What is the best macro Algae

Culpera is the one you have to worry about going asexual on you.

Chaeto is recommended to have a night cycle. Preferably, opposite your DTs light cycle.

Red mangroves are awesome exports. You must keep up on their maintenance though.

 

+1 on chaeto

 

Chaeto works great. Keeps my nitrate at 1 or less. I'm feeding heavy too.

I do a reverse light cycle. Fuge light comes on at 8 pm and goes off at 10 am.

Pretty much as maintenance free as you can get. It floats. Some people turn it once in a while but my mass of chaeto has gotten too big to turn it around.

 

I dont really want to ask the same question twice when i can just use the search button:

I have a HOB fuge, which I just set up two days ago. it's about 5 gallons for my 55 gallon tank. Im having a problem getting my phosphates and nitrates down.

will chaeto do the trick or should i add red mangroves too? some others have said you have to take care of red mangroves? Can I just float them in styrafoam? As long as the tip is sticking out of the waterline they just float there then? no need for them to be "planted" in any substrate?

reefcleaners has a bunch of stuff is there anything else on their site that is worth the investment for the refuge?

also, back to the fuge, should I put (live) sand in it, rubble rock, or leave it bare? I would like to get some copepods going in the future

 

Alternate lights on your refugium when your display tank lights are off. This helps to offset the PH shift at night. An hour before DT lights off and and hour after they go on is a good time table.

Clarky, phosphate an nitrate buildup is always a factor, you can cut back on feeding, but only so far. There are reactors you can purchase or build economically, GFO's (The Filter Guys if memory serves, Jim will build you one for less than 40 bucks, with your pump) They make several bagged formulas you can put in your fuge. Phos-ban is a good one, and will remove excess phosphates. Be careful with some brands they remove for a time then leech back in when full. You will not know when this occurs, my advice look for "non-leeching" formulas.

Sand and Live Rock in your fuge is a very good idea. Your copepods will grow with in a few months, "seeding" them may or may not hasten their growth. Good tank conditions and environment will do a better job of kicking them in the pants.

Mangroves can be tricky, and the jury is out on how much "health" they contribute to your reef community. I would focus on LR as this will help with your phosphate/nitrate problem, sand if you can keep this out of your return pump. You will want a bigger fuge as time passes. My 55 has a 20 gal fuge, cheato, sand (3 inches), LR, lights and salt marsh grass, (latest addition).

 

I scanned through all the responses and didn't se Halimeda. It is a great macro and sucks up nitrates better than the rest. I use it and it works. I also like that it is non-invasive. Needs medium flow and med-strong light.
If used, do not prune, thinning out by removing whole off-shoots is the way and these may be put in another tank or sell them off.

 

Chaeto hands down. sucks every bit of nitrates out of the water, and as for lighting you will spend 10 bucks total at home depot for a clip on fixture and a Daylight 5500k compact florescent bulb. the only maintenance i have is pulling out a hefty handful every other week. either give it to a friend a LFS for credit, mine has been going in the trash.

 

The chaeto will not sink to the sand, I just added to my fuge last week and it is definitely a floating algae. Also, it requires a lighting cycle to complete it's photo. stages. It needs light and dark to properly grow. You can leave the lights on 24/7 but it will not grow as quickly and will be healthier by allowing it a night cycle. This info. came to me directly from a biochemist so I'll take his word for it, he knows what he's talking about.

they need to do two types of reactions, called CAM photosynthesis, where the day is needed for half and the night is needed for the other half. If you have pH swings from day to night, you will want to go with night time lighting to make the pH more stable (Info thanks to Dingo)

 

Starting today I have mine on a 12/12 cycle from 24/7. Have to trust the info from a biochemist.

 

Chaetomorpha is absolutely the best. I have some here on 3reef for $10. It is simply awesome nutrient hungry healthy Chaeto! My Chaeto