I don't know if anyone has done this but, would an octopus be ok with a planted aquarium, including several types of macro algae? It would certainly add color to an aquarium as well as remove nitrates and clean the water. Has anyone tried this?

Absolutely. And the swaying motions of the macro algae will also liven up the tank when the octopus isn't out and about.

If you get caulerpa keep an eye on it and pull it out if it starts to fade or look clear, otherwise it will die off and release all of the junk it absorbed back into your water. Also, caulerpa can be a real pest because it grows and spreads fast.

yea i'm not sure what type to get, currently i only have some chaeto in my fuge, but if that was in my main tank it would just float around...Any suggestions?

I put "sea panseys" in with the Mercs to feed the pencil urchins (not much algae with the led lighting). They don't do a lot for nitrates but they are attactive (until munched), harty and don't mind being "up-rooted"

would it be safe to keep caulerpa? what are the chances of them going sexual on me? (dont know what the scientific term for that would be)

ok heres a list of what i plan to put in my tank as far as algae goes
-Red Branching Codium
-Rhodymenia
-Red Fire Algae
-Seagrass
Then in my refugium i will have:
-Chaetomorpha
-Mangroves
I'm trying to stay away from caulerpa because of the risk of it going "sexual."
Any suggestions would greatly help

If you do Caulerpa go with Feather Caulerpa, Caulerpa Taxifolia. This species has a very low chance of going sexual.

i decided to just not have any caulerpa at all, just to be on the safe side

It's not that big of a deal if you just stay on top of it. You can tell when it's going sexual. It's roots get all hairy looking, then one leaf turns transparent... then another... then you wake up one morning and your tanks water looks like green tea and all the caulerpa is mush.

yes, i understand its not a big issue, but i rather it be as care free as possible, especially if i need to go on a vacation and whoever takes care of the tank doesnt realize its going sexual. I have a refugium right now with about 10 mangroves and some chaetomorpha, and i also bought several nice looking algae off of ebay for my main tank.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1232393
has a nice planted tank you might could take some ideas from.

wow that tank looks amazing. I doubt ill go that far into it, i just want something to add color, i already bought several of the plants he had in there, but i got small frags (2-5 in.) They should hopefully grow out nicely and im sure nitrates will not be much of a problem for me.

i have grape caulerpa and some halameda in my octo tank. he loves to hang out in the halameda.

mine should be here soon.