All the macros are gone

[EdKruzel]

Well I've checked every site I could find and the links in the "Where to buy" thread are all but useless now. Anybody know who still carries some nice macros? The only thing I ran across was a few cheato and halimeda offers.

[jun_celis]

I 'm just curious as to what kind of macros do you have in mind?

[EdKruzel]

Some dragon's tongue, green and red grape, feather, red kelp, almost anything that is ornamental but also effective with nutrient export. I'm not interested in anything free floating like cheato, it's for the main tank and I don't need it blowing around or trying to lodge it under rocks. Some racemosa would be nice since the holdfasts will branch out under the sand and help with my DSB.

[urville]

you can get some of what your looking for from blue zoo aquatics.

this place moved and wont ship till june but:
http://live-plants.com/

I've been looking for sea grasses and that last link is the only place I've found them. Until I start growing them myself.

This is the only link so far with that much diversity.
or here:
look under macroalgae on the right side, the Tang heaven Packs
http://www.ipsf.com/

[St.james of reefdom]

reef cleaners

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

[Eklikewhoa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12474048#post12474048 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by St.james of reefdom
reef cleaners

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34


+1 for reefcleaners!

[3D-Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12461355#post12461355 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EdKruzel
Some dragon's tongue, green and red grape, feather, red kelp, almost anything that is ornamental but also effective with nutrient export. I'm not interested in anything free floating like cheato, it's for the main tank and I don't need it blowing around or trying to lodge it under rocks. Some racemosa would be nice since the holdfasts will branch out under the sand and help with my DSB.

If it's going to be in the DT,then I would advise against having racemosa,aka green grape.It can be very invasive and get out of hand pretty fast.Also it will not "branch out UNDER the sand".If anything it will cause the sand to become anoxic,because it's holdfasts will cause the sand to lump together on top of it.Only a true seagrass will root under the sand.Halophila (paddle grass) would make a real nice addition to a DT.BTW If You find some let Me know where You found it.
;)

[urville]

What about:
enhalus acoroides
syringodium isoetifolium
halodule uninervis
halodule pinifolia

Is this okay for the main display?

[rivoth]

You are talking about four different types of sea grasses Urville. I'd love to hear how it comes out.

[urville]

Yeah i wanted some variation in the look... but i wondered if they were at all bad harmful, or toxic alone, or only to each other.

I suppose I'll need to use some sort of mud under the sand? or can you keep grasses in an inch of fine sand?

[lancer99]

AFAIK all seagrasses are compatible. The Caribbean species of Halodule & Syringodium need more like 4" of fine substrate, so I would suspect the species you mention are similar. Dunno about enhalus.

Unfortunately my Halodule died off when I tried to move it :(

-R

[Diatome]

You will want some depth to the sand for any seagrasses. Less depth is needed for some plants that send out runners but I find macros that need a substrate do better with a deep sand bed.

Definitely check out reefcleaners. Just got some snails and hermits and some macro yesterday from John.

[urville]

man i dont want a deep sand bad... thats a deal breaker right there... is that like they will die if not? Or just not be as prolific?

[EdKruzel]

Sea grasses won't live without deep sand, and I wouldn't do a tank without a DSB unless it was for a specific species not suitable for confinement with deep sand fauna.

[ClamIAm]

Back to the original topic, I'd have to agree that many of the links on the "where to buy marine plants" thread are outdated. It would seem that marine plant suppliers must not have a very stable income source...must set up more planted tanks to create demand.

[cocoaandme]

What about dragon's tongue? I haven't seen that anywhere either! And it's an awesome macro!

[EdKruzel]

I picked up some cheato and a red macro but they didn't have any sea grass that I want for a larger tank. The cheato will probably be in the tank for a week or so before I chuck it; I only want the fauna that should be arriving in it.

[graveyardworm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12561981#post12561981 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ClamIAm
Back to the original topic, I'd have to agree that many of the links on the "where to buy marine plants" thread are outdated. It would seem that marine plant suppliers must not have a very stable income source...must set up more planted tanks to create demand.

I wouldnt say the links are outdated. They were all good sources for quite a few years, and even as recently as last fall were good. For some reason it seems most of them have given up on algae. Even an Ebay vendor I had bought stuff from in the past has closed shop. Strange and kinda disturbing. A phone call to the vendors would probably result in more success. It may be just a case of websites that need updating.

[cocoaandme]

Why are they giving up on algae? Is it because not enough people are into macroalgae tanks? If so that's a shame. I think macroalgae tanks are the tanks of the future!

[graveyardworm]

One reason is season. Many of the macros are collected and are likely only found in abundance at certain times of year. Also temps for shipping plays a big role, most alga are suprisingly sensative to temp swings, and then there's the cost of overnight shipping. I think most people arent willing to pay the shipping costs for an algae.

[cocoaandme]

That's a shame. But I thought most of those algae were aquacultured, especialy things like red grape, string of pearls and halymenia.

[graveyardworm]

In some cases yes, but its time consuming and there's maintenance costs. With the growth rates bieng somewhat slow its much easier and cheaper to collect and sell.