Macro Algae

[Crazy fishes]

My macroalgae is growing vigorously and I can see it is encroaching on all that is beautiful in the tank. Do macroalgae have a radial root system? I wanted to keep the clippings you see but was not sure if it would be viable. It is doing wonders for the water chemistry really settling things down and as I have an issue with direct light the macro helps maintain nuisance algae growth to a minimum.
Is there a marine critter that feeds on macroalgae other than the fish, I was thinking maybe a type of snail or crab etc.... might be an alternative.

Regards

 

[@ombomb]

what sort of algae is it?

 

[Crazy fishes]

I am not sure; I did ask here but no one replied. In the topic from the beginning I have posted pictures. I did try to identify it myself but can't find any pictures of it. I have small patches of Caulerpa and bubble algae. Although it does look like the flat blade variety of Caulerpa? If you have a look at the pictures you may have more luck with the ID. If it is Caulerpa I will prune and dispose of to keep under control, I don't want it disintegrating in my tank !!

Regards

 

[SkiFletch]

Feather Culerpa . Macro don't develop "roots" in the tradition land-based plant sense. They will anchor themselves with various threads to the rockwork but are easily removed. They can be grown from any part of their body (stem, feather, leaf) even very small clippings.

 

[Donya]

Do macroalgae have a radial root system?

Ditto what ski said, but one thing to add. Caulerpa when it gets big does tend to have large stems that, if cut, can cause fluid loss that will kill off large portions of the macro in minutes to a couple hours. The worst I've seen for this has been feather Caulerpa (because of the amount of macro that seems to be affected), but every now and again my sea hare takes a chomp through my razor Caulerpa stems and causes the same thing for smaller sections. Species like Caulerpa prolifera are much less of a risk for that problem. At any rate, if you need to cut Caulerpa of any type, the best way to ensure that you don't get big dead sections is to tie or pinch off larger stems for a while before cutting. This will cause the macro to cut off fluid circulation to that section and will minimize fluid/nutrient loss. When I've accidently cut the larger veins without pinching off beforehand I've also had some luck drying the exposed ends and saving most of the bunch.