Refugium

ectoaesthetics · Oct 16, 2018

Mickle said:
I might go ahead and go check a lfs today. Have any lfs ever sold macroalgae or is it only online? Thanks!

Almost EVERY lfs will sell you a chunk of chaeto -if you ask. One serious word of caution, make sure their chaeto isn't full of aptasia, red flatworms, or other macro algaes (mainly caulerpa) before you ask if you can buy it!! At least the caulerpa can be picked out carefully by hand if you have some time (do not put it in the tank, it sucks when the roots take hold in your main display and has the possibility of going asexual which is a BIG deal in a nano).

If no flatworms, aptasia or caulerpa, go for it! Also know that a LOT of folks will just give it to you for free. Most of us flush it (in the case of living near protected bays -we boil it and flush it). Most of us happily give it away and take pride in trying to get people a chunk with a ton of bugs in it.

Mickle · Oct 17, 2018

Sorry for not responding! I ended up not going, I will go this weekend though. Thank you! I will ask if they have any.

ectoaesthetics said:
Almost EVERY lfs will sell you a chunk of chaeto -if you ask. One serious word of caution, make sure their chaeto isn't full of aptasia, red flatworms, or other macro algaes (mainly caulerpa) before you ask if you can buy it!! At least the caulerpa can be picked out carefully by hand if you have some time (do not put it in the tank, it sucks when the roots take hold in your main display and has the possibility of going asexual which is a BIG deal in a nano).

If no flatworms, aptasia or caulerpa, go for it! Also know that a LOT of folks will just give it to you for free. Most of us flush it (in the case of living near protected bays -we boil it and flush it). Most of us happily give it away and take pride in trying to get people a chunk with a ton of bugs in it.

hart24601 · Oct 17, 2018

Just my experience. I ran an modified biocube 14 for a few years, 100% sps. I used the coralife mini t5 to light up the center rear section (and used in-tank submersible light for a while). The chaeto grew amazingly well. I did small weekly W/C and would thin the chaeto out every couple weeks. The space was small, but that chaeto would grow so dense it was hard to physically break!

I didn’t run skimmer or anything else and consider the chaeto vital even in that little system along with W/C. I started the chaeto just to see how it would do, and it blew me away with how fast and dense the growth was.

Mickle · Oct 17, 2018

hart24601 said:
Just my experience. I ran an modified biocube 14 for a few years, 100% sps. I used the coralife mini t5 to light up the center rear section (and used in-tank submersible light for a while). The chaeto grew amazingly well. I did small weekly W/C and would thin the chaeto out every couple weeks. The space was small, but that chaeto would grow so dense it was hard to physically break!

I didn’t run skimmer or anything else and consider the chaeto vital even in that little system along with W/C. I started the chaeto just to see how it would do, and it blew me away with how fast and dense the growth was.

I'm going yo try and get some this weekend. Thanks!