Garage Refugium update III - seagrass
- Thread starter rayray
- Start date
I found regular sailfin tangs don't eat manatee grass 
I use fish as algae grazers to clean algae off the seagrass blades, otherwise photosynthesis is inhibited. So why not get a neat algae grazer like a tang? Then for me: might as well get a bristletooth.
Thanks!
1st, congrats on getting married!
I cant wait to see the ATM in person, pls post pics. Algae processes nutrients way faster than plants, and tangs love that stuff.
You should come by my house sometime and check out my tank. The colors are popping even more than before. I have a frag tank set up right now but no "real" (6 watt led 8000k)light on it. Im growing flame algae in it ATM till i build my leds for it and my main tank
I cant wait to see the ATM in person, pls post pics. Algae processes nutrients way faster than plants, and tangs love that stuff.
Great looking fuge. Appreciate the looks of the grasses and added movement. Have you been monitoring the amount of nitrates etc the plants are taking up? have you backed off on the skimmer? I noticed as my mangroves rooted my skimmer worked less and less. Finally removed it altogether. Not quite as scientific as I should have been, but my dt is doing better than ever. Skimmerless for over 8 months now. I am going to plant some grass next just for the looks. VERY NICE !!!
You're welcome. In this hobby I like to mentally masturbate lots before I make a move, LOL.
I stopped measuring nitrates because they always came back... zero, LOL. Remember this is attached to a fully stocked SPS reef. I just learned to eyball the plants to see how happy they are. When CO2 or nitrates are low, the grass leaves become pale green instead of vibrant deep green. Also, the rate of new stems popping out from the sand decreases, so I pop in API root tabs, one for each 2' x 2'. In the overall compromise, my reef tank comes first, then my frag tanks, then the fuge; it just goes by dollar value.
I didnt back off the skimmer, but it has dramatically decrease its output. Reason is, it strongly oxygenates the water for my fish. I could achieve the same thing with ozone, but I feel better seeing fractionation in action and a head of foam.
When I replanted my mangroves from the in-fuge-fuge, the roots were compressed and intertwined from being in the little box. Within 48 hours of putting them between the rocks, all the roots turned and pointed downward- it was amazing. I have noticed the roots getting fatter as well :tongue (2):
Mace, Interesting you should mention mud, because I didnt use any in this fuge. I really wanted to use 3 inches of mud, but in a 90g that would have been another $300-400 (i dont know how to make my own), which preferred to spend on acros and tangs, LOL. That was the biggest gamble. In terms of sand, I used common fiji pink. But also, I started with LEDs from the start, first a lot of reds, then with the white 8000k. I knew I was limited on fertilizer from the start. Finally, I used my calcium reactor output as the sole CO2 (carbon) sourse for all these plants, other than fish food and fish poop, and I wasnt sure how much I could crank out given the carx main mission was to supply alk & ca to the SPS. So I honestly didnt know if it would work.
In a no-compromise seagrass system, I would have had 3inches of mud, 3-5 inches of extra fine live sand, 5000k metal halide lighting, and its own plant CO2 system. FWIW, use of the the calcium reactor effluent has worked great, in fact I went nuts with it and I noticed 1 SPS colony STNing this morning. A quick system param check showed dkH=16, Ca=600, Mg= 1300, so I dialed it back.
This fuge is in my garage, insulated by 1inch think styrofoam. It has its own chiller, and temp stays 79-81'F. Therefore, the SPS reef needs its own chiller too so it stays 75-77'F. Different tanks in the same system can be maintained at slightly different temps.
I stopped measuring nitrates because they always came back... zero, LOL. Remember this is attached to a fully stocked SPS reef. I just learned to eyball the plants to see how happy they are. When CO2 or nitrates are low, the grass leaves become pale green instead of vibrant deep green. Also, the rate of new stems popping out from the sand decreases, so I pop in API root tabs, one for each 2' x 2'. In the overall compromise, my reef tank comes first, then my frag tanks, then the fuge; it just goes by dollar value.
I didnt back off the skimmer, but it has dramatically decrease its output. Reason is, it strongly oxygenates the water for my fish. I could achieve the same thing with ozone, but I feel better seeing fractionation in action and a head of foam.
When I replanted my mangroves from the in-fuge-fuge, the roots were compressed and intertwined from being in the little box. Within 48 hours of putting them between the rocks, all the roots turned and pointed downward- it was amazing. I have noticed the roots getting fatter as well :tongue (2):
That is some good reading I am going to follow in your footsteps rayray in lieu of eco mud in sump i will be going with sand and sea grass's. Build my own mud What mm of sand are you using? What's you temp +-?
I am going to follow in your footsteps rayray in lieu of eco mud in sump i will be going with sand and sea grass's. Build my own mud What mm of sand are you using? What's you temp +-?
In a no-compromise seagrass system, I would have had 3inches of mud, 3-5 inches of extra fine live sand, 5000k metal halide lighting, and its own plant CO2 system. FWIW, use of the the calcium reactor effluent has worked great, in fact I went nuts with it and I noticed 1 SPS colony STNing this morning. A quick system param check showed dkH=16, Ca=600, Mg= 1300, so I dialed it back.
This fuge is in my garage, insulated by 1inch think styrofoam. It has its own chiller, and temp stays 79-81'F. Therefore, the SPS reef needs its own chiller too so it stays 75-77'F. Different tanks in the same system can be maintained at slightly different temps.
