caulerpa in main tank?

[krishj39]

Can any types of macro algae be kept in a reef tank? I don't have space for a refugium so it would be helpful if I could get some growing in my main tank.

 

[jonthefb]

hey kris, tons of caulepa can be kept in your main tank, it just requires an occasional pruning. for exapmle, i have sawblade caulerpa, feather caulerpa, grape caulerpa, and one other type groeign in my 20. it looks very cool, but needs to be "pruned" form time to time. caulerpa also helps out by oxygenating the water in the tank, pulling organics out of the water, and competign with pest algaes for nutrients and space!
good luck
jon

 

[krishj39]

sweet! thanks jon, you made my day. why do so many just keep it in a refugium then? seems to me it would be more natural to have live plants in the main tank as well. any ideas on a good place to get this? any one can feel free to email me at kristopherjhoffman@hotmail.com with suggested places to buy it. not much eats caulerpa does it? if so then i guess that's why most don't keep it in their main tanks. i guess i should also ask what kinds of macro's i can add that won't get bothered by the herbivores. thanks

 

[pa reef pig]

A refugium is the best option if...
a. you do not particularly like the look of macro in your main tank
b. sometimes macro can run wild if not kept in check. May smother corals.
c. if you have a vegetarian (i.e. yellow tang) in the tank, it will be gone in a few days, but your Tang will love you!
like jon said though, its up to you and can certianly be done. Not a bad idea at all.
I think I'm going to try some Halimeda (sp?) again, just to add a bit of plant life to my tank as well.

 

[pa reef pig]

p.s. hey krishj39, been to That Fish Place lately?
I was up a couple days ago. The coral room is looking pretty sad.

 

[krishj39]

reef pig, i was there a week ago. yeah, it does look sad. i did buy a number of snails and crabs though, and all of them are doing great. do you recall how their LR selection looked? i'm thinking of doing a run up there tomorrow, possibly even today if they had some good looking stuff.
are there ANY plants I can add that won't get bothered by herbivores? right now I have a LMB, will it bother them? I have hitch-hiking macros and it hasn't bothered them so far, but it still has plenty of hair algae to eat.

 

[krishj39]

sammy, i will make the time to maintain it. for a while though i might just let it run free. i don't have much but coralline and 2 hitch hiking corals that need the light right now anyway. then, once i add something like a fish that loves to eat it, or corals that need to get the light, i can trim it and know it will still be healthy to make room for the coral, or i can put the herbivore in and know that they are unlikely to eat all of it (like they would if i just tried to get a few sprouts to take off with the herbivores already in the tank) i'd like to get those plants in soon then, because it'll help stablize my tank before i start adding the rest of my fish and corals, etc. so 3 more questions, what kinds do you have? what kinds do you recommend, and where do you recommend I get it from?

 

[krishj39]

bump

 

[krishj39]

sorry for another bump, really need the help on this one

 

[reefaddicted]

YOU'D BE AMAZED AT HOW MUCH CAULERPA A TANG CAN EAT!!!!

 

[frankl15207]

Originally posted by reefaddicted
YOU'D BE AMAZED AT HOW MUCH CAULERPA A TANG CAN EAT!!!!
Yep!
I have a 10 gallon that has macro in it and a 75 that has it in the refugium. The 10 is used to grow out some soft corals that have spread for trading with the lfs. The conditions in both tanks are identical. If the macro gets out of hand and attaches to the rock, I move it into the 75 for a day or two. The yellow tang picks the rock clean and then it is returned to the 10.

 

[krishj39]

Ok, so then what about my lawnmower blenny? I am sorta doubting it will eat it all, though he might pick at it, is this correct? And then, I was thinking about getting a Kole tang, or a Sailfin tang, any chance those wouldn't tear through just as fast as the Yellow?
Also, would still really like it if someone could send me an email to let me know where I can get this stuff. Thanks!

 

[nacl-h2o]

Just be sure it's what you want before you do it, once it's been in there and rooted into things, it will be growing out of your LR until the end of time. So there is no turning back.

 

[pa reef pig]

krishj39
did you get up to the fish place? how did ya make out? the rock was looking pretty weak last time I was there.

 

[krishj39]

PA reef pig, didn't get up there this weekend. I've been sick since Wed so I decided I didn't feel like driving up there. Glad I didn't go since you say the LR was bad anyway. The only other things I wanted to pick up were an electronic thermometer and some ghost shrimp (not really worth the 45 drive each way for that).
Sammy, cool, so feather. Glad I finally got some advice on specific kinds. Am I correct to assume that all I have to do is drop a tang in there at some point if I want to get rid of it?

 

[pa reef pig]

Yeah, Its been a while since I've seen really good LR up there, or anywhere around here for that matter.
Yes, a Yellow Tang will clean up the Macro in no time.

 

[krishj39]

LOL, PA, you didn't! You remind me of daffy duck in the old cartoon where he painted mustaches on everyone.

 

[pa reef pig]

Well, everybody keeps giving Rye so much flack for his scary mug in the avatar... I just couldn't resist any longer..rotflmao...god, I love me!

 

[pa reef pig]

KOLE Tang... maybe right. I never had one.

 

[ekclark]

I have macro in my tank and I am now looking for something to munch it down. My lawnmower doesn't really touch it, nor my snails, crabs, or anything else. I have heard so many horror stories about the yellow tang, but it may be in my very near future.