caulerpa thoughts

[rando45]

Ok. I have used Caulerpa in my fuges for many years. I love the stuff, and I know many people think of it as a scourge in as reeftank. I think that if you understand its needs better, then you may not be so against its use in your own aquarium filtration system.

I am tired of seeing people who say their Caulerpa went asexual! Sheesh, ASEXUAL is how it grows and spreads; sending out runners, etc. What people mean is when not properly taken care of, Caulerpa goes SEXUAL. By that, it releases gametes into the water to fertilize and begin growing elsewhere. When it does this, the macroalgae turns all white and falls apart and dies. It is a last ditch effort to continue its species. When nutrients run out, or it consumes too much or a mass dip in water temp can cause such things.

Another factor is lighting. If you keep caulerpa in a fuge, you NEED to keep it lit 24/7. Otherwise it will eventually GO SEXUAL and foul your tank. Keeping the macro lit this way keeps it growing and does not allow itself to spawn.

Come on, we all know many species of Caulerpa are very attractive, and it grows and removes nutrients as well as any other macro; super efficient.

Please keep this in mind and maybe if you understand these things, you may want to keep it in your tank as well. A little knowledge goes a long way!

 

[natan]

>I love the stuff
So do I. agree with averything above. There is no point to be afraid of the stuff. If you crash a car in to a wall its not the car's foult! Same with caulerpa, a great tool (both ornamental and chemical filtration) if properly cared for (which is easy to do). I'd like to add that actually the abuse it can take if phenomenal! Temperatures few other marine things can survive, water parameters beyound reasonable, phisical abuse and so on. One thing it doesnt like is nutrient shortages, and thats about it. Perfect for predator tanks, which is why i cant understand why planted predator tanks are so rare. Fuge use is also ideat, and u can resycle and feed it to yuor herbivores (who relish it).

 

[dcroucher]

I love this stuff and keep it harvested from my DT.

 

[TikiDan]

I love the stuff

Here is my old 120g seahorse tank that I covered the sand bed with caulerpa prolifera

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

I keep taxifolia and prolifera with a 12 hour light cycle. I had the taxifolia go sexual a few times when the tank was immature, but it didn't bother anything and the water cleared in about a day. Haven't had any sexual events lately.

I prefer it to chaeto because it doesn't trap detritus, it doesn't smell, and it will take nutrients right out of the sand bed via the rhizoid.

 

[Fireworm]

I have grape growing on my rocks. I like the way it looks, but not in my reef, at least not as fast as it spreads. What is the best way to get it out of my reef? Should I take the the rock out and scrub it, then put it in my dark sump, or should I dry the rock and kill off everything on the rock? Just thoughts?

 

[RokleM]

Ok. I have used Caulerpa in my fuges for many years. I love the stuff, and I know many people think of it as a scourge in as reeftank. I think that if you understand its needs better, then you may not be so against its use in your own aquarium filtration system.

I am tired of seeing people who say their Caulerpa went asexual! Sheesh, ASEXUAL is how it grows and spreads; sending out runners, etc. What people mean is when not properly taken care of, Caulerpa goes SEXUAL. By that, it releases gametes into the water to fertilize and begin growing elsewhere. When it does this, the macroalgae turns all white and falls apart and dies. It is a last ditch effort to continue its species. When nutrients run out, or it consumes too much or a mass dip in water temp can cause such things.

Another factor is lighting. If you keep caulerpa in a fuge, you NEED to keep it lit 24/7. Otherwise it will eventually GO SEXUAL and foul your tank. Keeping the macro lit this way keeps it growing and does not allow itself to spawn.

Come on, we all know many species of Caulerpa are very attractive, and it grows and removes nutrients as well as any other macro; super efficient.

Please keep this in mind and maybe if you understand these things, you may want to keep it in your tank as well. A little knowledge goes a long way!

This is all well and good. However, if you've ever had to battle it in a display your opinion would likely be drastically different (maybe you have, maybe you're the 1/10000 that had luck getting rid of it)

Having fought it for some time in my display before breaking down the tank, there is NO WAY I would ever recommend keeping it in an reef system (be it your display, refuge, wherever) on purpose.

 

[lunarlanderboy]

I love the stuff

Here is my old 120g seahorse tank that I covered the sand bed with caulerpa prolifera

Wow beautiful tank! how did you keep the caulerpa off the rock work?!!!

 

[TikiDan]

It never seemed to attach itself to the rocks. And besides the new revolution is the marine planted tank!!! Long live decorative algea!!

There are so many beautiful decorative macro algaes out there that you can create your own little reef lagoon. For those who have not researched the benifits, aesthetically and better water quality by keeping numerous types of macro algea and marine plants in your tank it may be time for you to join the marine planted tank revolution!

 

[Fireworm]

The tank looks great, but with many of my lower light corals on the sand, or my sps on the rock, the macros scare me. I am afraid that it will take over the rocks and choke out my corals. If I had a larger tank, and could keep a tang or two, no worries. But in a smaller tank, there is not much out there for options on smaller fish to help maintain the growth.

 

[lunarlanderboy]

I'm very intrigued by this idea but I have had caulerpa that completely took over my rock work and I swore never to use it again. Can someone point me in the right direction as far as other types of macro algae that are less invasive?

 

[Mentat]

here is my old 120g seahorse tank that I covered the sand bed with caulerpa prolifera...

Your seahorse tank looks great, congratulations.

I keep taxifolia and prolifera... and it will take nutrients right out of the sand bed via the rhizoid.

If you saw this function in a book or scientific document would appreciate the reference, thanks. To my knowledge macro algae rhizoids only function as holdfasts (they make their own glue) to secure algae to substrate and have no vascular capacity to absorb nutrients out of the sand.

 

[lancer99]

I am tired of seeing people who say their Caulerpa went asexual! Sheesh, ASEXUAL is how it grows and spreads; sending out runners, etc. What people mean is when not properly taken care of, Caulerpa goes SEXUAL.

Calm down. Reefcentral isn't exactly where you go to for literacy...or for that matter, grammar, spelling or punctuation.

Any species of Caulerpa is perfectly fine in a reef tank, although if you let it get into the LR, it can be very difficult to remove.

So that just means keep it on the sand, and don't let it grow onto the rock.

I fail to see what the difficulty here is.

-R

 

[Fireworm]

My difficulty is it came out of my LR. Out of no where. I have had all of my rock for a few years and never had it show up. I put it into a smaller tank, and BAM it shows up

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Your seahorse tank looks great, congratulations.


If you saw this function in a book or scientific document would appreciate the reference, thanks. To my knowledge macro algae rhizoids only function as holdfasts (they make their own glue) to secure algae to substrate and have no vascular capacity to absorb nutrients out of the sand.

Taxifolia cultures a rhizophere of bacteria around the rhizoid by injecting sugars into the sand bed. This is useful for them because the bacteria concentrate nutrients for absorption. This is easily observed by a black circle around the rhizoid, in my experience, especially when the nutrients in the water column are low and nutrients in the sand bed are high.

Granted, the bacteria in the rhizosphere are actually capable of nitrogen FIXATION, so there is a slim possibility of increasing nitrate, but the chances of the caulpera producing more nitrate than they absorb, I don't see happening. The true benefit to caulerpa is their absorption of phosphate.

First few results from googling 'caulerpa taxifolia rhizosphere.'
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3096580
http://www.sbg.ac.at/ipk/avstudio/pierofun/ct/ct-3.htm
http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/BOT.2006.040
http://www.anstaskforce.gov/Species plans/Final NMP for the Genus Caulerpa 111005.pdf

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

For what it's worth, caulperas are very diverse. I would never even consider something like caulerpa racemosa for my tank.

 

[tufacody]

Keeping macro is not a new concept. In the early 90's the Germans were keeping heavily (and I mean heavily!) planted tanks, and many still do. Most found that while they worked in the short-term, the long-term goal was not being fulfilled. Decaying vege matter and the absorbtion of trace elements, not to mention the risk of it going sexual, were cited for its eventual abandonement. The stuff works great in a species tank, but it fell out of favor in coral tanks for a variety of reasons.

 

[Mentat]

...
First few results from googling 'caulerpa taxifolia rhizosphere.'
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3096580
http://www.sbg.ac.at/ipk/avstudio/pierofun/ct/ct-3.htm
http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/BOT.2006.040
http://www.anstaskforce.gov/Species plans/Final NMP for the Genus Caulerpa 111005.pdf

Thank you.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Not a problem.

 

[shred5]

I have been in this hobby a long time and if you look at old tank pics from the early days growing macros in the main tank was extreemly popular and everyone did it. It was the way to control nutrients.

I have seen caulerpa go sexual many times and never once did it foul my water. Most of it becomes food for other invertebrates in the tank..

I will say though allot of macro algaes especially caulerpa can irritate corals. I have seen corals die in spots where caulerpa have touched them. I also believe they release toxins to compete for space. When I had a fuge full of caulerpa I would notice allot less colors in my sps. Once I would prune them back the colors would come back. I have noticed this allot.

Sea grasses are a different story though.. I am happy to see the interest growing for sea grasses... Thing about most sea grasses is the need to be collected with the rhizome or they do not make it.