novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Display refugiums are always kind of nice to see, but you should remember that an aquarium fuge usually gets dirty pretty quickly. I always felt like that was sort of the point - the fuge can get "dirty" with some funky algae so the main tank stays cleaner. Since I'm a fan of 'fuges, it never bothers me to see a weedy 'fuge.....as long as it's not overrun by fish mulm and debris, it's "pretty" to me.
If you're wanting to propagate different types of macroalgae, you're in luck. Chaetomorpha may not do exactly what you're hoping it will do, but there are plenty of different kinds of Caulerpa that may fit the bill. Look for C. prolifera or C. mexicana.... I have C. racemosa in my tank, which is pretty nice but it tends to be very "clingy" to the rock and occasionally the coral. I don't think you're going to find honest-to-goodness Kelp species, since they are protected by law and require a VERY cold tank to grow, but some of the above mentioned Caulerpa species will grow in vertical strands if you aquascape them correctly. If you want some color variety, you could look at a red Botryocladia species or the brown Sargassum macros that are often for sale. Look for the kind that is anchored to a substrate rather than the floating stuff. If you google "macroalgae for sale" there are a number of reputable dealers that are listed in the top sections.
Since many seahorses in Florida are found associated with the grass flats near shore, I've always been tempted to start a planted seagrass tank. I just worry because of the difficulty level I've read about regarding them. Seagrasses are not true macroalgaes, and many are considered somewhat advanced for the common hobbyist. I don't know what kind you found, but be aware that many kinds need a deep, almost muddy sandbed to thrive. I've read that shoal grass can live in regular sand bed applications, though.
As for your fuge, I'd probably go with the 20g long. Seems like it would be easier to subdivide with partitions than the curved glass of a biocube, right?
If you're wanting to propagate different types of macroalgae, you're in luck. Chaetomorpha may not do exactly what you're hoping it will do, but there are plenty of different kinds of Caulerpa that may fit the bill. Look for C. prolifera or C. mexicana.... I have C. racemosa in my tank, which is pretty nice but it tends to be very "clingy" to the rock and occasionally the coral. I don't think you're going to find honest-to-goodness Kelp species, since they are protected by law and require a VERY cold tank to grow, but some of the above mentioned Caulerpa species will grow in vertical strands if you aquascape them correctly. If you want some color variety, you could look at a red Botryocladia species or the brown Sargassum macros that are often for sale. Look for the kind that is anchored to a substrate rather than the floating stuff. If you google "macroalgae for sale" there are a number of reputable dealers that are listed in the top sections.
Since many seahorses in Florida are found associated with the grass flats near shore, I've always been tempted to start a planted seagrass tank. I just worry because of the difficulty level I've read about regarding them. Seagrasses are not true macroalgaes, and many are considered somewhat advanced for the common hobbyist. I don't know what kind you found, but be aware that many kinds need a deep, almost muddy sandbed to thrive. I've read that shoal grass can live in regular sand bed applications, though.
As for your fuge, I'd probably go with the 20g long. Seems like it would be easier to subdivide with partitions than the curved glass of a biocube, right?
