Saltwater plants.

[mrp2g]

Best palnts for fuge for 150 gallon.
I have ran my light cycle on my fuge 24 hrs. All my plants ( calurpa, hair, kelp) are not doing good. There is alot of some black/brown algae sticking to plants and glass. Ive scraped off, but comes back. There is also a foamy film on the surface. I have a small powerhead in there aswell.

What should I do? The tank is great and all fish are good. Should I remove everything and start over? I have tons of copods on the sand in the fuge. Are there any plants that will do better in my fuge? Thanks for any advice.

 

[nigel685]

catomorpha (sp?) is a much better fuge plant. The calurpa can release nitrates if it goes sexual. and mixing macro's can be rough because of compitition. I would give you some for free but i am in pittsburgh. I've had alot of trouble with plants also. The cato is my only success.

 

[TOURKID]

cheato. cheatomorphea. yep it rocks. not much to look at but a great nitrate absorber can usually get a nice ziplock bag full in the selling forum not to expensive.

 

[dfs/la2]

Mrp2g,

What you are seeing in your tank may be diatoms. They can appear as a dusting on your refugium tank walls and plant surfaces. As your refugium completes it’s nitrogen cycling process, this type of algae can occur. This is normal, as diatoms are the first step towards other types of algae, both beneficial and detrimental. At this point we would not recommend starting over just yet. Other plants you may consider are the Red Mangroves, which are an easy care plant, and Chaetomorpha, as mentioned above, which is a moderate care plant. To determine how you can improve the condition of your refugium, we would need to know more information, including how long your refugium has been set up, how long your refugium’s lights are on daily, and, if available, your levels of nitrates, phosphates, and silicates. Please feel free to respond to this thread or contact us by PM, by phone at 1-800-334-3699, or by email at customerservice@liveaquaria.com.

Nate M.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[mrp2g]

Thanks Nate.
Set up for about 10 months. I have run my lights 24 hrs. My nitrates are low, my phosphate were high, but have slowly come down with phoszorb and my silicates I am not sure. Everything looks really dead ! Its covered Im assuming in that algae that you mentioned. This is my only form of filtration, but the tank is doing well. Im assuming the tank is still recieving some benefit from the fuge, eventhough it dosen't look good.
Any additional advice will be welcomed.

 

[dfs/la2]

mrp2g,

Thank you for your reply. From your description, it appears the bloom is caused from a combination of things, both lighting, phosphates and possible silicates. If you have not done so already, we would recommend testing your water source for phosphates. The healthiest water source would be using Reverse Osmosis (RO). RO systems remove most of the impurities (heavy metals, minerals, nitrates, phosphates, and so on) in tap water, giving you pure, healthy water for your aquarium. If your RO product water is pure, your aquarium should have minimal algae growth, a steady pH level, and low phosphate and nitrate levels.

The refugium should be illuminated opposite of the main aquarium. By doing this it provides essential oxygen during the nighttime hours, thereby reducing the nighttime pH fluctuations. Your plants may be molding from the lighting being on for such a long period of time. The extended period of lighting would also be the cause of a surplus of algae and diatoms.

Michelle H.
Drs. Foster and Smith, Inc.
LiveAquaria

 

[mrp2g]

SW plants.

SW plants.

I have used publix drinking/distilled water and R/O water to top off my tank. I will def. run my fuge lights opposite to tank. I can imagine the lights on 24 hrs. could be part of the problem. My phosphates are not perfect, but are not bad either. How do I get rid of that foamy film at the surface of my fuge? Do I just have to clean it periodically myself?

 

[dfs/la2]

Mrp2g,

Thank you for your post. Any level of phosphates can cause excess foam. Although your phosphate levels are low, you should try to get them as close to zero as possible. Foaming on the surface of the refugium can also be caused by excessive organic materials. For this, you would want to check the main aquarium for factors such as overfeeding and overpopulation. We do suggest that you clean it periodically until the system stabilizes.

Mike S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith