Macroalgae tank setup

[Subsea]

I'm super curious about what this means!

The microbial loop describes a trophic pathway in the marine microbial food web where dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is returned to higher trophic levels via its incorporation into bacterial biomass, and then coupled with the classic food chain formed by phytoplankton-zooplankton-nekton.

 

[Subsea]

Here is what my friend @Paul B says about the microbial loop in his own way:

"Mulm" in a reef tank

Reefs.com Discussion - I think one of the most important, and least understood or mentioned things in a reef tank is "mulm". That stuff that grows in the dark portions of a tank if it is set up long enough. "Mulm" is a combination of algae, sponges, bacteria, pods, worms, detritus, poop and...

www.manhattanreefs.com

“I think one of the most important, and least understood or mentioned things in a reef tank is "mulm". That stuff that grows in the dark portions of a tank if it is set up long enough. "Mulm" is a combination of algae, sponges, bacteria, pods, worms, detritus, poop and any thing else that can be propagated or grown in the dark. I realize most people would immediately get out the sponge, razor blade or grenade to remove it but there is a word I like to use to describe those people. That word is "wrong". Mulm is a natural product that you will find in the sea all over the world. Our tanks run on bacteria, algae and a food chain. Bacteria and a food chain are dependent on having a place to reproduce. Mulm is the perfect place. Rocks and glass are flat surfaces that are only two dimensional. Mulm makes these places three dimensional allowing much more space for bacteria and microscopic organisms to grow and do the macarana. (Then love to dance) Pods, which are needed for any small fish also need to eat and their numbers are directly related to how much food they can get their hands on (or whatever pods use to eat with) The more food, the more pods, the more pods, the easier to keep smaller fish. Larger fish such as copperbands and angels also eat pods.
Many people try to keep fish such as pipefish, mandarins or other dragonettes in a sterile tank and while feeding them a couple of times a day with tiger pods or some other expensive food. Those types of fish will not live for long in such a tank and they certainly won't spawn which I consider the "only" criteria to determine the state of health for any paired fish.
Mulm (after a while, maybe a few years) should grow on the back and sides of glass as well as under rocks.
Here in this picture of my clingfish, the mulm appears green. It is really brownish and that fish is on the side of my tank. I brightened up the picture and turned it sideways because it was in the dark and the fish was hard to see.
There is a thick layer of it on the back of my tank where my mandarins and pipefish like to hunt. My long spined urchin also grazes there most of the time as there is not much algae in my tank for him to eat. He is many years old as are the mandarins and pipefish and they are dependent on this food source.
A sterile tank IMO is the biggest problem we have keeping certain fish healthy.
Sterile is good in an operating room but very bad in a tank.“

 

[Subsea]

@kolius
Are you still in Berlin?

 

[kolius]

@kolius
Are you still in Berlin?

Hi! Yes, I am! Are you planning to come to the city?

 

[kolius]

My Macroalgae Tank Update: It’s been almost 20 weeks since I started my tank, and things are going well! The tank sits right by my work desk, and I love having it there.

I’ve added two soft corals, some clownfish, and a cleanup crew (CUC). They all seem to be doing fine, but I did lose three snails in a single day—now only one remains.

I’m keeping maintenance minimal - not dosing anything and doing little to no water changes. Some species of algae are thriving and growing so fast that I have to trim them regularly. However, I’ve noticed that some algae are starting to look a bit bleached, possibly due to a nutrient deficiency. I’m hesitant to start dosing, though, since that would likely mean committing to more frequent water changes.

 

[Tinnerito]

Are you using an ordinary plant light? How do people grow corals in macroalgae tanks without the blue light?

My Macroalgae Tank Update: It’s been almost 20 weeks since I started my tank, and things are going well! The tank sits right by my work desk, and I love having it there.

I’ve added two soft corals, some clownfish, and a cleanup crew (CUC). They all seem to be doing fine, but I did lose three snails in a single day—now only one remains.

I’m keeping maintenance minimal - not dosing anything and doing little to no water changes. Some species of algae are thriving and growing so fast that I have to trim them regularly. However, I’ve noticed that some algae are starting to look a bit bleached, possibly due to a nutrient deficiency. I’m hesitant to start dosing, though, since that would likely mean committing to more frequent water changes.

 

[kolius]

Are you using an ordinary plant light? How do people grow corals in macroalgae tanks without the blue light?

I used to use a very basic light, but after getting corals, I switched to a Fluval SEA Marine Spectrum LED, 32W. My corals seem to be doing fine, but I haven’t noticed much growth yet, so I’m still not sure if I’m doing everything right (still new to the hobby). I also don’t have a wave maker—just a Fluval filter—but I hope the flow is enough for them

 

[Tahoe61]

My Macroalgae Tank Update: It’s been almost 20 weeks since I started my tank, and things are going well! The tank sits right by my work desk, and I love having it there.

I’ve added two soft corals, some clownfish, and a cleanup crew (CUC). They all seem to be doing fine, but I did lose three snails in a single day—now only one remains.

I’m keeping maintenance minimal - not dosing anything and doing little to no water changes. Some species of algae are thriving and growing so fast that I have to trim them regularly. However, I’ve noticed that some algae are starting to look a bit bleached, possibly due to a nutrient deficiency. I’m hesitant to start dosing, though, since that would likely mean committing to more frequent water changes.

It looks really good!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you using an ordinary plant light? How do people grow corals in macroalgae tanks without the blue light?

White light grows corals and macroalgae.:)

 

[Subsea]

As a young airman in USAF stationed at Rhein Main Air Base in Frankfurt, I was in West Berlin for Christmas of 1969. I had a blast but not likely to go back.

Let’s park here:
“I’m keeping maintenance minimal - not dosing anything and doing little to no water changes. Some species of algae are thriving and growing so fast that I have to trim them regularly. However, I’ve noticed that some algae are starting to look a bit bleached, possibly due to a nutrient deficiency. I’m hesitant to start dosing, though, since that would likely mean committing to more frequent water changes.“

Your macro algae’s are sequestering nutrients faster than they are added. Either add more nutrients thru food or dosing. The other option is to reduce volume of macro algae that is in the tank.

 

[kolius]

As a young airman in USAF stationed at Rhein Main Air Base in Frankfurt, I was in West Berlin for Christmas of 1969. I had a blast but not likely to go back.

Wow! 1969 was quite a while ago! Berlin-Tempelhof Airport has since become a public park, and I often go there for picnics. They’ve placed a shiny US plane there as a tribute to the Airlift era!

Your macro algae’s are sequestering nutrients faster than they are added

I should probably start dosing nutrients. Green algae isn’t much of a problem, but red algae is the real issue. My Dragon’s Breath is the most affected—it’s practically turning white.

What would you suggest for dosing nutrients? I have several fertilizers from my freshwater aquarium, including Seachem Flourish (contains tiny amount of iron and copper).

I also have potassium nitrate (KNO₃) in powder form, as well as a liquid NPK fertilizer.

Which one would you recommend?


Seachem Flourish
Amounts per 1 g
Total Nitrogen (N) 0.07%
Available Phosphate (P2O5) 0.01%
Soluble Potash (K2O) 0.37%
Calcium (Ca) 0.14%
Magnesium (Mg) 0.11%
Sulfur (S) 0.2773%
Boron (B) 0.009%
Chlorine (Cl) 1.15%
Cobalt (Co) 0.0004%
Copper (Cu) 0.0001%
Iron (Fe) 0.32%
Manganese (Mn) 0.0118%
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.0009%
Sodium (Na) 0.13%
Zinc (Zn) 0.0007%

Liquid NPK 0.43+ 0.1+ 1.34
0.43% N total nitrogen (0.43% nitrate nitrogen);
0.1% P2O5 water-soluble phosphate;
1.34% K2O water-soluble potassium oxide

 

[vlangel]

I have used Flourish in my macroalgae/softie dominant tank with good results.

 

[kolius]

I have used Flourish in my macroalgae/softie dominant tank with good results.

great to know! And what about water changes?

 

[vlangel]

great to know! And what about water changes?

I was using it conservatively so I did not use as much as it said on the bottle. I however did not have macros that were fading either, I just thought that they did not look as lush as they usually did. I think I would do the water change first, then dose. Then I would watch for a week and see if the macros respond.

 

[kolius]

I was using it conservatively so I did not use as much as it said on the bottle. I however did not have macros that were fading either, I just thought that they did not look as lush as they usually did. I think I would do the water change first, then dose. Then I would watch for a week and see if the macros respond.

Thank you, will give it a try!

 

[vlangel]

Thank you, will give it a try!

I hope it helps the macros in your tank. Good luck!

 

[Jason Coy]

Tank looks nice. Any updates?