Macroalgae Ecosystem?

[Firefish15]

@Broseff If you’re still looking for some micro-grazers, I’d try tracking down some stomatellas or limpets. I got both of them as hitchhikers in my tank, and they’re doing great. 
The stomatellas have a breeding population, and only get about 1/2” long. Same with the limpets, but the biggest I’ve seen is 1/4” long. 

[Broseff]

So, I'm trying to add some more color and texture to the tank. 

 

I saw that someone is selling purple/blue clam shells. Would that be okay to add to the subtrate? 

 

The same person is also selling barnacle clusters and abalone shells. I was thinking of adding these in to just to add textures and a little color.

 

Could any of these things cause problems in the long run? I imagine the shells may eventually lose their color, but the barnacle clusters might be a cool text to add in the tank. Would anything cause problems with nutrients, or act as a magnet for nuissance algae (I know coral skeleton usually ends up covered in algae)?

[Broseff]

12 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

@Broseff If you’re still looking for some micro-grazers, I’d try tracking down some stomatellas or limpets. I got both of them as hitchhikers in my tank, and they’re doing great. 
The stomatellas have a breeding population, and only get about 1/2” long. Same with the limpets, but the biggest I’ve seen is 1/4” long. 

I'll have to check it out. I'll probably try to get some the next time I buy macros. 

[Subsea]

1 hour ago, Broseff said:

So, I'm trying to add some more color and texture to the tank. 

 

I saw that someone is selling purple/blue clam shells. Would that be okay to add to the subtrate? 

 

The same person is also selling barnacle clusters and abalone shells. I was thinking of adding these in to just to add textures and a little color.

 

Could any of these things cause problems in the long run? I imagine the shells may eventually lose their color, but the barnacle clusters might be a cool text to add in the tank. Would anything cause problems with nutrients, or act as a magnet for nuissance algae (I know coral skeleton usually ends up covered in algae)?

Are you still using 3G bowl?

 

I would  think live barnacles would become a high maintenance filter feeder to support.  Consider a feather duster as easier to maintain.  

[Broseff]

42 minutes ago, Subsea said:

Are you still using 3G bowl?

 

I would  think live barnacles would become a high maintenance filter feeder to support.  Consider a feather duster as easier to maintain.  

Oh, by barncle, I meant the shell, not live. 

 

[Broseff]

The tank has been rescaped. 

 

I got some: Halimeda (2 varieties, the larger one is in the back) and some Pinecone Algae (or whatever you call it). I also got a variety of smaller snails (virgin nerite, cerith, dwarf ceriths? they're all pretty tiny, except for the cerith) and a hermit. 

 

Anyways, I rescaped the tank so that the hermit has some open space to move around in. I made the sand bed a little deeper (especially in the back), and if everything does well I'll probably need to deepen it some more (I would slope it so it gets deeper towards the back where it's less noticable and maybe move the macros accordingly). I took a lot of the Ogo out, most of it wasn't in good conidition when I bought it so I kept some of it and put the rest somewhere else to grow out. I also added some Codium in (I've had it for a couple weeks and just wanted to make sure it wasn't going to die). Not gonna lie, it's starting to look kinda christmassy with all the red and green. It's also still hazy because I had to add some more sand. 

 

I think most of my new green macros have higher light needs (and might benefit more from a different color spectrum, hopefully one of the LEDs I have now will work) so we'll see how that plays out. 

 

[Subsea]

I started a 30G macro invert tank one month ago.  I mixed Bortacladia with two fast growing Caulerpa.   One thing I have noted about Bortacladia, if given too much light, exudates of DOC/POC accumulate on branches requiring a slight shaking.  Overall,for display purposes I like color rendition  between 6500-10K.

 

First pictures are under 12K because  tank  is cycling with some ugly dusting..   Once tank tank is finished cycling, I will use

10K color rendition.

[Broseff]

5 hours ago, Subsea said:

I started a 30G macro invert tank one month ago.  I mixed Bortacladia with two fast growing Caulerpa.   One thing I have noted about Bortacladia, if given too much light, exudates of DOC/POC accumulate on branches requiring a slight shaking.  Overall,for display purposes I like color rendition  between 6500-10K.

 

First pictures are under 12K because  tank  is cycling with some ugly dusting..   Once tank tank is finished cycling, I will use

10K color rendition.

 

I've been using cheap no-name LEDs, so I have no idea what the colors are in terms of Ks. Is there a way to figure that out? 

 

Like I have one that has multiple settings (currectly using with my FW and some plants I'm growing inside). But the two that I have open to use, one consists of white and blue LEDs (has some settings). The other has mostly white and blues, with a couple of green and red (no settings). 

[Subsea]

 

I can only say the number for color is not the criteria that is important.  What is important is how do you want to view your display.    Just for comparison purposes: 5K is a Caribbean reef at noon, 6500 at 3pm  and 10K at 6pm

[Broseff]

19 hours ago, Subsea said:

 

I can only say the number for color is not the criteria that is important.  What is important is how do you want to view your display.    Just for comparison purposes: 5K is a Caribbean reef at noon, 6500 at 3pm  and 10K a5 6pm

Isn't the color you use important for growing Macos? Don't some do better in different lighting?

[Subsea]

4 hours ago, Broseff said:

Isn't the color you use important for growing Macos? Don't some do better in different lighting?

Bortacladia is collected between 40’-120’.    Not to much red, yellow or Orange at that depth, yet it can be grown under those spectrum.  Some macro like some  coral can make large environmental adjustments. 
 

Is this still a 3G display tank?  A 1:1 combination of B:W should display just fine.   Use only slow growing pulse macro with minimum light.

https://www.reefcleaners.org/stocking-the-sumprefugium

Our Philosophy:

You want both consistent nutrient uptake and pulse nutrient uptake macros and saltwater plants in your tank.

Here is what I mean by those terms: (They use similar terminology in phycology by the idea is exactly the same)

Consistent Macros- Macros that need nutrient at a high levels, all the time to thrive. They filter out nutrients quickly and are effective at dealing with established nutrient problems.

Pulse Macros - Can handle periods of low nutrient levels well, and are long lived plants

Middle of the Road Macros - as you may have guessed, these macros and plants are somewhere in the middle. They grow quickly in high nutrient tanks, but can endure longer periods of low nutrition as well.