need some advice on first time macro algae please

[100%hydrophylic]

Hello, I want to add some macro algae to my mixed reef, but i'm a bit nervous about adding it.

Could you guys suggest some species and some general care and what to look for? I was looking at http://www.live-plants.com/ and i was thinking about getting a red sampler pack, C.Prolifera, enteromorpha SP, and Halimeda Sampler.

some info:
75g mixed reef, 5 bulb T5 and 14 cree LED, skimmer, moderate to low flow (depends on area). 3-4in sand bed.
Had the tank for 6 years, but it crashed, (back when stealth heaters were going bad), and haven't had much in it since. Very very slowly adding corals back to the tank and it is basically stable and pretty well established. I have a wide range of hermit crabs and snails. I have a really old yellow watchman and a coral beauty angelfish, zoanthids, gsp, xenia, mushrooms, basically mostly softies and hardy things. I stay on my college campus and the tank is at my home, so i do maintenance on weekends, so this is why i dont keep very difficult or picky species. Are macroalgaes difficult or picky, and do you think they would do fine in my tank.

Thank you for any help

 

[Secondsbest]

I would say that, unless your tank is heavily fed, C. Prolifera will outgrow most any other algae when it is in sand. It would grow more slowly if attached to rocks though. In my tanks, Prolifera in sand causes my other macros to melt. It is gorgeous on its own, but keeps me from growing a diversity of algae. Trying some shoal grass instead of Prolifera would allow you more diversity. Expect more online macros to become available in the next month as summer approaches. If your tank remains fairly clean of algae with only weekly maintenance, I wonder if it would support a slew of new macros without nutrient supplementation. Some snails can be rough on macros too.

 

[100%hydrophylic]

Which snails should i look out for, and what supplements should i add specifically?

Thank you.

 

[Secondsbest]

Any of the larger algae eating snails can be an issue if the algae are not calcified. Halimeda are ones that are usually safe. Gracilaria are hit or miss. In my tank, turbo snails destroy most of the strains of gracalaria I find locally. I can't recommend SW supliments for algae because I do not use them. I have separate grow out tanks i pull from when I want to add to my DT. I restock the grow out tanks by collecting locally.