good macro for main display and nutrient export?
- Thread starter ezhoops
- Start date
Beenalongtime79
New member
ezhoops,
Did you ever figure that problem with your drains? It seems like you haven't complained about it in awhile, so I'm hoping you found a good solution.
Oh yeah, the one thing I would not suggest is macro in the main display. It might turn out to be your worst nightmare as it takes over the tank. If you are going to do macro. I'd try chaetomorpha, but the biggest problem is anchoring the sucker since it doesn't cling to anything.
Peace,
John H.
Did you ever figure that problem with your drains? It seems like you haven't complained about it in awhile, so I'm hoping you found a good solution.
Oh yeah, the one thing I would not suggest is macro in the main display. It might turn out to be your worst nightmare as it takes over the tank. If you are going to do macro. I'd try chaetomorpha, but the biggest problem is anchoring the sucker since it doesn't cling to anything.
Peace,
John H.
ezhoops
New member
yes, drain problem solved, went with using two drains and piped the return outside the tank with pvc, no problems whatsoever and tested many times with power outs and never flooded, everything is working as expected. now, I just need to keep my Hair algae under control. what about some shaving brushes or sea grasses? What does chaetomorpha look like?
Shaving brushes in my opinion don't look real good in the main tank, they seem to grey a little, partly from detritus accumulation. I've seen caulerpa (razor) in main tanks, check out the nano tank forum on the first page of show me your nano's there is a nice display with caulerpa. I think it's nice looking. It will anchor itself to the rocks and grow like a weed so make sure you like it in there. Chaetomorpha looks like a large pad of steel wool... can't imagine it would look good in a display.
reefkeeper1
New member
It grows fast, is easy harvest since it has no holdfasts, and doesn't white out or go sexual. It does look like a brillo pad though which can clog up intakes. That's why I switched to growing Caulerpa prolifera which in addition to being a means of nutrient export, is also palatable to all my herbivorous fish. The only fish that would eat my chaeto is my gold-spotted rabbitfish. I decided on Caulerpa prolifera because it grows quickly and from anecdotal reports on RC, doesn't seem to go sexual as often as other Caulerpas - especially racemosa.
piercho
New member
Chaeto has been popularized as an algae for sump/refugia to harvest for export. Its believed to "leak" less, or at least less toxic, compounds into the water than Caulerpa. Those specie in the hobby typically float in a loose ball and are not appropriate, IMO, for the display. It can also be suffocated by alga overgrowth in a nutrient rich tank. In a sump or refuge with moderate light and high water turnover is best for this one.
If the tank is running rich, and you have fairly intense, white light, try Sargassum. The plant grows up from a single holdfast, and is not prone to spread across the rock like Y-branch and other brown alga. It can grow very fast in the right conditions. It is resistant to algal overgrowth if you have hair alga problems. Sargassum is bouyant and will grow quite tall, even up and across the surface of the water. Parts broken off the main plant can be floated in a sump/refuge, under bright light, and will grow well there just floating. IMO, frequent (daily) additions of iron chelate will help this one.
I've got mixed feelings about Caulerpa. Most of the specie I've run into tend to adapt well and grow well to a variety of conditions. Harvesting is not difficult. But the bugger is, they are very hard to get out of the display once they are in. If you ever intend to keep branching stony coral, I would not recommend introducing any Caulerpa. The algae cannot be stopped from getting in between the branches and is hard to remove without damaging the branches. Additionally, Caulerpa leak the toxin Caulerpin into the water, which may effect the growth of some coral. In some areas, like California, Caulerpa should be handled carefully (and may be illegal to sale/trade!) because it can excape into local estuaries where it becomes an invasive plant. However, for a tank that is mainly soft coral or rugged/massive stony coral like Favia, IMO, its an OK choice. Just harvest it regularly so that it gets plenty of light and flow, otherwise it is prone to suddenly release all its bound nutrients back into the water as gametes, or "go sexual" as this is better known. This one also seems to grow better if iron is added to the water regularly.
IMO/IME, neither of these will accomplish significant export for you. For decorative sandbed plants that can grow fast, try sand-associated Halimeda specie, Udotea, and Caulerpa (some Caulerpas grow well in sand).
