Money Plant / Halimeda Owners

[tang named junkyard]

I saw some of this really cool stuff in the lfs. I've noticed a coupple of small bubble and green algae in my tank and im looking for some comp. Couple of questions for owners or past owners.

Q1: Good for the tank? Is this a good source of nutrient export or compitition against other sorts of algae?

Q2: I've heard two different stories about it bleaching. One, it's bad and the other that it's good for the tank as it leaches calcium back in?

Q3: Lighting requirements?

Q4: Calcium requirments?

Q5: Life expectancey and growth rate.

You don't have to answer all but one or two would be helpful. Thanks

[dattack]

Halimeda is nice for nutrient export but it requires high calcium demands IME. It's easier to harvest and can be in the main tank without problems of it taking over the tank like razor or grape caulerpa. Halimeda does become almost bleach looking at night but regains it green color once the lights are back on. It probably has to do with some photopigmentation.

[tang named junkyard]

right now I'm just throwing in calcium blocks until they disolve and then throwing in another. Seems to keep the calcium around 400. Is this plant going to suck out all my cal.? Also do herbs? eat it? And can i spread it around the tank? Thats all

[JimL77]

I hhave had it my tank for six months. It goes through growth spurts. It is really easy to control, just rip it up and toss it. It grows best with lots of light and calcium I have a kalkwasser reactor that feeds all evap replacement daily. Nothing eats it ever. I have naso, purple tang and lawnmower. It bleaches and crumbles to become part of the sand when it dies. It is a really hard and rough plant, can't imagine anything eating it. But is looks good, nice bright green.

[tang named junkyard]

im getting some tommorrow. They want $14.00 I assume that's the going price.

[JimL77]

I would give you some for free.

[dattack]

Dang, $14 is too expensive. I bought some here in S. Cal for $5 a bag.

[tang named junkyard]

what part of so cal?

[dattack]

Originally posted by tang named junkyard
what part of so cal?
Orange, California.

Last time I bought some and it was $5 for a nice size bag then he up it to $10 because people were buying them too much and he can't grow it fast enough. This was a month ago. He said it will be cheaper once he gets them to multiply and resell for less.

I think because of the ban on caulerpa in CA that he's just using the one that was on display. Maybe you can get a different employee when you get there because it appears that there is no set price. Seems like family owned.

[tang named junkyard]

calup. is sold at my ca lfs daily

[Dragonlady]

Halimeda seem to prefer low phosphates At night they turn white, but this is normal(chloroplast migration?). They turn green again after lights on. Halimeda did not do well in my tank when it was under 2 years old, but it is doing great now that I tried it again a few years later. Halimeda has slowly grown up to the water's surface at times! Halimeda is very strong as it can withstand the weight of a turbo snail without breaking.

[Alexis]

My tang eats my halimeda. So it can't grow...It stays away from the old growth, but the new soft growth it eats like crazy. I feed the tang alot of food too.

[Toutouche]

I was looking around to buy some and at our LFSs in the area it goes for $39.99 a branch!!!

[medrvwrx]

Have you guys taken a look at some of the Fiji live rock in your LFS. I have a ton of Halimeda, and it all came in as hitchhikers. Just one little leaf will grow.

Tony

[manderx]

i have a very small bunch of it growing in one of my tanks on a coral it hitch-hiked in on. can i just break off some leaves to move some to another tank? or do i need to get some root with it?

[Laura D]

Originally posted by manderx
i have a very small bunch of it growing in one of my tanks on a coral it hitch-hiked in on. can i just break off some leaves to move some to another tank? or do i need to get some root with it?
Any little peice will grow into a new plant.

[Pandora]

My tang eats my new-growth halimeda also, as he does anything remotely green in the tank (if anyone has found a way of cutting down on this, I'd like to hear it). All the bubble algae and definitely any type of caulerpa is now confined only to the refugium.

[ahhdui]

dattack/tang named junkyard
I live in alhambra, where can i get some grape caulerpa. I want to put it in my main tank.

[kevinpo]

I throw away a half filled 200 gal salt bucket each month (it really stinks when out of water). My hippo tang nibbles at it without much impact. It will sprout anywhere there is no coraline even on the substrate. When is dies it makes really fine white sand. It does not die all at once just a few leaves turn white then disolve into powdery sand. Here's a picture of it .
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?s=&postid=407853

Regards,
Kevin

[JonK]

Is it safe to cut Halimeda in the aquarium? I usually just rip it out by the base but it seems that this is were my strombus snails like to do all of their egg laying.

My halimeda is about 10 inches high and I would rather just trim it down because I've already thinned it out. Will it release anything in the tank when cut?

Thanks,

Jon

[Laura D]

I just rip it out all the time with no adverse effects so far.

[tang named junkyard]

if you want to make a drive north PM me and I'll give you the shops phone number.