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Time for action:
6FC1A9DE-01F4-4F2B-9344-DD77BAC0FF49.jpeg
 

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Looking good! If you want suggestions I’d go to live-plants.com or ipsf.com for macro algae / inverts , I’ve gotten a mini brittle star colony going from ipsf and they threw in a free toadstool !
 
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Looking good! If you want suggestions I’d go to live-plants.com or ipsf.com for macro algae / inverts , I’ve gotten a mini brittle star colony going from ipsf and they threw in a free toadstool !
Thanks! I have actually been considering both for a while. IPSF’s yellow Gracilaria looks like a great and unique addition to my refugium! As for Gulf Coast Ecosystems (live-plants), they never seem to have much in stock during the warmer months :(. Hopefully, that changes soon.
 

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Thanks! I have actually been considering both for a while. IPSF’s yellow Gracilaria looks like a great and unique addition to my refugium! As for Gulf Coast Ecosystems (live-plants), they never seem to have much in stock during the warmer months :(. Hopefully, that changes soon.
Aw bummer , excited to see the tank come together tho!
 

reddevilant

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Thanks! I have actually been considering both for a while. IPSF’s yellow Gracilaria looks like a great and unique addition to my refugium! As for Gulf Coast Ecosystems (live-plants), they never seem to have much in stock during the warmer months :(. Hopefully, that changes soon.
For Gulf Coast Ecosystems you really have to stalk their site every few days IME. It seems like they're definitely one of the top 3 places to get macros so stock goes FAST. For good reason too, they give a lot more than most vendors for a very good price.
 
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Some random stuff:

Current additives regimen:
AF57EB7D-C406-429D-8880-1017D058B124.jpeg

Brightwell Aquatics Chaeto GRO - 3 ml daily
API Stress Coat - Recommended quantity when mixing saltwater (I use 50% RODI, 50% tap water)
Kent Marine PhytoPlex - Capful on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (held in refrigerator)
Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter7 - 2 capfuls during livestock additions (held in refrigerator)

Other systems:
3C00623D-A6CF-46E3-8E86-88534CB7B482.jpeg

This is my neglected 10-gallon Standard holding tank. Currently, it is holding:
- AquaClear 50 (off)
- Macro Aqua M-50 (off)
- Jebao RW-4 (on)
- AquaClear 50 BioMax
- MarinePure 1.5-Inch Spheres (4 spheres)
- An old piece of AquaticExperts Aquarium Filter Pad
- Old live rock
- Nautical Crush Trading Real Purple Barnacle Cluster
- Marineland Temperature Strip (probably stopped working half a decade ago)

I believe I purchased the tank back in 2011 as a freshwater aquarium.
 
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Why did you turn off the filter on the 10g? You don't want to kill the bio in the tank
Oh, the bio-media is currently sitting at the bottom of the tank. So is the old filter media. I’ll probably put them back in the filter and get it running again soon.
 
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WheatToast

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…or ipsf.com…
…and grape calurpa
On Tuesday evening, I picked up the Mix ‘n Match Special and three SUPER Mix ‘n Match Special items from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, a day earlier than expected. Every bag I received was teeming with life of amazing quality! Thanks Gerald Heslinga!

Items purchased:

Mix ‘n Match Special:
- 6 Baby BristleWorms
- Tang Heaven Red (Gracilaria parvispora)
- Tang Heaven Yellow (Gracilaria sp.)
- Tang Heaven Gold (Sargassum sp.)
- Tang Heaven Green (Ulva fasciata)
- WonderMud
- Reef Amphipods
- Sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera)
- Live Sand Activator

SUPER Mix ‘n Match Special:
- Live Reef Plankton
- 6 MiniStars
- 6 Mama Mia Worms

The WonderMud and Live Sand Activator also collectively contained roughly…
- 6 MicroHermits (Calcinus sp.) (limited to the Live Sand Activator)
- 12 Hawaiian Littorinid Grazers (Littoraria sp.) (6 in the WonderMud, 6 in the Live Sand Activator)

3E6A1D69-E816-4EE6-BDD7-9384BDDA6BE3.jpeg

Styrofoam packaging

E66FBAD5-E152-4066-8876-C36303AE3702.jpeg

All 12 items

D96CDDBF-16D9-4187-962A-F8A489538AB7.jpeg

Acclimation

3A61F714-678B-4863-8EEF-125B3E9F8240.jpeg

Super-packed refugium

F7B27879-1054-44E3-A6A5-87582980E934.jpeg
Why, hello!


Most items were placed in the refugium, though the Live Reef Plankton/Hawaiian Littorinid Grazers were placed into the main display as well and the MicroHermits/Tang Heaven Gold were solely introduced to the main display.
 
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BaghdadBean

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So maybe it’s just me, but I’m looking at all that die off in your sand and potentially the mud as a good thing from a seagrass point of view. Seagrasses usually need a minimum 6 month mature mixed sand and mud bed, which, from my way of thinking, is code for dirty. I haven’t heard anybody say specifically what it needs to mature for beyond nutrients, but given that seagrasses require pretty dense microbial and bacterial activity for their own processes, I suspect the maturation is both for biofilm and nutrient density. You should be WELL advanced on both now! Are you going to try out Halodule or Halophilia first? Or just dive right into Thalassia?
 
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If you want suggestions I’d go to live-plants.com…
…dragons breath…
Two more macroalgae additions arrived from Gulf Coast Ecosystems today, ordered just prior to their vacation:
Halymenia durvillei (Dragon’s breath)
Botryocladia sp. (Red grape algae)

B2767B1B-43F8-4475-8A83-23767B932E79.jpeg

The packaging

EA037150-AAD7-4F41-ADEE-F0B80E14D89E.jpeg

The bags (triple bagged)

28187CB5-DF50-4598-98E5-EB7E41B61468.jpeg

Halymenia durvillei (sorry for the poor water clarity, the MarinePure was disturbed again)

3329C21D-FC44-476D-A6F0-3C8DCDDC9E44.jpeg

Botryocladia sp.

B5A9CF6E-55B6-4ED4-BCCE-5F878854BCD8.jpeg

Now I have more Botryocladia than I know what to do with… two enormous specimens from a single “item”


The specimens I received were healthy and the Botryocladia was absolutely massive! Thank you Russ Kronenwetter!
 

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Two more macroalgae additions arrived from Gulf Coast Ecosystems today, ordered just prior to their vacation:
Halymenia durvillei (Dragon’s breath)
Botryocladia sp. (Red grape algae)

B2767B1B-43F8-4475-8A83-23767B932E79.jpeg

The packaging

EA037150-AAD7-4F41-ADEE-F0B80E14D89E.jpeg

The bags (triple bagged)

28187CB5-DF50-4598-98E5-EB7E41B61468.jpeg

Halymenia durvillei (sorry for the poor water clarity, the MarinePure was disturbed again)

3329C21D-FC44-476D-A6F0-3C8DCDDC9E44.jpeg

Botryocladia sp.

B5A9CF6E-55B6-4ED4-BCCE-5F878854BCD8.jpeg

Now I have more Botryocladia than I know what to do with… two enormous specimens from a single “item”


The specimens I received were healthy and the Botryocladia was absolutely massive! Thank you Russ Kronenwetter!
You got your order today as well. Sweet. Looks good and I agree with things being massive from them. My order was super awesome, as usual.
 
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More stuff:

FTS on a Thursday:
310CF018-EF11-4CAF-B730-5B14F2D11221.jpeg


Tang Heaven Gold (Sargassum sp.), getting blasted with over 2800 gph of pulse flow by the Nero 5:
EC8C1B82-1739-4367-8AD0-04825EDA6036.jpeg


I put this starfish on the sandbed for a better look. It immediately crawled under the nearest rock:
35BED080-9433-4722-B721-377267723991.jpeg


So maybe it’s just me, but I’m looking at all that die off in your sand and potentially the mud as a good thing from a seagrass point of view. Seagrasses usually need a minimum 6 month mature mixed sand and mud bed, which, from my way of thinking, is code for dirty. I haven’t heard anybody say specifically what it needs to mature for beyond nutrients, but given that seagrasses require pretty dense microbial and bacterial activity for their own processes, I suspect the maturation is both for biofilm and nutrient density. You should be WELL advanced on both now! Are you going to try out Halodule or Halophilia first? Or just dive right into Thalassia?
I believe I have spotted anaerobic zones beginning to form in the refugium and the main display, so perhaps the time to tackle seagrasses is soon approaching :D! However, to be on the safe side, I will add these to my substrate beds:
3F1EB2F6-0054-4301-B25E-260B0E361F4A.jpeg


Since it is less demanding than its relatives, I will try to attempt Halophila first. There is a supplier I know of that can provide three species of the genus… so stay tuned ;).
 

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Red grape is so beautiful :eek: I love the way it looks and they gave you such a nice amount!
You should have asked kitten for the plating algae. It really is nice!
 

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It’s looking beautiful! Halophila is a great choice. I’ll be following to see how those fertilizer tabs work for you, I have seen the Seachem Flourish ones before used with good success, but it’s always good to have alternatives.
 
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