Macroalgae taking over tank?

badmeowth

Reefing newb
Hi, my 65 has been up and running for a few months now. Been battling a hair algae problem, and its finally starting to go away after running phosphate remover, RO/DI, and buying a CUC.

However, I noticed something funny growing on one of my rocks today. Looks like a freaking houseplant you would find in a freshwater aquarium...with leaves and everything. Is this macroalgae, and will it take over coralline algae if left alone? I got a refugium in my sump and was wondering if I should move this in there ASAP

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As long as you can control it,then it'll just help you excess nutrients.Or you can put that rock in the fuge.Plus a lot of fish,like rabbit fish,love to munch on it.
 
Looks like caulerpa to me along with some hair algae.

Hi, my 65 has been up and running for a few months now. Been battling a hair algae problem, and its finally starting to go away after running phosphate remover, RO/DI, and buying a CUC.

However, I noticed something funny growing on one of my rocks today. Looks like a freaking houseplant you would find in a freshwater aquarium...with leaves and everything. Is this macroalgae, and will it take over coralline algae if left alone? I got a refugium in my sump and was wondering if I should move this in there ASAP

004.jpg
 
Yep, the leafy stuff is caulerpa, which is a great nutrient exporter (macroalgaes are), but will take over your main tank if left unchecked. I'd remove as much as possible and put it in the refugium, where it will help out.
 
I know some SPS keepers who use macro algae in the display to compete for nutrients, if you trim the algae it should be fine and will keep the water cleaner, but some people don't want to deal with that. A pair of pliers works well for grabbing it out of there, it should take too long to get rid of the majority, every day get a little more and soon it will be good and gone.
 
No plants in my tanks. They would even expect to be fed fish poop. I do not do fish in my coral tanks either. Fish only, or corals only. I would rather not even grow macro algae in a sump, but I can no longer ethically use invertebrates as nutrient exporters and just throw them in the toilet as I have done in the past. Nor do I want to do away with the oxygen produced by the macro algae grown at night in my sumps. It does not bother me emotionally/ethically to throw away macro algae.
 
I add Selcon to all feeding of live foods that will be utilized as feed for my corals. With small cultured organisms it can just be added to the water with larger organisms it is cheaper to sack their food in the Selcon, but it can just be added to their water as most culture containers are not large. Argent Chemicals is soon supposed to start selling amino acid food supplements in bulk.
 
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