Keeping Sea Lettuce in the Refugium

BlueMoonFox

New member
I just replumbed my sump (the right direction this time) and added sea lettuce to the refugium section. Problem I'm having is it's trying to leave! I tried a few things and finally stuck a piece of needlework mesh in front of the overflow. My pump is dialled back as far as it will go so slowing down the fuge isn't really an option. Any help would be appreciated!
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That is a really delicate algae, fish & CUC love to eat the stuff tho!
Its a great snack food for the DT but you would do better with Cheato in the sump it loves as much flow as you can give it and is the easiest to deal with.
 
The fact that it makes a good dt snack is part of the reason I'm trying to use it. I added some chaeto and it seems to have gathered some of the lettuce. Still hoping someone has a brilliant fix.


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It's so light & without roots it just floats. Loosely rubber banded to something might help if it doesn't break apart.
 
Ulva is an excellent nutrient sponge, export medium and herbivore food. When it is vigorous and healthy, it isn't so fragile. But in low nutrient systems, like reef tanks, they don't get enough and fall apart. They prefer high light and high nutrients. So it may not be the right macro for your situation. You should diversify your macro selection to include macros that can thrive on lower nutrients, so you can get better performance in different nutrient levels. Red macros like Gracilaria are a good option.

If you really want to grow Ulva, and your display tank is too nutrient deficient, set up a small tank separate from your display system that you can give it all the light and nutrients it wants. Crank up the lighting and dose ammonia and you will have tons of it in no time.

You may be able to improve your situation in your fuge, by adding Iron. Iron is a trace element that plants need and it often gets stripped out of closed systems quickly. Try a marine iron supplement to see if that helps. It often does. I would try this first. You may find that your corals like it too.
 
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