Sea Grass

[phishx]

im getting ready to start the set-up of my pacific tank...
the only aqua-scaping im planning on is sand and Sea Grass... very few rocks if any... im wondering what needs the sea grass may need... i will be running 2x 175w 20K MH over the system for about 6 hours a day... rest of lights will be actenic to simulate morning sunrise and some nice purple VHO's for the times when the MH's are off... moon lights at night.

any info on the sea grass that may help? can it live in just sand or does it require some type of mud/clay or anything else... i remember sea grass at Redondo beach and it appears to just be planted in the sand but i haven't really looked into it, im going off of memory based recollections only. i wonder how the grass will do completely submerged underwater not being able to get exposed to any air... any ideas?
-thx a bunch

[Project Reef]

Sand is fine, however you need an established deep sand bed, 5-10" for very best results. Check out www.billsreef.com, that's where I get my sea grasses from. You can make a pretty sick looking tank with just sea grasses and minimal rock. Good luck.

[rxdi]

I haven't been to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium for years, but they used to have a sea grass surge tank. It's right down the street from you, stop and ask them. It use to be free to get in also.

[coast2coast7390]

shoot man last year there was a bunch in mission bay when i was on vaca

[phishx]

YESSSsssssssss... im stoaked about this!... im gonna go to the aquarium today i think... might as well... i live around the corner from it (literally )

[xtm]

20K for sea grass? hmmm.. I'd go with something like a 6500K for that "shallow grass lagoon" look.. but that's just me.

what happened to your pacific project?

[phishx]

all this talk is for the Pacific Project... i just picked up a 200 gallon and i will be posting the 180 up for sale tonight ... it wont fit under my stand to fit as a sump

my MH lights are 250's 20K now... no more 175's... i choose the 20K because of the fish i am keeping... when it gets up xtm u gotta come over... its going to be a nice set up... we are sanding down the stand today and hope to have everything stained and ready to go up by friday!

[phishx]

when i wake up im going to post what i learned over at the cabrillo aquarium today and i will post a few pix.

[tetra-tag]

Sarah Lardizabal would appear to be the go-to girl for all things Seagrass. She has many interesting articles here and elsewhere on the web.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume...seagrasses.htm

[sbcaes]

where can we get seagrass in socal?

[algaeguy]

phishx-

Sarah is definitely the hobby's best source for information on these plants, and she's a super nice person, too. She used to sell seagrasses for a while, but no longer does.

I'm not aware of any reliable (by that, I mean dealers that regularly offer it) local suppliers of segrasses, but I have purchased my stock from either of these two e-tailers:

Florida Pets

Gulf Coast Ecosystems

and:

Seacrop (occasionally gets in Halophila, aka "Stargrass")

Sorry- don't have the url's at the moment, but you can look 'em up on line. Both offer excellent service and good pricing.

I purchased both Halodule ("Shoal Grass") and Thalassia ("Turtle Grass") from Gulf Coast, and Halodule from Florida Pets..

Gulf Coast offers a pint of Halodule for something like $10.00...really good price, and excellent quality- captive propagated.

Trust me, once someone out here with the facilities devotes some effort(or a spare frag tank!) to propagating these Seagrasses, they will be very prevelant within the hobby...It's still a mystery to me why more people aren't trying them out! Once you get them established, they are quite easy to care for! You just need patience while they establish, and understand that there is a period of die-off before they really take off.

I gave a presentation at MACNA a few weeks back (in which, among other things, I discussed seagrass tanks), and I was really blown away by the number of questions I received from those in attendance about seagrasses and their (lack of) availablility...

Seems like hobbyists all over the nation are interested, but no one seems to be working on them on a grass-roots level out here...Hint hint- to those of you who have outdoor prop systems! In addition to providing an in-demand product (ie; you can make some $$$), we'd be relieving the pressure off of the rather delicate ecosystems from which they come...

Hope I'm not hijacking your thread, but I just wanted to point out that a few industrious local hobbyists can help solve the demand for these plants! With all of the local talent we have out here, I can't imagine that someone won't eventually step up to the plate and propagate them in quantity!

HTH

Scott

[sbcaes]

hrmm has anyoen ever tried this in their display like say on one side live rock and then in the fornt and side you have a small patch of sea grass? would it over take the tank and corals?

[Corriander]

For lighting - you should switch over to 5500K or 6500K bulbs. The specturm is closer to that which plants need to grow. I have also seen these bulbs for sale at hardware stores for a fraction of what a 'reef' bulb sells for.

Heavy actinic supplimentation will provide all the extra visual 'pop' you will need.

[algaeguy]

sbcaes-

Your idea is exactly what I've done in my system. There is really no risk of segrasses smothering coral or sessile inverts, as they are true plants, and must be rooted in substrate (unlike invasive macrolage like Caulerpa). In fact, this is quite like what you might find in nature-seagrasses growing right up to small patch reefs. You could, however, place some Fungiids, Elegance corals, or others that grow on the substrate and have the seagrasses grow around them...It looks pretty cool and is also quite natural! You can keep the segrasses contained by pruning them and sharing them with friends!

HTH

Scott

[sbcaes]

awesome! im gonna do it!