Blue Ochtodes Macroalgae

Blue Ochtodes Macroalgae is a delicate specimen with its rare purple/blue colour. It is a fantastic addition to the marine tank and will add a beautiful and rare to find colour to the aquarium.

Blue Ochtodes is a highly sought-after macroalgae known for its vivid blue to violet iridescence under reef lighting. Although biologically a red macroalgae, its pigments reflect light in a way that produces its metallic blue coloration, making it one of the most eye-catching macroalgae used in marine aquascapes. It attaches itself to rock or substrate as it grows, slowly encrusting the area.

It has a dense structure which offers great hiding space for beneficial hitchhikers like copepods, rotifers.

The visual colour of this macroalgae will vary depending on your lighting.

The first photo is of this macroalgae in my refugium under strong blue light, the second photo is of it under strong red light.

This macroalgae is very delicate and brittle, so it requires careful handling.

Light: Medium to high, full-spectrum reef lighting. Brighter light brings out the fluorescent blue color, while lower light shifts it to a burgundy or brownish tone.

Water Flow: Medium to strong flow helps it maintain a dense, compact shape.

Stability: It dislikes sudden changes in salinity, temperature, or pH, which can cause it to collapse or turn white and die.

Growth Habit: It grows in dense, bushy mounds or mat-like structures.

Under ideal conditions with sufficient iron and nutrients, it can grow rapidly and spread via fragmentation, potentially overgrowing nearby corals or other macroalgae. Careful placement in the display tank is advised.

You will receive a small cutting of this macroalgae similar in size to that in the photo with the 50 pence piece being for scale.

PLEASE NOTE -  Blue Ochtodes can change colour during transport it may arrive red, brown, white or grey, this is normal and once in your aquarium it will change back to its natural hue within a few days.

Dispatch days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only, as this will be sent via Royal Mail Tracked 24, any orders placed on or after a  Thursday, will be dispatched the following Monday.

Macroalgae should be acclimatised in the same way as you would with fish and corals.