Lypto Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Hey nanoreefers, There was a storm near me and I noticed that quite a bit of macroalgae and chunks of seagrass stems had been washed up and were baking on the sand. I decided to see if any of them could be kept at a reef temperature or maybe in a non heated tank as they're normally used to colder temps. I had a little experience growing mangroves and they've thrived so I figured I'd give this a shot. all the material here was storm wash and was dying so I figured it'd be a good chance to document species and see what was around. So far I've seen a lot of sargassum (considering taking this out as it goes bad quick) Ulva (not lactuca, somthing smaller), Dictyota, Rodophyta, some unidentified segmented branching corraline algae. Mostly brown and red algaes, in the summer there tends to be far more Ulva and other greens. I planted it in the same mix I used for some mangroves without as much peat, It's mostly sand and clay I then put crushed oyster shell sand on top to keep it in the pot. 5 Quote Link to comment
ajmckay Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Cool! Let's see how it does. 2 Quote Link to comment
king aiptasia Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 im curious, give it good lighting and fertilization and if you can grow a meadow i'll be delighted. sargassum fails for quite a few reasons, have you ever fertilized an aquarium? 2 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Sargassum needs incredibly bright light and to be tumbled around, if you have the floating kind. I would take that out, it's not likely to do well. The rest is worth a try, though. Be sure to update with how this turns out! Even if it's just "everything melted". 1 Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 I've fertilized an outdoor pond with jungle vals but not a salt system, I believe this is an anchored sargassum but with a broken off piece. I think I'll take it out to prevent fouling. So far it nothing's melted. I'm not overly hopeful that this round will work but every time I look theres usually very salvageable seagrass bits. Might be worth it to try a few others species as there's three temperate ones I'm aware of, excepting an invasive one from japan. Marina I think has a large range in the colder oceans. The water felt a bit warm so the pump may be putting out more heat than I'd like. Edit: 73.2 degrees Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Photo update, with a cameo from my mourning gecko and the sargassum/ kelp I removed. 3 Quote Link to comment
This guy is extra salty Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Send me some seagrass!!! Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Sorry salty! I just want to study this stuff and see if it can survive warming waters, there's some protections on seagrass I want to be on the clear side of as well. Quote Link to comment
king aiptasia Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 nice gecko, the seagrass seems quite lush and green so far, maybe youll have success if you do a fertilizing program, it tends to grow in fairly fertile waterways 1 Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 I've learned about a system that was used to keep Z. Marina, used natural sunlight and was heated to evidently it can handle raised temps. I don't think I have Z. Marina but I'm hoping this is an intertidal species that can handle raised temps. CO2 and loamy soil is also a boon. Quote Link to comment
king aiptasia Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 seagrass tends to be in shallow water with much more temperature fluctuation due to bright sunlight than for example reef sponges and deeper water corals so it makes sense some species could handle warm water 1 Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 It's super cool to see oxygen bubbles coming off of it, I think it really appreciates high flow. Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted January 30, 2021 Author Share Posted January 30, 2021 Still green, still happy as far as I can tell. look's like there might even be new growth. Other macros are kinda eh, no real change. 1 Quote Link to comment
king aiptasia Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 you might be on to something Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Well we've got new leaves coming up from the main body. no major degradation so far aside from a few epiphytic algae. I'd like to see the roots but figured it'd be better to not mess with it. Little segment of sargassum is staying around. 2 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Oh, that's promising. Any plans on what you'll do if it starts doing well? I might like to put substrate in the bowl to the depth of the pot, so you can eventually see the roots grow up against the sides of the bowl. 1 Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 Ideally I can include this in its own little section of a display refugium in a square glass container with mud in it and maybe cohabitate it with my mangroves. I had a tiny bit of Caluerpa paspaloides arrive today and I'm using this little bowl as a quarantine for it. Weirdly enough, In my main little nano I had a bit of mermaids cup show up as well after a blackout with no additions for nearly a year. Strange, but a welcome hitchhiker. I'm still working on the details of the display refugium, so far I was thinking a Mr. Aqua 7.5 gallon rimless but I'm not sure yet. Ultimately I really want a 20g rimless cube where you can see both cube and refugium so I'm working on what the equipment and costs of that might be. On a side note, perhaps a little 2.5g cookie jar macro tank might be fun, with a freshwater LED. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Awesome Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Cool! A full seagrass bed makes a great display 😉😉 1 Quote Link to comment
This guy is extra salty Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 On 1/24/2021 at 2:12 AM, Lypto said: Sorry salty! I just want to study this stuff and see if it can survive warming waters, there's some protections on seagrass I want to be on the clear side of as well. 😭 crap!! I have been hunting for some new algae for the acro-fuge 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Awesome Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 8 hours ago, This guy is extra salty said: 😭 crap!! I have been hunting for some new algae for the acro-fuge Contact Floridapets.com. They’ve been out of stock for a while, but they might be able to get you some. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 Do you know when they last had any? or any good sites for seagrasses. 1 Quote Link to comment
This guy is extra salty Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 8 minutes ago, Lypto said: Do you know when they last had any? or any good sites for seagrasses. I requested to be notified, I’m guessing you did the same as well (Floridapets) i haven’t found anything except some macros on (live plants) I definitely need more even though my wallet says no 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Awesome Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Oh yeah, I just remembered Aquaticusplants.com has seagrass. For macros, check out live-plants.com or ebay. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Awesome Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 On 2/3/2021 at 10:12 PM, Lypto said: Do you know when they last had any? or any good sites for seagrasses. I bought from them a year ago. Not sure why they haven't been keeping things in stock lately. 1 Quote Link to comment
Lypto Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 They replied that they're looking for stock sometime in the near future, covid and winter have made things harder to get. 1 Quote Link to comment
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