Looking for area seine for new tank. (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Max]

Is there a place around the Galveston bay area to seine that has seagrass? I grew up on Corpus Christi bay. Beach next to our house on Ingleside on the Bay.
As a kid 10-14 years old I caught, pipefish, seahorses, and I loved the Bay Scallops with all the blue eyes.
I am now 60 and would like to experience it again, but want to avoid the long trip. I live near Beaumont.
I want to add local marine life to my new Galveston Jetty Biotope
I set it up last weekend after a beach run to High Island/Bolivar to gather rock in the surf.
I am trying to keep it local life if I can.
The only life I caught so far is, Hermits, glass shrimp & diamond killifish. Oh, and ulva algae I think.

 

[BigRick]

Just wait for the sargassum to arrive in the summer itll be loaded with filefish, sea horses and other small fish / invertebrates

 

[Johnny Max]

That is my plan also. I was hoping for sargasum on the brach. I did not see one piece. I follow a sargasum tracker site. There is a record amount entering tge Caribbean right now. I saw an article the Florida is preparing for it. Thanks. I have shaken out sargasum many times. I did not find seahorses. I will keep a eye out for them. Mostly shrimp

 

[Subsea]

My first marine aquarium was a Galveston Bay biotheme. In 1971, I collected/seined on Pelican Island in Galveston where I attended The Texas Maritime Academy. On the Seawall rock jetties, I also collected CurlyQue Anemone and Peppermint Shrimp on jetties at night.

Is there a place around the Galveston bay area to seine that has seagrass? I grew up on Corpus Christi bay. Beach next to our house on Ingleside on the Bay.
As a kid 10-14 years old I caught, pipefish, seahorses, and I loved the Bay Scallops with all the blue eyes.
I am now 60 and would like to experience it again, but want to avoid the long trip. I live near Beaumont.
I want to add local marine life to my new Galveston Jetty Biotope
I set it up last weekend after a beach run to High Island/Bolivar to gather rock in the surf.
I am trying to keep it local life if I can.
The only life I caught so far is, Hermits, glass shrimp & diamond killifish. Oh, and ulva algae I think.

PS: I have continued in this Reefing addiction for 52 years and have not lost the passion.

@Johnny Max
Aside from your desire to keep it local, what is your vision/goal for your system? Your choice of a small footprint relative to depth of system will provide unique aquascaping and challenging biofiltration, depending on your bioload.

Also, the large hermit crabs you have collected will feed on most any invert you add to this system.

How large is this hexagon? What substrate is on bottom? Consider a reverse flow undergravel filter to process excess nutrients.

PSS: My interpretations of a Caribbean mixed garden lagoon with two 55G tanks. Top tank is set up for 2 years and bottom tank at 3 months.
Note the last two pictures show a differret Sargassum cultivar that attaches itself.

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

SARGASSUM HYSTRIX VAR. BUXIFOLIUM​

Species of the brown algae Sargassum are among the most prolific of all brown algae in the Caribbean. These include both the anchored and free floating varieties. As a group, they are highly variable in shape, size and distribution and can survive in much cooler water than other tropical macro algae. The anchored varieties are of the most interest to the aquarium hobby, as the free floating patches such as S. Fluitans are not easily kept. Species of Sargassum Hystrix feature large, dark brown leaves with a distinctive white mid rib. This particular variation, identified as Buxifolium (pictured) shares the same basic characteristics, but lacks the pronounced mid rib. It is a shallow water variety, found in depths of about 45 feet, that grows attached to rocks or other hard surfaces by a single holdfast. Most anchored varieties have a very sturdy, thick upright, that is able to securely anchor itself in very turbulent environments. In the aquarium they require bright lighting and moderate to high flow rates for optimal growth.​

​

 

[Johnny Max]

My first marine aquarium was a Galveston Bay biotheme. In 1971, I collected/seined on Pelican Island in Galveston where I attended The Texas Maritime Academy. On the Seawall rock jetties, I also collected CurlyQue Anemone and Peppermint Shrimp on jetties at night.

PS: I have continued in this Reefing addiction for 52 years and have not lost the passion.

@Johnny Max
Aside from your desire to keep it local, what is your vision/goal for your system? Your choice of a small footprint relative to depth of system will provide unique aquascaping and challenging biofiltration, depending on your bioload.

Also, the large hermit crabs you have collected will feed on most any invert you add to this system.

How large is this hexagon? What substrate is on bottom? Consider a reverse flow undergravel filter to process excess nutrients.

I guess my first saltwater tank was a Corpus Christi Biotope, in 1974. I grew up living on Corpus Christi Bay on the water front with beach next to our house. Sea Grass all over where I would use a push seine.
This tank is for learning, because I have not had a marine tank since 1979. Then I lived in Sabine Pass. I grew up working on my dads shrimp boat. When SeaRim park had a saltwater tank, I was the main one who stocked it.

As for this tank!!!! I have to remove the hermit crabs. They are a wrecking crew!!! They have toppled ALL the rocks and eaten everything that is green.
They have laid claim to the tank!!!

The tank is a corner tank with a three sided front. 5 sides total and it is 50g
The substrate is an inch of live sand I collected from inside the Galveston Jetty. I covered it with clean white river sand.
The river sand was basically free. I bought 3 dump truck loads for my pond to make a beach

My plans are to remove the wrecking crew hermit crabs and take all the rocks out and try to connect them with epoxy putty.
I want at least 50% open sand on the bottom so I can plant macro algae.
NO HERMITS!!!
I want shrimp and small bottom fish, but I may keep other fish.
I planed to catch anemones on the Jetty. I hunted high and low Friday for anemones in Galveston and Bolivar.
It was low tine and I looked everywhere!
I SAW NONE!!!
Is it because the water is cold! I was determined too!!!
It will basically be a Galveston Island Refugium...

I just set up a 20g tank today and I have a powerhead circulating to dissolve the salt right now.
A local man gave me some live rock with a coral and a mushroom on them. They are covered with coraline. He gave me some snails and a lavender tang.
I hope I don't kill it. He gave me a bunch of cheato macro algae, that with the 20 lbs. of rocks may act as a cycled tank.
I am ready to do water changes if I have too.

 

[Subsea]

I guess my first saltwater tank was a Corpus Christi Biotope, in 1974. I grew up living on Corpus Christi Bay on the water front with beach next to our house. Sea Grass all over where I would use a push seine.
This tank is for learning, because I have not had a marine tank since 1979. Then I lived in Sabine Pass. I grew up working on my dads shrimp boat. When SeaRim park had a saltwater tank, I was the main one who stocked it.

As for this tank!!!! I have to remove the hermit crabs. They are a wrecking crew!!! They have toppled ALL the rocks and eaten everything that is green.
They have laid claim to the tank!!!

The tank is a corner tank with a three sided front. 5 sides total and it is 50g
The substrate is an inch of live sand I collected from inside the Galveston Jetty. I covered it with clean white river sand.
The river sand was basically free. I bought 3 dump truck loads for my pond to make a beach

My plans are to remove the wrecking crew hermit crabs and take all the rocks out and try to connect them with epoxy putty.
I want at least 50% open sand on the bottom so I can plant macro algae.
NO HERMITS!!!
I want shrimp and small bottom fish, but I may keep other fish.
I planed to catch anemones on the Jetty. I hunted high and low Friday for anemones in Galveston and Bolivar.
It was low tine and I looked everywhere!
I SAW NONE!!!
Is it because the water is cold! I was determined too!!!
It will basically be a Galveston Island Refugium...

I just set up a 20g tank today and I have a powerhead circulating to dissolve the salt right now.
A local man gave me some live rock with a coral and a mushroom on them. They are covered with coraline. He gave me some snails and a lavender tang.
I hope I don't kill it. He gave me a bunch of cheato macro algae, that with the 20 lbs. of rocks may act as a cycled tank.
I am ready to do water changes if I have too.

Kudos to your vision.

Lets start with substrate chemistry & some biology and then address your livestock options. Consider using aragonite (.1mm-2mm in diameter) mixed in with what you have accumulated. Aroggonite will assist as a buffer to stabaluze pH and trace element addittion. I strongly recommend that you place a false bottom under your substrate and use a power head to pump water into plenum void and up thru substrate. By providing oxygen rich water to substrate that is seeded with nitrification bacteria then micro fauna & fana and they will process organic and inorganic nutrients into live food that moves carbon up the food chain via the “microbial food web” then they will recycle nutrients into desirable biomass like corals, fish and ornamental macro algae.


CaribSea Aragonite Sand is engineered to be free of impurities such as ash, metals, pesticides, and silica; which allows you to create a safe and beautiful environment for your fish and invertebrates.

• Grain size: 1.0 - 2.0mm
• High Surface Area for Bacteria
• Largest variety of particle size

BRS suggests 1 pound of sand per 2 gallons of display tank volume on average

CaribSea Aragonite Dry Sands are great for new tanks or adding sand to currently established tanks. Special Grade Sand is ideal for high-flow tanks that have sand dwelling creatures.

Microbial loop - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The microbial loop describes a trophic pathway where, in aquatic systems, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is returned to higher trophic levels via its incorporation into bacterial biomass, and then coupled with the classic food chain formed by phytoplankton-zooplankton-nekton. In soil systems, the microbial loop refers to soil carbon. The term microbial loop was coined by Farooq Azam, Tom Fenchel et al.[1]in 1983 to include the role played by bacteria in the carbon and nutrient cycles of the marine environment.

 

[Subsea]

“I just set up a 20g tank today and I have a powerhead circulating to dissolve the salt right now.
A local man gave me some live rock with a coral and a mushroom on them. They are covered with coraline. He gave me some snails and a lavender tang.
I hope I don't kill it. He gave me a bunch of cheato macro algae, that with the 20 lbs. of rocks may act as a cycled tank.
I am ready to do water changes if I have too.”

How big is a lavender tang? Even a 50G tank is too small for mature tangs. I am not addressing biofiltration; mature tangs need bigger tanks to swim and graze.

I assume Chaeto is going into 20G tank. What lights will be on the tank?

“The substrate is an inch of live sand I collected from inside the Galveston Jetty. I covered it with clean white river sand.
The river sand was basically free. I bought 3 dump truck loads for my pond to make a beach”

Both beach sand & river sand are ground down silica oxide. The silica will fuel diatoms which will cover your sand brown providing a food source for herbivores such as amphipods & copepods in your CUC.

 

[Subsea]

“I want at least 50% open sand on the bottom so I can plant macro algae.”

Seagrass are true marine plants that absorb nutrients thru roots. Macro algae or seaweed has holdfast and can be attached anywhere as seaweed absorbs nutrients on their surface area.

Russ Kronwetter is diver/owner of GulfCoast EcoSystems

Macro Algae: Your Source For Quality Marine Plants and Macroalgae | Gulf Coast Ecosystems

We specialize in saltwater Macroalgae and Seagrass | GCE has the largest selection of Macroalgae online, offering over 35 different species

www.live-plants.com

I suggest you read his free guide.

Marine Plants In The Aquarium: An online guide to the identification and care of marine plants and macroalgae in the aquarium.

An online guide to the identification and care of marine plants and macroalgae in the aquarium.

www.marineplantbook.com

Plants in The Aquarium" is an online resource for the identification and care of marine macroalgae and seagrasses in the saltwater aquarium. The guide features over 70 of the most commonly available species of marine plants with full color photographs, detailed descriptions and aquarium care. Many of the species included in the guide are available to purchase online from Gulf Coast Ecosystems. Click on each link below to begin the exploration.

Table of Contents​

About The Author	Introduction	Marine Plants In The Aquarium
The Refugium	Substrates	Selecting Quality Plants
Aquascapes	Lighting	Reproductive Cycle
Filtration	Nutrients	Maintenance
Case For Caulerpa	Green Macroalgae	Red Macroalgae
Brown Macroalgae	Seagrass	Mangroves
References	Glossary	Online Articles

 

[Subsea]

When I set up Galveston Bay biotheme, I lived 10’ above sea level at Baycliff between Kema and Texas City.

You live 35 north of Beaumont, I suggest going to Port Author and seine near marsh reeds & grasses. When I lived near the coast I seined mollies & grass shrimps. Now I buy Sailfin Mollies from Petco and adjust them to full strength salt in 24 hour period.

Poecilia latipinna​

Fishes​

sailfin molly

Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) are small live-bearing fish native to the Gulf Coast and the East Coast from the Cape Fear drainage in North Carolina to Cape Canaveral, Florida. They are a popular aquarium fish and have established populations in coastal habitats in California, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, Queensland, Australia, Greece, Egypt, and the Bahamas. They were introduced through aquarium releases but also introduced for insect biocontrol and raised as a baitfish for tuna. They can colonize a wide range of habitats in warm-temperate and subtropical climates, and is especially capable of utilizing modified habitats, such as ditches, canals, water tanks, and disturbed marshes. The Sailfin Mollies have shown aggressive behavior towards other fishes, such as California Killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis), Bahama Pupfish (Cyprinodon laciniatus), and desert pupfishes (Cyprinodon spp.). But many native fishes also prey upon them.

 

[Johnny Max]

LOL, just for the record, I am not willing to spend the money to do marine tank right.
I am just doing it and enjoying the seat of my pants process.
I am a freshwater planted tank guy who is dipping his toes back into salt water.
I do appreciate the help though. FYI, the below tank has a UGF which is unheard of in planted tanks.
My tanks are not pristine, but more natural...
I made the UGF work, I am old school "Old's Cool!" I mean

One of my tanks, over a year running. I do minimal water changed and spend most of my time removing plant overgrowth!

Below o

 

[Johnny Max]

When I set up Galveston Bay biotheme, I lived 10’ above sea level at Baycliff between Kema and Texas City.

You live 35 north of Beaumont, I suggest going to Port Author and seine near marsh reeds & grasses. When I lived near the coast I seined mollies & grass shrimps. Now I buy Sailfin Mollies from Petco and adjust them to full strength salt in 24 hour period.

Poecilia latipinna​

Fishes​

sailfin molly

Sailfin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) are small live-bearing fish native to the Gulf Coast and the East Coast from the Cape Fear drainage in North Carolina to Cape Canaveral, Florida. They are a popular aquarium fish and have established populations in coastal habitats in California, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, Queensland, Australia, Greece, Egypt, and the Bahamas. They were introduced through aquarium releases but also introduced for insect biocontrol and raised as a baitfish for tuna. They can colonize a wide range of habitats in warm-temperate and subtropical climates, and is especially capable of utilizing modified habitats, such as ditches, canals, water tanks, and disturbed marshes. The Sailfin Mollies have shown aggressive behavior towards other fishes, such as California Killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis), Bahama Pupfish (Cyprinodon laciniatus), and desert pupfishes (Cyprinodon spp.). But many native fishes also prey upon them.

Port Arthur, Sabine Pass water is more brackish. I grew up in Sabine Pass trompin' the marshes, dipnet in hand.
I have mollys and grass shrimp in my pond, I caught them here locally.
I wish I lived closer to the South Texas Coast, where the water is more salty.
I would love to go to South Padre Island. SpaceX has the first StarShip Orbital launch scheduled for next Monday, a week from today.
I would bring my nets.
Odds are they will delay the launch again. I check the launch date every day.
This morning they moved the launch date up two weeks to the 18. First time they moved the date up.... OOPS, got off topic

 

[Subsea]

LOL, just for the record, I am not willing to spend the money to do marine tank right.
I am just doing it and enjoying the seat of my pants process.
I am a freshwater planted tank guy who is dipping his toes back into salt water.
I do appreciate the help though. FYI, the below tank has a UGF which is unheard of in planted tanks.
My tanks are not pristine, butdo minimal wate changed and spend most of my time removing plant overgrowth!
Very nice.

NICE.

Two 55G tanks: top tank set up 2 years ago and bottom tank at 3 months mature. Zero water change on booth systems.

Didnt know I was taking pictures. Glass not cleaned in four days.