Ok so…now this is a completely hypothetical situation so don’t judge me. haha.
Say that a while back, a person (not me) put a plant in their tank from the ocean without really knowing what it was or how it would affect the tank (certainly not something i would do) but going under the assumption that plants are generally good for your health as long as you don’t eat the little red berries. So just out of curiosity, this person put the plant in as a tiny little leaf not expecting anything, then a month later…KAPPOOOWWWWWWW. This plant was growing like crazy and looked very healthy. So here’s my question. Is there a chance that this plant may not be healthy to the tank? And vice versa, will this benefit the tank in the way I would imagine plants would like oxidizing the water and breaking down nitrates. Also, for the veggie eaters that reside inside, would it benefit them at all?
I’ve attached a picture of what said plant might look like in this hypothetical tank. Also, it should be noted that that was after about a month of being just a single leaf and has since grown longer, healthier looking leaves…hypothetically.
Have you research this plant? I might be mistaken, but that does looks like brown kelp, indigenous to cold ocean water that grows very large, but I’m not sure about in reef tank. Most macro algae does have benefit to most reef tanks as you state, but i’m not sure I want to eat what I grow in my tank.
Well anything plant based that grows in a tank is going to be beneficial to a point. They will convert CO2 to O2, they will use up nitrate as food and fertilizer. But there are also negatives to think about, if it is a cold water plant, and it decides that it doesn’t like 80 degree water and dies it can release an awful lot of nitrate and toxins in to your tank (especially since we aren’t sure what the plant is or what it absorbed before being added to the hypothetical tank).
Of course let’s look at the obvious, look at how much its grown in a month, it appears it could very easily take over space and crowd out corals, create an environment that fish could become caught or trapped in a jumble of leaves and stems, etc.
Or it could end up looking like a beautifully planted reef tank.
that algae looks like something i have in the sump of my small system. It was in the dt of that system when it was fishless, and it completely took over a 30g in a few months. Mine couldnt be picked off rocks, and two full weeks of “lights out” didn’t do anything but pause its growth. If it came from one of our coasts, chances are its considered an invasive species… Thats what i came up with from googling mine, stuff in florida, that was blamed on the aquarium trade introducing it.
I still have it in that sump now, but it will outgrow other macros. Also, a tang thats now in the dt will eat any that gets pumped up from time to time. but i still have a small pile of dried liverock in the garage that was covered in it, completely dried out and a steel brush barely puts a dent in its dead growth of algae.
be careful with it on your rocks, other then that its fine imo.
Yeah, it looks like the prolifera i grow in my fuge, and drop off at DPA when i thin it. Its a good macro. it can cover everything, but it’s easy to control . just pull up some of the runners where you dont want them. they dont really grow back from their holdfasts , unlike the frond like taxifolia that does. taxifolia is very hard to get rid of one it puts its food down on rock. Prolifera works like an in tank fuge. let it grow on the sand for a while and see how you like it.
[quote=“kaptken, post:6, topic:5142”]
Yeah, it looks like the prolifera i grow in my fuge, and drop off at DPA when i thin it. Its a good macro. it can cover everything, but it’s easy to control . just pull up some of the runners where you dont want them. they dont really grow back from their holdfasts , unlike the frond like taxifolia that does. taxifolia is very hard to get rid of one it puts its food down on rock. Prolifera works like an in tank fuge. let it grow on the sand for a while and see how you like it.[/quote]
that’s exactly what it looks like. There’s one root that grows about an eighth of an inch under the sand bed, but it looks extremely easy to control which is why haven’t done anything about it as of yet. I don’t have any tangs just a damsel, but i was just curious if any veggie eaters or omnivors would benefit from it like clowns. I like the way it looks now, but will most likely eventually trim it down and throw the growth in my fuge. When i first set up my fuge, I put a fair amount of chaeto in there, and while there hasn’t been any die off, there hasn’t been much growth either and i was under the impression that the stuff grew like crazy. I’m worried that if i move the plant to the lower light in the fuge then it will die.
You sometimes need the right color temp bulb. I use a 75watt plant grow flood light looking bulb and it does great. 10k power compact does nothing for me on growth, a 10k with actinic t5 light grew it slow. I had a macro algae go A-sexual in my tanks and so I threw all of it out and it has grown back and looking good again and my foxface loves to eat it.
[quote=“JustSumGuy, post:9, topic:5142”]
You sometimes need the right color temp bulb. I use a 75watt plant grow flood light looking bulb and it does great. 10k power compact does nothing for me on growth, a 10k with actinic t5 light grew it slow. I had a macro algae go A-sexual in my tanks and so I threw all of it out and it has grown back and looking good again and my foxface loves to eat it.[/quote]
good point, chaeto ime has been pretty light temp picky for good growth. nutrient availability plays a big part i think too. it doesnt sound like you have too much of a load in the tank yet. btw what is lighting your fuge Alex?
[quote=“saltcreep, post:10, topic:5142”]
good point, chaeto ime has been pretty light temp picky for good growth. nutrient availability plays a big part i think too. it doesnt sound like you have too much of a load in the tank yet. btw what is lighting your fuge Alex?[/quote]
hmmm…it sounds like this is my issue. Right now I only have a 15 watt t-8 grow bulb over it. I was told that would be fine, but apparently not. I say “grow” bulb because its one of those they sell specifically for plant growth at pet stores. nahht feelin it though. So where can i get one of these “75w plant grow bulbs”? Is that home depot type stuff or lfs type stuff?
I got my bulb at the home depot or lowes. its a cfl bulb, but it looks like an outdoor floodlight bulb. make sure it lists the kelvin rating, not all brands have it marked on the packaging. The bulbs are about $8, and you can use a clip on light fixture that they sell there for about $7. ( the ones with the silver reflector) the bulb that has done best for me is a 6500k or 6200. I’ve used the 5500k with good growth also… i wouldn’t try one under 5k though.
