Iron and Manganese supplements for Macro growth?

[tajaba]

Hi guys! I finally have my new tank started and was wondering about macro and seagrass growth!

I read that new chaeto reactors for intense cultivation of macro algae requires you to supplement Iron and Manganese so I was wondering if any of us know how much to dose and whether we need both Iron and Mn for all types of macro algae or just chaeto? I am planning on planting some halophytes on the top of my tank and running a chaeto reactor, unfortunately I really need some help with the supplements since We dont have any brand names here that sell easy to use products, So i guess its back to the good old bulk chem supplies for me

any info would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Subsea]

Yes to iron in all cases.

With respect to manganese, I would be more guarded. Can you get test kits to measure manganese? I suggest you go to live-plants.com and read up on his free reference tab. Russ Kronwetter knows more about the practical cultivation of macro algae than anybody. His free reference guide list major and minor elements required by macro. He also list depth that macro is collected at, which provides valuable insight to light spectrum for that macro.

 

[tajaba]

thankyou so much for answering, I'm quite a noob at this, but after stalking this particular section of the forum for so long, finally got my black mangrove seedlings! (its seasonal here)

 

[Subsea]

thankyou so much for answering, I'm quite a noob at this, but after stalking this particular section of the forum for so long, finally got my black mangrove seedlings! (its seasonal here)

Tell me more of what you had in mind for your system. I may be able to help guide you past some pitfalls, as I have been reefing for more than 40 years.

Where is it that you live?

When you say Chaeto reactor, is that a refugium or as Anthony Calfo puts it, a vegetable filter.

To learn more about nutrient uptake of macro algae go to live-plants.com. Cluck on free guide sand you will be "knowed up". Iron is a major nutrient but manganese is a trace element.

 

[tajaba]

Tell me more of what you had in mind for your system. I may be able to help guide you past some pitfalls, as I have been reefing for more than 40 years.

Where is it that you live?

When you say Chaeto reactor, is that a refugium or as Anthony Calfo puts it, a vegetable filter.

To learn more about nutrient uptake of macro algae go to live-plants.com. Cluck on free guide sand you will be "knowed up". Iron is a major nutrient but manganese is a trace element.

Hey Subsea

I moved to Thailand some years ago and live in BKK. There isn't alot known here about Macro algae, or advanced reefing in general. I made an ARID style chaeto reactor

this is my tank as it stands right now, all of the test systems that I wanted are in place. There is no skimmer, just a remote deep sand bed and a chaeto reactor for filtration. This tank is really made for looks, but I did scape the rock to test out growing some plants in the aquarium on the left side as you can see. the right side is for SPS and the from is for LPS and some anemone (for my clownfish). I use the bottom of the plant platform to keep NPS.

The tank is only a month old, but I kinda cheated by using old water from my old tank and half old rock. All my livestock were moved from my old tank.

here are the plants I am trying out, I gotta say it doesn't really look promising

I used to have two red mangroves in my old display tank, until my gf decided it needed trimming, needless to say, it didn't survive her trimming. here's hoping this one does. I also got some black mangrove seeds that have sprouted, but the babies can't seem to root onto the rock so I put PVC pipes to help them stand. then there are several unidentified plants that I don't know which I picked up from an overwash forest close to my home.

All of this is just to get ready to make my 700 gallon tank. I wanted to go with an all-bio approach to reefing (mostly cus I'm tired of skimmers and I like to keep NPS).

So far, I have a gracilaria hayi and chaeto in the reactor, I also have some other macro algae awaiting their turn to go in the reactor.

I am looking for one that grows really fast but is also pallatable to my fishes.
is this one a good choice?

I am currently trying to find some ulva here in Thailand (which is proving difficult)

 

[Subsea]

I have been skimmerless for 30 years. Your focus on NPS is one to be admired. I will be glad to help you where I can.
Red Grapes, Botryocladia, is not a fast grower. Tangs will devour it. In the Gulf of Mexico, it is collected between 15'-130'. It does not require bright lighting. At the depth that it is collected, the red, yellow, orange and most of the green light spectrum has been filtered out. I noticed you are using LED lighting. Focus on the blue spectrum with this macro algae. Your mangroves require bright light and full spectrum. I would not grow them under the same lighting.

What is ARID Chaeto reactor?

Typically, a remote deep sand bed (RDSB) is used to control nitrates. Macro and mangroves will do that as well. Why both? What substrate are you using in your RDSB, in your display tank.

Tell me more about the overall system concept.

I am a little confused about you not being able to locate Ulva in Thailand. Is Nori not consumed in Thailand?

 

[tajaba]

Hey, so Ulva and Nori are the same thing? thats new info for me.

Do you think I can get away with setting my Hydra on the left side to 10K and the right side to 14k for both coral and plant growth?

 

[Subsea]

Ulva is a specific macro algae. Nori is processed and rolled out in sheets. It can be composed of many different macros. It depends on who packaged it. The point I was trying to make is to get whatever is grown locally and culture it in your refugium.

Many macro algae, like many coral can photo adapt to different lighting spectrum. For the coral and Red Grapes 14K is fine. In my opinion, the best lighting spectrum for your mangroves is 5000 Kelvin, the same as a tropical reef at noon.

 

[tajaba]

Ulva is a specific macro algae. Nori is processed and rolled out in sheets. It can be composed of many different macros. It depends on who packaged it. The point I was trying to make is to get whatever is grown locally and culture it in your refugium.

Many macro algae, like many coral can photo adapt to different lighting spectrum. For the coral and Red Grapes 14K is fine. In my opinion, the best lighting spectrum for your mangroves is 5000 Kelvin, the same as a tropical reef at noon.

thankyou subsea, your help has been invaluable to me, guess I gotta go get a kessil tuna sun for the mangroves