Caulerpa dieing, Whats wrong.

[Mekong]

I recently added Caulerpa prolifera, feather Caulerpa, green bubble algae, Graciliaria.

I have had cheato growing for a long time (over 6 months growing realy fast. I got a handfull of algae which contined all of the ones listed about from a fellow reef club member and I put it in my 55g fuge lit by 220VHO, 6,500k bulb and 10,00k bulb. In about a week the bubble turned white and then the prolifera and now the feather. Why would this happen?

All my other corals (mostly softies, rics, zoos, shrooms...) they all look great. My clams have been doing perfect and I have less than 2.5ppm nitrate and less than .1 phos.

Could they be shocked with how much more light they are having? They were lit by a LOA light 24/7 before I got it and now its under my VHOs about 12" deep or less and lit for only 14 hours aday.

 

[Mekong]

Well I woke up the morning and all of the feather was completly white. I up rooted it and removed all that I could so it doesnt rot and leach eveything back in.

This is really odd, my graciliaria is doing great and so is my cheato. I dont get whats going wrong, the ph is 8.3... last I tested calcium it was ~420.

All corals and clams still look good, I have noticed though that it seems my coraline is starting to bleach unexplicably.

Help what gives!

 

[reefgrief]

It sounds to me like too lighting is too strong, and should be reduced until the plants become less sensative to it.

 

[Mariner]

Your caulerpa is "going sexual" -- releasing spores in a cloud of chlorophyll into your tank. This is a common occurrence with caulerpa and is difficult to prevent; I doubt that your lighting has anything to do with it. The "green" that the caulerpa releases contains nutrients which can spike nutrient levels in your tank and effect other things.
FYI,
Mariner

 

[Mekong]

I thought all of the caulerpa was dead, today I looked behind the rocks and there is a very healthy looking colony in the shade, the parts that extened in to direct light are white and bleached.

This would lead me to belive that it is the lights.

Everyone says that the caulpera is supposed to release a cloud. No could or even slight cloudyness was noticed. I am sure that the calupera dieing relased a good ammount of crap, but my system seemed to process it becuase I could not detect any raise in ammonia, nitrate or phos.

The plants were kept under about 32 watts PC, now they are under 220 VHO and only growing in the shade. I thought I lost all fo the green bubble but it is growing fast and hardy under a rock in the shade!

Thanks