How do I get rid of unwanted culpera

[smketyr]

I have some culpera that got into my tank on a small rock. The culpera is growing quite well and has started to strangle my green palys, I think this is where it came from. I have been plucking it out, really stuck to the rock. Is there something out there that will eat it that is reef safe?

Please HELP

 

[Avi]

Caluerpa is an aggressive grower when it has favorable conditions. It spreads with shoots that "grab" your live rock, or anything else it can grow on, with root-like footholds. Once it grows like that, the best way to remove it is to get a good grab on a shot and tug at it, attempting to avoid splitting the shoot and instead pull it off the surface that it's growing on. Otherwise, it will send new growth shoots off from any place where it continues to remain on the rock or other surface. It takes some attention and it most likely won't be able to be done all at one time. If it's growing on your Palys and threatening it that way, you might want to take the rock in your hand and use some kind of implement, like the hook-kind that are sold in pharmacies for getting between teeth to completly remove it from the rock.

Some people recommend putting a Tang in a tank when caulerpa shows uncontrolable growth, but there is no guarantee that any particular Tang will pay any attention to caulerpa.

 

[MrChico]

my foxface and sail-fin tang took care of mine within 1 week.

 

[smketyr]

Thanks Avi and Mr. Chico

 

[sequential]

For the cost of overnight shipping, both ways, I'll send you the hungriest black long spined urchin you've ever seen, as long as you ship him back in a couple of days when he's done with it. You can even watch in amazement as it eats and, uhm, passes his food at the same time!

I had grown a field of caluerpa in my 20g and purchased a small long spined urchin. A week later, I had a large long spined urchin.

(You can always just get a long spined urchin at your LFS, of course.)

Then again, I wouldn't say long spined urchin are reef safe. When this guy grew, he went after my engineer gobies and anemone. The gobies learned their lesson and the anemone kicked its butt. He's now in his own tank, dreaming of caluerpa.