Who has Macro Algae in the display

[chrisguy]

I have a small tank that I let grape culpura (sp?) grow in and it attaches to everything. As it grows bigger I grab some of the smaller rocks and move them to my display where the Naso and Foxface clean it off in a day or two. Then the rock goes back to the other tank to get new growth.

I had an idea this AM that maybe I could build a small container that would protect the algae allowing it to grow, only letting the Naso and Foxface pick at the parts that grow out of the container.

Has anyone done anything like this or have another method of keeping a fresh food supply for the grazing herbivores. Any info and pictures would be appreciated.

 

[St.james of reefdom]

I have a 90 that is covered with macroalgae..tangs do not bother it I have to physically remove it ...I am not sure whether I like it,..the microlife in it is unreal..

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

FWIW

FWIW

Macroalgae displays can be VERY kewl.

 

[spoon25]

i have wondered the smae question, i have tried a few things to get this to work....and i have com eot conclusion it wont work due to verious reasons...the tangs will eat it all in little time, let alone if a tang can get to it, so can everything else....also when you have your macro tank set up the macro will take the nutrition out of the water of the main tank causing it to die from lack of nutrition....same with microalgea, it dies off after your established macro tank is booming with growth..i mean there are certain types of macro you can get that wont die off but it wont grow very fast at all and it will look unhealthy, but it will still stay alive and your fish wont bother with it...the best type which grows fairly slow and looks real well in patches is called the Caulerpa urvilliana....i have 2 fingers of this stuff, it multiplies real well and the growth is i started with one finger a month ago and now i have 2...i figure in a year it should be a nice little patch....the reason this stuff looks good is that it does multiply and grow fast enough for micoalgae not to grow on it, along with that it keeps tangs from not bothering it....heres a pic of it....
http://www.com.univ-mrs.fr/IRD/atollpol/ecorecat/images/caulurv.jpg
caulurv.jpg (JPEG Image, 500x332 pixels)

 

[dalbrecht]

I have found that the Caulerpa serrulata is similar. It can grow a bit aggressively if you nutrients are high, but my yellow tang barely pics at it.

 

[spoon25]

cool...but i doubt it will grow well in the main tank since your fuge will take all nutrients...thats just my experience with this stuff

 

[Stephany]

I've heard the calcareous macro algae displays for tangs...

I do have macro algae in my display, Halymenia Floresii, but it hasn't rooted yet, and I'm sure the tangs would love it.

 

[spoon25]

is that stuff red? if its what im thinkin, it prolly wont grow fast in the main tank...it will grow but will take awhile cuz you have a fuge sucking out the nutrients....it will also turn white a die off at the same time it will keep growing....but thats my assumption, never hurts to try it....i would try some in my main tank how much of that stuff do you have?

 

[chrisguy]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I did not describe my concept very well.

I am thinking about containing the macro algae in a container, not attached to the rocks in the bottom of the display. The container would prevent the tang and foxface from eating it to the point of extinction, only allowing them to eat what grows beyond the container.

My total water volume is 160 gallons and today I do not have any issues growing macro in the fuge. All I was thinking was putting some in a controlled locatoin in the display.

I might try to make something in the near future and see how it goes. I'll post up if it works.

 

[moriartiholmes]

I've heard of people doing that. You can make a small box with an eggcrate top, with macro in it. As the macro grows out the tangs munch it back. If you have space for it, you can conceal the box behind some live rock.

 

[Stephany]

I don't have much, just got it.

So maybe this. I know people will do this for pods, but I'm talking on a larger scale. Those green strawberry containers, with some extra cutouts opened up for *some* of the plant to come out of?

Good luck.

 

[chrisguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6997138#post6997138 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by moriartiholmes
I've heard of people doing that. You can make a small box with an eggcrate top, with macro in it. As the macro grows out the tangs munch it back. If you have space for it, you can conceal the box behind some live rock.

Thats what I'm talking about. The way my tank is setup, I could put a container behind the rock work, but should be able to keep it high enough so it gets plenty of light and the fishies can get to it.

 

[johno4]

Chris that sounds like a good Idea, it should work.

Spoon25, just curious as to your comments, don't you think the the concentration of nutrients in your water is the same no matter if its in the refugium or display. Maybe you are getting different results for macro growth because of something else. Maybe different lighting or something along that line. I just think that nutrient concentrations are going to be the same throughout the water. Just a thought to consider.

 

[spoon25]

it depends how you have your fuge setup with your system, if the water that is coming out of tank and through your macro the nutrients will go through the macro and then to your sump then back to your system, then you will have much less nutrition for macro to grow in the main tank...i like his idea wish i could set up a macro using eggcrate, he could also use zip ties and hang shells and rock from the eggcrate the macro will grow through like a wall of shells....but if he has the macro running after the main tank he will lose nutrtion, which also depends on the amount of GPH your runnin throough your macro tank...many people only use like 5-20 gph runnin through there macro....i tried something different, i am runnin about 500 gph through my macro tank...thats the best way i could explain it....the nutrient concentration isnt the same, which i wish i could scientifically test and prove it, but i can only prove it though the amount of micro algae growing...the more nutrtion in your water the micro algae growth you will have..i have 900 watts on a 75 gallon tank....the mico algae dies off, i havent cleaned my tank in almost 2 weeks, there hardly any micoalgae on the walls...this is the only possible way i can almost prove nutrtion compared in both tanks....does anyone have any possible ideas how we could prove that idea, this could cause for good discussion and also educating as well for our fellow hobbhyists....thats a good question john, thanks..

 

[spoon25]

also im not saying it wont work, i was just saying it wont thrive... if you have your macro set up with lots of gph going through it, not too much just enough to move the water around in your fuge without distubing and moving around the macro, with lights on 24 hours a day...the macro in the main tank wont thrive...and another good thing about having macro setup after main and before sump is that all the extra food will through your macro and the bugs will eat it all, like bees on honey, and yor nitrates will be eleiminated for good...

 

[scaz]

I know that some poeple have plastice tubes or boxes behind their rock piles, that might also be a good place to throw some macro agle so it can grow.

I used to have macro agle, but it was eaten up way to fast in my main tank, and I personally didn't like anything that didn't look natrual sitting in my display tank.

 

[spoon25]

i have seen fairly large to small branching acropora rocks with macro stuffed down through it..this way it grows around the macro and the tangs cant get to it due to acro growing up around it...its awesome actually...

 

[spoon25]

i just wanna make a comment regarding macro...calerpa is very noxious, it can be a harmful thing if you dont grow it properly, but it can be one of the best types you can have, many hobbyists are for and against this type algea, so if your a begginer in macro tanks, find out how you should raise the grape calerpa before you jump in...thank you ...
http://www.reefland.com/rho/0105/main2.php
anthony calfo on macro refuge

 

[cknowlto]

There is only one macro that I would EVER consider purposefully introducing into my SPS display. Chaeto. All of the other macro algaes will establish themselves in your tank, and then when you are having a rough month or two for maintenance, they will explode and take over the tank. Caulerpa holdfasts are IMPOSSIBLE to remove from live rock (as are gracilleria holdfasts) Each one is a growback point for the algae and they make thousands of them. Macro belongs in the refuge unless you want algae as a main feature for your tank. (I have a display that does)

Grazers: IME Each grazing fish is as individual as a child as far as the kind of algae it will eat. My Scribbled Rabbit fish will not touch anything except the prepared algaes. My Kole tang eats almost anything green, but will not touch Valonia or any red algaes. So buying a herbivorous fish to control algae is hit or miss.

Chaeto is a ball algae. It clings to its purchase point by tangling strands around it and it is trivial to remove. It is ever so slightly more demanding than the caulperas (I have had a softwall sized piece melt into nothing before) but works great in most people's systems.

Gracilleria has another annoying habit. Its strands are individually very fragile, so when you harvest a handful, you will invariably create several dozen little frags that float everywhere and will travel through your circulation into the main tank, no matter what you do. This is great if you have a fish that will eat it, but I don't and now I am always weeding out little colonies of it in the main display. And making more little frags.... etc.

All macro algaes (IMHO) love flow. Mine are always colonizing the screens of my powerheads and overflows and clogging them up. They grow like crazy on them. I have to take a toothbrush to my overflow screens and powerheads monthly now to remove the gracilleria and restore flow through them.

Don't get me wrong, I love my macros. Just don't introduce them into a system and expect them not to do what they do best. Colonize and grow.

Sorry for the book, but this is a favorite topic for me I think I'll do a blog article on my Macro experiences since I appear to be in the mood to write

BTW if anyone has a tang that will (proven) eat red gracilleria, and wants to fatten it up, please let me know. I can't add a sailfin or a foxface because of the kole and the rabbit, but any other suggestions are welcome.

 

[spoon25]

its all good man write as much as you want...i am facinated by this subject also...did you read that article from anthony calfo i posted...just saw him last week in allentown pa at the something fishy event, it was a wonderful event, too bad he didnt do much talkin about macro....justfraggin anenomes and other corals..it was cool, but look at this article, it scares me considering i have lots of calerpa, bubble in particular...thank god i know what i am doing along with other member educating me about this stuff....maybe you have some suggestions for when i trim the mini grape, if you have any experience with this stuff you can see how it clouds your tank within hours after you cut it....now i was wondering, what the best solution to this is...i personally do 2 10 gallon water changes, one change a day for 2 days....this is working good for me,, considering my algea is dying off rapidly in the main tank...