how to grow macroalgea

[aaronbaker1]

i read an article about ways to reduce nitrates in the reef aquarium. one of the ways it said was to grow macroalgea in your refugium. i have a 46 tank with a ten gallon sump tank. i have LR and filter media in the sump right now. and i also have a hair algea problem that i have been fighting for months. i have just done a ten gallon water change with RO water. before i did the water change my nitrates were about 15 to 20 ppm. any help or advice would be appreciated.

[bertoni]

I grow Chaetomorpha in my display tanks to export nutrients, but I like macroalgae. It doesn't attach and is fairly easy to remove, though, so it might be worth trying. Otherwise, you'd need to add a lighting area to the sump or perhaps a small tank to your system to grow a macroalga. From my experience, PC lighting is fine, and T5 should be, too.

This article covers a lot of ideas on handling nitrate:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

[IPT]

Not sure if that link talks about RDSB (remote deep sand beds) but they are good for Nitrate reduction.

[aaronbaker1]

remote deep sand bed? does that just mean i need to add alot of more sand to my tank. someone tole me one day to put a sand bed in my sump but i don't really have any room.

[IPT]

Well, sort of. A DSB (deep sand bed) in the tank is one way to go. Many frown upon that because they feel that a sand bed can "crash", or that it will just be a detrius trap. Thus a RDSB is just that, a very deep sandbed (5" or more) that is somewhere in your water volume with flow across the top of it. Many people just use a 5gal bucket filled with sand. The idea is you don't want water going thru it because that would bring it oxygen. It is the lack of oxygen (thus the depth needed) that allows anaerobic bacteria (I think) to break down the Nitrates. Since it is "remote", it's a lot easier to take off line than having it in your tank if something goes awry.

FWIW, I have never had a Nitrate problem. I don'y use a DSB but I have always had rather large clams in my systems (I have a 10" Derasa currently). I think they will use Nitrates, but I am not 100% certain about that.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The article does talk about sand beds, but not specifically whether they are remote or not. The principle is the same. FWIW, results with RDSB seem mixed. IMO, macroalgae is a better bet as it removes phosphate and metals as well, but there is nothing wrong with using both (I have both deep sand beds and macroalgae).

[mikesommers]

I use both RDSB and macro. I have had great luck so far!

[aaronbaker1]

my sump isnt very big and i don't have alot of room under my tank for something else to grow the algea in.

[reefpour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12045643#post12045643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
I grow Chaetomorpha in my display tanks to export nutrients, but I like macroalgae.

Is chaetomorpha not considered a macro algae?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes it is. I presume Jonathan means that he likes the look of it, so for that reason has it in his main tank. :)

[bertoni]

I have warped esthetics. :)

[lastduke]

i am little confused, when I set up the sump, I remember I heard I should go with bare bottom without any sand for microalgae/Cheato. and all my cheato died, now i am in the second try with higher flow rate. Do I need to put sand in now?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Sand is not necessary to grow macroalgae, but if you want to have a deep sand bed in it, then yes, add sand. There are various opinions on it.

I have deep sand in some refugia, and none in others. I'm not sure what effects it has on the tank system. Clearly the macroalgae takes the brunt of the load in my system.

[lastduke]

Thanks Randy, I dont want DSB, too hard to be a good filtration, also, it is too close to my return pump, the sand will be shot back my display tank.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OK.

Good luck. :)