Shaving Brush Plant

[Fozza]

Care Level: Easy
Light: Moderate
Water Flow: Medium
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Color Form: Green
Reef Compatible: Yes
Ideal Supplements: Iron, Trace Elements
Origin: Caribbean
Family: Bombacaceae

I've been looking at getting a few of these instead of caulerpa and placing in my main.

My question is has anyone had any experience with these?, is it a bad idea to place in the main tank? and will they spread like weeds/caulerpa does?

 

[Anonymous]

I would say they should be alright, just keep them trimmed.

 

[Anonymous]

I think they are a calcified algae, like Halimeda sp (cactus macro). It will bleach and die if you don't have adequate calcium. I don't know how you provide calcium to your reef, but for me, since I have to dose b-ionic to my nano, I don't want to put in anything that is going to compete with corals for calcium. If that's a problem for you too, I suggest trying some chaetomorpha or Gracilaria

 

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that they require more calcium and light then say caulpera profilera.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, they are good calcium suckers, more demanding in light, but will "bleach" (actually, "go sexual" and lost the green color) no matter what.

As for the "Care Level: Easy," I just want you to know that there is not much you can do when it decide to give up residence in your tank. Two reefers can have top-notch water and light parameter, but one just can't keep one longer than a few weeks, while the other has it popping out like rabbits in the spring on the live rocks.

 

[Fozza]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

In regards to the chaetomorpha or Gracilaria, would they spread like weeds in the main aquarium?

I can't add a refugium to the tank I want the plants in, so it has to be in the main display. But I also don't want them growing out of control and smothering my corals.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know about gracilaria, but chaetomorpha isn't problematic in its growth. Its better in the sump though, as it likes to float in a clump.

 

[Anonymous]

I have kept shaving brush in the past, and yes it is a bit of a drain on your calcium

Would not be good for nutrient export, I found they grew rather slowly, although it did multiply. I had mine "planted" in the sandbed, based on how it multiplied by sending runners under the sand, I think they would do best in some kind of sandbed.

I thought it to be a very pretty addition to a reef tank, unfortunatly my new sailfin thought it looked more like lunch.

Cheato won't become a nuisance like caulerpa, but as mentioned it is kind of tough to grow in a display tank as it forms a ball and wants to float around. I have had OK luck wedgeing it in the rockwork, but you will probably have to retrieve it from time to time and put it back in it's spot.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

In regards to the chaetomorpha or Gracilaria, would they spread like weeds in the main aquarium?

I can't add a refugium to the tank I want the plants in, so it has to be in the main display. But I also don't want them growing out of control and smothering my corals.

You might want to consider an in tank refugium. Just a small area of the display partitioned off from the rest.


Chaeto is not rooted and just grows to whatever space is avalable. Gracilaria can be "planted" and is more plant like. It kinda reminds me of tumble weeds but does not tumble around the tank.

One big problem with macros in the display is that fish like tangs eat them. Before I added an egg crate to my display, no macro lasted longer than a few days. With the egg crate the chaeto grows on one side and the tang swims on the other. And the tang can still slurp up a strand of chaeto every now and then. But he can not completely distroy the chaeto which is thriving on the other side of the egg crate.

 

[Anonymous]

One neat thing about the calcified macros, though, is when they die and leave behind a bleached skeleton, you can just leave than in your aquarium. It's calcium.

 

[Fozza]

I'm tempted by the red Gracilaria grass, looks pretty nice. Crabs will prolly poke at it, but I may just grow some out in a spare 10gal I have laying around aswell.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm tempted by the red Gracilaria grass, looks pretty nice. Crabs will prolly poke at it, but I may just grow some out in a spare 10gal I have laying around aswell.

Actually that is exactly what I did after my first attempts to grow macros in my 55g display. I had an old 20g and cultured the macro there then transferred some each week to the display. Not as effective as my current in tank refug but the water quality really improved. And my tang was much better fed as well.

One problem I remember was my anemone crabe ate the macros as well. Even ate a tunnel through a volleyball sized chunk of chaeto. But even with that the chaeto survived and the fish just had an extral tunnel to swim through.