macro for refugium

[blue carpet]

hey all
im starting a 30 gallond ref. and i was wondering what would be the best alternative macro to caluerpa? its illegal in california . if anyone has a good alternative please let me know.
thanks

 

[kmk2307]

Hey blue carpet,

Chaetomorpha is probably your best bet. It is also called spaghetti algae and brillo pad algae. Gracilaria is another good algae but it only really grows well in pretty pristine water.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[robertnb64]

I second the chaeto.

 

[GDW]

It Depends on What You Want It to Do ...

It Depends on What You Want It to Do ...

Greetings All & Happy New Year !

blue carpet,

If you want the macro to function as a nutrient exporter, then the Chaetomorpha suggestion from kmk2307 and robertnb64 is most excellent. You might also consider rapid growing types such as a green alga from the genus Ulva ("sea lettuce") and a brown alga from the genus Dictyota. None of these 3 species has the annoying (... and dangerous to the system ...) habit of rapid sporulation ("going sexual").

Red Gracilaria (aka "Tang Heaven") can actually function quite nicely as a nutrient exporter, but it requires bright lights, a clear water column, and vigorous current. However, if you feed the Gracilaria back to specimens in the main tank, you'll reintroduce ~90% of the "exported" nutrients (primarily NH3, NO3 & PO4) back into the system.

If they fit into your system design, don't give up on the Caulerpa species entirely. Department of Fish & Game Code, section 2300, only lists 9 species of forbidden Caulerpas. They are C. taxifolia, C. cupressoides, C. mexicana, C. sertulariodes, C. floridana, C. ashmeadii, C. racemosa, C. verticillata, and C. scapelliformis ( all the really cool ones, of course ... isn't our state legislature grand? Actually, invasive marine algae is a very real economic concern, but their logic in species selection escapes me. Pity we couldn't recall THEM along with Davis ... but I digress ... sorry ).

This leaves C. proifera, and C. serrulata as legal possibilities. Both are readily available and are efficient nutrient exporters. If you use these, be SURE to trim them regularly (algae mass-to-volume ratio is one of the triggers for sporulation. High density -> sporulation).

If you're trying to produce zooplankton and detritovores to add to the main tank, a combination of Graciliaria, Ulva and Chaetomorpha species will produce a nice mix that can generate large populations of zooplankton, and allow for convenience nutrient export. This is the kind of thing that I use my refugia for (see attachment).

HTH,
GDW

 

[GDW]

My brain is gone, and my keyboard has betrayed me ...

Caulerpa prolifera ... I've never seen a proifera species.
Sorry about that ...

 

[kmk2307]

My brain is gone, and my keyboard has betrayed me ...

Caulerpa prolifera ... I've never seen a proifera species.
Sorry about that ...

Hah! I knew what you meant.

 

[Huachinango]

Sorry if IM highjacking this thread but, what the heck is that thing?

 

[GDW]

Nematode

Nematode

Greetings Huachinago,

It's a carnivorous flatworm (I don't know the species). He skims around all day sucking up my crustacean larvae and copepods.

Dr. Shimek has written some things about them in:
http://www.rshimek.com/odd_critters.htm#Flatworms .

A close up from the article is attached.


HTH,
GDW

 

[Huachinango]

Re: It Depends on What You Want It to Do ...

Re: It Depends on What You Want It to Do ...

If you're trying to produce zooplankton and detritovores to add to the main tank, a combination of Graciliaria, Ulva and Chaetomorpha species will produce a nice mix that can generate large populations of zooplankton, and allow for convenience nutrient export. This is the kind of thing that I use my refugia for (see attachment).

HTH,
GDW

Where can I purchase some of this stuff? I will be starting out my refugium in the next few days and would dlike to add some of the specimens you mentioned.

 

[kmk2307]

Hey Huachinango,

Check out RC's Livestock Selling Forum and Ebay. You might be able to find someone selling a mixed package with several types of algae.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[biomekanic]

also http://www.billsreef.com, http://www.inlandaquatics.com and http://www.ipsf.com

 

[Scuba1]

I have just got a ecosystem 60 with MM in it, what is the best suff I can use in it?

 

[biomekanic]

chaeto IMO, caulerpa is the devil weed. I'm going to have to scrub it off my rocks to get rid of it. It spread from my Eco40 into my main system, and when I traded off my sailfin it went nuts. It's strangling a lot of my corals, h*ll, it's growing through my xenia.

 

[MarLooney]

caulerpa prolifer is legal in Cali. most of the red macros are legal as well. Chaetomorpha is your best bet. there should be someone in your area with a crapload and you can probably get some free. it's ugly but if you don't care about that it works well in fuges. why is caulerpa being illegal a problem? if you're not selling it i don't see a prob. just dispose of it properly when needed.

 

[blue carpet]

so whats the best way to "dispose of it"?

 

[Scuba1]

Freeze it, and then put it in the trash can

 

[Reggae Reefer]

quote:
if you feed the Gracilaria back to specimens in the main tank, you'll reintroduce ~90% of the "exported" nutrients (primarily NH3, NO3 & PO4) back into the system.

GDW,

I don't get that... No matter where the algae grew it took in nutrients... so you would be introducing nutrients to the tank anyways wouldn't you? What does it matter if the are the very same nutrient molecules you took out or different ones? Also, even though the algae took in nutrients(like phosphates) wouldn't they get chemically altered once they are eaten?(that one's just a guess).