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Marine ???

Steveyg81

Steveyg81

Member
Joined
8 Mar 2012
Messages
33
Location
South Shields
Hi,

I have finally been given permission to start a new tank, and this time im thinking of going marine, but perhaps with a twist 8)

Are there any marine plants available?
Can I get hold of them?
Has anyone here tried this?

It wont be until later in the year but i just want to get an idea in case I decide to take the plunge!

Thanks in advance

Steve
 
macro algae is the thing but they feed purely on waste from livestock so if you're loading up heavily on the macro and using liverock you'll actually need very little in way of filtration as the bulk of the filtration will actually come from the macro and rock instead. perhaps just a little HOB or external with some phos remover, purigen and a polishing pad or 2 would do.

also cheeto grows like a weed you may find you have to hack it back at least once a week.
 
George Farmer said:
I'll be setting up a seagrass tank for seahorses early next year. Can't wait!
Click to expand...

OH WOW ! This is going to be good. I LOVE seahorses. Some of the sea "dragons" are especially beautiful too. Don't know if you can get them or whether they can be kept in captivity though. I know you shouldn't wish away time, but I can't wait to see this setup :D
 
Hi all.
Are there any marine plants available?
Click to expand...
Not many, but if you don't want to go down the reef route, you could use Eel grass and Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) in a "sandy" tank that isn't 100% full of water. I think this should work pretty well with the right livestock.
tn_jawfishburrow_jpg.jpg
with Pearly jawfish, Opistognathus aurifrons.

I'm not sure which Sea "grasses" you can get, but the genera to look for are Thallasia, Syringodinum, Halophila, Halodule, Posidonia & Zostera, although I think Zostera doesn't like it too warm.

I don't know much about Marines, but this looks really interesting (I got the image from it) <http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/index.php>, I particularly like the Red algae in with the Halophila engelmannii.

cheers Darrel
 
Theres quite a few species of Caulerpa aren't there ? Or can't you get them here ? There was a LFS owner in New Zealand where I lived and he had a stunning Caulerpa spp tank (although it was in the back of the shop where customers could not see it as most of the Caulerpa was banned, LOL). He also had a rather beautiful Harlequin Tuskfish in that tank which I envied him for every time I saw the tank.
 
I would have set up a planted marine by now if there were enough plants available. I hear sea grass is exceptionally delicate.
 
George Farmer said:
I'll be setting up a seagrass tank for seahorses early next year. Can't wait!
Click to expand...

What grass are you using, George?

Back on topic, yes, you can do a macro algae tank and yes, tanks that have dense macro growth don't require the LR that say a typical reef does. I still have some.

The "easier" seagrasses tend to be Halodule and Halophila. Most require a deeper sand bed, but these two will be fine with about 3-4" which is what I currently have. Nutrient rich or not is up to you. They'll probably grow faster on a nutrient rich substrate, but I'm not unhappy with the growth I'm getting from just using a nice fine oolite sand and feeding the tank inhabitants daily doses of frozen foods. I'm really getting some good growth now that my tank is older and I've switched to metal Halides. I have a Halodule species, shoal grass. I liked the delicate look of it. The lighting must be good, and the kelvin temperature of the bulbs not as blue as what some reef keepers prefer. I have a 14k Halide. Nice color, good growth. Good compromise.

Of the Caulerpas, I personally like C. prolifera best. The thing with macros, is that you really do need to be on top of the pruning. I've only had a bit go sexual on me and I knew what to look for, so I was able to remove the portion that had gone sexual before the gametes were released. I've not had anything go sexual since, but I prune a lot. Something to think about if you decide to go into this. The sea grasses won't require so much until they are established, but macro! Haha, that'll need pruning on a regular basis. What macro you want is up to you, but be aware some are coldwater species and most of us keep tropical SW tanks.

I'm enjoying my tank. It's very diverse and fun to keep. :)

L
 
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