Marine plants in tank?

chiqui bb

chiqui bb

Reefing newb
Anyone have experience with putting plants in their tank? My LFS has some in theirs and I like the way they look. Gives the tank a more natural look and also adds more places for the fish to hang out. I didn't ask the LFS what they were but based on visual identification, it looks like Aponogeton Undulatus. pictures of aponogeton ulvaceus - Google Images

LFS tells me the plants will help with nitrates but I wonder if there is a down side.....
 
Okay, I have done some more research and I don't think it's Aponogeton Undulatus. Looks more like Caulerpa Prolifera. I'm reading about these plants going "asexual". What does that mean?!

Picasso, you out there?
 
it means they they dkie and release all their spores and all their chlloriphill (SP) into the tank along with all the other nutrients they absorbed. i use ti have some for a long time until it all judt died overnight. my tank turned to a milky greenish white color. i thisnk the deal with it is not to let it overgrow and keep it trimmed down and pruned try to keep most all of it new growth
 
i keep calurpa in my fuge, and i havent had any problems at all keeping it alive, or keeping it happy, it just wants decent flow and 24/7 light... the guy that turned me onto it told me about the asexual thing, and he said that in all the years that he's kept it in his fuge, the only time he's had a problem was when he started out with it and had it on a light cycle, and not 24/7 light... now that his light on his fuge is on all the time, hes been good to go for years...

well, i've had some in my tank since i started out back in march, or there abouts, and i havent had any problems keeping it alive, healthy and thriving, and all i have is flow, and a elcheapo clamp-on light from homedepot and a 2700K mini spiral cf light.

what i have is calurpa prolifera...
 

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I have plants in my tank. Lots of them. What do you want to know? There are some plants you want to avoid and they DO help with nitrates!

Catherine
 
the one thing that i really love about the calurpa is that i can just reach in there at pruning time, pinch off some with my thumbnail against my index finger and take some out.. it dosent seem to care where you cut it or anything, it just keeps growing, its like a weed man!
hehehe
 
Ohhhhhhhhhhh, I wouldn't "prune" calurpa, bad idea! It releases the nitrates and such back into your system and it can make it go bonkers in your tank. Hang on, let me fix that. It needs to be thinned and "cut back" but it can make it release the gunk back into your tank if you do it wrong. Twice I've had my calurpa go bad on me because I "pruned" too many branches at one time. You want to try and follow your lines with the fewest number of breaks or it will grow like crazy and cover places you don't want it to go.

That plant you're looking at is freshwater, is that what you wanted?

Catherine
 
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I called the LFS and it is caulerpa prolifera and they keep it in both saltwater and freshwater. Is this ok for my tank? I will be at the store tonight and will pick some up if it is.
 
I edited my last post to say more clearly what I intended. That plant doesn't spread out as much as the feathered calurpa so you can prune it pretty easily without it going nuts in your tank. It grows very well and looks nice in my tank. I keep it in good light with moderate flow. So far, this plant hasn't even tried to go asexual on me but I've only had it a few months. It's a nice looking plant but compared to a lot of my other stuff it's kind of boring to me. I'm going to move it all into my fuge and replace it with something different. Here's a place that has a LOT of macro algae: <head> <title>Macro Algae : Your Source For Quality Marine Plants and Macroalgae I'm waiting for an order from them right now and I'll be posting pics of my new stuff soon. Also, you can see more of my plants and such that are in my nano (where I have the most plants at the moment) https://www.livingreefs.com/contest-team-seahorse-catherine-t21580p6.html

Catherine

Catherine
 
yea thats the same stuff i have in my fuge, i used to put some of it in the main tank when i had a tang, but now that i dont, i dont, i just pinch it, and pitch it...
 
I have a 40 gallon refuge that is full of grape calerpa. I prune mine constantly and put it in the main tank.for my three tangs to eat. Been doing so for 11 yrs now. You need to keep it on 24/7 lighting or on oppiste from your main. BTW these are not really plants but macroalgeas.
 
Picked up some caulerpa prolifera last night. $5 for a large handful, not bad. It's kind of a mess because it seems to be one big, tangled blob. I stuck it in a lettuce clip and will work on getting it set up the way I want it tonight.

Picasso: loved the pics of your plants, especially the red ones! I'll see what happens with the caulerpa and if all goes well, I'll be looking at some more interesting plants. Love the natural look it gives the tank.
 
hey I got a questiion about chaeto. I was reading that it reduces nitrates with "direct harvesting". What does direct harvesting mean and if I don't harvest will it still consume nutrients. I wish I could have caulerpa. But it's illegal in my state.
 
Direct harvesting means you remove it from the system. You "prune" or trim the algae back periodically. With whatever algae you remove, you are removing the nutrients it has sequestered. Even if you don't harvest it, it will consume nutrients, but you will have to eventually or you will run out of space in whatever you are keeping it in.

A better option than caulerpa is chaetomorpha. Chaeto is better at sequestering nutrients and it doesn't risk your water quality. Plus, it's not illegal in some places like caulerpa is.
 
well I definately a lot of room for this stuff. But I don't quite understand. HOw does directly harvesting remove the nutrients its absorbed when it does the same thing by leaving it alone. Or is it direct harvesting removes more than just leaving it alone
 

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