Sargassum

[pheasant29]

I will try and post pics later. I have two Sargassum clumps growing out of my live rock. They are growing extreamly fast and need trimmed . How much can one cut off of these with out killing it. We like the stuff and how it makes everything look like a natural reef. Anybody have any ideas? Some say it is hard to keep alive, but this stuff survived a shipment wrapped in paper towel. 3days from Florida to Iowa .It came on my live rock.

 

[pheasant29]

here it was on june 22nd


here it is today

 

[Bifferwine]

You should be fine just to prune it. I think it looked nice in the before picture -- maybe remove enough so that it looks the same as it did before.

 

[pheasant29]

You should be fine just to prune it. I think it looked nice in the before picture -- maybe remove enough so that it looks the same as it did before.

I totally agree. It looked way better smaller. I hope not to kill it.

 

[johno1973]

That is one thing that I think is missing from most reef aquariums I see. I think to look natural it should have some sort of plant life just like the ocean reefs. Is there a reason why most people don't put plants in their aquariums?

 

[Bifferwine]

That is one thing that I think is missing from most reef aquariums I see. I think to look natural it should have some sort of plant life just like the ocean reefs. Is there a reason why most people don't put plants in their aquariums?

Most reefs don't have any macroalgae. Macroalgae is part of a totally different ecosystem. It's actually not natural to have algae on a reef. Look at pictures of real coral reefs in the wild -- no algae anywhere.

 

[pheasant29]

That is one thing that I think is missing from most reef aquariums I see. I think to look natural it should have some sort of plant life just like the ocean reefs. Is there a reason why most people don't put plants in their aquariums?

I think this is the reason. They seem to grow fast and that means pruneing.I still love thier look tho.

 

[reeffreak]

Those would make a nice fuge macroalgae.Well,it makes a nice in tank refugium too.Keep the halimeda prune too, they suck up calcium.

 

[ccCapt]

Most reefs don't have any macroalgae. Macroalgae is part of a totally different ecosystem. It's actually not natural to have algae on a reef. Look at pictures of real coral reefs in the wild -- no algae anywhere.

+1
I agree 100%.

 

[Jmck]

Most reefs don't have any macroalgae. Macroalgae is part of a totally different ecosystem. It's actually not natural to have algae on a reef. Look at pictures of real coral reefs in the wild -- no algae anywhere.

really biff? i was reading that there is more plants/algae on reefs than there is corals?

 

[Bifferwine]

really biff? i was reading that there is more plants/algae on reefs than there is corals?

Maybe microalgae -- like the dusty type stuff you see on your glass and rocks, like phytoplankton. And the zooxanthellae of corals. But macroalgaes aka seagrasses (the plant-like looking algaes) do not naturally occur on reefs.