Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indian & Pacific Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow areas in lagoons and mangrove and seagrass areas.
General Husbandry: Generally available in the trade and prefers medium to indirect light. Besides needing a calcium level near that of Natural Seawater (NSW), about 400 mg/l, it appears to do better if alkalinity is maintained between 3.5 - 4.5 meq/l or even slightly higher.
When this alkalinity range is maintained have seen this dark green species grow in my aquariums at a rate of one-quarter inch (.6 cm) per day. It's a good species for aquariums with grazers such as Tangs because the calcareous makeup of the plant helps keep their digestive system free of blockages. H. discoidea, and H. incrassata are another two favorites.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Chlorophyta
Class: Ulvophyceae
Order: Bryopsidales
Family: Halimedaceae
Genus: Halimeda
FYI: In the wild, young plants contains a strong anti-grazing compound called 'halimedatrail' that discourages grazing fishes, which lessens in toxicity as the plants grow to maturity/older.
