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Macro for nutriet export


Bropez

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So it seems that the general consensus is chaeto does not actually do a good job of exporting nutrients. Are there any macro algaes that are good at it though? I have a 20 long that I was thinking of plumbing down to a 10. I was either just going to dump it into the 10 for more water volume and throw a macro algae in there OR Baffle it off into three sections and grow three different kinds of macro. I was thinking one red, one blue, and one green. Then I could redistribute my excess growth to fellow reefers.

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Dragon's breath? Although I think I remember reading there are other macros that are better than it. But its definitely one of the cooler looking macro algaes. Interested to know more as well

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Not sure were you got information that Chaeto was not very good at nutrient export. There are few macros that do better nutrient uptake. Some of the fast growing Caulerpa and Gracilaria will outgrow it but individual species each has its own pros and cons.

 

For expert information on macro, I suggest you go to Gulfcoast EcoSystem website and check out their reference manual at

live-plants.com

Patrick

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I had some great success with chaeto when I was running my fuge. I was under my own theory that anything that wasn't getting light was not exporting nutrients, so I lit my sump with an overhead clamp on light and a light that was beaming in from the side to really hit the macroalgae. I also had it tumbling with good flow and it grew insanely fast. The only issue I had was with pieces of it breaking off and clogging my return pump...if I were to do it all over again, I would screen the chamber my chaeto was in to catch that part of it.

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Properly used chaetomorpha is wonderful stuff. Light it properly and put it in a sump with moderate flow and you've added a nice biological check on your system.

 

I donated my baseball-sized clump to a local reefer who needed a start of it to help with filtration of his new 120 gallon tank. Within 2 weeks it was the size of a basketball... a month later he started pruning and three later than that he dropped back to only testing monthly for phospates/nitrates. Keep in mind - you need to use a significant amount to get a measurable benefit. The original clump was more for pod husbandry when I kept it in my nano than any filtration... too small to do much of anything else other than serving as a biological test kit.

 

Nowadays I use Dragon's breath as the utility macro in my sump-less tank. It's one of the faster growing ATTRACTIVE red macros (gracilaria is another) and far better if doing double-duty as a display macro than chaetomorpha IMO. Plus other reefers might pay/trade you interesting things for your trimmings.

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I just made the connection that chaeto didn't do the best jib because so many people say its just for pods to grow in. But I guess like you said so long as you have enough it you'll be good to go

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Nowadays I use Dragon's breath as the utility macro in my sump-less tank. It's one of the faster growing ATTRACTIVE red macros (gracilaria is another) and far better if doing double-duty as a display macro than chaetomorpha IMO. Plus other reefers might pay/trade you interesting things for your trimmings.

 

How weird...I ordered some gracilaria just last night from Reefcleaners. Knowing John, I am probably going to get 4 or 5 garbage bags of the stuff, but I figure running this in the display is a much easier and lazier way to deal with nuisance algae. At the minimum, it will make the green algae work harder to survive and I am good with that.

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Algae from John isn't a huge portion like his snails. If you want large quantity try live-plants. Russ has terrific prices too.

Gracilaria will float unless you clip it or anchor it to rubble. Sargassum is a beautiful yellow macro that you can glue to rocks. Attractive and functional. So is red grape.

How weird...I ordered some gracilaria just last night from Reefcleaners. Knowing John, I am probably going to get 4 or 5 garbage bags of the stuff, but I figure running this in the display is a much easier and lazier way to deal with nuisance algae. At the minimum, it will make the green algae work harder to survive and I am good with that.

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I loved my botryocladia (red grape) macro - once hold-fasted it really took off and was spectacular when waving back and forth in the flow. Then a persistent low-alkalinty issue in my tank ran several months and dinoflagellates/calothrix started growing all over it. Could never get it to stay clean during that time.

 

Nowadays one or more of my hermits and dove conchs seem to have developed a taste for it - every time I get a start pop up from some scrap left in the rocks it's eaten within a week. :rolleyes:

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  • 3 weeks later...
Avengerx77

What do you recommend on macros that can be used in the Display Tank that will export nutrients, look good and will not be eaten by tangs? I will be using chaeto in my sump and for DT was thinking on Shaving Brush (Penicillus sp.) and maybe some others. Any suggestions?

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What do you recommend on macros that can be used in the Display Tank that will export nutrients, look good and will not be eaten by tangs? I will be using chaeto in my sump and for DT was thinking on Shaving Brush (Penicillus sp.) and maybe some others. Any suggestions?

 

My tang would not eat Caulerpa prolifca but I know others who had tangs that would. May be worth a shot.

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What do you recommend on macros that can be used in the Display Tank that will export nutrients, look good and will not be eaten by tangs? I will be using chaeto in my sump and for DT was thinking on Shaving Brush (Penicillus sp.) and maybe some others. Any suggestions?

Any calcareous algae will be fine - red or green. Gracillaria hayi and Cryptonemia are both nice, and easy to keep.

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Remember that gracilaria I ordered? My Pincushion Urchin, who by the way has a lifetime supply of hair algae, bee-lined straight for the gracilaria and ate nearly everything I had within a few minutes of me putting it in there. At first, I thought I was seeing things as I didn't think that was what he was going to do...but yeah, needless to say he enjoyed it.

 

I do have one piece left that is stuck to my WP10 pump and it is actually growing, and Pinhead doesn't go near the pump, so I am going to let it go and see what happens.

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