The Puffer Forum

Replacing my old SW puff tank and putting a replacement up in a month or so. Drew out my aquascape and am just looking for some macro algea or plants that would be good with puffs. The tanks lighting will be either a double strip flourescent and or power compacts (depends on the budget...)

At the moment I was looking at halemedia, red kelp and a green type of kreeping kelp (no clue of what it is.)

Anyone have any luck with kelp with puffs?

In the tank of in a fuge?

Ulva and chaetomorpha are my favorites because they have no holdfasts and do not go sexual. I have caulerpa prolifera, gracelaria, ulva, and chaetomorpha in with my puffs. They adore swimming into the folds of the ulva.

Avoid caulerpa mexicana at all costs! I actually purchase some a few years back and it got from sump into my reef and I'm still trying to kill it.

I totally second chaetomorpha although if you put it in the display you will have little strands in every sponge and filter... but the stuff rocks!

My lined puffer actually chewed up the Caulerpa prolifera I put in the display, but leaves the chaetomorpha alone. He also doesn't bother the Halymenia (or Gracillaria... the jury is still out on this one), and it is a very vivid, pretty red color...

I could post some pics if you want...

Its not going to be in a sump, nor refugium. Its going to be in the main tank. I really don't care if it gets out of control cause I can always rip it out and not let it spread onto LR. Meander if you have some left and want to get rid of it, I'll surely take it off oyur hands and out of your tank

puffergeek wrote: I could post some pics if you want...

That would be great! I'm trying to move all my tanks to a more natural look, although my brackish tank will still have plastic decor and some ceramics....
But in the marine tank I'm lovin' the look of macro algaes! Just curious. Never had a problem with aptasia before but on the new pieces of LR I have aside it seems there are a few growing on the rock. Would the puffs go after them? Also I was curious on whether they would nibble on tree coral or xenia. Both seem to spread like weeds but it would be nice to have a few rocks covered in them.

These aren't great but I just snapped them a few minutes ago.

Here's some chaetomorpha (the green "steel wool" looking stuff) in a fuge...



You can also see a bit of C. prolifera entering the shot on the left. You can also see the base of my featherduster on the very bottom left.

And here's that Halymenia or whatever it is in my reef tank:



I'd have shown you the stuff in my lined puffers tank but the glass needs a good cleaning It's water change day tomorrow...

I also am trying some xenia and some mushrooms in with my lined puffer... so far things are looking good! (I also have some large hermits in there and they are behaving as well.

Puffgeek, whats that broad leafed algea on the left of the first pic? Personally I prefer that red algea over that fine green one.

I forgot to ask. What is the lowest SG most of these algaes can go?

And just to refresh LR can be kept at the lowest of 1.010 right? Aswell as hermits and snails.

ATM the SW tank 'refurbing' isn't going well. Dad never looked kindly on SW tanks thinking that they will cause the house to fall appart from corrosion. Tried convincing for a few years and it never worked (just kinda ended up making a SW tank without mentioning it was SW ) But I still am preping everything for the tank, so it will go ahead... just not as quickly as I hoped.

The microfauna on saltwater live rock will die off at 1.010 (hyposalinity). Hermits and snails will not tolerate hyposalinity either. I have had some species of caluerpa macroalgae survive 6 weeks at SG of 1.016. Going lower, the macroalgaes will perish.

If you are keeping the salinity low to rid them of potential parasites, you can rid them without the use of copper, medications or hyposalinity. Just keep them in a tank without fish for at least 6 weeks. External parasites like ich require a fish to continue its life cycle. No fish, the parasite dies.

Hope this helps.

Nah, not keeping the SG low cause of parasites. The SW tank is at 1.023 ATM. Pondering ideas for my BW tank aswell. So what would be required for the following species:
http://www.reefcorner.com/images/Banner ... ulerpa.jpg
http://www.augsburg.edu/home/biology/ph ... ulerpa.jpg
http://www.reef.crc.org.au/images/about ... aeAIMS.jpg
http://www.marine.uwa.edu.au/recherche/ ... 0small.JPG

Basically those are the ones I'm looking for.