Benefits of macroalgae

Benefits of marine macroalgae in the reef display tank & refugium

Enrich your marine aquarium, reef tank or seahorse tank with stunning and colourful looking macroalgae and be amazed how live algae can transform the look of your tank, bringing the marine aquarium hobby to a completely new level of enjoyment.

Just a few reasons, why macroalgae are a great addition to the marine aquarium:

Ability to suppress unwanted microalgae, like green hair algae etc.
Reducing the nitrate and phosphate level in the tank
Providing shelter for small fishes, copepods, and rotifers
Natural food source for critters and fishes to keep them happy and healthy
Especially Tang fishes need a good portion of daily algae to stay fit
Adding a more natural look of the marine aquarium to enjoy

When it comes to marine macroalgae often the first algae species which come in mind of most people are the green macroalgae species like Caulerpa or Chaetomorpha ( Chaeto ) as they are fast growing and widely available.

Especially the Chaetomorpha / Chaeto algae is a great macroalgae for the refugium and the first choice when it comes to nutrient export, as it is a very fast growing macroalgae and some varieties of the Chaeto algae are so stable, that they will even survive in low nutrients tanks.
We would though not recommend to place the Chaeto algae in the reef display tank, as bits of it might float around.

Various Caulerpa macroalgae species are a great choice for a nutrient remover marine algae too, especially when placed in a macroalgae refugium, as most caulerpa species can be quite invasive and easily overgrow rockwork and corals. Restricted in their growth area they can add so a beautiful natural look to the reef display tank.

Especially the Caulerpa Taxifolia, Caulerpa Racemosa and Caulerpa Prolifera macroalgae species look very beautiful. As they are more invasive and might go sexual ( read about this in the care facts for Caulerpa macroalgae ) they will need more attention than non-invasive algae species.

The red algae, green algae and brown algae species in our non-invasive macroalgae section will be a good choice for most marine aquarium, as for the Nano Tank, Reef Tank or Fish only marine aquarium. Especially for a Seahorses aquarium, we recommend to add macroalgae, as some species will provide provide extra hold fast for Seahorses making it more comfortable & natural for the seahorses.

These live algae will often grow slower, especially in comparison to the various Caulerpa macroalgae species, and are therefore not the first choice when it comes to a fast nutrient export, but their look with the different colours and shapes is just stunning and macroalgae might compete regards its beauty with the one or the other coral in a reef tank.

If you don't already have live macro algae in your tank, perhaps our website can convince you to enrich your tank with a more natural look for happier fishes and seahorses.

Our goal is that you will like your macroalgae so much that you won't be able to resist coming back over and over again to get more!

Your Livealgae UK