ivycharlaine
Member
What is the purpose of Macro Algae? And can/should you have one, even if you don't have a sump or refugium??
Macro Algae
- Thread starter ivycharlaine
- Start date
9supratt4
Active Member
Macro Algae is a type of algae that is used to remove nutrients, such as nitrates from the water. It is good to have but no mandatory, and it really depends on what type of tank you have.
There are some forms of macro algae that can be used in your main display tank as decoration and there are others that should only be used in a sump/fuge as they can spread easily and overttake a tank.
There are some forms of macro algae that can be used in your main display tank as decoration and there are others that should only be used in a sump/fuge as they can spread easily and overttake a tank.
spanko
Active Member
Well the main purpose is that it is part of the natural habitat in the ocean. Secondly you can introduce macro algae to be utilized as a vehicle for nutrient export out of the tank. Just remember that the way you use it to export nutrient is to harvest it out. If you just leave it to continue to grow the nutrient is locked up in the algae and in the event that the algae dies for some reason the locked up nutrient is released back into the tank.
Just for some knowledge this is why when people use chemicals to deal with cyanobacteria and don't do aggressive water changes and skimming the cyano comes back, becasue as it dies it releases everything back into the tank.
Just for some knowledge this is why when people use chemicals to deal with cyanobacteria and don't do aggressive water changes and skimming the cyano comes back, becasue as it dies it releases everything back into the tank.
cranberry
Active Member
All my display have macro.... caulerpa. I know it's suppose to be invasive etc etc but I have never not been able to control it in my tanks. I have no idea what I am doing different from the rest of the invasive claims, but I've been handling this stuff for years and never had a problem.
I can see a relationship between my nitrates and my macro. After we prune the macro heavily there will be a little jump in nitrates.
I can see a relationship between my nitrates and my macro. After we prune the macro heavily there will be a little jump in nitrates.
ivycharlaine
Member
well I feel like I continuously have a problem with my nitrates. Like I said I don't have a sump or refugium. If I get some macro algae will it help me? I have a 45G FOWLR tank with 45lbs of live rock. What type should I get? how much? And do I just drop it in the tank? How does this work?
G
gwhunter
Guest
Is that a scorpion fish in with the lion in the third pic? It looks really good in the well planted aquarium.
Matt
Matt
cranberry
Active Member
Ya, it's a scorp, the same guy pictured above. The 4th and 5th pic is the same tank with a year difference. We changed up the macro and just simply removed the C. racemosa. It's no where to be found in there and was easy to remove. You can see in the 4th pic the feather is only to the right where we want it. It's never a problem.
ivycharlaine
Member
Originally Posted by ivycharlaine
http:///forum/post/3117234
well I feel like I continuously have a problem with my nitrates. Like I said I don't have a sump or refugium. If I get some macro algae will it help me? I have a 45G FOWLR tank with 45lbs of live rock. What type should I get? how much? And do I just drop it in the tank? How does this work?
Anyone??
http:///forum/post/3117234
well I feel like I continuously have a problem with my nitrates. Like I said I don't have a sump or refugium. If I get some macro algae will it help me? I have a 45G FOWLR tank with 45lbs of live rock. What type should I get? how much? And do I just drop it in the tank? How does this work?
Anyone??
9supratt4
Active Member
Originally Posted by ivycharlaine
http:///forum/post/3117402
Anyone??
Any Macro whether in a sump/fuge or display tank will take in the nutrients and help with your nitrate. As Cranberry said....a lot of people have had Macro get out of control and ruin their display tanks, but as you can see from his pictures....he has a ton of macro in his DT and no problems at all.
Keep up the good work Cranberry!!
http:///forum/post/3117402
Anyone??
Any Macro whether in a sump/fuge or display tank will take in the nutrients and help with your nitrate. As Cranberry said....a lot of people have had Macro get out of control and ruin their display tanks, but as you can see from his pictures....he has a ton of macro in his DT and no problems at all.
Keep up the good work Cranberry!!