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StephLionfish
07/24/2011, 07:41 PM
I'm setting up a mantis shrimp tank, and I'd like Macro algae growing in there...
What's the best Macro for a display tank? I had some in another tank once that started making this white film stuff and it would break and then attach and....it was an absolute mess.

Is there a Macro algae that won't go crazy? That, if I ever want it out of my tank, I can take it out w/o having to get down and dirty ( err, salty )?

Does Macro algae have to have lights on 24/7? Or can I turn lights off at night time?

I don't like the look of the stuff that looks like green hair...

Is having Macro a constant trim thing that I have to stay on top of?

skabooya
07/25/2011, 01:57 PM
Do you want macro as a nutrient export?
Decorative macros are easy to remove. The easiest are the ones that dont attach to your rock however they tend to tumble around everywhere and break apart. The slower growing ones like red bubble are very nice, grow slowly and are very easy to remove. Stay away from calpura sp. I have 2 types growing in my tank. I think they are beautiful but they do take over and need to be trimmed often or they will cover everything alive in there.

No lights do not need to be on 24/7. I have mine on for 10 hours a day. No moonlights or anything.

You need to research the species. But if you dont want to "get down and dirty" then try slower growing species or free floating/tumble algae or both. You will have to keep your nutrients high enough though that your macro doesnt starve and go sexual. Really it wont be that high. It needs to stay at about 5ppm nitrates minimum.

reefcleaners
07/25/2011, 08:54 PM
With the possible exception of some caulerpa species like skabooya mentioned, macros are generally slow growing enough to keep up with just a few minutes each month of trimming back. Some caulerpa species, like Caulerpa cusspresoides is a slow grower, in all of its variations. Calcified algae tend to grow at a manageable pace, especially calcified reds.

StephLionfish
07/26/2011, 12:46 PM
Well, I was wanting something green....something that sways with the flow.

I was also wanting something that helps with nitrates. How do I keep the nutrients high? Won't that hurt the mantis shrimp?

The ones that attach to a rock, do they have to be on a rock? Or can they be attached to the sand?

skabooya
07/26/2011, 11:14 PM
something green that sways with the flow would be calpura prolifera. I love it and it sways very easily. Looks like jungle vals from freshwater planted tanks. It does spread FAST but not as fast as some of the really nasty calpura. Its also easier to remove because its easier to see and grab a hold of.

You can keep nutrients high by overfeeding or dosing nutrients like KNO3, trace, amino acids, calcium, alk, etc
It wont hurt the mantis unless your nutrient levels are very very high. The macro will suck them up so your nutrient levels will be undetectable most of the time and you will need to dose more. To make sure BUY A TEST KIT AND TEST OFTEN until your used to things.

Some macro that attacks to the rock needs to be attached to the rock, some can go in either rock or sand but they will migrate to either one anyway so it really doesnt matter. And some do best in sand only. And some just like to be tumbled and dont like to grow on rock or in sand. They just want to float around. It depends on the species and what you want.

StephLionfish
07/26/2011, 11:44 PM
If it lives off of the bad stuff, then how will it survive with the clean water that is water changes? ( Sorry, I'm newbie with macro algae)

I had some of that stuff....in my tank once. It started making this white film stuff everywhere and I ripped it out and threw it away ( the tangs where making a mess with it anyways) What happened? And will it happen with any of them and crash my tank?? I almost wanna stay away from it...terrible sight it was when I got home to a white film filled tank...

I saw this one stuff in someone's tank once...it was green, and each "stalk " was long and looked like a green bristle worm kind of...it was on the rocks. Any idea on what that was and if it's "good/bad"?

Also, pics would help please :)

I don't think my mantis can have strong lighting...so does that wipe out my options with macro algae? I was thinking three T5's. Two blues and a white....or the other way around. ( It's a 20g High btw)

skabooya
07/28/2011, 11:15 AM
if you want lower lighting then your options would be to stay with some of the reds. They do the best with lower lights, however there are a few species of red that like higher light. And of course calpura doesnt really mind lower light either lol.

As for the white film, I have never heard of it. Macro algae can go sexual if your nutrients bottom out. Thats why you need to keep them at a min of 5ppm nitrates. Water changes are fine, in macro tanks WC dont need to be done that often because they absorb the nutrients. Water changes help to remove nutrients, essentially doing the same as a water change. The only reason to do a waterchange is to replace/replenish minerals and vitamins that can be used up by the life in your aquarium. I havent changed the water in my tank for 4 months- ish (I will be doing one soon though) and all my params are awsome.
Nutrients or the bad stuff as you call it comes from dissolved food, decomposing poop, respiration, etc.

Hopefully someone chimes in about the white film.

Plantbrain
07/28/2011, 02:08 PM
something green that sways with the flow would be calpura prolifera. You can keep nutrients high by overfeeding or dosing nutrients like KNO3, trace, amino acids, calcium, alk, etc
It wont hurt the mantis unless your nutrient levels are very very high. The macro will suck them up so your nutrient levels will be undetectable most of the time and you will need to dose more. To make sure BUY A TEST KIT AND TEST OFTEN until your used to things.

Some macro that attacks to the rock needs to be attached to the rock, some can go in either rock or sand but they will migrate to either one anyway so it really doesnt matter. And some do best in sand only. And some just like to be tumbled and dont like to grow on rock or in sand. They just want to float around. It depends on the species and what you want.

+1 for this macro alga, really easy to keep and good looking.

StephLionfish
07/28/2011, 05:07 PM
Does that kind want to be attached to the rock? I was thinking about lining rubble along the back of the tank and letting it grow like a wall...if that would work

StephLionfish
07/29/2011, 09:24 AM
How about stuff like this?
http://live-plants.com/feather.htm

I like the way it looks....and if grows tall, i like it even more.

jarrod13
07/29/2011, 01:53 PM
i have a fu man chu\ mantis 28 bowfront with a good amount of macro in it. i agree the prolifera is a great choice, and mine has always done better growing across the sand, as you can see. i used to have the majority of mexicana but that stuff grows like crazy and started going sexual so i yanked it out, now i only keep a small patch of it and i keep it in control. i also have some red ulva, which you can see on the sand in the middle, to the immediate right of that there is a small patch of codium, to the immediate right of that is a even smaller patch of Halymenia, then on the far right side is a nice bush of Halimeda, and some more prolifera behind that. there's also a small ball (about baseball size) of cheato behind the prolifera on the left.

here's a fts
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/37e72496.jpg

here's my fu playing in the forrest
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/a334b201.jpg
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/fa4e4f2b.jpg
this shot you can see some mexicana growing in with the prolifera
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/1055105b.jpg
and here he is hanging out under his new favorite spot, under the mangroves
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/7b2bf35a.jpg

hope this helps

StephLionfish
07/29/2011, 11:13 PM
Thanks for the pics! That's a gorgeous Fu you have there! Too cute him playing in the macro :inlove:

What's the stuff in the front on the left? It's in the sand, and I think it's the stuff your Fu was sitting in. Is that the Prolifera? Where would I get some of that?

Also, if you don't mind, would you tell me what your lighting is? How many T5's and the fixture? Please :bigeyes:

jarrod13
07/30/2011, 09:23 AM
Thanks!! One of my favorite lions I've had.

The front left is prolifera, and yes that's what he was playing in. Great stuff, definitely become one of my favorite macros, I love how tight it grows together like grass, and like I said mine seems to like the sand much more. I got mine from a fellow reefer who got rid of his fuge, but it's pretty readily available around here so I dont know where to get it online.

4x24w t5ho, cheap fixture from eBay, but it turned out to be pretty nice, has a built in timer. The bulbs I run in all my t5 serums is 3x ATI blue plus and 1x GE 6500k

Glazner
07/30/2011, 11:57 AM
beautiful tank!!

jarrod13
07/30/2011, 02:26 PM
Thanks glazner!

Steph, where are you located, I'm breaking down my 220 and have a whole crap load of it in there.

StephLionfish
07/30/2011, 08:21 PM
Well, I think I'm just a tad bit far for a visit... I'm in East Tennessee. :\

How tall does that stuff get?

Oh, and your welcome :) I love Fu's...but never had one myself.

jarrod13
08/01/2011, 07:02 AM
mine seems to only grow a few inches, maybe 4". the mexicana on the other hand grows pretty tall, in my 220 it got well over a foot

StephLionfish
08/01/2011, 08:54 PM
Hm....so now I just gotta find it. So, just stick it in the sand and wah-lah? Two T5's, ( will that be enough?) and don't let the nutrients get low.