algae white

[sassyfrassy]

Got an order of algae in yesterday from Gulf Coast Ecosystems - they ship a full pint of each. Everything doing OK except for the Caulerpa Spinosum - sorta a feathery caulerpa - which is turning entirely white. Can it poison my tank - remember it's a PINT. If so, what do I do?

[hollister]

Your adding algea to the tank. What type of algea?

[DLANDINO]

If caulerpa goes white it usually means one of two things. It is dying and you should not add it to your tank or refugium becuse it will release po4 into the tank which can cause an outbreak of nuisance algae that will feed off of the phosphates. OR, it has gone sexual and is releasing spores that can form new plants to spread to areas of the system that will be very difficult to remove. This particular algae has a bad reputation for causing some reefers to tear down and rebuild. That said, I used it for a short stint in my fuge, it turned white and melted away and it never showed up anywhere else in my tank. In short, if I were you I wouldn't risk adding it.