OP
OP
TMC
Active Member
Thanks helps a bunchGracilaria hayi, better known as Pom pom gracilaria, is often mistakenly called Dragon’s breath. That title actually belongs to Halymenia durvillei.
Gracilaria hayi is very lightly calcified, and has paddle-shaped fronds that do not fluoresce:
Halymenia durvillei is not calcified and has flame-like fronds that do fluoresce under intense lighting. Intense lighting also makes the fronds more serrated:
Here is Halymenia durvillei without the fluorescence and less serration:
Conchs should not be a problem, they eat less complex algae. I have not kept Foxfaces and other Rabbitfishes, but I have heard that they will happily consume most macroalgae. If you have a refugium, you could keep the Dragon’s breath there.
Definitely an awesome place! That is where I got my Dragon’s breath and loads of other healthy macroalgae!
As @shootingstar_reef mentioned earlier, Dragon’s breath is more of a decorative macroalgae than one practical for nutrient export (it just grows too slowly). Personally, my number one macroalgae for nutrient export is Ulva (Sea lettuce), commonly seen in coastal waters worldwide. Unlike Chaetomorpha, it does not fall apart, since it grows in flat sheets as opposed to a clump of filaments. Some also say that Ulva grows faster than Chaetomorpha. However, both would be readily consumed by a Rabbitfish (though Ulva is known for being highly nutritious for marine herbivores as well as humans, so that might be a good thing if you can harvest said macroalgae in a refugium). All macroalgae (especially the ones suitable for nutrient export) can deplete trace elements in aquariums, which can be reintroduced through additives like Chaeto GRO.
Ulva from @AlgaeBarn
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
