What to feed a Macro heavy tank?

[Enad]

Hi there,

I'm looking to develop my mixed reef with heavy use of Macro Algae and I'm looking for tips on how to keep them well fed. My tank is by no means ULN, but it's not super high either. My nitrates and phos are right around where you'd want them to be for a mixed reef, but I imagine with the influx of macro algae, those numbers will drop. I tend to feed my fish rather heavily, but I'm not heavily stocked at the moment.

Does anyone have experience with Brightwell ChaetoGro Refugium Fertilizer? Can I use that in the display with non chaeto algae? Any other products/foods that work well for keeping macro well fed?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Spare time]

Chaeotogro is my go to trace supplement, regardless if there are macros or not. Remember that it has no phosphate or nitrogen compounds in it.

 

[Enad]

Chaeotogro is my go to trace supplement, regardless if there are macros or not. Remember that it has no phosphate or nitrogen compounds in it.

Thanks for the input. I imagine it's good that it has no Nitrogen or Phosphate compounds as it won't mess with my parameters?

 

[Subsea]

I use a liquid seaweed concentrate made from Atlantic kelp and it has a sight amount of nitrogen, which works for me as I run fishes growout tanks for cultivating live rocks with sponges, ornamental & utilitarian macros as well as soft corals with assorted filter feeders like sea apples & flame scallops.

Because seaweeds are nutrient hogs, I often dose NH4 to keep up with nitrogen consumption. I have sent two fast growing seaweeds (Gracilaria Hayi & Gracilaria Parvispora aka red Ogo) to a regional agriculture lab for nutrient analysis, both averaged a N ratio of 30:1. And each consumed much sodium, I’ll look for the results but it was > 80:1 sodium to phosphate.

 

[Subsea]

Thanks for the input. I imagine it's good that it has no Nitrogen or Phosphate compounds as it won't mess with my parameters?

Depending on intensity of your lights, macro algae will mess with your parameters.

In 1971 as a marine engineering student at Texas Maritime Academy, Chemical Oceanorgraphy was a technical elective that stressed dynamic equilibrium between carbon in the atmosphere, carbon in the ocean and carbon in limestone sediments. My first marine aquarium was a Galveston Bay biotheme with grass shrimps & green mollies collected from marsh grass flats with an oyster cluster for live rock. Anemones & peppermint shrimp were collected from rock jetties into Gulf of Mexico. The jetties on Galveston beaches were a favorite fishing spot for speckled trout and occasional amber jack chasing bait. I never returned from a fishing trip empty handed. If I didn’t catch fish, I collected for 55G marine aquarium in my home; in one case, I bought 3 large bait shrimp and turned them loose in this Galveston Bay theme tank.

Fast forward 53 years and I have 150G Rubbermaid tubs buried in the ground as a growout tank.

PS: Hunter, at 125 lbs, is head of security!