Tale of Two Cities or Phoenix Rises

[Subsea]

Yes, I bought Sargassum once from GCE so I knew that is what they wrote. I bought it when I had T5 lights and a lot less flow. I will be interested if you have more success with it than I did, and what your thoughts are on your experience with it. Mine basically never flourished and diminished until it just disappeared. I would be willing to try again if I thought the conditions in my aquarium are more favorable for it. I know Michael Hoaster kept a nice sprig that grew into a very nice specimen but it came as a hitch hiker on live rock. I wondered if that increases the chances of it flourishing.

i have disintegrated Sargassum on five occasions before this success.

 

[vlangel]

i have disintegrated Sargassum on five occasions before this success.

Well, if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, try, try, try again! Kudos to you for not giving up!

 

[Subsea]

Check out the mix of blue night light and red grow light on HOB algae refúgium. Unfortunately, I can’t get camera to see what I see.

 

[Subsea]

At this time, in top 55G tank, the apex predator in this tank is a Sally Lightfoot Crab, who in one week eliminated 4 Black Mollies that had been in tank for 2 months. I see Sally eating algae all the time, yet when I add frozen mysis Sally goes on the hunt. Four Peppermint shrimp round out the major predators.

In trying to accommodate space, I combined mariculture with agriculture with a $29 metal stand, as I plant tomato seeds for Spring garden.

 

[Subsea]

Lights on 2 hours with large amphods boldly eating film algae: the elongated white spots are amphipods eating thru film algae. This tank is being dosed liquid seaweed when lights on. I am using it similarly to ChaetoGrow plus a small amount of nitrogen.

 

[vlangel]

Very cool Patrick! I have recently started dosing phytoplankton ( although it's store bought from a bottle) in hopes of increasing my pod population. I would really love to have a mandarin. It's the one fish that I have always wanted but have never kept. I tried a couple of times but always re-homed them to folks with bigger tanks when I got worried they were not eating enough.

 

[Subsea]

Very cool Patrick! I have recently started dosing phytoplankton ( although it's store bought from a bottle) in hopes of increasing my pod population. I would really love to have a mandarin. It's the one fish that I have always wanted but have never kept. I tried a couple of times but always re-homed them to folks with bigger tanks when I got worried they were not eating enough.

Dawn,
Thank you for your Grace.

I have kept a male green mandarin for 5 years in 75G twenty five year mature tank. At about year two, while feeding thin slices from live mussels to tangs & drawf angels, I noted feeding response with dragonette aggressively picking up a sliver longer than his budy length. He carried it off to eat in the cover, I assume e eat it. One month ago, Hunter, my friend at Aquadom connected me with a female green mandarin. It was Magic to see them dance together when they first meant. At the time, she was not ready to spawn; most importantly, they are good to accept each other’s territory overlaps. In fact, while they hunt food separately, when they meet briefly, the exchange is mutually respectful and sometimes playful.

 

[vlangel]

Dawn,
Thank you for your Grace.

I have kept a male green mandarin for 5 years in 75G twenty five year mature tank. At about year two, while feeding thin slices from live mussels to tangs & drawf angels, I noted feeding response with dragonette aggressively picking up a sliver longer than his budy length. He carried it off to eat in the cover, I assume e eat it. One month ago, Hunter, my friend at Aquadom connected me with a female green mandarin. It was Magic to see them dance together when they first meant. At the time, she was not ready to spawn; most importantly, they are good to accept each other’s territory overlaps. In fact, while they hunt food separately, when they meet briefly, the exchange is mutually respectful and sometimes playful.

Oh wow, that is super cool. If I could find one that was taking some prepared food, (Elmer's the lfs, we met you and your brother at, do attempt to train mandarins on prepared food), I would try another one. However with my display tank only being a 56 gallon, I would really want my pod population to be high before introducing a mandarin, and I would want to know that it was eating some prepared food. I am going to keep the sliced mussels in mind as I am sure that my tang, dwarf angel, clownfish, cardinalfish and YWG would all enjoy that as a treat. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Subsea]

Dawn,
Thank you for your Grace.

I have kept a male green mandarin for 5 years in 75G twenty five year mature tank. At about year two, while feeding thin slices from live mussels to tangs & drawf angels, I noted feeding response with dragonette aggressively picking up a sliver longer than his budy length. He carried it off to eat in the cover, I assume e eat it. One month ago, Hunter, my friend at Aquadom connected me with a female green mandarin. It was Magic to see them dance together when they first meant. At the time, she was not ready to spawn; most importantly, they are good to accept each other’s territory overlaps. In fact, while they hunt food separately, when they meet briefly, the exchange is mutually respectful and sometimes playful.

The female mandarins are identically bright in colors as is the males. Males typically are a little bigger. with elongated dorsal fin. LFS had already trained mandarin to eat pellets.

 

[Subsea]

These large amphipods have eaten most of film agae on front glass. The picture makes them look white, to my eye they are somewhat transparent.

Look to back glass where Caulerpa Paspoidies has more than tripled since I first got it. msybe a month?

Note foliage turning white

 

[Subsea]

Its week three on biofloc comparison test of three different systems in my living room.. From my perspective, duel 50’s beat everybody thanks to live phytoplankton, liquid seaweed and live mussels

 

[Subsea]

About an hour ago, feed 2qt of live phytoplankton and 2 cubes of mysis shrimp for “everybody fest”. Water was tainted green and is clearing nicely.

The last three pictures show 75G display which got duplicate feeding. Shortly, I will add ammonia in both tanks.

 

[Subsea]

I will be moving this dual 55G tank stand to my dining room. It will sit where 30G fishless Sponge Bob tank sits.

PS: 30G Tank is green from addition of 2G of phytoplankton grown in outside 30G culture growout.zAQ

 

[vlangel]

Please takes some pics of the 55g after the move and best of luck!

 

[Subsea]

Please takes some pics of the 55g after the move and best of luck!

Dawn,
It’s a small part of a bigger picture. During the winter, I will set up outside growout tanks for ornamental red macroalgae, which will be used to curate designer live rock with Gulf of Mexico hardy corals, sponges & macro algae.

 

[Diastro]

Dawn,
It’s a small part of a bigger picture. During the winter, I will set up outside growout tanks for ornamental red macroalgae, which will be used to curate designer live rock with Gulf of Mexico hardy corals, sponges & macro algae.

Wow that's so beautiful. Do you sell these rocks or why do you make them?

 

[Subsea]

Wow that's so beautiful. Do you sell these rocks or why do you make them?

Thank you for kind words. Beauty is in the “eye of the beholder”.
Yes, I will sell curated designer rocks. I will partner with co-owner of LFS in Austin, who knows the reef hobby market and I will sell by appointment at my small farm 20 minutes from downtown Austin.

I LIKE RED:
And almost everybody likes Bortacladia & Halymenia, including herbivores and grazing fish.

This past summer, I received an attractive red macro algae from GulfCoast EcoSystems:

<head> <title>Macroalgae For Marine Reef Aquariums: Red Sampler Algae Pack

Here are a few pictures of some gorgeous red macro in differrent environments including in outside tanks that get down to 60 degrees. Because much of my livestock comes from the Gulf of Mexico, temperature fluctuations are normal for these macros & corals.

 

[Subsea]

Please takes some pics of the 55g after the move and best of luck!

The bottom tank will be relocated outdoors onto pea-gravel play ground. I will install reverse flow ug filter and set up for 6 months trial.

I just did a quadrupled flatworm exit treatment on top tank: 75% water change while gravel vac aroggonite sandbed, added second HOB with activated carbon.

After removing activated carbon from HOB, I added healthy microbes with water from two healthy operating reef systems (75G & 120G} in my living room.

The top 55G tank is in transition to be disassembled to replace diy ug filter with factory equipment and then reassembled. While the top tank is disassembled the dual tank stand will be relocated into dining room where present 30G Caribbean sponge tank is located. Due to persistence of
Red Planaria, I will disassemble and bleach. All livestock is being quadrupled dosed with flatworm exit for 2 hours. I do not like using chemicals for treating tanks. Twenty ears ago, I fought flatworms that had developed immunity to EXIT. It was not pleasant; after removing/temporarily relocating all desired livestock, I nuked system with peroxide.

Note pictures of top tank with some sponges brought in from 30G tank that is scheduled to be be disassembled/bleached and moved.

 

[Diastro]

Thank you for kind words. Beauty is in the “eye of the beholder”.
Yes, I will sell curated designer rocks. I will partner with co-owner of LFS in Austin, who knows the reef hobby market and I will sell by appointment at my small farm 20 minutes from downtown Austin.

I LIKE RED:
And almost everybody likes Bortacladia & Halymenia, including herbivores and grazing fish.

This past summer, I received an attractive red macro algae from GulfCoast EcoSystems:

<head> <title>Macroalgae For Marine Reef Aquariums: Red Sampler Algae Pack

Here are a few pictures of some gorgeous red macro in differrent environments including in outside tanks that get down to 60 degrees. Because much of my livestock comes from the Gulf of Mexico, temperature fluctuations are normal for these macros & corals.

Looks good. How long does it take to grow out the macroalgae to those huge chunks? Do anything special to keep them growing? I picked up a bunch on new red macros and am looking to keep them going strong.

 

[vlangel]

Dawn,
It’s a small part of a bigger picture. During the winter, I will set up outside growout tanks for ornamental red macroalgae, which will be used to curate designer live rock with Gulf of Mexico hardy corals, sponges & macro algae.

That sounds like a cool plan, (pun not intended, LOL). I wished our PA winters were mild enough so I could try something like that but alas it's not to be! Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.