what is the key to rapid grass growth

[vwmoneypit]

I started a ten gallon with some higher than usuall nitrates and a little sand one pump and a reg corall life light any other ideas thanks:?:

 

[Curtswearing]

Are you wanting a Saltwater Planted Tank? By grass, what species are you speaking of? Turtlegrass maybe?

 

[vwmoneypit]

yeah just some speghtti and the oh hell I am bad with the names, getting better lets see the species that is leafy and the feather kind looks kinda like a fearn and the mini sea pod lookin grass oh man does this sound lame .back to the point should i put a deep sand bed for it? I was thinkin of changing out some of it from my fifity and then just dumping a little of the skimmer byproduct init once in awhile? whatcha think

 

[btuck]

I could be wrong but it sounds to me like you are referring to caulerpa prolifera.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...pa_prolifera.JPG/250px-Caulerpa_prolifera.JPG

If this is what you are using you don't need any sand for it whatsoever. It can grow in a barebottom tank as it doesn't actually have a root system. Which is one of the reasons that it is a macroalgae instead of a marine plant, (thank you very much talkingreef podcast), but I digress.

I also believe the podcast said something about leaving your lights on 24 hours a day isn't the best for the algae either as it needs some time for respiration. (maybe that's not the exact reason but it's close).

I also am not real sure why you are putting skimmate into your tank. You took that stuff out for a reason right.

 

[vwmoneypit]

no it is a seperate tank not my 55 itis a 10 gfal that I am tryin to make dirty enough to grow grass fast any other ideas anyone going once ,twice ????

 

[aquarookie]

I would say having water, light and nutrients is all you need . Dumping skimmate in there sounds like an interesting idea

 

[wrightme43]

I did a little experiment once with chaeto.
I bought some plant fertilizer. (Miricle Grow)
Mixed it up and added it to tank with no corals, no fish, just a few hermits and snails.
It grew great. So did the algae on the glass. The water stayed remarkabley clear. The snails and hermits did fine.
I think the iron, nitirogen, and phosphate makes algae just as happy as it does roses.
Just my strange ways.
I have also added chicken blood to my reef tank just cause I wanted to see what it did. Dont it makes the skimmer go crazy.

 

[danny240]

Only you steve would do a thing like adding chicken blood the your tank. Lord knows what else you have put in there.

 

[vwmoneypit]

yeah that is alittle vodooish hah well u know that is how they invented fiberglass so fool was tryin to make glue and bam fiberglass well now back tothe subject I will try the mirical grow good idea somebody has to be a goat for inventionist ideas

 

[jsmkmavity]

a little iron and phosphate too. cheap lights on at least 14 hours a day

 

[aquarookie]

Only you steve would do a thing like adding chicken blood the your tank. Lord knows what else you have put in there.

Wasn't it Bob Fenner who said bleeding into your tank was the best way to feed corals? I would think chicken blood would be a better option ; funny enough, I was just thinking of adding beef blood to my tank the other day, but did not have any beef in the house (that alone means there's something wrong with me!)

 

[vwmoneypit]

too funny haha well the light is on 24 /7 just to make shure umm I will put a heater on it tommorow havn't made it that far yet lookin for a used sea swirl any one