Whats Wrong With Caulerpa?

lebloom

lebloom

AC Members
Oct 4, 2001
345
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16
Illinois
My 75gal FOWLR tank has some caulerpa which is having some kind of problem. I tried cutting it back about a month ago. It turned white and started dying but just in places, not all is having this problem. Before I touched it I had no problem at all and I don't really have that strong of lighting, just a 65W smart light. Well, I thought it would come out of it but it hasn't. Is there some vitamin I could add to help it out some. Some of this also has a rusted look, the leaves have turned a reddish color. Would water changes help? I only have 3 fish, 2 clowns and a yellowtail damsel. I have approx. 45lbs of LR and 120lbs of aragonite in this setup. I don't have a clue.:confused:
 
Sorry--I can't ever get caulerpa to grow in my tank. We have the lighting, but apparently we do not have the phosphates and nitrates needed to support it.

FWIW, the inablility to grow algaes is usually seen as a good thing. It usually means your water is missing some nutrients that are not good for corals that are good for algaes.
 
I have read that some caulerpa will turn white and excreate there spores when they are stressed or nutrient levels are to low for survival. When I first placed it in my tank I observed this happening. But I have found that the caulerpa in my tank eventually adjusted to the environment and started to grow when I put it my refugium away from the harassing tangs that love to munch on it constantly. I now have to harvest it twice a month and feed it to my tangs.

Thanx G.L.C
 
I don't have anything special to help it grow. I bought a real nice piece of LR and it had the stuff growing out of it. I bought a 65watt smartlite thinking I need more light to help since all I had was a strip light. It kept growing really thick, some dies off and turns white. But up to recently big hunks have dying off and it turns a rusty brown, not all just in places.
 
You may simply be experiencing a natural growth cycle of the caulerpa. When you first added it, there was planty of nutrients in the water. I'm guessing you had high levels of nitrate. Anyway, the caulerpa grew and expanded, and as it did so, it consumed its source of food. Now, without the abundance of food it once had, it is dying back a little, and certainly not growing more.

If low phosphates are your problem, then there is an easy solution. Take a piece of tank decoration, and wash it in your dishwasher. Dishwasher detergents contain huge quantities of phosphates. Then, just place it back in the tank, and wait for an algea bloom...usually takes about a week.

Of course, the advice I usually have to give on washing things in the dishwasher is don't, as people are trying to prevent algae blooms. ;)
 
One of the important elements for Caulerpa is Iron. Iron is present in very small concentrations in salt water (and needs to be that way because it is toxic). The draw back is it gets used up very quickly by green algae (including Caulerpa) and has to be replenished in some way. Recommended Iron concentration is less than 0.01mg/L but not 0 (for freshwater, the recommended concentration is 0.05 - 0.1mg/L). As mentioned before, phosphate is also important but there is usually enough from feeding to keep them alive provided that you are not religious about cleaning leaving no nutrients in the water
 
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