25 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum on top with 30G EcoSystem Mud/Macro

[Subsea]

I worked as a pool mechanic off the west coast for my father. Nothing like working in Boca Grande around multi million dollar homes. Walking over to the seawall and being physically unable to breath(from the algae bloom), then there's the dead fish..... The warning posted about not swimming with an algae bloom along Manasota key. Then there's the ongoing oil spills off Louisiana 14 they have been unable to cap.... I lived in Port St.John with my wife, we left before the Indian river lagoon was no longer able to support manatees and they"ve had mass die offs since 2020... The landscaping business alone pollutes the Florida coastline, now add in all the other things dumped into the gulf and Atlantic. Add the population growth over the last few years, I think those bodies of water are taking a beating.

No body said things were Paradise. Some of the those events like the Exxon Valdez, were claimed by alarmist to be the end of salmon in those pristine waters. Yet, the facts don’t support the claims. The biodiversity in those waters today are flourishing with micro fauna & fana that support rich diversity of fisheries..

@tvan
Because you don’t see the value in diver collected live rock, does not negate its value to the rest of us.

 

[tvan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...a66fd0-9045-11e8-bcd5-9d911c784c38_story.html
Nice story by the Washington post. The there's the little matter of corexit. Radioactive run off from Japan. Plastic......... Toxic waste in metal 55 gallon drums, dumped off the coast California. Paradise, the former shrimpers and oyster farmers of the gulf got to watch their paradise wither away.

 

[Subsea]

It’s been a while since I posted pictures of withering paradise.

 

[Subsea]

I have added a few more clumps of Gracilaria Hayi. I especially love the dark burgundy color. In the past, with deep water red macro like Bortacladia, I have found that when introduced to higher intensity color shifts from dark burgundy to fire engine red.

 

[Esox]

It certainly adds some striking contrast. That's a beautiful tank.

 

[Subsea]

It certainly adds some striking contrast. That's a beautiful tank.

I like your goals of reaching our next generation where they are. It’s a noble goal. I am presently attempting to integrate aquatic science into youth group at local church. When I entered the Texas Maritime Academy in 1971, as a Marine Engineer, Oceeneering 101 opened my eyes to how carbon drives dynamic equilibrium and seeks this equilibrium thru partial pressure gas constants in our atmosphere and solubility constants of limestone which contribute buffering alkalinity from sequestered carbon in the limestone. Photosynthesis combines these inorganic carbon sources into glucose which is how organic carbon is moved up the food chain.

 

[Subsea]

I just did clean glass for the picture.

 

[Subsea]

As I am removing large GSP rocks, I am slowly changing aquascape. I am now hiding an ugly eductor with an umbrella of red Gracilaria Hayi. I just did move a new Chilli Coral in the shade of the educator umbrella. With this 25yr mature tank, I plan to include some deep water nps gorgonions.

 

[Subsea]

I think I need to clean lens on camera.

 

[Subsea]

Meet chilIi,

I rescued him with a trade from a LFS. I traded a
“bag of seaweed”, actually a zip lock gallon bag with 1lb of Red Ogo, Gracilaria Parvispora grown in 55G monoculture with a tumble culture using vertical loop current.

 

[Subsea]

Clowns have been hosting in leather. However, this morning, I found empty shrimp skin after a molt.

 

[Subsea]

First light! Just got flame scallop yesterday.

 

[vlangel]

First light! Just got flame scallop yesterday.

Did you get it at KPA?

 

[Subsea]

After too much neglect, I am refocused on tank TLC.

This tank has maintained itself with zooplankton

Did you get it at KPA?

LFS in Austin. In the past, they had been getting the electric flame scallops which I could not keep alive. The flame scallop I got is from the Caribbean, which is KPA playground.

 

[Subsea]

Flame scallop is hiding with other Caribbean inverts showing well: Red Tree Sponge, Yellow Ball Sponge and several Gorgonians that sprouted from live rock.

 

[vlangel]

Patrick, do your sponges do well under so much light? When I got mine, I tried to place them in shadowed areas of the tank.

I love the green that your green star polyp brings to your tank. I used to be able to grow gsp real easy but the last few frags I tried did not take. I have not tried since I changed my lights to LEDs so maybe I should give it another go.

 

[Subsea]

DAWN,
With respect to ornamental sponges & light, I have found that high flow is most important in keeping red trees & yellow balls. Not sure if they need light or not, but they look awesome under the white light of 10K.

I am gradually thinning out GSP rocks, only leaving what has covered the glass. In 5 years, GSP grew from ping pong “ball size”.

 

[vlangel]

DAWN,
With respect to ornamental sponges & light, I have found that high flow is most important in keeping red trees & yellow balls. Not sure if they need light or not, but they look awesome under the white light of 10K.

I am gradually thinning out GSP rocks, only leaving what has covered the glass. In 5 years, GSP grew from ping pong “ball size”.

Thank you for sharing your experience with the ornamental sponges. I will consider moving them to a higher flow area of the tank.

 

[Subsea]

Patrick, do your sponges do well under so much light? When I got mine, I tried to place them in shadowed areas of the tank.

I love the green that your green star polyp brings to your tank. I used to be able to grow gsp real easy but the last few frags I tried did not take. I have not tried since I changed my lights to LEDs so maybe I should give it another go.

Dawn, I also like this soft coral. The green pops with this easy to maintain high nutrient loving coral. In retrospect, I would keep it on the glass and not let it invade the live rock. It’s great at maintaining nutrient stability in this 25 year mature mixed garden reef. I am gradually moving this thru LFS in Austin. It is a joy for me to see the interest with the micro starfish & pods that accompany this live rock. On this tank, I just added a 2qt HOB zooplankton generator using Chaetomorphy & 10W white led. It’s crawling with large amphipods, swarming copepods and bristle worms. All are effective detrivores. I like feeding live food to this mixed garden with numerous ornamental & cryptic sponges that are mixed in with gorgonions from the Caribbea. Flame scallop is also from the Caribbean. Sea Apple is maintaining feeding, but he is not thriving after 2yrs. Mandarin has been in tank for 5 years. The green polyps on leather coral exceed the pop of GSP and the clowns host in the big leather. Note the algae on yellow ball sponge. Depending on cuc, once a week I use a toothbrush and aggressive scrub off algae. Tangs & drawf angels seem to nibble often.

Fall Fest was fun at local church. I assisted with hayride for kids and adults to see 25 acres of wild greenbelt campus. I volunteer trailblazing as a service that I enjoy and it was especially rewarding to see all the laughing kids, including adults acting as kids.

 

[vlangel]

Dawn, I also like this soft coral. The green pops with this easy to maintain high nutrient loving coral. In retrospect, I would keep it on the glass and not let it invade the live rock. It’s great at maintaining nutrient stability in this 25 year mature mixed garden reef. I am gradually moving this thru LFS in Austin. It is a joy for me to see the interest with the micro starfish & pods that accompany this live rock. On this tank, I just added a 2qt HOB zooplankton generator using Chaetomorphy & 10W white led. It’s crawling with large amphipods, swarming copepods and bristle worms. All are effective detrivores. I like feeding live food to this mixed garden with numerous ornamental & cryptic sponges that are mixed in with gorgonions from the Caribbea. Flame scallop is also from the Caribbean. Sea Apple is maintaining feeding, but he is not thriving after 2yrs. Mandarin has been in tank for 5 years. The green polyps on leather coral exceed the pop of GSP and the clowns host in the big leather. Note the algae on yellow ball sponge. Depending on cuc, once a week I use a toothbrush and aggressive scrub off algae. Tangs & drawf angels seem to nibble often.

Fall Fest was fun at local church. I assisted with hayride for kids and adults to see 25 acres of wild greenbelt campus. I volunteer trailblazing as a service that I enjoy and it was especially rewarding to see all the laughing kids, including adults acting as kids.

I know what you mean about a thriving coral being contained. I have a green/chocolate colored paly that I would have kept corraled more if I had known how it was going to spread. I like it but I do not know how to stop it's invasiveness.

I moved one of my red tree sponges into more flow since you said that is what they like. I like that too as now it is more visible.

I have a tomini tang which is more of a detritivore than a herbivore. Tommy, as I have dubbed him keeps my macros pretty clean, especially the codium which seems to collect crud. I also have a Coral Beauty dwarf angel who picks around and cleans up nuisance algae.

That's wonderful that you volunteer at your church. It sounds like you really enjoy it. Our church had a Trunk or Treat event last weekend. Dave and I dressed up as S'mores and brought our chiminea so the kids could make s'mores. It was a lot of fun and we also enjoyed seeing all the children.