Do macros survive well in lower nutrients?

[hobbzz]

I'm thinking of setting up a 120g display fuge. Might have a few fish, but no more than 3-4 and nothing that eats algae. Lighting would be 2-4 48" t5's, 6500k. The system isn't an ulns, but nitrate between 0-10 and phosphate < .08. I wouldn't be using the macro for nutrient removal, just looks, although I realize it will help a little. Does this sound like enough of a food source between tank nutrients and lighting for average macros? Dragons breath, blue ochtodes, red gaciala, caulerpa, chaeto etc? Thanks in advance.

 

[hobbzz]

Anyone?

 

[Subsea]

Yes, it should work well. Nitrate < 10 ppm will grow all macro very well. If you look on this forum, you will see my thread with the chemical constituents of Red Gracilaria. The ratio of N is 30:1.
Patrick

 

[hobbzz]

Thanks Patrick. I've actually had nitrates down to 0 for almost six months, but I don't like zero as the sps tend to be a little pale. I'm shooting for 5 ideally, and a little lower on the phosphate. Good to know.

 

[FinzAquatics]

I dunno... In reality they may live just fine but the idea for most macro is that they take the excess nutrients (some calcium) from the water... If you are truly at 0 or close to 0, I would be slightly hesitant or at the very least supplement the system accordingly..

 

[hobbzz]

I'm at 10 right now, but was able to keep it at 0 for about six months before problems with my skimmer pump. I'm going to shoot for about 5, but I'm not willing to add anything to keep it growing/alive. The biological filtration from the added rock will do a lot more than any macro, so I'm not concerned with that either.

If I set it up and ended up needing to supplement, I would simply break it down. Or at least remove the macro.

 

[Subsea]

I disagree with your comment about live rock biological filtration doing a lit more than macro. You would have to qualify that statement for it to be true. To my way of thinking, you should feed a display tank for it to grow. Then you harvest, prune and export. You have pointed out that starving your tank did not do well for your SPS.
When macro goes sexual, it is usually because it was deprived of nutrients. If you are going to run N<5ppm, I would not use fast growing Caulerpa or Red Gracilaria.
Patrick

 

[hobbzz]

Thanks for the tip.