Pruning your Refugium
- Thread starter johngeb
- Start date
Samala
New member
Hey John. Many people will prune when they do a water change. Growth rates are so variable that your pruning regime becomes a highly individualized thing. Factors like how much you feed your fish (and thus how many nutrients the algae receive), light intensity in the fuge and water flow will all impact the growth rates of Chaetomorpha and Caulerpa species you might be using.
Chaetomorpha I always shake when doing water changes to dislodge accumulated detritus. Some people, including me, also 'fluff' the ball, or pull it gently into a larger size, so that all the strands get light. Prune when the ball is so large that not all parts are getting light. You can either split it and have two balls going if there's room, or share with reef friends.
Caulerpa isnt well liked in the community at the moment, but does a good job when it has enough nutrients to feed on. Keepit well lit and aggressively pruned. Watch how much it grows in a week (or two) and remove that much. Its best to keep newer sections of the plant and toss out older ones.
I hope that helps some.
>Sarah
Chaetomorpha I always shake when doing water changes to dislodge accumulated detritus. Some people, including me, also 'fluff' the ball, or pull it gently into a larger size, so that all the strands get light. Prune when the ball is so large that not all parts are getting light. You can either split it and have two balls going if there's room, or share with reef friends.
Caulerpa isnt well liked in the community at the moment, but does a good job when it has enough nutrients to feed on. Keepit well lit and aggressively pruned. Watch how much it grows in a week (or two) and remove that much. Its best to keep newer sections of the plant and toss out older ones.
I hope that helps some.
>Sarah
skeeter-doc
In Memoriam
i guess i would say i thin out my fuge whenever I see it is getting full of macro
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