Tang ate all the new caulerpa!

[Capecliff]

Just got an order of acroalgea from PAcific Famrs. Put in tank yesterday monring. Came home from work tonight. Just about all of it is gone! If I had more, would its growth have kept up with Tangs desire! If I put stuff in sump, will a small bulb be enough to grow a bunch. Please help. Thanx

[sharkdude]

DOH! Tangs love that stuff!

I used a dish sponge plastic storage container thing I found at Target, suctioned cupped to tank wall up high enough where the tangs couldn't get in there. Caulerpa grew well and any that grew out drain holes was quickly cropped by Tangs. I would ocassionally remove some and any that was left would grow back quickly.

Physically separate what is left from tangs and it will grow back.

in the pic below you can see the container thing I'm talking about on either side of the tank. I also use them to propagate shrooms and soft coral cuttings.

[marinelife]

Tangs love this stuff, I had a huge amount filling my 75 one tang has almost completly eat it in just a weeks time. I had alot in my 180 and the tangs finished it in a few days, I now keep it in my sump to grow and be and filter, I prun it and feed some to the tangs, they get it as soon as it hits the water. If you want it in your tank you will have to loss the tang.

[signu459]

Tang = Pig

You will never be able to produce enough macro to feed a tang. I have several types of macro growing in my refugium/sump and and daily I take a small peice out let my Sailfin have at it. there is no way i could grow enought for him to survive on it alone. I would suggest putting what you have left in your sump ( as long as it is well lit) and feed the tang a little at a time. of course you will need to suplement his diet with prepared foods.

[aLittletank]

Originally posted by Capecliff
If I put stuff in sump, will a small bulb be enough to grow a bunch. Please help. Thanx

I dont think that you will have much luck with just any old small bulb. think grow lights if you are only looking for algea growth. one option is the lights of america 65 wat PC fixture. it is only 30-35 bucks at most Home Depots. this is what I keep my shrooms and xenia with. you could end up with a decent refugium for fairly cheep (LR scap and sand and calurpa)

either way like everyone else said dont plan on keeping it with the tang (for long )


HTH
Allen

[smiller]

Didn't I read that that the dried algae products are actually better for your fish than macro?

[aLittletank]

smiler, although I didn't read that tidbit of information regaurding dried vs fresh, there are many reasons that people grow calurpa in their tanks. some like the look of it and many use it to filter ,in part, their tank. the nice thing is if you use it like a filter (it absorbs excess nutrients from the water colum) in your sump you can trim it very often and give the trimings to suplament your tangs diet.

Smiler I have been away from the board for a few months so I have no idea of your knowledge base. I hope if this is old news to you it is new news to a few other readers

take care
Allen

[flashover]

If you are using it as a nitrate sponge so to speak why would you feed it to your tangs? It is my understanding that this releases the nitrate back into the tank when they digest it.

[DgenR8]

My first two fish in my very young reef were a hippo tang and a yellow tang. From day one, the hippo ate anything I put in the tank, Marine flakes,veggie flakes and discs shrimp pellets etc... the yellow would not eat anything for nearly 3 weeks. (LFS said he was eating flakes when I bought him) One day I put some caulerpa in the tank and the yellow went nuts!!!! He ate it all in a very short time, since then he eats like the hippo, anything that goes into the tank is okay with him. I never used it as a filter, I only buy it occasionally because I know my tangs love it. IME you can't grow it if your tangs have access to it, They'll wipe it out before it gets established.
------------FWIW------LARRY

[signu459]

Flash,

Yes your right if you feed it to your tang it will add to the nutrient load in the tank. But for that matter anything you feed will add to the nutrient level. So your kinda screwed either way. But if you use macros as a nutrient sponge at least you will be able to easily export excess.

FWIW I use the 65 LOA PC in my refugium and the thing grow marcos great! I also keep some a few corals down there that are lower light and they seem to be doing ok as well.

[Deacon]

Allen and Tim,
What bulbs are you using in those LOA fixtures?

Thanks.

[signu459]

Deacon,

The Lights of America come ready with lamps in them. They are designed to be a exterior flood light. they use a 65W PC lamps that is 6500K. For $35 what a cheep way of doing it. Plus the fixture is water proof and ready to go, all you need it a cord to power it.

[Deacon]

Excellent.....I've got an empty 20gal. collecting dust in the basement. Time for a macroalgae farm.