grape caulerpa battle / need to re-cure live rock

[phoenix20]

So I got some awful advice to put grape caulerpa into my display to help with nutrient export. Everything was fine at first, until it started spidering new threads all throughout the live rock...

I read up on it, and nothing really eats this stuff -- so getting an invert or fishy wont help. When you try to pull it off of the rock, it releases a bunch of spores and makes the problem worse....

I ended up going to the fish garden in Newnan this weekend and picked up about 15 pounds of cured live rock -- then spent a few hours pulling out all of the rock out of the tank that had the caulerpa spidered all over the rock and replaced with the new rock i purchased..

So, now I have about 20 lbs of really awesome fiji rock drying out, hoping that all of the caulerpa dies. I had about 5 really cool mushrooms on the rock that I ended up loosing. =(

Should I "cook" the rock? Just let it dry out for a few days and then place into a cooler and start the recuring process without cooking? I'm hoping that with a few days of airing out, that the grape caulerpa dies off the rock and I can just wash it off.

Errrrr.

Note to self -- never -- ever -- EVER -- use grape caulerpa. Its a downhill battle that you wont win.

 

[fish scales2]

You should have posted before spending money on new rock. There are plenty of fish that will eat caulerpa. I would even have bought the rock from you to drop into fuges.

 

[dmahoney82]

My tangs would have cleaned those rocks off in a matter of days

 

[phoenix20]

I have a yellow tang in the tank that would have eaten it if it were "grown"

The spidering stuff that embedded itself within the rock with the little capsules, he wouldn't touch.

It looks like this

 

[fish scales2]

Well did you read that, he says you dont have to start over. Whats done is done but maybe you trade out the rocks to those of us that could use for fuges.

 

[ralph atl]

either let them dry out or cook 'em should get rid of it.

 

[dakota9]

I'd give it a long cure time at this point. That rock sounds like it would be an ammonia factory about right now...

 

[zavala83]

I know my tangs will eat it as well.... Do you have Tangs?

 

[schwaggs]

My Purple tang LOVES grape caulerpa! However, I do understand how frustrating the stuff can be. I fought it for months in an old tank before getting the purple tang.

 

[jefft]

My Sailfin and Yellow Tangs love the stuff, I pull it out of the Ref and put it in the display and they go crazy on it.