Macro Algae in Display Tank?

[JRPhd]

Hey folks, along with my HOT fuge w/ chaeto and sprig of caulerpa in my display tank, was wondering what macro would look attractive and be manageable in the main tank? I seem to remember seeing some red colored macro???
I currently have no herbivorous fish.
Jon

 

[ClamIAm]

Caulerpa, halimeda, maiden's hair, shaving brush, and gracilaria are all types that would probably work well in the display. Gracilaria is one of the red algaes

 

[Samala]

If you want the display to remain a reef I would not put Caulerpa of any species in. Halimeda, Udotea (mermaid's fan) and Penicillus (shaving brush) are good options. The fleshy reds: Halymenia, Gracilaria, Botryocladia, Palmaria and a few others are good candidates for darker spaces in your reef as well. I believe a few people have started putting Codium in the display as well, but I'm not sure how that is working out in all situations.

>Sarah

 

[JRPhd]

"If you want the display to remain a reef I would not put Caulerpa of any species in"
Sarah can you elaborate? I have some caulerpa that came on my LR that has grown and been trimmed back and grown again but stays contained. Haven't had a problem. Should I expect probs w/ it?
Jon

 

[skeeter-doc]

some caulerpa's can grow way out of control! one of the grape caulerpa's will grow and grow and you may never be rid of it, luckily that happened to me, and I got a powder blue who ate up every last little bit of it in the display! woo-hoo

 

[Samala]

Jon - sorry it took so long for me to get back to this. What kind of Caulerpa is it? Some are worse than others. If its well contained to a certain area or rock, keeping it in the display might be alright. Its just that many species of this genus are aggressive growers and get very invasive.

>Sarah

 

[jdieck]

I woul dprefer any species that do not have runners attaching to the rock. The only one I would use in the display if in a reef tank will be halimeda or halimenia.

 

[Ironsheikh]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/561/8524547_2.jpg

I gotta go w/ my codium frags -- super strong, just wedge in the rocks under pc or higher lighting and thats it

pm if you need any

 

[JRPhd]

thanks for the replies. I'll take a pic. of it. It came in on my Marshall Island LR.

 

[jmanrow]

Here is a site I found out about a few days ago that some of you might enjoy. It's very new and many of the people there are just now setting up planted saltwater tanks. http://www.swplantedtank.com/

 

[grupper]

I have gracilaria in my display tank (I don't have a refuge yet). The main problem I've had is that the snails seem to prefer it over any other algea in the tank. I've had use fishing line to suspend it in the tank away from any walls so that the snails will eat the nuisance algea instead of the gracilaria.