Caulerpa

[cristhiam]

Hey guys, what can I do to control it? or possible kill it off it got a hold on the display and it's a pain!! My tank is over 2 years old and it was fine when I had a sailfin tang and a cowfish now it's out of control!! I've had the caulerpa come and go for about 3 years but nothing this aggressive, I have not added anything for close to a year now, it's very frustating.
I got rid of the sailfin and the cowfish because pretty much they outgrew the tank.

Here are some disturbing pictures at night
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/cristhiam_2008/caulerpa/caleurpa001.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/cristhiam_2008/caulerpa/caleurpa003.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/cristhiam_2008/caulerpa/caleurpa005.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/cristhiam_2008/caulerpa/caleurpa006.jpg

[macronut]

I'd first start manually removing it. Don't flush down the toilet or throw it in the trash since you live in Florida as it can make it's way back to the ocean. What you take out I'd freeze and then toss it. It's a pain to manually remove, but I found that ripping it off the rock helps, but also use a tweezer at it is easier to get it out of the crevices. It is time consuming.

If you have a 125 as indicated in your current tank profile you might try adding another tang or rabbit fish to help control it. I added a sea hare for algae control, but it won't touch the caulerpa. Done a great job on the derbesia.

[unbreakable]

if you can find a way, tell me. i got the same thing thats taking over and im thinking about just starting over with the tank. ive got two types of caulepra :\

[bryan ayo]

Yes i agree with macronut ...Do as much manual cleaning as you can,then get you a good hungry tang...I wish i could clone mine for you ,he would have you cleaned up in a few days

[jadeguppy]

Tang or rabbit fish. The rabbit can reach deeper into cracks. A 125g is usually considered fine for a sailfin.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have Caulerpa racemosa in my main tank as well. I used to have a yellow and hippo tang that kept it trimmed back perfectly. After a long power failure fish kill a few years back, the new yellow and hippo tang do not keep it in check, and ongoing manual removal is the current plan for me.

[unbreakable]

what would you guys recommend for a 28g tank?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You mean to remove it? Manual removal, IMO.

[LockeOak]

Yeah, you're going to have to do some manual removal regardless of whatever else you do.

[cristhiam]

Thanks guys, yeah I do every week manual removal, that stuff it's tough to remove and it grows so fast. Also got the kole tang about 5 weeks ago but it won't touch the stuff, I really miss the saifin but I guess it's a 50/50 that it will eat it if I get another, also I had a foxface once but it started picking at corals.

[MBasile]

Also, If you cant get it out manually, just let it grow out of control for awhile. I've found that Caulerpa racemosa will ussually go sexual when the colony grows large enough. when this happens, the entire colony will rapidly turn soft and brown and it can very easily be removed. Try to get it all out though, because it will foul your tank when this happens. In my tank, this stuff will be gone for months or even more than a year and suddenly it just comes out of a rock, im assuming because of the sexual reproduction phases of this algae.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've never had it reproduce in that fashion in 10 years in my aquarium, even tightly packed in my refugia. :)

[JustinReef]

I have kept all kinds of caulpera in my tanks for many years and never had it go sexual either....And Im talking tanks heavily planted with the stuff. It really only goes sexual if it does not like the water conditions, not from growth as far as I know.

[cristhiam]

I have seen it turn brown in several occations but not sure what triggers it. I wonder what can I do so it doen't like the water condition :). I might get some phosban not sure if it will help in the sump it's growing over the cheato. The problem is if I leave it alone it will killed the corals around it. I have lost a bunch of zoas to it so far and made rtn parts on sps.

[cristhiam]

How about phosban will that help on this? I don't see any traces of it but it's possible.

[thi7b]

I agreed w/ the aove member. Best way to removed it is manually or get some tangs that help also. IMO

[cristhiam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11753233#post11753233 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bryan ayo
Yes i agree with macronut ...Do as much manual cleaning as you can,then get you a good hungry tang...I wish i could clone mine for you ,he would have you cleaned up in a few days

What kind of tang do you have?
I'm loosing the battle here, I removed a cup and a 1/2 today. Some are turning whitish not sure why.

[cristhiam]

How are you guys doing, still fighting the caulerpa?, for some reason my kole tang died not sure if ate the caulerpa, I read in another post that can be toxic? Well I got a yellow tang about 2 weeks ago and I can actually see it eating it!! but it's got a long way to go, I still remove as much as I can every week.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh94/cristhiam_2008/March%2008/horton005.jpg