speed on the newest developments in here!!!

This will probably take a couple of posts throughout the day to accomplish, but I've been taking pics all week to prepare. 

 

First a follow up on the installation of the Fiji Mud bed in the smaller section on the right, which measures 12 x 18. 

I know most people haven't used Mud as a substrate or have much familiarity with it, so I wanted to kind of give you a picture of how it is progressing for me, and how I have approached it. 

It turned the tank into a complete murky mess for a day or so, but having done this before I was prepared for that and knew it would pass and be worth it in the long run. 

Here's how the mud bed looked once it had (mostly) settled:

 

 

 

It pretty much looks like the silty, muddy bottom you'd expect to see in a freshwater creek or pond, and just like those muddy bottoms it clouds the water anytime something disturbs it. 

For that reason, I put a thin layer of a finer grained sand on top of it. 

This is how it looked with the newly added sand:

 

 

 

As you can see in those pics, it takes a couple of days for the water to clear completely, but it does and it doesn't cause a problem for corals or anything else that I can see, other than being visually annoying in the beginning. 

The little "ditch" or hole you can see in the substrate on the right is caused by flow coming through 2 small holes at the bottom of the acrylic wall that look like this: 

 

 

This will allow Pods and other Microafauna to travel back and forth between both sides, which I like, tho I'm not so sure about the presence of the "hole" in the bed. Ah well, we'll see how it works out. 

 

Over the space of a few days, the mud and sand on the surface blended a bit and today the top of the bed looks like this: 

 

 

Here's a side shot showing the different layering:

 

 

 

I am still in the process of moving the appropriate Macros back over to this side, but here's a shot showing what is currently in there. There are 2 new ones in there that I got in a trade with @calvin this week. The green one in front is Codium, a Macro that I've enjoyed having in previous tanks, and the spiky looking maroon one is a type of Red Graciliara. 

 

 

 

 

 

More updates to come today, stay tuned!!! 

[Dos Ocho]

Awesome looking macros and a very interesting tank concept. Very interested to see how this goes for you!