Macro Algae in main tank?

[TravelinGal]

I'm getting my tank going and I got a Cactus algae (Halimeda Incrassata) and a Pinecone Algae (Rhipocephalus Phoenix) that I thought looked cool. The Pinecone makes me think of a Trufula tree (Dr Seuss - The Lorax)
I don't notice any real growth on the Pinecone but it is bright green and healthy looking. The Cactus algae is growing like gangbusters! Every day I see new "teeth" (as my son likes to call them) and they are a fresh bright green by the next day.

I also got a Shaving Brush, (Penicillus dumetosus) that is in my QT. Such a pretty pretty green color!

I know to keep macro algae in my tank they need to be the calcified ones so my turbos don't mow them down. Do you have any suggestions of other ones that look nice in the main tank and won't become lunch?

Does anyone else keep macros in their main tank?

I thought it made an interesting contrast with the (mostly) bare rocks. Why I got interested in reef tanks is beyond me! I am not a patient person and waiting for corals to grow is going to make me crazy. But, I can sit there for hours with my magnifying glass and discover new things all the time. Just today I saw something a little smaller than a sugar ant crawling on a rock. It vanished before I could really get any distinguishing features, but it was cool none the less. LOL

I just did my water change, so I'm waiting for everything to settle down and then I'll post pictures. I had been doing 10% weekly and this time I went to 20% after 2 weeks. If my tank stays happy, I'll be much happier with every other week...

 

[SynDen]

I have red grape Kelp (Botryocladia) in my sump and now in my DT, pretty kewl macro and my tang and the turbo in my sump wont touch it.
Rifid Coraline clusters are pretty neat too and not many things will touch that
I also have another green vine like agae that started growing in my DT but now in my sump, not sure what it is though but it actually pretty kewl

 

[zombie]

From what ive seen, turbos tend to go after film algae over macro. One of the prettiest you can get is dragons breath. Herbivores will tear it down in no time at all, but it looks like flames, which is pretty sweet. Khamic has some calcifying purple algae (forget the name halimedia maybe?) that is pretty sweet looking.

 

[sethsolomon]

Blue Ochodies, Blue scroll, dragons breath, red hymeia, red grape all good options. but tangs might eat it.

 

[TravelinGal]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!!

The only fish in my tank right now is a clownfish (ocellaris). I would like to get a yellow tang at some point but I also know they grow too big for my tank size so I would have to rehome him if I got one. (46G corner bowfront)

 

[TravelinGal]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!!

The only fish in my tank right now is a clownfish (ocellaris). I would like to get a yellow tang at some point but I also know they grow too big for my tank size so I would have to rehome him if I got one. (46G corner bowfront)

 

[zombie]

I would like to get a yellow tang at some point but I also know they grow too big for my tank size so I would have to rehome him if I got one. (46G corner bowfront)

One piece of advice. Never get a fish that can't be comfortable in the size tank you currently have even if you have plans to upgrade (life tends to get in the way). I would avoid all tangs until you have at least a 75 gallon or larger aquarium and the vast majority of tangs will need a 6 foot long tank.

 

[sethsolomon]

One piece of advice. Never get a fish that can't be comfortable in the size tank you currently have even if you have plans to upgrade (life tends to get in the way). I would avoid all tangs until you have at least a 75 gallon or larger aquarium and the vast majority of tangs will need a 6 foot long tank.

+1 in the case of tangs.

 

[TravelinGal]

So, the person (LFS employee) who said I could keep a yellow tang until it got big was wrong. That's sad on many levels. :concern:

 

[FinsUp]

One piece of advice. Never get a fish that can't be comfortable in the size tank you currently have even if you have plans to upgrade (life tends to get in the way). I would avoid all tangs until you have at least a 75 gallon or larger aquarium and the vast majority of tangs will need a 6 foot long tank.

+100

So, the person (LFS employee) who said I could keep a yellow tang until it got big was wrong. That's sad on many levels. :concern:

LFS employees who do this make me really angry. They should be fired, then tarred and feathered and run outta town.
No matter what size the tang is, most of them will need a long tank for swimming purposes. Too small a tank will stress them out, and they're highly susceptible to ich. And one stressed out tang can cause other fish in your tank to stress out, which makes them vulnerable to ich as well. So one worthless LFS staffer could wreak havoc on your tank. My advice, for what it's worth, is to get the size tank that you really really want right at the beginning. Upgrading in stages is often more expensive than just going for it at the beginning. Plan out what fish you want, etc, and size the tank for those fish. That way, you don't have to go through the stress and headache of sick fish, tearing down and rebuilding over and over, etc. And find out which LFS staff are honest and knowledgeable, and which aren't. That's crucial info to have. And, you can always talk over fish stocking choices here, where people care about good husbandry and don't have a financial motivation.

 

[LeviK]

Beedoo beedoo beedoo tang police alert! Tang police alert! Lol no but seriously they are right. Keep in mind that depending on the store you went to buy it at (large retail establishments) typically pay their employees minimum wage and they are not in the hobby so they have no real "expertise" to speak from. This is why getting to know who you are buying from is important and fact checking them to see if they really know what they are talking about.

I personally would put a small yellow in nothing smaller than a 4ft tank (55 included) with the plans of upgrading if your finances are not an issue that would prevent you from doing so. Its either that or be willing to rehome at whatever cost is required to give it a good home (giving away free if need be).

Many people dont know what size they really want and so upgrade in stages and thus is why we can sell our used goods to other friends (club members) when we outgrow it or when we no longer need it. I prefer to upgrade along the way because it allows me to really figure out what works together without spending a boat load of cash. I did this once, spent over 3k on a 65g RR full setup and figured out a 3ft tank was not long enough for what I really wanted, but what I want is always changing as I learn and grow in the hobby.

And lastly I 100% agree with FinsUp! that coming here to a group of unbiased individuals in regards to motivation is key in balancing out your decision process.

 

[TravelinGal]

Thanks - I'll find the right section of the forum and share my details and ask what fish will be best.

I had a 46 G corner bowfront that was my freshwater tank for years. I cleaned it out and started saltwater. Right now we don't have room for a large tank so that's where we are. When we get a new home we will get a large tank! *and probably pay someone to set it up... LOL

 

[sethsolomon]

and probably pay someone to set it up... LOL

Bahhh you gotta do it yourself you don't want to miss out on you making it your own. And it is part of the learning experience. Everything from plumbing, to leveling a tank, to rock stacking, to learning what is good and bad equipment.

 

[SynDen]

Bahhh you gotta do it yourself you don't want to miss out on you making it your own. And it is part of the learning experience. Everything from plumbing, to leveling a tank, to rock stacking, to learning what is good and bad equipment.

Yep that is the best part of a tank is learning all the ins and outs of the equipment, the livestock and everything in between. The best part of this hobby is that no real end to the learning experience, there is always something new to learn or something that you could better here

 

[Arn24]

I keep Dragon's Breath in my dt. I like the contrast in colors. I think a whole tank of pink xenias and Dragon's Breath would look cool.