Suggest a nano friendly macro algae?

[Anonymous]

Ok so I've settled on a 5.5 for my nano. I've got a low maintenance low cost setup picked out and scavenged from a lot of my old reefin supplies and now I'm considering stocking options. I'd like to toss in a bit of greenery but...

a) I don't want something that will go nuts in the tank. I would never add caulerpa again. At least, not in the display area (no sump/fuge on this setup).

b) I don't want a calcified macro like halimeda, I don't want it to compete with corals for nutrients.

... I like how maiden's hair looks but I've never kept it and can't find a good description of the species on reefkeeping.com (didn't they have an article about all kinds of macro?). Will this species spread like wildfire? If anyone has a good suggestion I'd appreciate it.

Another option is to not have any macro at all ... but I love copepods and amphipods so much, I want to give those little buggers a home to frolick and play.

Halp!
-

 

[Anonymous]

a small ball of tight bunch cheato might work. You could hide it behind the rocks some where.

Also, I don't have any macro in my dsplay tank. But I have lots of pods and mysis shrimp. tttthey hang out under the corals and rocks. No macro neeeded.

B

 

[Anonymous]

Red Kelp might work out. It doesn't attach except at the bottom so it's easier to maintain.

 

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have experience specifically with maiden's hair? I'm also interested in it for aesthetics sake. Red kelp would be a 2nd idea (thanks!) but I want the spot of green in the tank kinda like a shrub... I have fancy plans and pants to match.

Thanks!
-me

 

[Anonymous]

notttttttttttttttttttttt enough coftfetet.

b
(sorry but my T key is acting up again. . .)

 

[Nanogasm]

Hey Hwarang, I've got my eyes out for some macro as well. I'm new to reef so unfortunately I can't help you out on any suggestions.

I was on the lookout for Halimeda as I thought it was a good pick based on research off the web - controllable, and something most livestock wont munch on. But I hadn't heard of the competition with corals for nutrients part.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but question.. in a 25g tank, would a small chunk of Halimeda pose the same issue? ie.. in your tank's size, being smaller, the competition for nutrients is more of an issue...?

 

[Anonymous]

It's Calcium and Carbonate that Halimeda will consume. Keep it trimmed and it's ok but you need to be on it once a week at least. I have some of the miniature stuff in my contest nano and it's Calcium consumption is noticeable but it's really easy to trim.

 

[Anonymous]

Here's a pic of the mini-Halimeda. The Frogspawn gives an indication of the leaf size.

 

[Diana]

Its funny, i have two types of macro in my nano. Caulerpa and halimeda! Now i am worried hehe.... THe Halimeda is spreading but i love the look of little plants everywhere. I am adding calcium to the tank every few weeks, will this be enough?

I want so many types of macro but theres only so much i can do in a 5 gallon without turning it into a forest

 

[Anonymous]

o snap.

whatever species of caulerpa u have u might consider removing it before it goes buck wild. i'll never put it in a nano of mine again.

so does anyone know about maiden's hair?

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Google is your friend. Maiden's hair is fine.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... cleid=2053
http://64.73.41.105/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=659

 

[Anonymous]

yeah... i wasn't asking for links. most commercial and private sites say macro XYZ is the bomb/get it now/u love it.

im asking for people's personal experience with maiden's hair and specifically if it is just as invasive as most caulerpa species for example.

thank you for your relevant input.

 

[Diana]

Oh i have something called Red Grape... i was told it was a type of caulerpa. I havent checked into it further but so far its hardly grown....

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Maiden's hair comes on it's own rock (you knew that, I'm sure). I would imagine if you placed it away from the main rock structure you wouldn't have any issues with it overgrowing, and it would be easy enough to keep it pruned back if necessary. From what I've seen of this stuff, it doesn't grow nearly as quickly as caulerpa does. My only attempt with this plant was over 3 1/2 years ago when I stuck it into my not quite cycled first nano. It doesn't like nitrates. Dead within two weeks. I also killed a couple of shaving brush plants back then too. Dumb newbie mistakes. :roll:

 

[Jolieve]

I have now reached a point where I do not advocate the use of caulerpa. After a year of living with a very green reef tank, because weekly pruning cannot compete with the aggressive growth of feather and grape caulerpa... No. Never again.

I have grape caulerpa in my 7g nano, and it can crawl over the rocks and spread across the entire tank if left unchecked for two weeks.

No caulerpa. Caulerpa bad.

I recommend using chaeto, in a separate, homegrown fuge. Take one of the aquaclear power filters (buy the biggest one, size wise, that will fit on the back of your tank) and replace its impellar for the impellar from a smaller unit that's rated to the gallons of your system. Use the extra space you have now created as a hang-on nano fuge.

Whatever you do, I suggest keeping macroalgaes out of the main system. If you must have a plant, there are some lovely plastic ones that you can just rinse off every time you do a water change. No pruning required.

 

[Anonymous]

Hm i won't be putting any plastic plants in. and i also will not put caulerpa in ever again. it pretty much ruined my nanocube.

hhehe on top of that i tried the aquaclear filter convert to nano thing. it didn't go well. the mini impeller would not suck water up into the tube. i thought maybe the impeller was defective so i bought a 2nd. no fix. i thought maybe the ac500 was too large (this was on a 10g) for that impeller. i bought an ac300 hoping the mini impeller would be strong enough. no love. i even tried the first impeller in the ac300 as well to make sure it wasn't faulty.

i was super bummed because i like the idea of a nano HOB fuge and want one super bad.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's very strange. I just put together my second AC 70 fuge for my 2.5 gallon tank. (build found here - http://www.coralforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=6754) The first one ran for over a year before it crapped out. Sand and gunk in the impeller. I used the impeller from an AC mini. It takes a few minutes for the water to suck up into the intake tube and start flowing, but it will do it. The main chamber needs to be completely full of water. Once the flow starts, I just move the intake tube to the right a bit to adjust the flow.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I went to the LFS today over lunch to buy salty water for my new nano's first water change and I saw they had and ACmini impeller. I like how u did the baffles and grate as well, so I may be giving this another shot tonight. Woot!

 

[Anonymous]

bought an ac50 and put the mini impeller in. took the little filter media basket out and cut it apart to construct a baffle to keep macro/rubble out of the pump and used the bottom of the basket to make a grate covering the spillway. Got a clamp on 9w PC bulb for it in the closet too. This whole setup is turning out great so far.

 

[Anonymous]

I enjoy my halimeda in my makeshift fuge...i dose occasionally with kalk..since there is extremely minimal competition for Ca and Carbonate..The halimeda gets it all...Ive tried putting in the Halimeda in my main 20g but just gets eaten by whatever...usually the clowns..I think..i really have nothing in the tank i know of that will eat Halimeda..