Refugium Question - Help

bmallia82 · 01/29/2009, 02:31 PM

I have recently got my sump/refugium going. The second chamber lies my refugium with miracle mud and microalgae. I noticed that recently there was so much of this growing up at the top that

1 - the flow wasnt as strong

2 - when i moved the plants around underneath the top 4 inches or so the plants were actually white.

What do i do with that... how often should i be removing these plants??

IslandCrow · 01/29/2009, 02:50 PM

I assume by plants you mean macroalgae (there are very few saltwater plants), but you'll occasionally need to trim back your algae. If it's chaetomorpha, that's pretty easy. You just grab a handful and rip it off from the bundle. Then, you can either just throw it away or give it to someone else who would like to start up a refugium. If we're talking Caulerpa, you definitely want to trim that on a regular basis. Otherwise, there is a chance it will sporulate, which can quickly deprive your tank of oxygen and cause all sorts of problems. When I had Caulerpa, I had to cut it back every couple of weeks. With Chaeto, it's only been every couple of months. All macroalgaes grow at different rates in different tanks, though, so the real answer (except in the case of Caulerpa that has to be pruned regularly) is whenever you think you have too much.

qfrisco · 01/29/2009, 05:49 PM

+1 what IslandCrow said, but additionally, turn it over regularly in your tank. My chaeto grows so quickly I have to harvest a handful almost weekly. While I do that, I go ahead and flip the bunch over so what was underneath now gets a chance at some light.

stricknine · 01/29/2009, 05:57 PM

may also be halimeda. Due to its high calcium requirements it turns white when it dies. Requires good cal and alk levels to do well, but a good macro algae.

http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/halimeda.htm

01/29/2009, 02:31 PM	#1
bmallia82 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NY Posts: 242	Refugium Question - Help I have recently got my sump/refugium going. The second chamber lies my refugium with miracle mud and microalgae. I noticed that recently there was so much of this growing up at the top that 1 - the flow wasnt as strong 2 - when i moved the plants around underneath the top 4 inches or so the plants were actually white. What do i do with that... how often should i be removing these plants??

01/29/2009, 02:50 PM	#2
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	I assume by plants you mean macroalgae (there are very few saltwater plants), but you'll occasionally need to trim back your algae. If it's chaetomorpha, that's pretty easy. You just grab a handful and rip it off from the bundle. Then, you can either just throw it away or give it to someone else who would like to start up a refugium. If we're talking Caulerpa, you definitely want to trim that on a regular basis. Otherwise, there is a chance it will sporulate, which can quickly deprive your tank of oxygen and cause all sorts of problems. When I had Caulerpa, I had to cut it back every couple of weeks. With Chaeto, it's only been every couple of months. All macroalgaes grow at different rates in different tanks, though, so the real answer (except in the case of Caulerpa that has to be pruned regularly) is whenever you think you have too much. __________________ All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. Current Tank Info: I have a reef screen saver on my phone, does that count?

01/29/2009, 05:49 PM	#3
qfrisco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Area Posts: 1,389	+1 what IslandCrow said, but additionally, turn it over regularly in your tank. My chaeto grows so quickly I have to harvest a handful almost weekly. While I do that, I go ahead and flip the bunch over so what was underneath now gets a chance at some light.

01/29/2009, 05:57 PM	#4
stricknine Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Up North Posts: 989	may also be halimeda. Due to its high calcium requirements it turns white when it dies. Requires good cal and alk levels to do well, but a good macro algae. http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/halimeda.htm