Downsides to MACRO ALGAE in a SMALLER TANK?

dnguyen1 · 06/27/2008, 01:26 PM

Hi guys, I have read about the benfits of having macro in a tank, am curious if there might be any downsides in my tank.

I have a 25g that's been established for a few years now, however there have definitely been more DOWNS than UPS w/ it.

Now my tank is back up and running solid and clean... am curious if I should throw some CHAETO in my AQUAFUGE 70.

My concern is having it take up TOO much of the nutrients? Can that by chance be detrimental to my detrivores and my clean up crew?

I am afraid I'd have no algae one day and my turbo snails would die.

Please advise, thanks

reverendmaynard · 06/27/2008, 02:02 PM

I would say that unless you NEVER feed the tank, for months and months, the amount of macro you can grow in HOT fuge couldn't possibly take up too many nutrients to the point where your clean up crew would be effected. In fact, I have a 29g with a HOT fuge with chaeto in it AND a major hair algae outbreak right now in my living room.

FranktheTankTx · 06/27/2008, 03:52 PM

And what would you say caused the hair algae outbreak?

I have never had a hair algae outbreak... knock on wood.

acceler8 · 06/27/2008, 04:13 PM

I had to remove all the Feather Caulerpa from my 5.5 nano. Granted I have a rather unique setup, though. Coral only, no fish, no real inverts, and NO food. It's been running for almost 5 years. When I first added the Caulerpa it was three fronds. It rapidly expanded to over 15 fronds before I cut it back. It grew a little more, and then stopped. All my Zoa's started looking rough. I tried everything, new test kits, additives, even spot feeding with coral food. Took out all the Caulerpa, and now 2 weeks later everything is coming back. This took place over about 4 months. I agree with the post above, in a normal system with fish, food, and poo the macro algae does great.

Venetia · 06/27/2008, 04:56 PM

I had macro in my 10G and it took it over. Clogged everything up, was a real headache. I've now got it in my 29G sump. I added a light and it's doing great. Lots of cleanup critters in it. I started with a handful and now have a basketballs worth. My water tests perfect everytime, and I have no bad algae.

reverendmaynard · 06/27/2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FranktheTankTx
And what would you say caused the hair algae outbreak?

I have never had a hair algae outbreak... knock on wood.

A whole host of problems. Not enough flow. Not enough skimmer. Overfeeding. Crushed coral substrate. Old bulbs. Insufficient clean-up crew.

It was a seahorse tank but the seahorses are no more, so I'm breaking it down and adding a 55g to my 125g main tank. That one's a real reef tank, with no HA

Here's the thread I started on the expansion...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1420001

xJake · 06/27/2008, 08:34 PM

You should be fine running cheato in a HOB fuge. If you have fish and feed regularly there is really no way it will strip nutrients from the tank enough to cause harm to your animals.

IslandCrow · 06/27/2008, 09:32 PM

You'd be hard pressed to find any tank out there (except a completely empty one) with a lower nutrient level than most natural reefs. Such a small fuge probably won't have a huge effect either way, but it certainly won't hurt.

06/27/2008, 01:26 PM	#1
dnguyen1 Will work for fish Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 910	Downsides to MACRO ALGAE in a SMALLER TANK? Hi guys, I have read about the benfits of having macro in a tank, am curious if there might be any downsides in my tank. I have a 25g that's been established for a few years now, however there have definitely been more DOWNS than UPS w/ it. Now my tank is back up and running solid and clean... am curious if I should throw some CHAETO in my AQUAFUGE 70. My concern is having it take up TOO much of the nutrients? Can that by chance be detrimental to my detrivores and my clean up crew? I am afraid I'd have no algae one day and my turbo snails would die. Please advise, thanks

06/27/2008, 02:02 PM	#2
reverendmaynard Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: RI Posts: 1,490	I would say that unless you NEVER feed the tank, for months and months, the amount of macro you can grow in HOT fuge couldn't possibly take up too many nutrients to the point where your clean up crew would be effected. In fact, I have a 29g with a HOT fuge with chaeto in it AND a major hair algae outbreak right now in my living room. __________________ Think for yourself. Question authority. Current Tank Info: 125 gal AGA, setup on 1/1/06; 29 gal seahorse tank, setup 10/21/06

06/27/2008, 03:52 PM	#3
FranktheTankTx Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 2,306	And what would you say caused the hair algae outbreak? I have never had a hair algae outbreak... knock on wood. __________________ Frank the Tank "What, I thought we were in the trust tree... in the nest? Are we not?" Current Tank Info: Custom Rimless 60g (30.5"x24.5"x18.5")

06/27/2008, 04:13 PM	#4
acceler8 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Atlanta Posts: 53	I had to remove all the Feather Caulerpa from my 5.5 nano. Granted I have a rather unique setup, though. Coral only, no fish, no real inverts, and NO food. It's been running for almost 5 years. When I first added the Caulerpa it was three fronds. It rapidly expanded to over 15 fronds before I cut it back. It grew a little more, and then stopped. All my Zoa's started looking rough. I tried everything, new test kits, additives, even spot feeding with coral food. Took out all the Caulerpa, and now 2 weeks later everything is coming back. This took place over about 4 months. I agree with the post above, in a normal system with fish, food, and poo the macro algae does great. __________________ "You are you, but who am I" 5.5G Nano Reef at Work 29G Main Tank at Home - down in flames....

06/27/2008, 04:56 PM	#5
Venetia Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indy Posts: 57	I had macro in my 10G and it took it over. Clogged everything up, was a real headache. I've now got it in my 29G sump. I added a light and it's doing great. Lots of cleanup critters in it. I started with a handful and now have a basketballs worth. My water tests perfect everytime, and I have no bad algae. __________________ I don't have a solution but I admire the problem." Current Tank Info: 10g, 20g and 29g Nano Reef Tanks. Various Freshwater.

06/27/2008, 08:34 PM	#7
xJake Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,385	You should be fine running cheato in a HOB fuge. If you have fish and feed regularly there is really no way it will strip nutrients from the tank enough to cause harm to your animals.

06/27/2008, 09:32 PM	#8
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	You'd be hard pressed to find any tank out there (except a completely empty one) with a lower nutrient level than most natural reefs. Such a small fuge probably won't have a huge effect either way, but it certainly won't hurt. __________________ 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?