caulerpa prolifera is invading ---what will eat it?

[dg3147]

Caulerpra hitched in among some chaeto down in my refugium --now it is invading my DT. I am having a hard time manually removing it all (the stuff has roots!). Just to clarify the type of caulerpa: it is thin leafed, not tough at all, with roots, and grows like a vine. It is not the grape or tough type.

1) I tried adding a couple emerald crabs --no luck.
2) My Kole tang never eats veggies.
3) I have blue legged hermits and a few snails --they don't seem to care about macro algae.
4) manual removal and lights out for three days --this sort of worked, but then it had a come back.
5) I run an ULNS and phos remover already.

Any other ideas???

Here's a list of some candidates I put together. Will any of these work?

1) Yellow Tang
2) another hermit or snail type? some other CUC addition?
3) an urchin? (I have tuxedos --they dont touch macro)
3) a blenny? I think lawnmowers only eat micro algae.

help please!!!!

[tebstan]

Are you sure it's prolifera? I wouldn't consider it invasive, it's roots aren't as bad as other caulerpas

I grow it in my fuge, and put the excess in the DT for everyone to eat. They devour a fistful a week, more if I'd let them. Tank inhabitants that eat it include bellus angel, maroon clown, starry blenny, and hermit crabs.

Maybe you have a fern caulerpa or grape caulerpa?

[sunil6784]

Rabbitfish have known to devour it. Currently I have a Two Bar rabbitfish (neat guy) who has eliminated it from my tank. Great algae eater in general.

I've also had a Foxface Rabbitfish in the past that did the same thing.

[dg3147]

I may try a Yellow Tang (mostly because they look better than the rabbit fish --though, I am very hesitant to add a new fish ---it might force me to build a bigger tank....lol!)

I am certain it is not grape. It looks as follows: soft leaves with roots and grows in vines. It's not feathery and not tough. It may be C. brachypus (the leaves are quite small; about 3mm).

[sunil6784]

I've tried a purple tang in the past with no success... You may have better luck with the yellow than I..

I will say that what I have done in the past to find a fish that does eat it is take a little bit to my LFS and put some in their tank to see if a particular fish will eat it. If you are in good with your LFS that may be an option as well. It's been well documented that *some* tangs have ate it, but that is up to the individual fish.

[tebstan]

Decide you like the algae want to keep it. Guaranteed it will get eaten then!

Every macro I've bought as food grew untouched. Gracilia, ulva, etc. I want the prolifera to grow across the sand bed, and it doesn't stand a chance. I try bigger and bigger clumps of it hoping it will get a foothold, but it never helps.