PLEASE help, how to get rid of feather Caulerpa

[Ben1]

This stuff is taking over my rock. I pull it out trying to get as much of the vine as possible but it is slowly spreading every where. Seems impossible to rid it all out of the tank. What eats this stuff, anything? I just want it out it is growing all around my sps and has been more of a pain in the ass then anything. TIA

 

[Merkur]

simple, you rip all of it out, bag it nicly, put it in a box, and UPS it to me

would be great in my refugium.

 

[Les1]

I wouldn't mind taking some off your hands.
Les

 

[jbash]

My sympathies. We have "feather caulerpa" that came from IPSF and nothing eats it. Our yellow tang, purple tang, regal tang and other occupants of our tanks eat other caulerpa (bubble, razor, a couple others) but we've never found anything that will eat what IPF called "feather caulerpa" when they sShipped it to us as a freebie. We've got a couple macro algae books and we've never positively identified it either.

If it is any consolation ours is not as bad now as it once was--some combo of lower nutrients and competition I suspect (we have other macros in sumps and refugiums--this is the only caulerpa that stays in main tanks as no one eats it). I still pull some of it every couple weeks but it no longer "takes over" as much--we used to pull great amounts weekly. Its been in uor tanks for a couple years.

Good Luck and if you find a critter that controls this please let us know.

jim b

 

[b.crabby]

I've read in a couple places that a fox face parrot fish is what you want.

 

[Steve Richardson]

I cant grow it to save my life.

My Purple tang immediately mows down *any* macros I put in the tank. Red...green...calcareous or not. The thing is an eating machine.

-Steve

[ September 27, 2001: Message edited by: Steve Richardson ]

 

[Mouse]

Woa Jbash, bad story mate. There are two types of feather calurpa as far as i know. One of which is about to be banned too. Only for you guys though. There was a story on it on the net only recently, see if you can find it. They explained how the two were so similar it was very difficult to tell them appart without a book.

 

[Ben1]

One is called Cualerpa Taxifolia (sp?)
I think that some crabs eat it but am not sure any one else?
My tang wont eat it, and the vines spread out between rocks and grows every where I cant reach.

The other type is listed here with pictures,
I love this site for algea ID. Its John Rices site. http://www.globaldialog.com/~jrice/algae_page/algae_gallery.htm

[ September 27, 2001: Message edited by: Ben ]

 

[JennM]

Get a fish that eats it

My coral beauty loves to munch on it, tangs and surgeonfishes will eat it too.

I'm sure you could send some of it to another hobbyist on this board, I've recently sent two bunches to other reefers, I have it in my seahorse tank and its refugium...grows like...ummmm a weed!

Jenn

 

[freedom75]

Ben

My yellow tang will eat it but not in large amounts. I have not been able to get him to eat the bubble though. you might try a tang

Free

 

[Carpentersreef]

Hey, send it to me! My fox face eats it like there's no tomorrow.

Mitch

 

[saltybob]

My red sea sailfin loves to eat my feather calurpa,