Macroalgae ID

[BlobfishBandit]

I bought this macro without knowing what species it was so I’ve been trying to find out but many reds look similar. My current thought is it’s a red ogo gracilaria but I’m not sure. I’ve never grown macros before so any tips to make sure they thrive would be appreciated.

 

[Dan_P]

I bought this macro without knowing what species it was so I’ve been trying to find out but many reds look similar. My current thought is it’s a red ogo gracilaria but I’m not sure. I’ve never grown macros before so any tips to make sure they thrive would be appreciated.

Nitrate, phosphate, light, good water flow. The green and red algae will likely need different light levels.

 

[BlobfishBandit]

Nitrate, phosphate, light, good water flow. The green and red algae will likely need different light levels.

Do you think the red and green can work together? Also I forgot to mention but would anyone know why parts of the red macro is dying/turning clear on the ends of some parts?

 

[Dan_P]

Do you think the red and green can work together? Also I forgot to mention but would anyone know why parts of the red macro is dying/turning clear on the ends of some parts?

I never tried growing red and green macro algae together.

Algae becoming clear could indicate a dying plant. Caulerpa becomes clear when it dumps its innards during reproduction. The clear part is then dead.

 

[BlobfishBandit]

I never tried growing red and green macro algae together.

Algae becoming clear could indicate a dying plant. Caulerpa becomes clear when it dumps its innards during reproduction. The clear part is then dead.

Do you know what might be causing it to die? I have nitrates in the tank but I don’t dose anything. I also am unsure what level to put lights at because algae grows quickly.

 

[CopepodsForSale]

Hey! That does look like a Gracilaria species to me, possibly Gracilaria parvispora or a similar red ogo variant. The branching pattern and that deep burgundy color are pretty characteristic. Hard to be 100% without getting it under a microscope since reds can be tricky, but red ogo is a solid guess.

For the clearing/dying tips, that's usually one of a few things. Either the macro is bleaching from too much direct light (reds generally want lower PAR than greens, think 50-100 PAR max), flow is too low and it's getting stagnant spots, or it's reacting to the transition into your tank chemistry. Sometimes pieces will slough off and regrow healthier, kind of like a plant pruning itself.

Red and green can absolutely coexist, you just have to find a spot where the lighting works for both. I'd keep the red lower in the tank or more shaded, and let the green take the brighter real estate. Good flow around both is key so nothing gets smothered.

Also if you ever want to add some pods in there to help process detritus and keep things cycling, happy to help out. Rooting for the macro, keep us posted on how it bounces back.

 

[BlobfishBandit]

Hey! That does look like a Gracilaria species to me, possibly Gracilaria parvispora or a similar red ogo variant. The branching pattern and that deep burgundy color are pretty characteristic. Hard to be 100% without getting it under a microscope since reds can be tricky, but red ogo is a solid guess.

For the clearing/dying tips, that's usually one of a few things. Either the macro is bleaching from too much direct light (reds generally want lower PAR than greens, think 50-100 PAR max), flow is too low and it's getting stagnant spots, or it's reacting to the transition into your tank chemistry. Sometimes pieces will slough off and regrow healthier, kind of like a plant pruning itself.

Red and green can absolutely coexist, you just have to find a spot where the lighting works for both. I'd keep the red lower in the tank or more shaded, and let the green take the brighter real estate. Good flow around both is key so nothing gets smothered.

Also if you ever want to add some pods in there to help process detritus and keep things cycling, happy to help out. Rooting for the macro, keep us posted on how it bounces back.

Thank for the info! Although if I may ask I don’t know what PAR is, the light I have is just an aquarium light I bought on Amazon and it’s set pretty low because of all the algae growth. I have added pods to help clean because I have a mantis shrimp that eats anything that moves in here although the algae is still consistent so I’m not too sure what to do about that. One last thing I forgot to mention is that my only source of flow is my filter set to max so I hope that’s enough.

 

[Dan_P]

Do you know what might be causing it to die? I have nitrates in the tank but I don’t dose anything. I also am unsure what level to put lights at because algae grows quickly.

Many aquarists grow macro algae in a separate but connected container which allows then to have a different levels of illumination in the aquarium and macro algae container.

 

[CopepodsForSale]

Many aquarists grow macro algae in a separate but connected container which allows then to have a different levels of illumination in the aquarium and macro algae container.

Exactly! Plus the Inverse light schedule for ph balance is nice.

 

[Mytoy21]

I have an ID question. Is this Chaetomorpha linum? It’s holding together like the course chaeto but it’s very soft