Honest thoughts on my macroalgae tank?

[GothFishKeeper]

When I first converted this from a nano reef to a macroalgae tank and stuck in the first few pieces of algae, all my coworkers/friends who are more into planted FW tanks, and some that are really into macroalgae as well, were like “omg that looks so good”. Over the past couple months I’ve added more macros and they all have taken off pretty well in growth, but when I’ve shown these people they must be spotting flaws that I’m not seeing because they’re kinda like “oh… nice…”

Obviously it’s not a big deal if I like it visually but they don’t, but I’m worried they’re seeing something that is an actual issue for the health of the tank. Can anyone spot anything along those lines or simply if anything looks out of place?

Please ignore the rotifers floating around in these images, I had just fed the gorgonians.

 

[Tahoe61]

Yeah you're killing it! Well done.

 

[GothFishKeeper]

Also forgot to mention that the tank did have a dino outbreak so there is currently still some dead spots from that. It’s now taken care of thanks to a 48 hour blackout and a cheap UV sterilizer

 

[GothFishKeeper]

Yeah you're killing it! Well done.

Thank you!! I’m just so worried that something looks blatantly stupid and I’m not catching it lol. I’ve done very minimal research on macros compared to my nightly hours upon hours of reef tank youtube watching

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

It’s not for me but it’s one of the nicer ones I’ve seen on here.

In my opinion a fw planted tank is the way to go for plants but there will be many that disagree.

At the end of the day, it comes down to how you feel about it. You see it a lot more than anyone else.

 

[Tahoe61]

Thank you!! I’m just so worried that something looks blatantly stupid and I’m not catching it lol. I’ve done very minimal research on macros compared to my nightly hours upon hours of reef tank youtube watching

Macroalgae scares me.

I am more comfortable with sps.

It is a completely different dosing and lighting regime in a Macroalgae system.

 

[edsbeaker]

When I first converted this from a nano reef to a macroalgae tank and stuck in the first few pieces of algae, all my coworkers/friends who are more into planted FW tanks, and some that are really into macroalgae as well, were like “omg that looks so good”. Over the past couple months I’ve added more macros and they all have taken off pretty well in growth, but when I’ve shown these people they must be spotting flaws that I’m not seeing because they’re kinda like “oh… nice…”

Obviously it’s not a big deal if I like it visually but they don’t, but I’m worried they’re seeing something that is an actual issue for the health of the tank. Can anyone spot anything along those lines or simply if anything looks out of place?

Please ignore the rotifers floating around in these images, I had just fed the gorgonians.

I really appreciate a beautiful macroalgae tank and yours certainly is!

 

[UncommonSense]

When I first converted this from a nano reef to a macroalgae tank and stuck in the first few pieces of algae, all my coworkers/friends who are more into planted FW tanks, and some that are really into macroalgae as well, were like “omg that looks so good”. Over the past couple months I’ve added more macros and they all have taken off pretty well in growth, but when I’ve shown these people they must be spotting flaws that I’m not seeing because they’re kinda like “oh… nice…”

Obviously it’s not a big deal if I like it visually but they don’t, but I’m worried they’re seeing something that is an actual issue for the health of the tank. Can anyone spot anything along those lines or simply if anything looks out of place?

Please ignore the rotifers floating around in these images, I had just fed the gorgonians.

Your tank looks fantastic! If I had to guess; anyone who isn’t responding positively to it likely doesn’t really understand what it is! Most people relate any word containing “algae” to an undesirable organism! — just call it a “marine horticultural display!”

Macroalgae scares me.

I am more comfortable with sps.

It is a completely different dosing and lighting regime in a Macroalgae system.

Hey; you have a specialized set of skills! It doesn’t mean it’s any less useful!

I got back into aquariums as an adult from the world of horticulture, hydroponics, aquaponics, etc… it’s amazing how much of the knowledge can be transposed… but, I’m still on the learning curve for stony corals/clams/etc!

 

[GothFishKeeper]

It’s not for me but it’s one of the nicer ones I’ve seen on here.

In my opinion a fw planted tank is the way to go for plants but there will be many that disagree.

At the end of the day, it comes down to how you feel about it. You see it a lot more than anyone else.

I would probably agree with you on that tbh if the sole purpose of creating this tank wasn’t dwarf seahorses lol! Any other reason and I’d probably tell someone to save the money they’d spend on equipment and such by just going with FW.

 

[GothFishKeeper]

Macroalgae scares me.

I am more comfortable with sps.

It is a completely different dosing and lighting regime in a Macroalgae system.

That’s fair, I’m still scared to add any sps aside from montis into my reef but im more of an lps/softie guy anyways. I like flowy squishy things if that makes sense XD

 

[GothFishKeeper]

I really appreciate a beautiful macroalgae tank and yours certainly is!

Thank you! I really appreciate that!

 

[GothFishKeeper]

Your tank looks fantastic! If I had to guess; anyone who isn’t responding positively to it likely doesn’t really understand what it is! Most people relate any word containing “algae” to an undesirable organism! — just call it a “marine horticultural display!”

That would’ve been my guess as well except for the fact that said coworkers are the ones who taught me what macroalgae is. I work at a LFS lol

 

[UncommonSense]

That would’ve been my guess as well except for the fact that said coworkers are the ones who taught me what macroalgae is. I work at a LFS lol

Aah haha! Well, they’re likely just way deeper down the reefing rabbit hole then!! Don’t take it personally; it’s definitely an accomplishment!

 

[i cant think]

When I first converted this from a nano reef to a macroalgae tank and stuck in the first few pieces of algae, all my coworkers/friends who are more into planted FW tanks, and some that are really into macroalgae as well, were like “omg that looks so good”. Over the past couple months I’ve added more macros and they all have taken off pretty well in growth, but when I’ve shown these people they must be spotting flaws that I’m not seeing because they’re kinda like “oh… nice…”

Obviously it’s not a big deal if I like it visually but they don’t, but I’m worried they’re seeing something that is an actual issue for the health of the tank. Can anyone spot anything along those lines or simply if anything looks out of place?

Please ignore the rotifers floating around in these images, I had just fed the gorgonians.

A lot of freshwater planted tanks are green, you may find they’re just not used to us and our red macros - me personally? I’m jealous you have so many red macros!!
I’m stuck with tons of green and more of a dark purple than red.

 

[strich]

Firstly, that's a great macro tank! You've clearly got skill and should be proud of it!

Your tank currently lacks what I'll call "visual cohesion" - it needs a few more colors, some with pop, and a more complete shape.

To give you some inspirational goals, I think you could take a look at some other well made macro tanks and see where you can improve visually. Here are some of my favorites:

 

[i cant think]

Firstly, that's a great macro tank! You've clearly got skill and should be proud of it!

Your tank currently lacks what I'll call "visual cohesion" - it needs a few more colors, some with pop, and a more complete shape.

To give you some inspirational goals, I think you could take a look at some other well made macro tanks and see where you can improve visually. Here are some of my favorites:

That last macro tank always makes me drool when I see it, and it’s just because of the rock beauty!

 

[Billyreef-ita]

Congrats, your macroalgae tank is simply beautifull!

 

[malacoda]

I like it!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

When I first converted this from a nano reef to a macroalgae tank and stuck in the first few pieces of algae, all my coworkers/friends who are more into planted FW tanks, and some that are really into macroalgae as well, were like “omg that looks so good”. Over the past couple months I’ve added more macros and they all have taken off pretty well in growth, but when I’ve shown these people they must be spotting flaws that I’m not seeing because they’re kinda like “oh… nice…”

Obviously it’s not a big deal if I like it visually but they don’t, but I’m worried they’re seeing something that is an actual issue for the health of the tank. Can anyone spot anything along those lines or simply if anything looks out of place?

Please ignore the rotifers floating around in these images, I had just fed the gorgonians.

I like it a lot. I’m not entirely sure why so many folks neglect macro (and some other organisms) compared to corals.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

I would probably agree with you on that tbh if the sole purpose of creating this tank wasn’t dwarf seahorses lol! Any other reason and I’d probably tell someone to save the money they’d spend on equipment and such by just going with

Hold up, if it's a biotope/seahorse tank, that ratchets the coolness aspect up like 10 notches. I love it.