What is it and what will eat it?

[FishHick]

I posted this in the newbie forum and was told I might get more help in here. I dont knw what this is, but it quickly taking over my friends 65g FOWLR. We have to pull as much as we can out each week. Is there a fish or invert that will eat it? Thanks for your help!
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j241/darla4583/102_0881.jpg

[lancer99]

Fish,
It's Caulerpa prolifera. And the only sure way to eradicate it is manual removal.

Caulerpa sp. apparently release chemicals that allow their roots (holdfasts) to dissolve calcium...so it can grow in both sand and rock.

IME the only way to get rid of it completely is by manual removal...you just need to be persistent, and over the course of a couple of weeks, it will be gone.

HTH,
-R

[ClamIAm]

I'd actually go with C. brachypus, but you are correct in that it is tough to get out if it gets heavily established.

[lancer99]

Maybe it is brachypus! If I understand correctly, brachypus' fronds only get about 1" in length, whereas prolifera is much larger.

-R

[rcypert]

Its caulerpa. I dont think he cares what the exact name of it is, he is more like what the heck eats this crap! Manual removal is hit or miss. I have a bad infestation in my 40 breeder. I got a naso tang for a temporary stay and he munched it all but it hides in the recesses of the rock and comes back. What about inverts? Does anyone know of a invert that will surely eat it that is not too sensitive?

[mattyparsons]

be sure to be careful about disposal upon removal.

the west coast is having issues with invasive caulerpa which was inadvertently released into the bays.

cheers!

[patbouvry]

here is what I'm trying to get rid of: Caulerpa Prolifera.
Can't upload a picture to this not-too-impressive forum !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TammyLiz]

I was at a fish store a couple of weeks ago that unfortunately had some of this introduced into a display last year. She cleans it out and it just completely takes over, its really sad! She said even other caulerpa can't compete with it and what was already in there was taken over by it despite her efforts. I think she got pretty discouraged because there was nothing else in the tank but the fish and you couldn't even see the live rock anymore. Fortunately the fish didn't seem to mind but the days as a nice display for that tank are over.

[gvidon]

This stuff is the devil. We've been fighting it in our nano for months. Manual removal seems to be the only bet.

I would recommend cleaning your rocks outside of the tank, with a bucket of waste water (from a recent water change), a very bright light, tweezers, and a tooth brush. If you have bad eyes a magnifying glass would help too.

The ability of this stuff to hide, survive, and make a furious comeback is demoralizing to say the least. My only hope rests on the fact that after two or three attempts we have successfully eliminated it from some of our rocks. If you get lazy it will grow tendrils and reach out to uninfested areas so you really need to stay on top of it and attack whenever it appears.

I've been browsing the boards for a little while now and it seems that posts like yours are becoming more common. I wish the mods would tack a warning here to let others know to be on the lookout and immediately eradicate this algae and not to buy any rock that it's attached to.

Had I known what was in store, I would never have let this seemingly innocent plant into my tank. My wife thought it added a pretty color! Oh if we only knew!

[worlds under]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11559649#post11559649 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TammyLiz
I was at a fish store a couple of weeks ago that unfortunately had some of this introduced into a display last year. She cleans it out and it just completely takes over, its really sad! She said even other caulerpa can't compete with it and what was already in there was taken over by it despite her efforts. I think she got pretty discouraged because there was nothing else in the tank but the fish and you couldn't even see the live rock anymore. Fortunately the fish didn't seem to mind but the days as a nice display for that tank are over.

To each his own. I think a large display with alternating current would look awsome. throw in some red algae and dream of seaweed.

but that dose not help some one who wants a clean looking reef. to me it looks like razor caulerpa. (thats a common name).. a 65 gal is on the threshold of keeping a small tang or rabbit fish. I don’t recommend that you keep one in there long term. but in a FOWLR you could pull most of your rock out without a problem to get your fish. they should eat it if they don't, put them on a died for a few days they will get the idea.

if you get a tang avoid the Ctenochaetus (Bristle tooth) they won't eat it.

[patbouvry]

Manual removal works, but everything is back within a month. Also, that stuff just loves to be pulled off, as it breaks in 25 peaces, spreading to other places in the tank. And if you don't catch the peaces right away, they reattach within 1 day (!).

I also tried a Sea Hare. The poor thing started to eat some, then went around the tank, found nothing else to eat, parked itself and died within 4 days (!!!).

The owner at Big Al's told me that his large Vlamingi Tang ate his whole refugium full of Caulerpa Prolifera in a record speed. That's my next try. Someone else told me the Chevron tang would eat it, but at this point, I'll do some more research on that darn thing.

[gvidon]

The stuff will reattach if you let little pieces float around in the tank - hence the suggestion to definitely remove the rock and clean it in a bucket of tank water. It would be advisable to go a step further and after pruning and scrubbing the rock, rinse it in a second bucket.

Discard all of the water. If you live anywhere remotely close to warm waters do not pour the waste water down the drain.

[plummike]

My Tangs love it. I can't keep the stuff in my display tank.

[patbouvry]

plummike, what kind of tang are you referring to? Because I've got a sailfin and a hippo, and they won't touch that stuff.

[ramrunner]

this stuff is horable our local shop has it in one tank and thats where it got in mine i still havent found anything that eats it i spend 3 hours a week pullimg it out of my 75 i would rather have aptaishttp://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc306/ramrunner/S4300151.jpg

[gvidon]

Again, I wish someone would tack a warning here about this. It's horrible and seems like more and more people are unknowingly introducing it to their tanks.

This weekend my wife and I discussed replacing all of our rock if we can't rid it soon with physical removal.

ramrunner, you have my sympathy. After being away for two weeks and having someone else watch our tank we came home to a site like that. Many of our corals were being strangled and we lost about 20% of our zoos whose polyps had been wrapped by plant tendrils.

It really is horrible.

[ramrunner]

thanks for the support after the trouble i have i talked with the owner of the lfs he could of cared less all he wanted to do is sell me brishell tooth tangs he still has the #@%#@ in the one tank ands made no effort to remove it or warn people so tomorrom during the game ill be weeding my tank again ps i got a pair of 24" twezzers of ebay that really help get the ones with the curved tips

[EQCM2B]

Lancer99,

You say that this stuff releases chemicals that can break down calcium. Do you think that it could break down the calcium within a coral, say a hammer, to the point that it would become so brittle that when you try to frag it it would crumble instead of break off? I ask this because I also have this stuff and it seems to be killing my hammer and candy cane, even though it is not covering the polyps.

[gvidon]

Just a heads up - I forgot about a thread a while back on nanoreef where a poster suggested that they might have found a slug that ate this stuff.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=134019

Also, I PM'd the mod of this forum to see if we can get a tack. Here is another unfortunate person with the same problem.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=135856&hl=caulerpa

[chef.lewis]

I had this stuff and all I did was put in a fuge.
I manually removed as much as possable from the display while the macro in the fuge just starved it out.
It hasn't been back since, and this was a year ago.

[patbouvry]

I was infested with Caulerpa Prolifera and didn't know what to do. I added a Foxface and 5 emerald crabs who all loved the stuff. Nothing left anymore.

[Toglco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11758694#post11758694 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chef.lewis
I had this stuff and all I did was put in a fuge.
I manually removed as much as possable from the display while the macro in the fuge just starved it out.
It hasn't been back since, and this was a year ago.


This would be my suggestion as well. Manually pull out as much as you can and ideally let the macros in your fuge outcompete it for resources. Hopefully if you're pulling it out whenever you see it, there won't be enough nutrients or whatever left in your water to support the comeback of the nuisance caulerpa.

[gh0st]

Most Urchins will eat pretty much anything green, try a Short Spine or Diadema (Orange Eye Urchin) They've always done the trick for any Caulerpa I didn't care for.

[Dante_JoseCuerv]

I have a bunch of that in my 90 gallon and my lamarck's LOVE it. That and my mine urchin munch on it all the time.

I pulled out as much as I could and threw it in my fuge. Personally I'd say keep that in your fuge if you can. Now, manual removal will still be necessary but with time and a little patience it'll get under control.