just cant seem to keep calerpa..help

[oreocookie713]

i have try different kind of calerpa and wasnt able to keep them more than a few wks...i have them in my refugium with miracle mud...slow water movement...double strip light for 6-7 hrs/day...do i need to add anything??? addditive? calcium??? what give?

 

[hmott]

Its possible you don't have the nutrients to support them. You should check phosphates, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia. I believe phosphates are limiting a lot of times. You can also dose iron and possible even test for iron as it can help macro's as well.

Basically they need light and nutrients so you're missing one of them. I would turn the lights up to more like 12 hours and dose with iron as a start. Calcium isn't used by any of the caulerpa's I don't believe I don't think any are calcifying.

 

[oreocookie713]

my nitrate is 20 ppm..i think that's enuff...nutrient is plenty cuz i feed heavy...and have lot of bio load..maybe i need iron

 

[mellen]

And magnesium. Get test kits for iron and magnesium, too, when you buy the additives. Possible light is not intense enough, and agree with hmott to up the light period to 12 hrs.