Eradicating caulerpa in display tank?

[daveatl]

Toxins: Most Caulerpa *produces* toxins probably for the purpose of discouraging fish from eating it, that's why it's hard to find a herbivore that will eat it. These toxins are released into the aquarium when the plant is nibbled on, damaged by removal, or when it goes asexual (many causes) that's why I recommended removing and entire stolon (vine) at one time.

Nutrient export: The biggest nutrient that algae absorb is phosphate, and phosphates are *very* difficult to test for. Phosphates get into your tank from commercial foods and from your topoff water. Algae are so good at removing some phosphates that they can make them undetectable in the water column in just a few hours after being added, that's why a lot of advanced reef keepers test their make-up/ topoff water as well as the tank.

If you have removed as much as you can by hand and your tank can support the additional bio-load of another fish, then by all means go for it. My point of view is just dont dump a rabbitfish into a tank full of caulerpa and expect good things.

 

[dough]

I have been reading through some the FAQ at WetWebMedia. Grape caulerpa seems to the worst of the caulerpa family in terms of toxicity.

I guess my expectations aren't so much is once I "drop" a fish in that the caulerpa goes away. I am still working on manual control but it is such a PITA. I mean it was undercontrol for the most part before vacation now it is not. I just hate this stuff with a passion. I would almost want to start over with new LR then to deal with this stuff.

Okay so far I am doing this:

1. Manual Control still plucking
2. Adjusted PS to pull more wet material out
3. Need to change out carbon
4. Continue weekly water changes

I can't stop feeding the fish so besides the above I am at a loss on what else to do.

May buy some phosphate remover. Can't hurt, right?

 

[daveatl]

dough: sounds like you are doing everything right, just give it a little time, weekly manual removal along with a phosphate remover will do excellent, if that doesnt do it, get some cheato algae in the sump or refugium to out-compete the caulerpa

reef1973: hehehe, get some cheato?

as an interesting side note, a few years ago the government was going to require a license to handle or own caulerpa, not because of the toxicity but because it was out-competing native species off the coast.

 

[FutureInterest]

You could remove as much as you can manually then push the racemosa to go asexual by reducing your iron levels.

Then keep your lights off for a few days and keep running fresh carbon and do water changes. When the lights come back... no caulerpa racemosa. I do agree that removing without using a fish is preferrable and quite possible.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

theplatypus;58066 wrote: What is causing rapid growth of a macro algae in his aquarium? Excess nutrients. By adding another fish all he has done is increased the bioload. In doing so he's just treating a symptom(algae) as opposed to cause(high nutrients). Another fish is heavier bioload. Which in turn creates even more excess nutrients. Then you have more algae. So what comes next? Just run out and buy another fish it will fix the problem. Oops look where we are again.

more poo > more fish food> more phospates> more algae

Caulerpa has been known to go "sexual" and wipe out tanks.

I agree with what you've said for typical and normal nuisance algae (bryopsis, derbesia, etc.) However, I believe his issue with this caulerpa to be that his manual removal is not getting rid of all the caulerpa due to the remnant holdfasts.

However, what causes growth of everything in the marine aquarium? Nutrients. You are speculating the HIGH nutrients are his problem- this is not a valid assumption. Caulerpa can grow and thrive at very low nutrient levels, due in fact, to those holdfast rhizomes. They are more of a "rooting" algae than most nuisance algaes. I have vastly oversimplified this issue, but the fact of the matter is caulerpa will grow in high and low nutrient. So, if the only way to eliminate the caulerpa is by startving it, there is nio guarantee that you will not also starve the desireable inhabitant (inverts) as well.

You logic is very sound and correct, but I believe it to be misapplied. As stated before, I agree in terms of nuisance algaes like hair algae, but I dont think it will work for something like caulerpa. From what I understand of this situation, he does not have issues with nuisance algae, which WOULD be an indication of excess nutrients.