what kind of algae to put in refugium?

dviper150 · 04/01/2010, 12:17 PM

I was planning on setting up a 29 gallon with a DSB, live rock, and chaeto. Are their is anything else I can put in the refugium to help with nutrient export? I was thinking of adding maybe 20 magroves in there too. Anything else that would be beneficial. I am trying to make the filtration system on my tank as natural as possible. Thanks for the help.

spw4949 · 04/01/2010, 12:31 PM

Mangroves won't really do much as far as nutrient export is concerned as they are very slow growing, most people use chaeto, I personally use caulerpa, grows 5X faster & is much better at nutrient export, I'm sure many people will argue/disagree but that's just my personal preference...

dviper150 · 04/01/2010, 12:39 PM

I also read online that a lot of people use caulerpa as well. I tried looking for that on bza and la but I'm sure they carry that.

Tswifty · 04/01/2010, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spw4949

Mangroves won't really do much as far as nutrient export is concerned as they are very slow growing, most people use chaeto, I personally use caulerpa, grows 5X faster & is much better at nutrient export, I'm sure many people will argue/disagree but that's just my personal preference...

Don't think you'll find many people will disagree with you. Caulerpa just carries the risk of going sexual that Chaetomorpha does not. I've used both and personally felt caulerpa exported nutrients better than chaeto. I even experimented with both in the refugium, and found that the caulerpa outcompeted the chaeto. However, I eventually switched to chaeto, because I no longer felt like risking a potential tank crash, or having something capable of crashing my tank in it when there are alternatives available.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/nftt/index.php

DeepFreeze · 04/01/2010, 12:56 PM

That is the same reason I use chaeto. I have been using it for years and the only problem has been trimming it constantly.

dviper150 · 04/01/2010, 01:11 PM

After reading that article, I will steer away from the caulerpa. Is Chaeto the only algae used for nutrient export or are there other ones too besides the mangroves? How much should I add to the 29 gallon tank. Can I fill it up with chaeto or should I start with a small amount and let that grow?

spw4949 · 04/01/2010, 01:16 PM

Scroll down on this page and read the grape caulerpa thread......

dviper150 · 04/01/2010, 02:41 PM

what about the Penicillus sp. or Ulva sp.? Will they help? or they also go sexual like the Caulerpa?

04/01/2010, 12:17 PM	#1
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	what kind of algae to put in refugium? I was planning on setting up a 29 gallon with a DSB, live rock, and chaeto. Are their is anything else I can put in the refugium to help with nutrient export? I was thinking of adding maybe 20 magroves in there too. Anything else that would be beneficial. I am trying to make the filtration system on my tank as natural as possible. Thanks for the help. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

04/01/2010, 12:31 PM	#2
spw4949 Registered Member. Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Albany, N.Y. Posts: 1,594	Mangroves won't really do much as far as nutrient export is concerned as they are very slow growing, most people use chaeto, I personally use caulerpa, grows 5X faster & is much better at nutrient export, I'm sure many people will argue/disagree but that's just my personal preference... __________________ Steve Current Tank Info: 46 gal bowfront, mixed reef, 2x250W current outer orbit w/4x39W T5 ,10 gal fuge....38 gallon aggressive FOWLR, 10 gallon sump.

04/01/2010, 12:39 PM	#3
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	I also read online that a lot of people use caulerpa as well. I tried looking for that on bza and la but I'm sure they carry that. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

04/01/2010, 01:11 PM	#6
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	After reading that article, I will steer away from the caulerpa. Is Chaeto the only algae used for nutrient export or are there other ones too besides the mangroves? How much should I add to the 29 gallon tank. Can I fill it up with chaeto or should I start with a small amount and let that grow? __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

04/01/2010, 01:16 PM	#7
spw4949 Registered Member. Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Albany, N.Y. Posts: 1,594	Scroll down on this page and read the grape caulerpa thread...... __________________ Steve Current Tank Info: 46 gal bowfront, mixed reef, 2x250W current outer orbit w/4x39W T5 ,10 gal fuge....38 gallon aggressive FOWLR, 10 gallon sump.

04/01/2010, 12:56 PM	#5
DeepFreeze Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 54	That is the same reason I use chaeto. I have been using it for years and the only problem has been trimming it constantly.

04/01/2010, 02:41 PM	#8
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	what about the Penicillus sp. or Ulva sp.? Will they help? or they also go sexual like the Caulerpa? __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out. Last edited by dviper150; 04/01/2010 at 03:18 PM.