- What's up, coral people?
My name is Remy,
and today we're going to be talking about
your first ever macroalgae display tank.
In this build series, I'm going to answer the questions,
"Why would anybody want a macroalgae display tank?"
"Aren't we trying to stay away from algae in this hobby?"
"What are the differences in care
between setting up a macroalgae display tank
and a mixed reef?"
"What equipment is needed?"
"Where do I get these plants?"
And I'm gonna set up this 9.1 Gallon Aquamaxx
to house my very own macroalgae display tank.
Let's get started.
So why?
Why would anybody in their right mind
want a macroalgae display tank?
If you're on social media,
you've probably run into some of these displays before
and thought that they were freshwater tanks.
Most newcomers to the hobby are drawn
to the fluorescing colors of all the beautiful coral.
Or perhaps it's the vibrant marine fishes that draw you in.
Normally, you're not going to start with something
like a macroalgae tank.
However, if you're looking to jump into a whole new facet
of this hobby, you got to try this out.
First things first:
not all algae is green.
And not all algae looks like this.
Just like the fish and coral of the ocean,
its plants also come in a wide variety of colors.
From the green, like Caulerpa and chaetomorpha,
and the reds like Gracilaria and Dragon's Breath,
to the less commonly known Blue hypnea,
which can present a bluish-purple hue.
It also comes in many different shapes, sizes and textures.
One of my favorites is the Shaving brush macro;
or even the cactus-like Halimeda.
It can also represent the ferns of a palm tree,
or the even weirder Codium,
which can be known as Sea Fingers, or Dead Man's Fingers.
If you've got an artistic eye,
you can already see the endless possibilities
when it comes to aquascaping.
Even if you're not so artistic, that's okay.
You're going to be able to explore a whole new world
of organisms in the saltwater hobby.
Which leads me to my next topic:
The creatures that can inhabit your macroalgae tank.
You can house many of the same organisms
and inverts as you would in your mixed reef.
But for these, I like to showcase the really cool organisms
like the Pom Pom Crab.
Try putting a Pom Pom Crab in a large display,
and you may never see the little guy.
But put him in a small macroalgae tank,
and you'll probably see him a lot more,
and that cool symbiotic relationship
that the Pom Pom Crab has with those anemones.
My buddy Blaine also has a famous Purple Lobster.
Feeding them is super fun,
and they will definitely be the star of the show
in your macro tank.
The amount of underrated inverts and organisms
in this hobby is endless.
Obviously, you'll want to do the proper research
when it comes to adding any new organisms into your tank.
And as far as equipment goes, a macroalgae tank
can be super affordable.
I'm just going to do a brief overview
of the types of equipment that you'll need
for a macroalgae display tank.
And we'll really dig in in the next video.
Let's start at square one.
Obviously, you're going to need a tank for this.
In this build series, I'm gonna be using
the Aquamaxx 9.1 Gallon Cuboid shape.
So, this is going to be a longer version of a tank,
which is going to give us some really cool 'scaping
opportunities down the road.
Another cool thing about a macroalgae display
is that you don't necessarily need a sump,
and you don't necessarily need to have
an all-in-one function on the tank.
And that opens up a lot of possibilities, as well.
Other than that, you really just need:
flow, some sand, some rock,
a heater, and a light,
plus a little bit of creativity.
You can still use reef lighting
for your macroalgae display,
but these things really pop
under full-spectrum lights.
This type of lighting leads to some really good photos
and videos.
You don't have to battle the blue light
that we have in our reef tanks with an orange filter.
You can capture all of the organisms
and plants in this tank without a filter at all.
As with anything in this hobby,
there's hundreds of different ways to do the same thing.
So, these small tanks really give you those options
to be creative.
In the comments below, let me know
if you've already got a macroalgae display tank,
or if you're planning on joining along,
and maybe starting a macroalgae display tank of your own.
Pico, macro.
Very small, but also very large.
If you want to join me on this build,
take a look at all the products I'll be using right here.