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An
Article by George J. Reclos
The main issue
was to use something which would be nice and as effective as possible. If
this was a freshwater plant I would simply add plants. Of course there are
no plants to be used in a marine aquarium but there is something quite
close to it. Macroalgae. After a short visit to my friend Minos Pagonis
(you can see his tank here and you will immediately realize the difference
between a newbie and an experienced hobbyist) I got some Caulerpa sp.
(most probably Caulerpa taxifolia although I am not sure) for
my tank. I will confess I was really attracted by this "plant". I am now
determined that (if the Caulerpa in my tank thrives) I will go for a
marine
"planted" tank !! On day 11, several cuts of Caulerpa were added
in the tank
It is evident that the addition of Caulerpa changes the
look of the tank ! Everyday measurements for the
nitrogen compounds are a must since it is the only way to know where each
part of the cycle has been completed. In the table below you can see all
the values and additions done during the first 30 days of this tank setup.
Day 1 is November 25th, since the tank was actually setup on November
24th. Density = 1.025, temperature = 27 C, water regularly added
to compensate for the evaporation.
|
day |
NH3 |
NO2 |
NO3 |
add |
notes |
|
1 |
>4 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 6 ppm |
bacteria |
|
2 |
>4 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 6 ppm |
bacteria |
|
3 |
4 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 6 ppm |
bacteria |
|
4 |
4 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 4 ppm |
bacteria |
|
5 |
4 |
4 |
nd |
NH3/ 4 ppm |
bacteria |
|
6 |
2 |
6 |
nd |
NH3/ 4 ppm |
bacteria |
|
7 |
2 |
6 |
25 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
bacteria |
|
8 |
0 |
8 |
50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
9 |
0 |
8 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
10 |
0 |
8 to 10 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
11 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
Caulerpa sp. |
|
12 |
0 |
10 |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
plant fertilizer |
|
13 |
0 |
10 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
plant fertilizer |
|
14 |
0 |
>10 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
KI / phosphates |
|
15 |
0 |
>10 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
third filter |
|
16 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
KI, lamp |
|
17 |
0 |
>20 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
plant fertilizer |
|
18 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
plant fertilizer |
|
19 |
0 |
>20 |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
20 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
21 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
bicarbonates |
|
22 |
0 |
>20 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
Calcium |
|
23 |
0 |
>20 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
24 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
plant fertilizer |
|
25 |
0 |
>20 |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
26 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
27 |
0 |
nd |
nd |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
plant fertilizer |
|
28 |
0 |
>20 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
skimmer 2 |
|
29 |
0 |
>10 |
>50 |
NH3/ 2 ppm |
|
|
30 |
0 |
>10 |
nd |
NH3/ 1 ppm |
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On day 15, a third internal sponge filter (470 l/h) was
added to the system. Thus the total water turnover was increased to 2470
l/h. The addition of the new filter was done in order to increase the
surface on which the bacteria can grow. On days 12 and 13 a liquid
plant fertilizer was added in small quantities (Thanks, Mike). On day 16 a
third lamp (marine full spectrum) was added to encourage the growth of
Caulerpa.
It is difficult to realize that this is actually algae and
not a plant. In my case it is a matter of visual pleasure and effective
usage of it.
Five days after the addition of Caulerpa I can't tell if
it is growing or stalled. I can see some lighter color at the edges of the
stems but no new "leaves" seem to come out. Parts of the branches have
turned dark green which - although I am not a specialist - do not seem
like a good sign to me. 
A close up view which shows the almost
"plastic" appearance of the Caulerpa.
Compared to freshwater tanks which I stock almost immediately (using
aged water and already seeded filter material) the waiting stage is indeed
prolonged. Patience not being one of my virtues I feel like tied on my
chair. However my short previous experience has taught me that rushing it
can only bring disaster. Up to now it seems the only real difference
between freshwater and marine tanks is time. A marine environment needs
considerably more time to be stabilized. Needless to say, more and more
questions were asked to more and more people throughout this process. Yes,
I have my books, I can see the graphs in there but I want to get as much
information as possible.
See next page for more..
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