Caulerpa or Chaeto algae

[Mechagodzilla]

Just wondering, I got a small hangon refugium going and just wanted to see which one is better to grow in it. Leaf caulerpa or chaeto? I got leaf caulerpa is starting to grow out nice is there, but is it the best one to grow. Is there a better one out there like the grape or dragons breath. I just don’t want to grow the caulerpa out and find out later that I could have done better by growing a different one. Regret is not a dish I want to eat.

Just in case you wanted to know my setup, I converted a fluval 70 hangon filter into the refugium, filled it half with sand and have lights going on at night. Does a refugium need shrimp and snails?

 

[najer]

I like caulerpa although I run both because it grows fast for me and I can feed it to my tangs when I harvest.
I would say yes to a snail or two if you are getting film algae.

 

[ThePurple12]

I prefer Caulerpa just for aesthetic reasons, but technically chaeto is more efficient because it can make use of the entire tank, not just the sand bed.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

I would go with the chaeto! ~Shaun K

 

[boacvh]

I believe Caulerpa is illegal in California so I went with Chaeto

 

[mrjohnreed]

I was looking at adding a refugium to my macro planted tank to hold Chaeto in to assist with nitrate removal...my question is do I have to have a sand bed in the refugium or can I use a bare bottom refugium?

 

[ThePurple12]

I was looking at adding a refugium to my macro planted tank to hold Chaeto in to assist with nitrate removal...my question is do I have to have a sand bed in the refugium or can I use a bare bottom refugium?

If you have a macro tank, the more nitrate the better.

But, to answer your question, it doesn't matter too much, but a sand bed will help grow pods.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

I put sand in my refugium because my main tank is a bare bottom, no sand just rocks. I wanted some of the benefits from sand somewhere in my system.