Okay guys. I really need help. I've got this lovely macroalgae taking over my tank. If a peice of it is broken off and is swept against another peice of live rock, it attaches itself and grows . . . well, like a weed. It is a #@&#@ to pluck out of my corals. What will eat it????
Need to know more about this Algae
- Thread starter tarpons
- Start date
sawtooth caulerpa, real PITA.
1, pull it out manually
2, make sure you don't overfeed your tank
3, good skimming
4, foxface or tang may touch it, but some does not. Caulerpa has natural toxin that protect it from some of these vegetarians. Beside, they taste awful.
5, lot of patience.
Good luck
1, pull it out manually
2, make sure you don't overfeed your tank
3, good skimming
4, foxface or tang may touch it, but some does not. Caulerpa has natural toxin that protect it from some of these vegetarians. Beside, they taste awful.
5, lot of patience.
Good luck
dupaboy1992":3myl56zq said:
True 'dat. I once took LR that was covered in that stuff, plucked and scrubbed what I could find off it, rinsed it and put it in a tank in the dark for 3 months. It still regrow within a week of putting it back into the main display tank
If only my freshwater plants grew with such tenacity :? So . . . I'd be better off putting this rock into maybe a FOWLR tank that I have no intention of putting any corals in? Or is this one of those Caelurpas that has a toxic spawning from time to time?
Seems I'm learning all the HARD WAY.
My hubby wants to stick all the rock out in the snow to kill the Caleurpa. I guess we'd have to then run it through a curing period again for all the dead stuff, and it'd probably be little more than expensive base rock afterward. 8O What to do, what to do . . .
Seems I'm learning all the HARD WAY.
My hubby wants to stick all the rock out in the snow to kill the Caleurpa. I guess we'd have to then run it through a curing period again for all the dead stuff, and it'd probably be little more than expensive base rock afterward. 8O What to do, what to do . . .Candy, I had a similar (but slightly smaller) problem with feather (not sawtooth) caulerpa. Here's what I did, it may help you out. Take the rocks outta the tank one at a time and put them in a bucket of salt water. Pull what you can off them carefully paying particular attention to the points of attachment- that stuff seems to drill into the LR! Scrub the rock carefully with a stiff scrubbing brush- this does little to remove the caulerpa, but you might as well remove any debris and detritus buildup while you are at it. Replace each rock when you are finished in the tank and start on a new one. If you have a refugium, put some caulerpa in there (Check with the smarter folks here as to whether that species is suitable, I use the grape type). Get your PO4 and NO levels right down, up your photo period over the 'fuge and let the fuge caulerpa compete for any nutrients with any residual in your - now hopefully caulerpa free- display.
There really seem to be no short cuts to fighting it, Foxfaces have differing success levels, IME tangs wont touch it... roll up your sleeves...
There really seem to be no short cuts to fighting it, Foxfaces have differing success levels, IME tangs wont touch it... roll up your sleeves...
This looks a lot like the Caulerpa I have in both my reefs. The tanks are only 40 and 50 gal so I bought a Yellow tang several months ago hoping it would make a dent in the stuff. No luck. I spend lots of hours plucking the stuff. just to think that when I set up the first tank a year ago I was just going to have a little bit - yeah, right. I think this Caulerpa is possessed by a malevalent mind of its own!!http://wwwmynewportreef.blogspot.com/
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