What types of Macroalgae do you have in your Reef System? Are they beneficial so far?

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

I'd have to dose more NO3 and PO4 to sustain macroalgae with my bare bottom, wall-to-wall system, so no. Easier to use more coral for more nutrient uptake and not have to deal with the mess of maintaining a 'fuge IMO. Would be nice to have pods living in there tho.

 

[Susan Edwards]

chaeto and sea lettuce. Time to take half the chaeto out! It grows like a weed. Use it for nutrient export and pods

 

[Tigahboy]

I keep some beneficial macroalgae in my reef system from time to time.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Clasic chaeto for nutrient export, and another one, not sure what species, i got it as a hitchhiker on some rock, feel sorry for her, so.....

Looks like Halimeda maybe? Pretty.

 

[SaltwaterandLime]

I keep some beneficial macroalgae in my reef system from time to time.

That is beautiful

 

[Koh23]

No clue, i asked for identification, got answer...but forgot it.....

It was small piece on rock, i throw it in sump amd forget it... Now it grows fine, not sure what to do with it.... So i leave it alone, there is much space in sump, so.....

 

[Keko21]

Chaeto in my fuge. 4 days still green with no gray spots, have on a 9 hour reverse cycle.

 

[Dog Whiskey]

I've been experimenting with macro algae in my FOWLR. I have a number of different calcareous plants, some beautiful red macros, and a couple of varieties of caulerpa. Plus sea lettuce in the 'fuge, which grows LIKE A WEED and gets chucked into the main tank from time to time for a snack.

Caulerpa is also "snack" materials, and I found I couldn't grow ogo or cheato because everyone wanted to eat it. But the rest tends to get ignored. Except for the botryocladia which the tuxedo urchin keeps "borrowing" to use as a fancy cape. I remove it and set it up somewhere. He goes there and grabs it again.

@Tigahboy 's tanks are so inspiring! I don't think I'll ever get to that point because of the snacking...

The urchin is at the left. I wish I could get him back to using sea lettuce as a cape...

 

[ShadowMan]

Funnily enough I'm actually in the process of setting up a refugium in my sump... Got the layout, the fuge basket, the flow and even got the GRO light.... now just need the Chaeto , this stuff is like trying to find a unicorn here in the UK!!!

 

[JoJosReef]

I have a 10g and a 13.5g. I added macros to display in the 10g and have started transferring them to my 13.5g that has hair algae problems. My 10g was stubbornly high PO4 at 0.5-1.0ppm despite phosguard. Macro has grown well, along with corals, and now I have a hard time telling if I have between 0 and 0.1ppm (Salifert). The macro looks great too, and I regularly give free cuttings to local reefers.

10g (growing under ai prime ab+ spectrum):
Codium
Garacilaria hayi
Brotycladia
Ulva (hitchhiker, cleared by CUC)
Galaxaura (smothered by ulva, never recovered)
Mermaid fan (disintegrated, maybe didn't ship well)
Pencil cap (overtaken by bubble algae, removed)

So now 3 macros and the remnants of Galaxaura:

Broty upper left. Pom pom reseeding next to pavona up top.

Big codium bush in back bottom.

GHA has been a longstanding problem in my 13.5. I've recently started transferring Broty and codium to my 13.5, along with enhanced CUC (sea hare.. moderately effective). Along with some peroxide spot treating, GHA seems to be retreating.

The codium and broty are growing under 2x Reefbarpros (21ledUSA) = 18x 3watt leds in mix of white, royal blue, blue and uv/violet spectrum (2x blues over whites in intensity settings).

Highly recommend macros in the DT. Gives the tank a nice mixed reef vibe and seems to help. Haven't had problems with any going sexual yet, so still a word of caution.

 

[WVNed]

I just have some ulva growing in an idle tank

 

[b breef]

Sometimes I think I’m just a algae farmer.
no but seriously I just added some
Green finger macro for aesthetics.

 

[kennethjoe]

Best thing I’ve done for my 125 nitrates and phosphates are stable

 

[Salty_Dreamer]

I keep some beneficial macroalgae in my reef system from time to time.

This looks really unique! Love it!

 

[radiata]

MACRO CAVEAT

Over the many years I've been in the hobby I've managed to turn my tank water milk white just three times. The first time was an expected event in a 90G tank. I disconnected my sand bed UG ("under gravel") filter in an attempt to turn it into a 'Jaubert Plenum' nitrate filter, and the water turned white from a bacterial explosion. The second time I did it, I accidentally dosed my main system with 750ml of rotgut Russian vodka. (Vodka makes tubing connections very slippery.) The water turned white from a bacterial explosion. (I lost one fish, a Marine Betta, because the bacterial explosion seriously depleted the oxygen in the water.)

The third time was caused by a lot of macro algae "going sexual" and turning the water white with their gametes. I had a large amount of Grape Caulerpa in a large refugium, and it all "went sexual" at the same time. I corrected the problem with some massive water changes.

The lesson here is just to avoid large amounts of Caulerpa racemosa, (or many even small amounts) no matter how wonderfully you think it happens to be growing in your system. I recollect there are other species of macros that also "go sexual" but I can't comment on them.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

 

[dstockwell]

I have Halimeda and came on live rock, chaeto in sump, and whatever this is.

 

[taulgrl]

Dragons breath in the middle chamber of my sump keeps my nitrates stable. My Foxface thinks it’s yummy too.

 

[killerkosar]

I’ve got some acid rain and Pom pom Gracilaria

 

[vinvinaa]

Originally I planned to grow a mangrove in the DT, but unfortunately I cannot find one in Hong Kong. Also, my tank is narrow, so it is difficult to aquascape a high enough structure to host it.
Also planned to have a refugium in the sump, but now only an UAS to lower the N/P.

 

[CharlesTheSloth]

Dragon’s Breath is my go to Macro, it’s forgiving fast growing and it just looks good too!