Current wisdom needed

[~reefchik~]

I'm coming back into the hobby after a hiatus of about 4 years.

What's the current thinking on keeping caulerpa (feather) inside a reef tank (with DSB & LR)? In my last tank in '03 it was thought this was a good nitrate reducer, but seems like I'm seeing caulerpa more kept in refugiums nowadays.

I just received my package from IPSF and need to know what to do with this little feather caulerpa segment--thanks!

 

[BurntOutReefer]

I think the trend is to keep macro's in refugiums nowdays.....allowing for a greater area in "main" tank for corals....

 

[elegance coral]

Back in the day I too kept macro's in the main tank. That was a pain. I was allways pruning this stuff back to keep it from over growing my corals. It is much easier to maintain in the refuge.

 

[bluetmax]

I agree with the sump suggestion. Have you considered using mangroves in addition to the macro algaes?

 

[hahnmeister]

I would avoid caulerpas due to the toxins they give off that disrupt coral growth. There are now plenty of other macro species out there that do a fine job, as well as mangroves. My favorites are that 'tang heaven' macro, red grassillaria types, red grape algae (not a caulerpa actually), and chaeto. These also serve as better pod breeding spots, and can be fed to tangs when pruned back.

 

[davidryder]

Chaeto is great as it doesn't go sexual, and caulerpa brachypus has a low risk factor. Grape caulerpa is probably the most dangerous to keep in terms of going sexual.

Mangroves should be considered as a an aesthetic addition as they are very slow growing and consume little nutrients unless you are keeping more than 5.