The Power of Sea Lettuce
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Just posted this in my build thread this morning!
Ulva vs Chaeto
Brief backstory of my struggles with Chaeto and ultimate move to ulva. I tried growing Chaeto for about 6 months after the first year of my reef tank. Tried every light, every flow combo, etc. My nutrients kept climbing and my Chaeto kept slowly dying. My ICPs came back normal apart from high nutrients (50 nitrate .5 phosphate general reference). I finally decided to switch to Ulva and oh boy what a change! This stuff grows so fast, been running it for pst 18 months and it’s awesome. It’s prolific. Harvest about 15-25% weekly! I keep it in the external fuge and run the output through a filter sock to keep any potential spreading from happening. Low flow through a 12” sprayer bar on top keeps it happy and slowly churning. I run blue yellow light on top around 200-300 par for 12 hours and a fuge light on the side of the tank for around 14 hours. I run it with my light schedule during the day to boost daytime PH. Love ulva - couldn’t be happier with the crucial role it has played in my no water change goal.
Ulva vs Chaeto
Brief backstory of my struggles with Chaeto and ultimate move to ulva. I tried growing Chaeto for about 6 months after the first year of my reef tank. Tried every light, every flow combo, etc. My nutrients kept climbing and my Chaeto kept slowly dying. My ICPs came back normal apart from high nutrients (50 nitrate .5 phosphate general reference). I finally decided to switch to Ulva and oh boy what a change! This stuff grows so fast, been running it for pst 18 months and it’s awesome. It’s prolific. Harvest about 15-25% weekly! I keep it in the external fuge and run the output through a filter sock to keep any potential spreading from happening. Low flow through a 12” sprayer bar on top keeps it happy and slowly churning. I run blue yellow light on top around 200-300 par for 12 hours and a fuge light on the side of the tank for around 14 hours. I run it with my light schedule during the day to boost daytime PH. Love ulva - couldn’t be happier with the crucial role it has played in my no water change goal.
Jedi Knghit
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I have the same issue
lafarrow
Active Member
You know I debated that. There is or at least was a poster that ran a macro algae farm for the restaurant trade and he talked about it and how tasty it was. Maybe I will try that later on. I suppose if I was being a good steward I would have asked if anyone wanted it and shipped it to them. Maybe next time.It's also edible.
Might be fun to wash and dehydrate some for eating
Right now I have a few Ulva fragments, some chaeto and the red in my fuge - We'll see what happens.
Robinson
Well-Known Member
Just pray it does not get to your main tank and start attaching to the frag racks and rock. Then will become a nightmare. Personal experience.
Other than that, is a great algae for nutrients removal.
Other than that, is a great algae for nutrients removal.
OP
OP
Phosphates down to .02
Probably time to turn down the time on lights.
Also removed probably half of the Lettuce from the refugium, probably a football sized amount.
lafarrow
Active Member
After my cycle when nitrates were off the charts i just dumped macro in the refugium and let it draw down the phosphate and nitrates. Took some days but it worked. Water dropped to acceptable parameters and I started adding things. Magical stuff!
shawnb0316
New Member
Just got sea lettuce and red ogo in today from @AlgaeBarn
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My ulva outbreak, at least is kept nutrients down..........
ry_gon
Community Member
How did it get into your DT? Did you try to control it in the sump? I’m thinking about getting sea lettuce from @AlgaeBarn, but I don’t want it to over run my tank. I have this hob fuge from CPR. If I add a piece of fine aquamesh marked on the picture if it would keep it from going into the display.My ulva outbreak, at least is kept nutrients down..........
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ry_gon
Community Member
How do you keep it from going into your main tank?Just posted this in my build thread this morning!
Ulva vs Chaeto
Brief backstory of my struggles with Chaeto and ultimate move to ulva. I tried growing Chaeto for about 6 months after the first year of my reef tank. Tried every light, every flow combo, etc. My nutrients kept climbing and my Chaeto kept slowly dying. My ICPs came back normal apart from high nutrients (50 nitrate .5 phosphate general reference). I finally decided to switch to Ulva and oh boy what a change! This stuff grows so fast, been running it for pst 18 months and it’s awesome. It’s prolific. Harvest about 15-25% weekly! I keep it in the external fuge and run the output through a filter sock to keep any potential spreading from happening. Low flow through a 12” sprayer bar on top keeps it happy and slowly churning. I run blue yellow light on top around 200-300 par for 12 hours and a fuge light on the side of the tank for around 14 hours. I run it with my light schedule during the day to boost daytime PH. Love ulva - couldn’t be happier with the crucial role it has played in my no water change goal.
Actually I have no idea how it got into my display. I never used it in my macro reactor. It was a young tank (3/4 month old) and had high nutrients and it exploded. More than likely some sort of new tank uglies. It got really bad.
After nutrient control, carbon dosing and a good CUC led by a few urchins it’s gone. Have a few pieces pop up once I awhile but nothing I can’t manually remove. It took 4-5 months to get ride of it.
Others have no issues. Just could have been my tank and the age. Not 100% sure but it did take over.
Now:
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I use an external fuge and a filter sock anything that makes its way out of external fuge back into sump gets caught in sock
ry_gon
Community Member
Oh wow looks good now lolActually I have no idea how it got into my display. I never used it in my macro reactor. It was a young tank (3/4 month old) and had high nutrients and it exploded. More than likely some sort of new tank uglies. It got really bad.
After nutrient control, carbon dosing and a good CUC led by a few urchins it’s gone. Have a few pieces pop up once I awhile but nothing I can’t manually remove. It took 4-5 months to get ride of it.
Others have no issues. Just could have been my tank and the age. Not 100% sure but it did take over.
Now:
GuppyHJD
Valuable Member
Robinson,
I have it in my main tank on 1/2 of my rockwork...How did you solve your nightmare?
BroccoliFarmer
10K Club member
Fully agree. It is everywhere and it looks terrible. Granted I have cheato in my dt as well, but that is easy enough to remove. This stuff…worse than bubble algae and more resilient than cockroaches in nuclear winter.
How are you guys even keeping this stuff in the fuge?
I ordered a bag of it from algae barn and was surprised when it arrived that it was just like shredded romaine lettuce. Tiny little pieces. I put it in the fuge and it's a MESS.
I ordered a bag of it from algae barn and was surprised when it arrived that it was just like shredded romaine lettuce. Tiny little pieces. I put it in the fuge and it's a MESS.
Robinson
Well-Known Member
I Got a foxface rabbit fish and he controlled the issue a bit. Then it was at a point that dint bother me to much but was still present, specially on frag racks. Anyway I ended upgrading tank and started from scratch again, so no more lettuce for me ever again.
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