Hardy Macro Algae

[Sea_Dawg]

What are some hardy macro algae that I can use in a refugium, and/or in my future 10 gallon reef. If you can tell the me the general watts per gallon for the types of algae you list that would be very helpfull.

 

[Sea_Dawg]

Almost forgot,
does it need 50/50 lighting?

 

[reefman23]

Most people use Cheato because it does not go sexual. aslo, you dont need 50/50, actually it prefers 6,500k to 10,000k lighting.

 

[skipm]

Chaetomorpha, Gracillara, or Ochtodes are the best choices because they don't go sexual and crash on you. The chaetomorpha is going to probably be the easiest to get, it is on Ebay all of the time and offered on most reefclub boards. You may also be able to get your LFS to get some in for you. Lighting as already mentioned is basically any kind of "daylight" lighting. One of the popular lighting methods is with one os these bulbs: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 004+113346 . I have eprsonally used this fixture on a 2 1/2 gallon nano I had set up about 2 years ago and it worked out great: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 004+113345 , I used the Palm light. HTH, Skip

 

[Sea_Dawg]

Thanks!

 

[Sea_Dawg]

Most people use Cheato because it does not go sexual

What does this mean and why is it bad? Is there ways to prevent other macroalgae from going sexual?

 

[drty811]

i keep halimeda in my 15 tall, and have had it in all my reef tanks. calipera, getts out of control but if you keep it in a fuge you can control it. cheato 's good .....never kept it though, just heard.HTH

 

[reefman23]

When some macros, such as grape caulerpa (one of the best at exporting nitrates), "go sexual", they fade, turn to mush, then release germ cells along with other undesirable nutrients. Frequent pruning/harvesting can generally keep this in check.

 

[skipm]

There are a few things that can help keep the macros from going sexual, things like a reverse daylight lighting schedule (refugium lights on when tank lights are off and vice versa), other have used a 24/7 lighting schedule for their refugium with success as well but I think the macros tend to loose alot of growth since they are always trying to grow and never get a period of darkness to rest. There have been some instances of going sexual after temp problems or after water changes where a pH shift was caused by improperly mixed saltwater (the pH in both tank and change water didn't match). IMO the easiest way to prevent the macro from going sexual is to choose a macro that is not prone to do so. HTH, Skip