bldg a refugium

[ACCK]

hi all,

im in e midst of gettg a refugium...

prob is my previous experience with algae or caulerpa is tt they tend 2 die off. i wonder y?

another query i hv is whether they need 2 b attachd 2 LR 2 stay alive?i hv seen them floatg ard in reefwld...

finally,is the brown seaweed type suitable?

thx in advance! i appreciate all help.

[Catfish]

Hi ACCK,

Try using actinics and switch them on throughout 24hrs for sometime before returning to normal period. Well thats from my experience, white light dont seems to help especially caulerpas.

Now my bubble and caulerpa are growing like....well try n you'll see for yourself.

Not necessary must be attached to rock as they will still grow but if you have extra rocks you can put them together for the algae to attach themselves and I think they tend to grow faster.

[DragonGoby]

Yep - or you could try the "Daylight" bulbs or Gro-lux kind of bulbs that peak in the red spectrum. As to the brown type, are you referring to Sargassum? I've tried them before, but they died and it was messy business. Maybe you could try the mossy-looking type out there. I'm not sure what species it is, anyone can enlighten me on this?

[ACCK]

thx catfish.

so u mean i shld start off using actinic on them,b4 proceedg 2 PL

or sth?how long did u take b4 changg?? mind if i ask is that the common practice?

gd thg i hv spare ballast n tube,wil try it out n hope i wil hv similar success

gd 2 know they don actually need a base,thx agn.

dg, i juz took some brown type fr lfs,it still seems ok, n also some mossy type.i thk e latter is disintegratg slowly,crumbling 2 dust..

[Catfish]

Hi DragonGoby,

I suppose the most type algae you are referring to is called turtleweed. To my knowledge, it doesnt contribute much to nitrate breakdown but may even compete with other tank inhabitants for nutrients. However it is very nice and pleasing to the eye of any hobbyist.

ACCK,

The reddish brown stick-looking algae is also commonly called red bamboo algaeand rather common in some LFS. I do not know much about that in using as part of the refugium but I use it to feed my fish somtetimes, especially foxface n yellow tang, they just love them! Gone in 60 seconds! (Izzint that a movie title or something?)

Btw, just a short note! ACCK if you are reading this, can u looking at your post in pasar malan section cos I posted both a reply and a PM to you yesterday. Thanks.

Cheers.

[UFO]

What's the best caulepra to use???

[ACCK]

catfish i juz replied n left my contact.sorry agn

act im not referrg to red stick algae,rather its brown n leafy n sways in e current.i felt its nice contrast 2 green macro.

btw,irene of reefwld commentd 2 me algae isnt all tt easy to keep.i guess it depends on each tanks conditions,some find it easy some difficult.any thots?

[KingFish]

Try using actinics and switch them on throughout 24hrs for sometime before returning to normal period. Well thats from my experience, white light dont seems to help especially caulerpas.

Hi Catfish,

I understand the 24hr lighting but why Actinics?

My Caulerpa branches are 'whitening' (assuming going asexual) but its quite limited, the rest of the macroalgae seem to be coping.

[Coral_ClamS]

can teach me how to make a refugium or not dun no fow what leh can anyone advise me on this thanks in advance OK!

[dodo]

can teach me how to make a refugium or not dun no fow what leh can anyone advise me on this thanks in advance OK!

i hope this will help