How many of you rip through your macroalgae display tank like a tornado?

[vlangel]

Hi macroalgae display tank keepers! This happens to me every 2 or 3 weeks. I think I am just going to tidy up a little and maybe clean the glass and an hour later the tank is enveloped in a cloud, corals and sometimes even rock have been moved and a fistful or more macroalgae has been ripped out of the tank.

I never mean it to be so drastic but macroalgae grow so fast in my tank that if I don't intervene I won't have any open water or negative space to enjoy. Also the coral will be infringed upon so I have just learned to accept this is part of maintaining my display. I have good flow so it always recovers quickly and no worse for wear. Is anyone else experiencing this?

 

[courtneykeeps]

Not right now, but yes lol.

 

[Doctorgori]

I tear out chunks of “ whatever” indiscriminately every month or so … mostly red/ green Ogo and assorted odd ball caulerpra

 

[DesktopDiver]

I cannot get macroalgae to grow in my tank! Wish I could

 

[rasthavis]

DesktopDiver, what are your water parameters, particularly NO3, dKh, calcium and ph? Add any plant micronutrients product ?

 

[DesktopDiver]

DesktopDiver, what are your water parameters, particularly NO3, dKh, calcium and ph? Add any plant micronutrients product ?

NO3 20 (just before a water change)
dKh 8.6
Calc 410
pH 8

I don't add any plant micronutrient products yet, maybe that's the next step.

 

[rasthavis]

Parameters look same as mine. I dose ChaetoGro according to instructions on bottle.
What do you observe if you add a macro to your tank ? What macro species ?

 

[DesktopDiver]

Parameters look same as mine. I dose ChaetoGro according to instructions on bottle.
What do you observe if you add a macro to your tank ? What macro species ?

So I have some chaeto and some dragons breath.
They seem to live, just don't grow.

 

[vlangel]

I tear out chunks of “ whatever” indiscriminately every month or so … mostly red/ green Ogo and assorted odd ball caulerpra

My fastest growing macros are green Ulva and red gracilaria hayi. I have some cheato, codium, caulerpa cupressoides and botrycladia but none of those grow anywhere near as fast as the first two I mentioned.

 

[vlangel]

I cannot get macroalgae to grow in my tank! Wish I could

I have had that in the past but my tank is going into its 9th year and so is very mature in terms of pods, detritus and such. I have a deep sandbed and I am not sure it that contributes to macro growth in anyway or not. I only dose All For Reef rather indiscriminately once a week. Before I used AFR I would dose iron, especially before I quit using RODI water as I think most of the iron was filtered out. Now I use straight tap water for top off and the occasional water change. Iron is a necessary nutrient for most macroalgae. I stay away from the calcareous macros as they need calcium and I don't think my tank has enough for them to thrive although I can grow LPS pretty well.

 

[Doctorgori]

My fastest growing macros are green Ulva and red gracilaria hayi. I have some cheato, codium, caulerpa cupressoides and botrycladia but none of those grow anywhere near as fast as the first two I mentioned.

just my sample but I have never been able to get either chaeto or ulva to play well with anything’s else. In my world either one or the other becomes dominant, with the free ranging chaeto finding its way into everything from pump shafts to socks to overflow weirs.
I only use either within the confines of a reactor

 

[JoJosReef]

I need to start ripping some of this Caulerpa peltata out it that's all I'll have.

 

[vlangel]

just my sample but I have never been able to get either chaeto or ulva to play well with anything’s else. In my world either one or the other becomes dominant, with the free ranging chaeto finding its way into everything from pump shafts to socks to overflow weirs.
I only use either within the confines of a reactor

It is a balancing act for sure. If I let the ulva or gracilaria hayi go too long, then everything else stops growing because they are sucking up all the nutrients. Even when I remove large portions they are still the macros that grow the most.

My cheato does break off and gets stuck on powerheads but it doesn't really go other places and become problematic.