Grape Caulerpa Algae. GOOD or BAD?

[wt*jayjay]

i was at petco tonight and noticed they had a big ball of algae growing on a rock that i though would be great to put in my fuge. they didnt have it priced so i got a good size piece for free. im pretty sure its grape caulerpa algae from what ive looked up online. and ive read that its a great food source, but you just have to keep it pruned so it doesnt go sexual.

just wanted some opinions on it. oh and ill get a pic of it in a little while.

 

[ralph atl]

it can crash your tank if it goes sexual, and if it get's in your display, it's a big issue(which it will).

 

[spike]

I grow it in my sump, and feed to my tangs. My hippo slurps it done like spaghetti. No issue so far other than it grows like a weed.

 

[phoenix20]

DUUUUUUUUDE!

Stay far away from this stuff! It will spider on your live rock and its impossible to remove. I ended up having to take 4 pieces of live rock and dry them out for 2 months in order to kill it off the rock.

Its toxic to fish and they wont eat it. Use chaeto or garnicila. Stay far away from the grape!

The feather caulepra isn't as bad, but the grape sucks.

 

[wt*jayjay]

atreyu917;428699 wrote: No idea, but just had to ask did you go to the Acworth or Marietta one?

Acworth 41 store

 

[wt*jayjay]

ahhh so take it out?!? lol ive been reading good and bad about it now

 

[mrsmojo]

I ended up having to take my nano tank down due to an extreme overgrowth of Caulerpa. We tried to get rid of it repeatedly - going so far as to take everything out of the tank and scrub it off the rocks - twice. Not something that I would ever recommend deliberately putting into a system. Just my experience and two cents.

 

[spike]

phoenix20;428703 wrote: DUUUUUUUUDE!

Stay far away from this stuff! It will spider on your live rock and its impossible to remove. I ended up having to take 4 pieces of live rock and dry them out for 2 months in order to kill it off the rock.

Its toxic to fish and they wont eat it. Use chaeto or garnicila. Stay far away from the grape!

The feather caulepra isn't as bad, but the grape sucks.

I thought the opposite... that the feather was what rooted in your rock and took over your tank.

 

[ralph atl]

ramone;428702 wrote: I grow it in my sump, and feed to my tangs. My hippo slurps it done like spaghetti. No issue so far other than it grows like a weed.

as long as you have fish that eat it like that, you should be ok!

 

[corigan]

I have some in my fuge. I have removed most of it, but it hasn't been a problem in the display. My Tang eats it and razor calupera for lunch. I have read it will not go sexual if you keep it on a 24/7 lighting cycle, and have never had it go sexual on me. I have however removed most of it.

 

[phoenix20]

There are better macro algaes out there to use. Kevin at Warehouse Aquarium usually has a ton of Ulva, Chaeto, and Garnicilia.

He does sell the grape though :yuk:

If it starts spidering on your rock, the rock is done for. Maybe a foxface rabbitfish or yellow tang could help control it, but adding one of those fish just to overcome a macro algae is a bad idea.

 

[jaustin]

I keep some in my fuge, the grape and feather with cheato. The Culpara gets pruned a lot and has never gotten in my display...it can't really because of filters. Keep it pruned back and it won't be a problem. it's a great macro that soaks up a tone of Po4 and quickly too.

 

[mfliin]

I have always kept it in my tanks. I have a 55 gal fuge on my 125 reef with lots of grape caulerpa. I keep feeding it to my fish daily or weekly depending upon the amount I have. I even have a HOB refugium that is full of this as well on the same tank....never had any problems. If you have a tang in the tank, they will eat it before it becomes a problem.

 

[ichthyoid]

phoenix20;428724 wrote: There are better macro algaes out there to use. Kevin at Warehouse Aquarium usually has a ton of Ulva, Chaeto, and Garnicilia.

He does sell the grape though :yuk:

If it starts spidering on your rock, the rock is done for. Maybe a foxface rabbitfish or yellow tang could help control it, but adding one of those fish just to overcome a macro algae is a bad idea.

Uh, I think you may be referring to gracillaria?</em>

I'm not a fan of caulerpa either.

Dawg, you may be refering to Caulerpenyne, which I have heard and read is produced by caulerpa taxifolia. This species invaded the Mediteranean Sea, supposedly via the Monanco Aquarium/Marine Research Institute. This stuff is particularly nasty. The substance which is unique to this genus, if not this species has been shown to be noxious if not toxic. With the option to use chaetomorpha, gracillaria, ulva and others, why take a chance with caulerpa? Reference below.

 

[jason sartain]

I have a lot in my fuge as well,I also have 6 large tangs and a large foxface that will eat it before it hits the bottom of the tank.

 

[wt*jayjay]

im planning on getting a kole tang in the next month or so. so i was hoping it would make good food for him.

but with all the negative stuff im hearing i may just take it out..

 

[wt*jayjay]

Corigan;428719 wrote: I have some in my fuge. I have removed most of it, but it hasn't been a problem in the display. My Tang eats it and razor calupera for lunch. I have read it will not go sexual if you keep it on a 24/7 lighting cycle, and have never had it go sexual on me. I have however removed most of it.

i keep my fuge lights on 24/7 so i hope thats true. any one else herd of that working?

 

[wt*jayjay]

atreyu917;428725 wrote: haha you talk to a girl named Cami?
That's where I used to work.

ha nice. and im not sure what her name is. but the girl whos pretty cool who usually helps me with fish stuff is a dog trainer too.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

A Kole tang will not eat caulerpa.

 

[schwaggs]

I have kept grape caulepra in every one of my systems for years, probably close to 15 years. It is not toxic to fish, it is not impossible to get rid of however, it can become a problem if you don't have a fish that eats it. I had a 90 gallon tank that became overrun with the stuff. I battled it for a couple years until I got a purple tang. It has not been a problem in my display since I have been keeping at least one tang from the zebrasoma family in the tank, they LOVE the stuff and eat it like spagetti too! I would not reccomend grape caulepra in small systems as they cannot support the fish that love to eat the stuff. It grows VERY fast and can overtake your system as some others have posted. In this regard, it is very much like hair algea. It seems to be able to grow very rapidly with very few nutrients.

Over the years, I have not had any problems with it going sexual. I think high temp spikes are the main cause (over 82 degrees). I keep my system temp very conservative and consistent and that is why I don't think I have encountered this problem.