Collecting macroalgae (and storing)

[Fisker]

I'm currently on vacation in Florida, and our cabin backs up to a private beach. Lots of macroalgae have been washing up on the beach (mainly red and brown), and while some of it is dead or dying, a lot seems perfectly healthy.

I'm here till Friday - if I were to collect some of the algae on Thursday night, and keep it a bucket of saltwater (no aereation), do you think it'd make it home for my macro tank? My main concerns are that one or two will go sexual and wipe out the entire bucket, or that the lack of flow would kill them. Thoughts?

 

[nrenn]

Algae barn ships their macro algae loosely packed in a plastic jar, but with no added water, it survives a few days in shipping just fine

 

[acbaldwin]

It'll be fine for a few days in water. Have fun!

 

[Fisker]

Thank you both!

I ended up collecting something that I think was Codium sp., some of what appeared to be carpeting halimeda, some red ogo, a few different kinds of caulerpa, and some unknown brown algaes.

They made it home fine, but unfortunately, didn't handle the transition to captive life well. I put them into a bucket to start, so if they all died it wouldn't cause issues in my tank. They all died within about 3 days, even with being acclimated to my water, having adequate iron and nutrients in the water, and pretty decent light and flow. Sad, too, as a lot of it looked really unique!

 

[jefra]

I'd be cautious about heavy metal contamination by anything collected too close to shore.

 

[Fisker]

If I had been in Central/Southern Florida, I definitely would have been more cautious. I was staying around Carabelle Florida (Appalachicola), so there's not a ton going on up there. Still a risk, but I'd say a lower risk of contaminants.