Welcome to Marine Aquarium Co-Op. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: Username:   Password: Log In

The Best Algae!
Topic Started: Dec 12 2009, 08:13:47 AM (77 Views)
Post #1 Dec 12 2009, 08:13:47 AM	Suzy
Ok, guys. I need your help. I have had so many algae species the last few years, and I need to be able to pick my favorite. People are always asking me which one is the best? How can I pick with over 8,000 spp? Plus, with that many spp, so many are so similar that trying to ID them is futile, in my experience. I used to be part of a small group of aquarists who passed around an algae they called Racemosa. During my last decade of collecting algae, I found 3 that seemed very similar to each other, and my search on AlgaeBase told me that could have all been C. rasemosa! At this point, when ever I hear some call an alga by it's spp name, I giggle on the inside, just a little bit! No one is an expert on algae, no matter how they sound, IMO. Really, you have to have a degree in phytocology and a $1000 microscope to do cellular evaluation! So, if you ask on a forum which alga you have, the response may be "That is bryopsis", just remember there are actually hundreds of spp it could be! But, do we really need to know the sp name? For the sake of this thread, I am going to give my best guess at a spp name. But I will add the caveat here so I do not have to add it to every post. My guesses are guesses and we can consider them as my-guess-like! I think knowing the species name is cool cause I am a nerd like that, but for the purpose of this thread, I am just going to put my thoughts about their growth patterns, looks and functions. If you have any specific questions, please ask here? Not that I don't love all the phone calls and visits, but this month is super busy for me. (If I haven't told you already, MY public aquarium is having a new exhibit open! It is a BFD! Parties, ribbon cuttings, hanging with Big Wigs and Rich Guys!) So, which is the best alga? Posted Image	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
Post #2 Dec 13 2009, 05:14:40 PM	Suzy
There is no way I am the only algae nerd here.... Really? What other organism on the planet is any nearwhere as cool? Let's not overlook the fact that we owe our existence to algae. Yeah, like those silly rain forests are producing enough o2 for all of us! And, what other organism is consuming co2 via the worlds co2 sink? OK, blahblahblah you say? What can algae do for me personally? I quess we have to start with function. Which algae is best for removing excess nutrients from our tanks? We have quite a few to pick from. Microalgae, commonly known as phytoplankton, removes tons of excess crap from our oceans. But, in our closed system, I think it may get consumed too fast to remove any decent amount of crapoola. All alga removes stuff but which one is best? I am going to pick two, my 2 favorites for a refugium whose function is removing excess nitrates and phosphates. First, for systems with elevated levels of either NO3 or PO4, I would pick a Caulerpa sp, hands down. IME, nothing works faster. "But, Suzy", you say "Caulerpa is not safe! It can cause a cloud o' sexual spermage!" True, very true, Caulerpa has a really strong affinity for survival. If any of it's nutrients get low, it can turn it's energy into spores, and wait out the famine, waiting for conditions to improve and then return with a vengence! But, I have a really easy way to prevent that! You just have to know that each strand of algae is a single cell. If conditions are more desirable for the algae to spore, the entire strand will spore. But, if we only let each strand get 12 inches or so, then pinch it off, if one strand decides to be a butthead and spore, the other strands will instantly absorb what it releases! Sweet, huh? When you have Caulerpa in a display, you can actually see when it starts to act up. One frond will turn clear. At that point, you can either harvest some, or replace the nutrient that is missing. For me, that nutrient is always iron. My tanks suck up iron like a little ol' lady with anemia... But, I also add nitrate. I know, weird.... Any want to know why a super algae lover would add nitrate? Why not just add more food for the fishes? Posted Image	Seahorse Whisperer Posts: 3,047 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: June 28, 2008
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny!
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)

« Previous Topic · Tank Maintenance · Next Topic »

Welcome to Marine Aquarium Co-Op     Tank Maintenance     Spawning Fish Blogs     Spawning/propagating Invertebrates Blogs     Nutrition: The Most Important Thing?     Intensive Care Unit Buy/Sell Home Grown Marine Ornamentals     Home Grown Organisms for Sale     Seller Contact Info     Broodstock Suppliers Go