will harvesting limit or help growth?

[ddenham]

It I harvest my macro (chaeto and grape) will I get better growth? Or should I wait until it fills the ref and just harvest to make space? I have a 20g refugium with 1 LOA 65w and a 19w twist PC. I'm battling a hair algae problem in the main tank and would like to maximize growth to outcompete the HA. I'm running the ref lamps 24/7.

Thanks---Dan

 

[dmiannay]

I believe you just harvest as required to keep adequate space in the fuge. I don't believe harvesting earlier spurs faster growth, but maybe someone with more experience can weigh-in on this one. I am interested in the answer as well

 

[Shablin]

I have several types of macro algae in my tank. Sometimes when you let one species go bonkers, it can use all of a particular nutrient and cause an algae crash when that growth limiting item is depleted. It is more of a concern in the rapidly growing algaes like caulerpa. Ive never lost any halimeda or chaeto but have seen my caulerpa 'crash'. (I had my tank in the garage for about two years without much reef life in it or any regular maint. - just lighting and adding top-off water. That's right, 2 years with no water changes or feeding, just light! most amazingly, an anemone survived this!) Generally, regular water changes seem to help here too. I only had crashes when my tank FILLED with caulerpa.

 

[Gerard Alba]

what do you mean by crashe do yuo loose like thousands of dollars in livestock just like that?

 

[Shablin]

Ive never had a problem in stocked tank probably because I keep it controlled. I can tell you when it overgrows and 'crashes' a bunch turns white and can cause quite a stink! All the LR and several shrooms and even an anemone survived this happening twice when my tank was in my garage. I now have all this LR etc in my tank and it is fine.

Ive read that this algae contains toxins (caulerpenyne) which can be released into the water when harvesting, but I never saw a problem - and I do this regularly. I just did a yahoo search on caulerpa toxin and found this link - caulerpa banned in San Diego?! interesting. Also apparently a problem in the northern Mediterranean

http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/569419/detail.html

Here's another one re. the 'Killer algae' problem in Ca. At the end read how game wardens are watching 24 hr per day to prevent its escape (are they watching ebay?).

http://ceres.ca.gov/coastalconservancy/coast&ocean/summer2000/pages/psev.htm

Oh BTW, regaurding the original question in this post, I would think your using the algae as a nutrient export, so harvesting would be best - to remove the nutrients. IME it seems that growth is more rapid when there is less of the stuff and levels off as amounts rise. Its new growth that sucks up the most nutrients. Its a good question and I also wonder if its been scientifically studied in any way. I sometimes take my extra weed to the LFS and get some additional discounts from them for it.

 

[ddenham]

Thanks for your input. I wondered if trimming macros would have the same effect as pruning in a land garden to kick start new growth.