Macros outcompeting other algaes?

[Pikelet]

I recently added an below tank 10g refugium to my 29g reef tank. I transferred some rampant feather caulerpa and halimeda out of my main tank into the fuge and it is growing reasonably well under a LOA 28W PC light running 24 hours. I have a fair amount of sargassum sp, feather caulerpa and red macro(?), and cyano growing well in the main tank but now I'm wondering whether the small amount of macro I have in the refuge is going to be able to out-compete that in the main tank even though the fuge is lit 24 hours.

 

Should I add a heap more macro to the fuge to stop the more numerous main tank macros out competing the fuge macros? What have other people done when adding macros to their fuge? Should you pretty much max it out from day one or just start small and let it grow out?

 

Thanks in advance.

[john76]

You're growing macro in your main tank and in a refugium? Are you growing it for pods or to fight nuisance algae? Either way, it'll be fine. I prune back my caulerpa once a week and it's only lit with a 15W NO light. It's a ten gallon like yours, also lit 24-7. Any macro in my main tank gets eaten, but it does grow.

[Pikelet]

The macro came on my rocks in the main tank about 9 months ago. I pull it out by the handful but it continues to grow unabated. I'm hoping that the refugium macros will severely limit growth of my macros in the main tank but it seems to me as though the macros in the main tank continue to grow faster and look more healthy.