Caulerpa in the Display Tank

[mstrpln03]

Hi All,

I have a 45 gallon reef with a HOB Refugium and some of my caulerpa prolifera found its way from the fuge to the DT. I have been pulling it out every couple of days and am losing the battle. I have since changed over from caulerpa to chateo.

I am wondering if I can get a small fish or snails that would take care of it. Obviously, I wouldn't put a tang in a 45 and I don't want to add any crabs. I have a mix of cerith, nassaurius and nerite snails now and am thinking of adding a few turbos.

So, what do you guys think? What are my options?

Pics just posted.

 

[mstrpln03]

Are there any Blennies that eat caulerpa?

 

[Bob 1000]

Sea hares will eat, it angels will eat it, tangs will eat it.. Exactly what type is it though??

 

[D1J8Z]

Unfortunately nothing will eat it, things might pick at it but never truely eat it. With all the studies in help to control the population of this man made plant in the ocean they found one type of Nudibranch that has saliva that kills the plant enabling it to eat it.

If it is only on a small rock remove it before this planet takes over your tank as it is taking over parts of the ocean.

 

[mstrpln03]

Yourbed, It got in behind my rock wall and is on several rocks. I wasn't aware that caulerpa prolifera was man-made, I suppose the Latin name "prolifera" would suggest that however.

My main concern would be it going asexual. I keep the fuge lit 24 hours, but the DT 12 hours.

I am ultimately gonna move almost everything to a 75 gallon reef and keep the 45 as a Seahorse tank. I guess I could cook the rocks that are affected then.

Do you know anymore about the Nudibranch you mentioned? Scientific name, size, range, temp. parameters?

Bob1000, It is prolifera and the tank is only a 45, so I wouldn't put a Tang in there, maybe a dwarf Angel. I know a few people who had trouble with Flame Angels nipping at LPS, but I haven't heard too many bad things about Coral Beauties.

 

[Bob 1000]

Which caleurpa are we talking about my maculatis tang ate a 24" by24" patch down to nothing but stalks in a week..

 

[D1J8Z]

I do not think they are offered for sale. I learned about all of this from a hour plus movie on the discovery channel or something like that I think I have it on dvd too.

 

[Bob 1000]

Bob1000, It is prolifera and the tank is only a 45, so I wouldn't put a Tang in there, maybe a dwarf Angel. I know a few people who had trouble with Flame Angels nipping at LPS, but I haven't heard too many bad things about Coral Beauties.

I wa ssimply staing what had eaten it in my experiences.. Tangs in small tanks can cause a serious nutrient problem and they would stress easily in a confined space after they get bigger..

 

[D1J8Z]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnAcUx7lj2M

Here is a video I didn't watch it yet but I think it will help

another link for reading

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulerpa_taxifolia

 

[mstrpln03]

Bob1000, Thanks, several people I know have suggested Tangs and I agree with you that they don't belong in a small tank. Do you think a Dwarf Angel might help?

Yorbed, Do you think you might be able to get me the title of that show and I can do some research?

 

[D1J8Z]

http://www.sccat.net/#the-caulerpa-information-center-1e86c5

Here is a website dedicated to the problem

 

[Bob 1000]

Here's a thought,, You could drop you nutrient levelsreally low so that it grows very slow.. This should work pretty well if you not running a Ca reactor or high lighting..

 

[mstrpln03]

The nutrient level is pretty low. I only feed a pair of Clowns daily (done in 5 mins), an Anemone (once a week) and the corals (2 capfulls of marine snow a week), I'm only using 50/50 pc's over the tank for 12 hours a day. I was running a Fluval 205 with nothing but Chemipure and Phosguard, but I took that off a month ago. I'm gonna hook it back up.

 

[albano]

this man made plant in the ocean

man made plant? , or man made problem?




.

 

[mstrpln03]

 

[mstrpln03]

 

[Bob 1000]

If it's growing fast your nutrient levels aren't low.. I recently had my phates go from 0.00/0.02 to 0.12.. I noticed a serious growth spert in my sump/refugium of my seagrass..

 

[mstrpln03]

It's definitely growing faster then when I was running chemipure and phosguard. I'm setting the 205 back up. I have a 20 gallon tank which is where the problem started and I took all the animals out about 6 months ago, I feed the live rock maybe once a month and that tank is solid caulerpa and featherdusters. With hardly any feedings the caulerpa in that tank is growing like crazy.