Growing Tang Heaven Red

[Mac1]

Just got my 9-99 deal from IPSF (very happy w/ my order, btw), and I had picked up some of the Tang Heaven Red. I've had poor luck growing this stuff out in the past, have tried all kinds of lighting, but never had any luck. Question for those out there that have this stuff, and are growing (supposedly it's a weed once it takes off) - What kind of lighting, environment are you keeping it in? I've got some in my sump (2x13 Watt NO's), and some in my refugium (1x175 Watt Halide). Hoping it will be a higher light algae... Any and all advice is appreciated.

- Mac

 

[jmeader]

I have grown it under NOs and VHOs. However it won't grow under any light unless you have elevated organics. That appears to be the case for all of the red algaes.

 

[smokinreefer]

well i dont know what tang heaven looks like, but i do have a red macroalgae in my system. it sprouted off a piece of live rock in the corner of my tank. where it recieved moderate light. very deep red color and more fleshy feeling than the caulerpra i have had. anyhow it sprouted off the rock and grew and grew and grew. when i moved my tank it had a mass about the size of a ball like if you spread your hand out. if that makes any sense. it does not form runners, but pieces just come off. at that large a size it was recieving more light than before, 250W 6500k MH. so the outer region had begun to lighten in color, orangey, and pale. while the portion at the bottom was still red. anyhow, when i moved my reef to a larger tank, i put most of the algae into my refugium which is only lit by 2x24" NO flo, which BTW are years old. and after ~2 weeks they are nice and red again. so IME i think it is a low light algae.

HTH atleast a little.

 

[Mac1]

Well Organics I've got! The water smells!
I just moved, so plenty 'O Crap got stirred up. Skimmer's going boinger's, all the other Macro's I have are growing like crazy, I've just never had any luck at all with the Tang Heaven Red (Gracillarus algae, or something), gotten it a few times. It always bleaches out under bright lights, and slowly dies under Lo light. I don't really have a "Medium" light tank however, just Halides and some really piss poor NO Flourescents.

- Mac

 

[davelin315]

A friend asked me to house a few pounds of red tang heaven in a pond I have and it sat in there under 2 175W MHs for over a month. It never took root, and never grew, just slowly got eaten away by some urchins. It survived well, though, because I still have little pieces that have been drawn into my sump and are still red and firm to the touch. It doesn't appear to need a whole lot of light, because these pieces that are still red have been in there for 3 or 4 months now.

Just a thought, I think it's probably good that they aren't growing. The lack of nutrients and waste in the water is a good sign that your tank is doing well.

In the pond where they were, I hadn't tested the water in over 2 years, and it hadn't been changed for close to a year, but it tested in tip top shape, everything was premium, even though I don't even regularly top it off.