Order of setting up Macroalgae DT

[edsbeaker]

Hi All, I’m setting up my first Macroalgae aquarium and am unsure of the order to put things in the tank. Do you cycle the tank first and then add fish or feed the tank until phosphates and nitrates are high enough to support the Macroalgae? Or can macroalgae go in right away?

 

[Ichtha_yo Stuff]

1. Set up tank with sand, rock, water to correct salinity, temperature, etc.
2. Give it a couple of days to stabilize.
3. Add macroalgae.
3. Add supplements like Cheato Grow. Start out on the low end then increase as needed. Go slow.
4. You can add some food or start a fishless cycle. Ammonia will not hurt algae in will act as a fertilizer.
5. Once your ammonia, and nitrite are zero you can start to add fish.

* The algae will consume the ammonia quicker than if you are cycling a tank without them. I would start by adding some inverts and feeding them 2x per week. You will cycle your tank with minimal ammonia, and it will be consumed by the algae's and will not affect your inverts. After a few weeks you can add a fish or two depending on the size of your tank. Your tank will still need to mature like a reef tank. You will still go through the different stages of the rock and tank maturing just like a reef tank.

 

[edsbeaker]

Thank you so much.
I have a lot of experience with planted freshwater setups where you stuff the tank with fast growing plants right away so that they are outcompeting any micro algae issues from the start. Is it necessary to stuff a saltwater planted tank too, or can I add just a few at a time?

 

[Ichtha_yo Stuff]

I know what your mean. I have freshwater planted tanks too and I know what you are talking about. I really don't know the answer to that, but it would make sense to do the same. I haven't had that luxury, as obtaining macroalgae seems to be more difficult than plants, especially a diverse amount. What I have experienced when compared to freshwater planted tanks is the time it takes to make the tank look good. In a freshwater planted tank after a couple of months it can be established and looking great. In saltwater the timeline is much slower, think marathon vs. 5k. In my experience and most others saltwater tanks start to turn the corner around 8-12 months and look good after 2-3 years.

 

[edsbeaker]

Exactly what you said about the difficulty of getting enough macroalgae. Most of the places are out of stock of the majority of them, so like you, I will probably be forced to procure them over a long time. I do have a sump, though, so maybe some Chaeto will be of benefit.