Green+ Macroalgae

Our Green+ collection brings together two of the ocean's most ecologically important macroalgae groups — green algae (Chlorophyta) and brown algae (Phaeophyta) — under one roof. Both are reef-safe, functional, and visually striking, and together they cover a wider range of aquarium roles than either group alone.

Green Macroalgae are the workhorses of the refugium. Fast-growing and highly adaptable, species like Chaeto, Gracilaria, and Ulva absorb nitrates and phosphates rapidly, making them the most reliable biological nutrient export available to reef keepers. Many green species also serve as a live food source for tangs, rabbitfish, and herbivorous invertebrates, and harbor thriving populations of copepods and amphipods within their filaments. As a group they are forgiving, beginner-friendly, and immediately productive.

Brown Macroalgae are the display specialists. Species like Sargassum, Turbinaria, and Dictyota grow more slowly and deliberately, building structural complexity that green algae rarely match. Many produce secondary metabolites that make them largely resistant to grazing — allowing them to persist in tanks with active herbivores where most green algae would be stripped bare. Brown algae belong to Chromista rather than the plant kingdom, making them more closely related to diatoms than to true plants — a biological distinction that surprises most hobbyists.

Together, Green+ covers nutrient export, live food production, display structure, and herbivore resistance — a complete macroalgae toolkit for any system.