Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium II- Brown Algae Continued

Also of the Heterokontophyta, there is the class Phaeophycaea, multicellular brown algae including over 1500 species, almost all of which are marine.  They exist in a wide variety of sizes and forms.  Some species can grow to several meters.  While they are an interesting, sometimes beautiful, and important part of marine ecosystems (some are even harvested for human consumption) as they require substantial amounts of nutrients to thrive (iodine, nitrogen, phosphorus) they also shouldn’t be seen in a reef aquarium beyond the initial set up period.