Your cart
There are no more items in your cartHow to attach marine macroalgae the best way
- Categories : Macroalgae Know How
With so many different marine macroalgae species available, it is quite important to know how to attach them in the best way to ensure that they are safe in the aquarium and you can fully enjoy them.
Therefore we will give you a general overview which should make it easier for you to add them to your tank successfully.
Should you still not be sure about how to attach them or if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us.
Let's start:
There are mainly three different macroalgae types available, which can be categorized in invasive macro algae species, non-invasive macroalgae species and the popular Chaetomorpha macro algae.
For every macroalgae species, we sell you will find on each individual macro algae website a field which is called placement, which you will find below the topic Facts & Care Instructions.
When the macro algae has the following description:
Attach ( for non-invasive macroalgae)
Macro algae where we recommend "Attach" you will most often find with non-invasive macro algae species, as they normally don't attach themselves easily or at all to rock etc, like the very popular Red Grape algae, Halimeda macroalgae species and Dragons's Breath macroalgae species.
Therefore it is necessary to attach them somehow to rock, rubble, shells etc. to keep them in place and not to lose the algae in the aquarium.
The best way to do this regarding the optical look is by using normal cyanoacrylate super glue, where we personally recommend the gel variation (our favourite brand is Loctite Super Glue Universal Gel).
A drop of the super glue on a wet piece of rubble or similar and holding it together for around one minute will be enough to keep the algae safe and sound in place. We recommend as well to dip it before placing it in your aquarium in some marine water.
Another method is to use a rubber band (which we noticed will often break up after a while in the saltwater and) to keep the macroalgae in place or to place it in between some rock pieces.
Self-attaching (invasive macroalgae)
Invasive macroalgae species won't really need help to keep them in place, as they will attach themselves very fast easily. For the start it can be helpful to use a rubber band or another piece of rock to give it the best chance to attach to a rock, otherwise, they can be just placed into the substrate, where they will attach themselves.
As they are invasive macro algae species like most Caulerpa algae species, they are best placed in the sump, or in the Tank Display with caution, as they can overgrow the rockwork/corals, when not kept restrained, and it can be a pain to remove them from the rock, once they have attached themselves.
Some planted marine aquarium owner enthusiasts have this actually as a goal, as it gives a fantastic natural look to the aquarium.
Macroalgae like the beautiful Ochtodes (which is an invasive macroalgae species) will attach them self, but they will need a few days to do so. Here again, a drop off glue can be very helpful for the start. But as this macro algae species is quite a fragile algae it works very well to just place it on a piece of rock in an area without current but good light. Like this it will normally attach itself within 204 days, and can after this be placed in the final location you would like to have this algae.
Tumbling
Chaeto / Chaetomorpha algae are best placed in the sump, where it is helpful to just let it tumble in the water flow, so it can get light all around.
Current Delivery Delays Due To Storm Darcy 
Christmas break for our macroalgae species. 
Red macroalgae species for the Reef Display Tank 