livingart Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 building a new sump for gannets tank, he wanted miracle mud and caulerpa, we couldn't afford that so we are going to try some seagrass instead, thanks to conch for the idea sump with skimmer 1metre x 450 wide sump with eelgrass in it eel grass pic heaps of bugs in there hope their good ones, shrimps like a glass shrimp but smaller and finer good sea horse food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifty Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 that cool, where did you get the eel grass and what is it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannet Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 eel grass is native to NZ its a type of sea weed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 not the same as what the guys at Waikiki use but will do the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 not the same as what the guys at Waikiki use but will do the same thing what do they use david this grass is so full of life, from inner harbour locally the shrimp are probably Paratya curvirostris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 A tropical species of Eelgrass, I can't find any links to it.... it might be in Bornemans book, i'm not sure... But Carlson has an eelgrass aquarium in which he keeps cataphyllias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 good read= http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 The eelgrass might be ok for a display but not good as a nutrient exporter as it it not like caulerpa algae which grows far quicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 .. i suppose thats wher e the skimmer comes in handy reef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 thats a good read david, thanks that skimmer is a little honey, big pump and some fine tuning has the wet pooring out of the overflow tube was more concerned with using it to support the pods and life thats in it, trialling this then will try a 2 metre x 1 metre bed of it on the large local tank to provide for seahorse breeding has some sea lettuce in amongst it can we add caulerpa to it later? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 Looks exactly like what I had in mind for my Mandarin support system :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 What is that skimmer, an Aqua C? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 So I have no idea about growing things in sumps. But I understand cultivating critters in the grass. But are the critters free to swim from the sump into the tank, or do you have or catch them and move them into the main tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 A lot of them will be blown intact into the main tank at night - not all are pump proof though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 What is that skimmer, an Aqua C? yes is an aqua c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 thanks for the post about eelgrass conch it got the grey matter ticking want to try this then will add a bigger one to the 7,000 litre tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 I've been thinking a little about the whole ecosystem of a coral reef, which isn't all corals. I suspect a lot of 'difficult' corals might actually be less so if a more normal balance of organisms is present in the system. That and I like Mandarin fish (which like eelgrass) Let me know how it goes for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 great minds .............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 i've actually been thinking about planting the bottom of my reef . I think it would look cool with the clams poking out of the green Definately keen to see how it goes. Get a school of manderins lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 That's how they live in the wild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannet Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 skimmer is EV-180 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 skimmer is EV-180 you little technofile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 DAy 5 water test on sump no heater yet but its been sitting around 20c pH - 7.8 Ammonia - 0.25ppm Nitrate - 0.10ppm Nitrite - 0.50ppm Po4 - o.0 running a Via aqua 1300 pump at the moment will start heater tomorrow and see how all these coldwater critters take it loaded more Shrimp and other types of pods into it today trying to remove snails and crabs, is this a good idea or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted April 4, 2008 Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 Yes interesting question about the snails & crabs. A few times in the past I have loaded up a bucket with critters from a sheltered area where they could be collected, and dumped them into the sump (when I had one). However over a period of a few weeks there is a big reduction in biodiversity, and eventually almost none of the critters remain. I think what happens in a closed ecosystem is some of them just don't have their natural food. And some of them eat other ones and once they have eaten all of them, they themselves die. Some snails are carnivorous, I don't know much about snails but have been careful what to put in the tank. Some of the NZ native crabs are filter feeders, I know this because when I had some in the sump and they got settled in, you could watch them spread out two filter type things, that looked something like the appendage that comes out of a barnacle when it is feeding, from near their mouth & filter the water. However in a tank they would not have got much. They could also eat food such as chopped mussel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 thanks for that wasp thought crabs and snails may eat pods and shrimp or the grass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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