Sixty’s Ecosystem Build

[sixty_reefer]

Today’s update goes to the introduction of a small pice of live rock, comes from the display in a local LFS and is covered in micro brittle stars, feather dusters, sponges, asterina starfish, spionid worms, bivalves and plenty of beneficial bacteria, nice seedling rock.

 

[sixty_reefer]

And some more seeding rock, full of nasty stuff but hey they do look awesome

 

[sixty_reefer]

And some more seeding rock, full of nasty stuff but hey they do look awesome

 

[sixty_reefer]

Not really sure we’re this is going to end but this is the tank 2 weeks update with a fresh water change and all the seeding rock placed, planning on getting the continuous phytoplankton reactor going in the next few weeks, got to rebuilt it firs.

 

[reddevilant]

Not really sure we’re this is going to end but this is the tank 2 weeks update with a fresh water change and all the seeding rock placed, planning on getting the continuous phytoplankton reactor going in the next few weeks, got to rebuilt it firs.

What are the red algaes on the top and bottom of the left rock?

 

[sixty_reefer]

What are the red algaes on the top and bottom of the left rock?

At the bottom and middle is a encrusting Peyssonnelia, ( got two different ones that am hoping to take over the rock work instead of standard coraline, they look nice under blues) at the Very top is a kind of sea lettuce, just less invasive than the green varieties.

 

[reddevilant]

At the bottom and middle is a encrusting Peyssonnelia, ( got two different ones that am hoping to take over the rock work instead of standard coraline, they look nice under blues) at the Very top is a kind of sea lettuce, just less invasive than the green varieties.

Oh cool! I have no really good LFSs by me. I wish I had one that carried macros or at least interesting live rock. One day I have to visit the UK just to find as many macros that aren't easily found in the states. I might have to spend my savings on shipping it back but at least I would have cool new macros

 

[Garf]

Not really sure we’re this is going to end but this is the tank 2 weeks update with a fresh water change and all the seeding rock placed, planning on getting the continuous phytoplankton reactor going in the next few weeks, got to rebuilt it firs.

There appears to be a problem with the dates on the initial posts. It sais it’s only a couple of weeks old. Looks great

 

[sixty_reefer]

Oh cool! I have no really good LFSs by me. I wish I had one that carried macros or at least interesting live rock. One day I have to visit the UK just to find as many macros that aren't easily found in the states. I might have to spend my savings on shipping it back but at least I would have cool new macros

You must be joking, we dnt have any good macro algae shops in the uk. This ones were all sourced from different lfs as hitchhikers, mainly on Zoas gardens. I’ve seen the USA stock and it’s awesome compared to us, am really jealous

 

[sixty_reefer]

There appears to be a problem with the dates on the initial posts. It sais it’s only a couple of weeks old. Looks great

Two weeks yesterday since it was wet. Seeding the tank must of helped but still a long way to go until it matures. I think the 40 odd river shrimps are helping a bit keeping it look clean

 

[sixty_reefer]

Small vid of how everything looking so far, hopefully will look half decent in a few months once life start to spread over

 

[Garf]

Small vid of how everything looking so far, hopefully will look half decent in a few months once life start to spread over

Are those algae’s subject to such aggressive flow in nature? Still looks great

 

[sixty_reefer]

Are those algae’s subject to such aggressive flow in nature? Still looks great

Probably much more than that really, I normally see them near gorgonians and Dendronephthya and they love high flow helps keep the detritus away from the levee. wend I’ve started the build I wanted to keep a very low flow in the tank but things keep changing as I go, even the light had to be changed as I wasn’t liking the spectrum.

 

[sixty_reefer]

All the small things are coming together nicely, I’ve successfully introduced a new pest algae to the tank. I am not able to identify it, but for many years this algae has been the only source of food in my copepod and rotifers cultures. Never understood how but I got thriving cultures of rotifers and copepod in the back yard that never been feed and still thriving. The introduction of this algae is solely to help create another natural food source to the ecosystem ideology.
I’m other notes my nitrates have been bottom out since the weekend adding kno3 to keep them were I want them to be as I don’t want to add more fish for the time being.
man excited as am getting closer and closer from my end goal.

 

[sixty_reefer]

The algae mentioned before got me curious again after a quick research it seems to be some sort of filamentous phytoplankton with the bubbles inside being oxygen

 

[sixty_reefer]

Things looking a bit ugly tonight

there is a lot of air bubbles growing on the algae on the rock some Cyanobacteria forming on the left hand side algae.

 

[sixty_reefer]

My small 1 gallon test tank is seemingly being more successfully at creating a small ecosystem.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Updating the tank

most of my initial macro algaes have now died, it’s my fault as I’ve added them to early in the cycle, it’s difficult to get hold of algaes here making a risk worth taking, most of them are showing signs of recovering as a result of that the Cyanobacteria that was in a few places of the tank spread over all surfaces, I’m not sure yet if the substrate is affecting how everything is looking now.

not all aspects of a build are always interesting although is still important to share the development of the system.
The tank is currently being offered 4 cubes of frozen a day plus dry algae based foods

 

[sixty_reefer]

That’s crazy, I’ve randomly thought in testing the no3 of my tank and compare it to the effluent of the under gravel filter, it’s a crazy difference. My display has 40ppm and the effluent coming from the under gravel filter is 5ppm

considering that from the last few days I’ve increased the feeding from 2 to 4 cubes of frozen a day and extra additional 10ml of nitrogen and extra 10ml of potassium nitrate am very impressed how the filter is starting to perform.

the display is still looking dirty but that’s ok

I’m hopping that I know what I am doing

 

[sixty_reefer]

Still on track