Caulerpa
- Thread starter r0bin
- Start date
papagimp
COMAS Rocks!
You can put it in the main tank, but it may be devoired by any number of fish/inverts/critters/whatever. Also may spread around the display to quickly and take over the tank if you are not trimming it as needed regularly. a sump/fuge or even a HOB converted into a mini fuge would be best, but "techically" it'll do the same thing in the tank as it would in a sump under the tank.
hmello@bermexin
New member
Hey papa what inverts have you had that would eat caulerpa?
Samala
New member
I would not put Caulerpa into any main display tank that you want to maintain as a reef. Caulerpa, of any species member, is generally a fast growing and highly invasive algae that can be almost impossible to eradicate once it has a foothold in the system. Because it is not often highly palatable to herbivores, manual removal is the only way to control it. If you cannot connect a refugium to the system, I would recommend using a different genus of algae for nutrient export purposes - Chaetomorpha is popular and easy to maintain, Ulva (sea lettuce) is also good as is Gracilaria (often called tang heaven), though the Gracilaria can be hard to grow in large quantities. Halimeda (cactus algae) is another candidate for a main display macroalgae.
>Sarah
>Sarah
drummereef
Team RC
I agree with Samala. You also can risk Caulerpa going sexual in your tank. I have a bit of Halimeda growing in my display. It's attractive and does a fine job taking up excess nutrients. 
jer77
Phish Lover
Halimeda can also "go sexual" too, and it also buries its roots making it hard to take out completely.
I've had caulerpa in my dt twice including now and I find it grows very quickly and takes over corals at an astonishing rate. It is however a very effective means of nutrient control, so I guess I take the good with the bad. I try and trim it regularly so it doesn't effect my corals and it seems to work fine by me. I watch for it to turn sexual and if it starts to I can easily take it out before it does. I try to keep it to a minimium though by adding other macros which also soak up nutrients. Chaetomorpha is my favorite, but it does seem harder to grow than caulerpa for me, atleast for a while it seemed that way. I now have a huge ball of chaeto that grew from a very small one.
To answer your questions r0bin, even having a small refugium has its benefits, so I would say go for it. You dont have to plant most macroalgaes except for some like halimeda, shaving brushes, and mermaid's fans. Some people use miracle mud which has some benefits, but sand does seem to be by far the norm. The light some say isn't a big concern, but I've tried growing chaeto with many kinds of light and I find it likes bright light in the daylight spectrum like 6500K. But mine also grew under MH 14K bulbs.
I've had caulerpa in my dt twice including now and I find it grows very quickly and takes over corals at an astonishing rate. It is however a very effective means of nutrient control, so I guess I take the good with the bad. I try and trim it regularly so it doesn't effect my corals and it seems to work fine by me. I watch for it to turn sexual and if it starts to I can easily take it out before it does. I try to keep it to a minimium though by adding other macros which also soak up nutrients. Chaetomorpha is my favorite, but it does seem harder to grow than caulerpa for me, atleast for a while it seemed that way. I now have a huge ball of chaeto that grew from a very small one.
To answer your questions r0bin, even having a small refugium has its benefits, so I would say go for it. You dont have to plant most macroalgaes except for some like halimeda, shaving brushes, and mermaid's fans. Some people use miracle mud which has some benefits, but sand does seem to be by far the norm. The light some say isn't a big concern, but I've tried growing chaeto with many kinds of light and I find it likes bright light in the daylight spectrum like 6500K. But mine also grew under MH 14K bulbs.
hmello@bermexin
New member
What should you look for when Caulerpa is going sexual so that you can trim it prior to?
hmello@bermexin
New member
Never mind jer77 i found an article that explains.
Here it is fobin.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/nftt/index.php
Here it is fobin.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/nftt/index.php
cyclops23
Premium Member
IMHO, i would stay away from caulerpa, i wish i had. i have some in my fuge(can't seem to get rid of it), and i moved a rock from my fuge to my display for a clam to sit on, now i have caulerpa i can't seem to get completely out of my display. very aggravating. go with cheato or halimeda, cheato being the preferable choice. i use one of these for lighting on my fuge:
http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html
i got it from hellolights.com in the 5100K color. my cheato grow like mad, it's an unbelievable difference from the old lights. they're about $11 apeice.
http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html
i got it from hellolights.com in the 5100K color. my cheato grow like mad, it's an unbelievable difference from the old lights. they're about $11 apeice.
