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#1
11/06/2005, 10:21 PM
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The revenge of the Caulerpa Serrulata
OK guys I have fought a hard battle with the dreaded Caulerpa serrulata and we are in round 2. I have picked this sample today off my 58 gal reef tank. It takes over in about a month. I started doing weekly water changes to help in reducing the nitrates, but this thing thrives under my VHO's. Please assist. I need some help, because it will make a comback.... ARGH!
TAMU REEF 
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#2
11/08/2005, 03:49 AM
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Hmmmm.. the only way I see outta this is to lower your nutrients levels drastically to completely outcompete the Caulerpa in the main tank. You might even consider putting some of it that you pull off into a fuge. Sounds nutty.. but if they grow well in the fuge it'll pull the nitrates outta the system as long as you harvest a lot. Algae is going to grow in a system with nitrate and phosphate available.. just a question of what kind of algae and where in the system.
Other option is to hunt down a Sacoglassan family nudibranch, but its incredibly hit or miss. Lettuce nudi's arent going to do it, you need a nudi that came in with a lot of Caulerpa at a LFS that they are trying to get rid of. You want one in the Elysia genus. However.. you have to be really lucky to get one that will eat more than one or two species of Caulerpa and to specifically eat the one you have. I had a specimen of this genus that ate prolifera, your pest and a few others. Check with the local reefers. Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be. >Sarah
__________________
"Seaweed is cool, seaweed is fun, it makes its food from the rays of the sun!" "Wild means everyone owns it, and no one owns it." ~3rd grader |
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#3
11/08/2005, 11:38 AM
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Hmm i know that blue tuxedo sea urchin's eat grape, flat leaf, and the fat leafed fern caulerpa "not sure what its called" However over a long time of eating this stuff theyl die of poison ingestion. Im not sure if they eat the serrulata but im getting 2 of them in today and il post my finding's.
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How well i know the grave. |
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#4
11/09/2005, 07:58 PM
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Thanks for your hints I'll go on a search. I did put some in my fuge with my other macro's. This one does good in my tank for some reason. I think your guess is right about my nitrates / phosphate level. I have tried to curb my feeding of the fish, but this stuff stink around in the tank for awhile and then spreads fast!
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#5
11/09/2005, 08:01 PM
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Do you have a tang?
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#6
11/10/2005, 04:18 PM
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I too would think get a tang, but your tank is on the small side, especially for a tang. You can prune it back and send some to me down on the island.
WHOOP! (a former sea-aggie) |
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#8
11/13/2005, 12:15 AM
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A small Diadema urchin is one of the better choices as an "eats most everything" grazer for a smaller tank. Won't stay small long, and gets really long spines eventually. Will pass on some alga, IME. Eats coraline, and will gnaw live rock down to white bone. But...eats most everything!!
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Howard (It's the inlet side of a Mazzei Injector) |
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#9
12/17/2005, 05:09 PM
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Good suggestion, lately I have been hand picking the stuff from my tank and actually putting it in my sump to grow. It likes it there. The grow back has been slow since I hand pick about every couple of weeks. But it is still present in the tank.
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