Sump update and red gracilaria

[Wasabiroot]

Hey all,
My red Gracilaria is becoming absolutely stunning and I thought I'd share. I've had my eye on a red macro for a while and now that it's adapted to the high lighting and nutrients, I'm getting solid fluffy growth.

Below you can see the finer, hairlike spiky form. I believe this is the higher light response.

Below you can see the stuff growing near the bottom. This form is darker and in lower light conditions but still doing just fine.

The Caulerpa ashmeadii I believe is being outcompeted by the Gracilaria. It's still hanging in there. Notably, I found these fine filament like structures on the rhizome tips.

Coloration is pale, so I am considering testing iron levels and maybe dosing.

Enjoy!


P. S. My urchin banished to the sump particularly relishes feasting on a big Gracilaria piece over a period of a few days. I give him the choice pieces. He chowed down my lepto (slate pencil, dumb mistake) but I believe he was crucial at taking me through a hair algae phase. If you are struggling with algae in a fowlr system get a pencil urchin. They will Blake Griffin dunk on your pest algae.

 

[WheatToast]

Hey all,
My red Gracilaria is becoming absolutely stunning and I thought I'd share. I've had my eye on a red macro for a while and now that it's adapted to the high lighting and nutrients, I'm getting solid fluffy growth.

Below you can see the finer, hairlike spiky form. I believe this is the higher light response.

Below you can see the stuff growing near the bottom. This form is darker and in lower light conditions but still doing just fine.

The Caulerpa ashmeadii I believe is being outcompeted by the Gracilaria. It's still hanging in there. Notably, I found these fine filament like structures on the rhizome tips.

Coloration is pale, so I am considering testing iron levels and maybe dosing.

Enjoy!

Agreed! Both forms of the Gracilaria look amazing and healthy and I cannot wait to see how this refugium evolves! Thank you for sharing! As for those pale filament growing off the Caulerpa ashmeadii, I believe those are completely natural. They are used to secure the algae to substrates, thus there is no need for them to contain Chlorophyll.
Are you providing the macroalgae anything else besides high nutrients and lighting?

 

[Wasabiroot]

Nothing in particular except CoralAminos. I think if I fed heavier I'd get better growth, but I have a low fish load so I still believe they are nutrient limited and growing slower than possible. I also am trying not to bottom my nutrients out so keeping it growing at its current rate is keeping things stable ish. It definitely did not like this light at first. I had it under maybe an 8w light bar because it experienced a bit of shock from my 50w led initially. Took a month or so before I used the other light again after I saw growth. I should have clarified about what I meant via nutrients - my bad!