I really like the red macroalgaes but Im struggling to find information on which species are likely to become pests and which will be innocuous and decorative. All I have in my tank (FOWLR) at the moment is a dogface puffer and some snails. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a nutrient problem that I have chaeto to work on however, I dont imagine Ill have a nitrate shortage anytime soon.
Red Macroalgae Recomendation
- Thread starter sappho
- Start date
Ron Reefman
Active member
Go to Gulf Coast Ecosystems (link: http://www.live-plants.com/ ) and look at the info there. They have good photos and lots of info on each species they carry. They sell a wide variety of macroalgae and some other odds and ends from South Florida. They even sell a red macroalgae sampler pack!
I have 3 different red (and purple/red) macros growing in my display refugium. The one I like the best is Gracilaria hayi (I think) is the reddish purple one in the middle of the tank. It's not a fast grower, but it's very hearty and the fish don't care for it, so it gets left alone. I end up pulling the rock it's attached to every 4 to 6 months and give it a 25% to 50% 'hair cut'.
I have 3 different red (and purple/red) macros growing in my display refugium. The one I like the best is Gracilaria hayi (I think) is the reddish purple one in the middle of the tank. It's not a fast grower, but it's very hearty and the fish don't care for it, so it gets left alone. I end up pulling the rock it's attached to every 4 to 6 months and give it a 25% to 50% 'hair cut'.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Thanks. In the next few days it will be going through a complete rebuild. I did an all new rockscape in the 125g DT that is mostly sps and lps a few days ago. The 125g and the 50g refugium are tied together by a common 50g sump. I'll be adding some live rock to go along with the one resident in the refugium (added after that first pic was taken).
I'll be doing updates in my build thread (link in my signature below). The main tank update is there already and at last count yesterday there are over 100 different corals in the tank (maybe 50 or 60 when this photo was taken a couple of days ago). This weekend our local club holds it's annual coral auction and I'll probably have some new things for both tanks. There are over 400 items going up for sale!
I'll be doing updates in my build thread (link in my signature below). The main tank update is there already and at last count yesterday there are over 100 different corals in the tank (maybe 50 or 60 when this photo was taken a couple of days ago). This weekend our local club holds it's annual coral auction and I'll probably have some new things for both tanks. There are over 400 items going up for sale!
There's a good plant guide at: http://marineplantbook.com
I was just referring to it last night. Some good, basic info. They even mention some becoming pests, which was a concern. Sometimes, if I want more, I'll google the species' name and look for more articles.
The red macros are just beautiful. One could easily do a macro tank with nothing but reds. I've always thought FOWLR tanks were perfect candidates for macros. Since most of those fish tend to be carnivores, the plants are left alone and flourish. Big tangs are another story.
I was just referring to it last night. Some good, basic info. They even mention some becoming pests, which was a concern. Sometimes, if I want more, I'll google the species' name and look for more articles.
The red macros are just beautiful. One could easily do a macro tank with nothing but reds. I've always thought FOWLR tanks were perfect candidates for macros. Since most of those fish tend to be carnivores, the plants are left alone and flourish. Big tangs are another story.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Michael, that guide done by Russ, the owner of Gulf Coast Ecosystems that I linked in post #2. He's a great guy and I've bought stuff from him every year at our local club's Reef Conference. He's about 2 hours up I-75 from my house.
Yes, a great company for us plant guys. I just wanted to point out that additional source of info to sappho and anyone else who may be interested. Those two (one?) sources are the best we have at the moment, as far as I know.
Anyone else know of a good source of macro algae info?
Anyone else know of a good source of macro algae info?
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