Question on caulerpa removal

wickjr · 03-09-2006, 09:36 PM

Just after my tank cycled, I added some long feather caulerpa to my main tank, just a little bit in the back corner. An employee at a LFS recommended it for nitrate reduction and said it wouldn't overgrow anything. Within a week I realized it would overgrow everything, based on the growth alreay. I have been picking and scraping the caulerpa out, and as off two weeks ago thought I had it all. Then I went on vacation. Came back two weeks later and it has not only returned, but spread further across the back of the reef, and will surely keep going. Aside from picking and scraping, any advice on how to get this weed out of the tank for good? I have a 46 gallon, so tangs are out of the question. What are other good macro eaters that will eat this stuff?

Rougiem · 03-09-2006, 10:16 PM

What kind of calurpa is it? If it is taxifolia...that could be a problem...not much likes to eat it...there is a slug that likes it but not sure if you can buy them....Do you have a picture?

prow · 03-10-2006, 08:30 AM

just manually remove as much as possible, turn off the lights for a couple days. if that does not work you might have to take out the rock and substrate it has grown on if it keep coming back, but do try removing and lights off, could even put a blanket or something over the tank during the day. no light=algea death. worth a try anyway.

Cougra · 03-10-2006, 09:07 AM

Once it's in the tank it will ALWAYS be in the tank! No matter how often you pluck it out it will come back. Leaving the lights off for a few days didn't work for my tank, nor did cooking the rocks for 8 months in absolute darkness! Once the conditions were right, it came back with a vengence! Nasty stuff!

dan9960 · 03-10-2006, 12:18 PM

I had the same problem. That stuff is the like the terminator, it keeps coming back! Nothing would eat it and turning off the lights didn't effect it. I eventually had to take out all the rock that had any hint of caulerpa on it and boiled it. I had to carefully scrape the glass where the roots were attached to remove those. If you miss ANY part of the caulerpa, it will start growing again. I've got a DSB also and the caulerpa found it's way into that. I scooped out a large area around the roots to remove it from the sandbed. Then I waited months for it to come back. I did have a couple outbreaks during that time, but as soon as I saw the caulerpa, out came the rock for boiling. During this time I was curing the rock that I had taken out. Finally, when I was pretty sure I got it all, I put the rock back in and I've been caulerpa free for about four months now.

wickjr · 03-11-2006, 12:49 PM

I would really rather not remove and boil the rock or turn my lights off for any extended amount of time if it can be avoided. Here are a couple pics. Sorry if they are not completely in focus. I took them last night with my eyes half closed.
reef tank 015.jpg
reef tank 016.jpg

wickjr · 03-11-2006, 12:58 PM

Those pictures are horrible.
reef tank 018.jpg
This one is a little better. Hopefully you can tell which species? I am no photographer, that's for certain.

03-09-2006, 09:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
wickjr Ricordea Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Amelia, Ohio Posts: 183 View Gallery Karma Komment	Question on caulerpa removal Just after my tank cycled, I added some long feather caulerpa to my main tank, just a little bit in the back corner. An employee at a LFS recommended it for nitrate reduction and said it wouldn't overgrow anything. Within a week I realized it would overgrow everything, based on the growth alreay. I have been picking and scraping the caulerpa out, and as off two weeks ago thought I had it all. Then I went on vacation. Came back two weeks later and it has not only returned, but spread further across the back of the reef, and will surely keep going. Aside from picking and scraping, any advice on how to get this weed out of the tank for good? I have a 46 gallon, so tangs are out of the question. What are other good macro eaters that will eat this stuff? __________________ GO IRISH!!!_________________________________________ -46 gallon bowfront AGA, 80 pounds LR, 40 pounds live sand, Corallife superskimmer, 234 watt T-5 HO: 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Neon Green Nepthea, Blue Ricordia, Zoanthids, Mushrooms, Turbo, Astrea, Strombus, Nerite Snails, Scarlet, Blue leg and Zebra Hermits

03-09-2006, 10:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rougiem Ichthy Inquisitor Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Biggest Little City In The World Posts: 2,898 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Question on caulerpa removal What kind of calurpa is it? If it is taxifolia...that could be a problem...not much likes to eat it...there is a slug that likes it but not sure if you can buy them....Do you have a picture? __________________ "Apes don't read philosophy." "Yes they do Otto, they just don't understand it." Intial School Tank Set Up and Progress

03-10-2006, 08:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
prow Manta Ray Join Date: May 2005 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 3,976 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Question on caulerpa removal just manually remove as much as possible, turn off the lights for a couple days. if that does not work you might have to take out the rock and substrate it has grown on if it keep coming back, but do try removing and lights off, could even put a blanket or something over the tank during the day. no light=algea death. worth a try anyway.

03-10-2006, 09:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Question on caulerpa removal Once it's in the tank it will ALWAYS be in the tank! No matter how often you pluck it out it will come back. Leaving the lights off for a few days didn't work for my tank, nor did cooking the rocks for 8 months in absolute darkness! Once the conditions were right, it came back with a vengence! Nasty stuff! __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

03-10-2006, 12:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
dan9960 Tunicate Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 19 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Question on caulerpa removal I had the same problem. That stuff is the like the terminator, it keeps coming back! Nothing would eat it and turning off the lights didn't effect it. I eventually had to take out all the rock that had any hint of caulerpa on it and boiled it. I had to carefully scrape the glass where the roots were attached to remove those. If you miss ANY part of the caulerpa, it will start growing again. I've got a DSB also and the caulerpa found it's way into that. I scooped out a large area around the roots to remove it from the sandbed. Then I waited months for it to come back. I did have a couple outbreaks during that time, but as soon as I saw the caulerpa, out came the rock for boiling. During this time I was curing the rock that I had taken out. Finally, when I was pretty sure I got it all, I put the rock back in and I've been caulerpa free for about four months now. __________________ 48" 72 Gallon Glass Tank 80 lbs. Marshall Island Rock 2x250w HQI 14k Metal Halides 2x110w URI VHO Super Actinics 4" Oolite DSB 20 Gallon Sump Euro-Reef CS6-1 Protein Skimmer Gen-X PXC-40 Return Pump 3 Maxi-Jet 1200s

03-11-2006, 12:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
wickjr Ricordea Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Amelia, Ohio Posts: 183 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Question on caulerpa removal I would really rather not remove and boil the rock or turn my lights off for any extended amount of time if it can be avoided. Here are a couple pics. Sorry if they are not completely in focus. I took them last night with my eyes half closed. reef tank 015.jpg reef tank 016.jpg __________________ GO IRISH!!!_________________________________________ -46 gallon bowfront AGA, 80 pounds LR, 40 pounds live sand, Corallife superskimmer, 234 watt T-5 HO: 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Neon Green Nepthea, Blue Ricordia, Zoanthids, Mushrooms, Turbo, Astrea, Strombus, Nerite Snails, Scarlet, Blue leg and Zebra Hermits

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