Dragons Breath Macro Compatibility

nautical_nathaniel · Dec 29, 2017

I'm interested in getting some dragons breath macro algae but I'm worried some of my critters will eat it. The critters I'm worried about are my black shortspine urchin and my emerald crab. None of my fish should bother it.

Does anyone have experience to share with this macro in a reef tank setting and is there anything else I should know about it? The LFS I'm going to get it from (if I get it) tells me it should do well in my tank.

skiergd011013 · Dec 29, 2017

nautical_nathaniel said:
I'm interested in getting some dragons breath macro algae but I'm worried some of my critters will eat it. The critters I'm worried about are my black shortspine urchin and my emerald crab. None of my fish should bother it.

Does anyone have experience to share with this macro in a reef tank setting and is there anything else I should know about it? The LFS I'm going to get it from (if I get it) tells me it should do well in my tank.

I added some to my tank a few weeks ago. I only have a clown and a gramma, so I cant comment on who will pick at it. I dont know if its growing yet, but its not dying. The hardest thing with it is securing it and keeping it where you want it. At first, I superglued it to a rock, but it came off, got sucked into my vortech, and i was netting out chunks of it for a week. I have since simply weighted it down with a piece of rock. It has stayed put this way. I tried to tie it with fishing line as well, but it was seemingly impossible. The stuff is unbelievably slimy, and just slips out.

Justfebreezeit · Dec 29, 2017

I had a bunch in my nuvo 16 a few years ago. I had a emerald crab that would nip at it every once and awhile but it outgrew what he could eat. Started as a couple inch piece and in a few months took over the left side of my tank. I liked it a lot actually.

skiergd011013 · Dec 29, 2017

Justfebreezeit said:
I had a bunch in my nuvo 16 a few years ago. I had a emerald crab that would nip at it every once and awhile but it outgrew what he could eat. Started as a couple inch piece and in a few months took over the left side of my tank. I liked it a lot actually.

how did you secure it?

Justfebreezeit · Dec 29, 2017

skiergd011013 said:
how did you secure it?

I took two really small pieces of rubble rock and glued one end of the algae in-between them, kind of like a dragons breath sandwich. This was after a few unsuccessful attempts at holding it down other ways as well.

skiergd011013 · Dec 29, 2017

Justfebreezeit said:
I took two really small pieces of rubble rock and glued one end of the algae in-between them, kind of like a dragons breath sandwich. This was after a few unsuccessful attempts at holding it down other ways as well.

noted. Thanks.

nautical_nathaniel · Dec 29, 2017

Thanks for the input guys, I think I'm gonna go ahead and get some and see how it works out. There's a severe lack of any cool macros in my area so if it doesn't work out I could easily sell it to a fellow reefer

the LFS that is selling it has it secured and growing from frag plugs already so it's sort of like buying a coral haha

Justfebreezeit · Jan 5, 2018

Update on the dragons breath?

nautical_nathaniel · Jan 5, 2018

Justfebreezeit said:
Update on the dragons breath?

Hermit crabs tore it off of it's frag plug so I had to reattach it to something. I used some rubble rock I had leftover from wayyyy back when I built my aquascape and sandwiched it together like you suggested. In the process I made two separate chunks so now I have two dragons breath "frags"

however they are in my breeder box for now so I have no idea if my urchin is going to mess with it.

Justfebreezeit · Jan 6, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
Hermit crabs tore it off of it's frag plug so I had to reattach it to something. I used some rubble rock I had leftover from wayyyy back when I built my aquascape and sandwiched it together like you suggested. In the process I made two separate chunks so now I have two dragons breath "frags" however they are in my breeder box for now so I have no idea if my urchin is going to mess with it.

Haha dang hermits. You made me want to get some again. I might get it this weekend.

CLew · Jan 10, 2018

I put two small bunches of red dragons breath in my 90 that had nothing but turbo snails. I figured I'd be pretty safe but they immediately munched them both down.

CLew · Jan 10, 2018

Courtney Lew said:
I put two small bunches of red dragons breath in my 90 that had nothing but turbo snails. I figured I'd be pretty safe but they immediately munched them both down.

GK3 · Jan 11, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
I'm interested in getting some dragons breath macro algae but I'm worried some of my critters will eat it. The critters I'm worried about are my black shortspine urchin and my emerald crab. None of my fish should bother it.

Does anyone have experience to share with this macro in a reef tank setting and is there anything else I should know about it? The LFS I'm going to get it from (if I get it) tells me it should do well in my tank.

My emerald doesn’t touch my dragons breath, nor do my hermits.

nautical_nathaniel · Jan 11, 2018

I put one of the two Dragon's Breath pieces that I made in the tank the other night and my Emerald Crab immediately came over and started tearing it into chunks. I don't think I'm going to be able to keep it in my tank