Re: Caulerpa   11/8/06
Hey lads, grape Caulerpa is running rampant in my tank.  Short of pruning it got any recommendations for controlling it?  55 gallon so tangs seem out of the question.  All the best, Chris
<Ya tangs in a 55gallon aren't going to work...pruning seems to be your only option...or you could lower the nitrates and dissolved organic material (that may help). good luck, IanB>

Pruning Caulerpa - 10/04/06
I was wondering on my Caulerpa racemosa at what intervals do you recommend pruning it and how.
<<Hmm...depending on growth rate, every couple weeks to monthly.  Caulerpa is a single-cell organism so you don't want to cut/tear it apart if possible as this breaks the cell wall and releases toxic chemicals/metabolites.  Try "pruning" the Caulerpa by removing whole strands at a time>>
I understand the dangers with it from your the Reef Invertebrates readings but I got some from a friend and the benefits thus far by far outweigh the risk.
<<Can be very useful/beneficial if one recognizes/allows for its inherent risks (Keep lighted 24/7 to preclude a sexual event...take care not to break the cell walls)>>
However it grows FAST!
<<An indication of excessive organics in your system maybe>>
To prune should I pull it all out of the fuge and cut it?
<<Nope...thread apart and remove individual strands>>
How often?
<<As needed/as it fills the space>>
How much?
<<A third to half the volume>>
Can I from time to time put some on a veggie clip for the tangs for some variety?
<<Mmm, I wouldn't...possibility for it to become established in the display system (can be very hard to eradicate).  It's also very likely the tangs won't eat it any way...is not particularly palatable>>
Thanks Jeff
<<Regards, EricR>>

A Tale of Two Dead Naso Tangs - 09/17/06
Hello,
<<Good Morning>>
I am writing you and talking to anyone else I could think off.
<<Wise not to limit yourself to a single source of information/advice/opinion>>
This past week I lost a pair of Naso tangs.
<<Sorry to hear...>>
I am devastated over this for a number of reasons, but mostly because I can't find an answer to why they died.  Before I ask you to give some thoughts on what you think might of happened let me give you as many details and variables I can.
<<Thank you…always helpful>>
The tank is a 350 gallon fish/reef tank.  I keep a variety of angels and tangs, clowns and damsels.  There are also inverts like shrimp, snails and crabs.  There are not a lot of corals at this time but the idea for the tank is to keep a number of corals with larger variety of fish not usually kept in a reef.
<<I see...and researching re to assure/maintain compatibility I'll assume...>>
There are a few LPS and SPS corals along with a few soft leathers.
<<Mmm...with "variety of angels"?>>
I do have to be very careful in what corals I choose because of the types of fish.
<<Ah yes!>>
The larger of the tangs was a Hawaiian Naso the other was a smaller Red Sea blonde.
<<Hmm...ever considered a "biotope" display?>>
I know typically these species are not kept together but they have done very well often swimming side by side and staying together at night.  The tank has ample swimming room and the aquascaping is such it gives the fish room to swim in a big circle.
<<Excellent>>
The tank has been established for 4 years.  Only up until last year I started to get into corals having spent the money to have a dedicated electrical circuit for the lights and pumps.
<<Reef setups are indeed "power hungry">>
Prior, the power options didn't allow me to have the right lighting.  I now run 3 10K 250watt HQI de's with PC actinics.  The tank gets a weekly water change from RO/DI water and top-off is from the same unit.  I dose manually calcium and dKH supplement as needed, parameters are checked weekly.
<<Very good>>
The only issue I have which is not serious is slightly elevated nitrates.
<<...!  I don't know your definition of "slightly", but even so, chronically elevated nitrate can/will have effect on your livestock (and what about ammonia/nitrite?...these were/are checked as well?).  This may be a clue to the two Naso tang's demise>>
I use a refugium with grape <Caulerpa> and Chaetomorpha macro algae.
<<Mmm, another issue (clue?) here in my opinion.  Grape Caulerpa is very noxious, even toxic to fish (many herbivorous fishes won't eat it for this reason).  Combining it with Chaetomorpha in a refugium means the alga are constantly waging war (alga compete just as corals do for space on the reef), releasing chemicals/toxins to inhibit and/or kill each other.  Such constant and powerful chemical warfare (Alga rates at the top of the list with some of the nastiest corals for aggression/noxiousness) can't be "good" for a system.  Not to mention the loss of usefulness/processes for having the algae in the refugium in the first place due to the "energy" expended on warfare>>
The Chaeto is fed to the tank where the angels and tangs feast.
<<Hmm...wonder the possibility of the Chaetomorpha being "tainted" from close exposure/battle with the grape Caulerpa...>>
The nitrate levels are elevated, but don't cause any issues with nuisance algae, the Acropora and Montipora orange cup coral are growing and doing well so I use that as a measure since the nitrates don't seem to cause any other problem.
<<I agree it would seem the corals you mention would show deleterious affects from elevated nitrate before the fish would...but I'm still very curious as to your actual nitrate reading(s)>>
I do understand the bio load may be a little high causing the elevated nitrates, however I go to great lengths to make sure the water quality and environment stay optimal.  Of course the tank has a large skimmer on it which is cleaned 1-2 times per week.
Ok, with that overview here is what happened over the last few weeks.  About three weeks ago I noticed the RO unit was not producing any RO for the top-off.
<<Raw RO water for top-off?  Not recommended...>>
The unit being in place a little over 6 months I thought it might just need to be cleaned and didn't need new filters or membrane replacement.
<<Not likely, no..."should" get a couple to several years out of the membrane, even with this size tank...life of the filter cartridges will depend mainly on your source water/how often they are rinsed clean>>
The water source is well water.  After rinsing the filters in tap water and putting the unit back together it did start to produce some RO however the TDS was > then 0 and could not produce enough for a water change.
<<Again... I need specific measurements to really be of much help>>
At this point I called the company to discuss my options.
<<A good move>>
They agreed that the membrane should not have to be replaced but agreed to send me a filter kit and new membrane anyway.  The unit is a 100gpd.
<<As is mine...>>
I skipped my weekly water change that week waiting for the filters.
<<Um...not seasoning/maturing/buffering your water before "and" after mixing the salt?>>
I received the filters and they forgot to ship the membrane.
<<Mmm...>>
I waited until that weekend to install the filters.  After the filters were installed, the unit still didn't make RO for my water change.
<<Strange...perhaps you should remove/gently rinse the membrane...install a "flush" kit>>
Bottom line, by the time I got RO back online it was almost 3 weeks without a water change.
<<Shouldn't have been a problem>>
I didn't think this was that critical as I checked params and everything seemed to be ok.
<<Would agree>>
I started to cut back on feeding slightly which is usually done twice a day, every other day.
<<I don't agree with this, fish should be fed daily...preferably multiple small feedings.  If feeding daily causes secondary issues with your tank then reevaluate your maintenance/husbandry practices/stocking levels...but don't jeopardize the fishes long-term health by "cutting back" on proper and adequate nutrition>>
I target feed the fish to make sure everybody gets enough without over feeding the tank.  They get mostly pellets soaked with Vita-Chem.
<<A good product...and New Life Spectrum pellets I hope!>>
That is supplemented with frozen Mysis and the macro algae.
<<Ah good, variety is key...and the more the better>>
During this 3 week period, I added 2 fish to the tank one of the fish was a replacement for a small saddle back puffer that jumped out the tank some time ago,
<<Jumped!...?  Was this fish stressed/harassed by other fish?  Perhaps another clue here as well.  Could be the puffer was stressed to the point of releasing toxins (jumped to escape its own poison?) and the tangs are merely victims of the long-term affect...and hopefully the "only" victims>>
and the other was a mandarin dragonet.  This is my first time keeping a mandarin but given the size of the tank and amount of pods I see I thought I would try to
keep one.
<<Sounds reasonable to me as well considering the "mature" nature of this tank>>
During this time I also took a handful of the spaghetti algae about baseball size and tossed it in the main tank during the lower feeding period.  Also something I have done many times before.  Now the blur of events I have been going over and over in my mind trying to figure out what happened.  I can't say exactly when during this period but, I did notice the larger Naso hiding a little bit.  He was still feeding and there were no other signs of problems.  I kept an eye on him and noticed during the last week that he had seemed to have a sunken stomach, stopped feeding and was staying at the top of the tank in a vertical position.  Shortly after the larger Naso started to exhibit this behavior I noticed the smaller Naso also with a sunken stomach.
<<Were these fish treated with a copper-based medication at any point prior to this?  Tangs treated in this manner will sometimes suffer from loss of digestive microbes in their gut, preventing them from digesting food/assimilating nutrients.  Another thought is the behavior of these two fish is similar to those afflicted with internal parasites, though many times such afflicted fish show absolutely "no interest" in food>>
I began to feed the tank everyday in the morning and later in the day, both tangs showed interest and slightly picked but were not near their normally aggressive feeding behavior.  Their breathing also seemed slightly labored.  The large Naso was the first to
die, the smaller died yesterday.  Neither fish showed any signs of marks, spots, no physical changes outside of the sunken stomachs.  Before disposing of the smaller tang I lifted the gill flap and used a bright light to examine the gill.  The gill was bright red and showed nothing abnormal.  Both fish had labored breathing towards the end but again didn't have any other visual indications.
<<May have been secondary to the stress of/weakening by  malnutrition>>
No other fish in the tank currently show any signs of abnormal behavior and continue to feed normally.  I have done 2 water changes last week once the RO produced enough water hoping to save a least one of the tangs.
<<Not likely the issue...and possibly an additional stressor (bouncing water parameters), especially if the new salt mix is not allowed to mature/complete its chemical processes before adding to the tank>>
The smaller did appear to be swimming around better the day before but refused to eat.
<<Never good>>
As of now I am suspecting the following; The RO unit; is it possible the filters contaminated the water some how, either the exhausted filters or the new filters?
<<I'm doubtful of this>>
Did adding the puffer or mandarin bring something in the tank?
<<More of a possibility, yes>>
BTW all my fish come from 2 places that I trust and know.  I never have any problems with their fish or corals.
<<Fortunate>>
Did the puffer release toxins in the water?
<<Possibly>>
The previous saddle back was there for a year and never had any issues.  Is it possible that something was in the macro algae the tangs ate?
<<Another possibility I think, yes>>
Again, the Nasos eat this algae all the time and can eat a baseball size amount in a day.
<<Possibly a matter of toxic accumulation>>
Lastly, I dose the tank weekly with only Kent dKH supplement.  The product is added to my sump which is connected to the refugium.
<<If tested/added as needed this should not be a problem>>
I was thinking maybe the macro algae could have contained concentrated levels of this?
<<I don't think so>>
Other fish ate the algae, but mostly the Nasos.
<<Could be telling>>
Lastly, the tank has Euro-bracing and is open.  The stand is over 4 feet high, the tank total height is around 7-8 feet.
<<Cool>>
This was done because of the kids and placement of the tank.  It is of perfect viewing in a standing position.
<<Indeed>>
I thought I'd mention this in the event something got into the tank that's unknown?
<<Anyone been "cleaning" around the tank?>>
I do find bugs every now and again in the sump that must be attracted to the lights.
<<Yes>>
The only other thing that I thought of was this past weekend my wife had some people over to clean the house.  I was not around but always give my wife strict instructions that the cleaners stay away from the tank.  They were new people, so I don't know if something was introduce through their cleaning?
<<Weren't the tangs displaying symptoms before this?>>
Sorry for the long email,
<<No worries my friend, I appreciate the detailed explanation (hmm...wonder if I can make an article out of this some how?)>> <Likely so. RMF>
but I am at my wits end on this and can't begin to explain how I feel.  I have been in the hobby a very long time and have never seen anything like this before.  Please help...
<<Well Patrick, I have been in the hobby more than 30 years myself, and "have" seen this before.  Unfortunately, knowing the exact cause is usually very difficult without a necropsy of the fish.  I do have some thoughts/theories as I've stated>>
Thanks and regards,
Patrick Mundt
<<My pleasure to assist.  Do give thought to separating/choosing a single macro-algae (my vote goes to the Chaetomorpha) for the refugium...and do take a look on our site re using RO water for top-off as well as making/mixing with salt for water changes.  Cheers, Eric Russell>>

Re: A Tale of Two Dead Naso Tangs – 09/18/06
Eric,
<<Patrick>>
Thanks for the response.
<<Quite welcome>>
You do however raise more questions, and also cause me to ask you to further explain some of your answers :  )
<<Certainly>>
To address some of your concerns, the RO water is made with salt a day before the water change.  Nothing is added to the water outside of Tropic Marin Salt.
<<An excellent salt (would use it myself were it not so expensive), but, raw/newly mixed saltwater is very irritating to your livestock...I recommend you make it up far enough in advance to give it a few days to a week to “mature”>>
The nitrate levels are not 0 but range between 10 - 30 ppm.
<<Too high for the fishes (should be less than 20), and WAY too high for the corals (should be less than 5)>>
This is tested using only Salifert test kits.
<<A good line of test kits>>
I put the grape Caulerpa in the fuge about 2-3 months ago.  Both types of macro algae have grown much better since adding the grape?  Don't know why.
<<Hmm...likely coincidence...feeding off the source of your high nitrates>>
I only feed the fish the Chaeto.  I do remember having to remove to grape that was tangled with the Chaeto before feeding that day.  The first puffer I had was a great tank mate, very interesting and didn't bother anything.  Other fish left him alone he never appeared stressed never saw anyone bothering him.  In regards to his jumping out of the tank, I have moon lights on the tank as well, and it did appear odd to me to wake up for work and find him on the floor.
<<Indeed...not a fish that comes to mind when you think “jumper”>>
I thought the combination of lights and perhaps him going after something to eat caused his death.
<<Don’t know...but seems unlikely to me>>
Usually the puffer finds a perch and sets up for the night.  To the medicating the tank;  Last year after being begged by a fellow aquarist I agreed to take a powder blue tang from him that was harassing his fish.  Big mistake!
<<Indeed...a difficult/problematic species...probably best left in the ocean>>
The fish came with a gift and before it was over wiped out half my tank.
<<No quarantine mate?>>
As I mentioned before I have 2 very reliable LFS, I have not used a second tank in years.
<<A ticking time bomb...>>
Anyway, the Odin. or other parasite moved very fast and as a desperate act I medicated the tank with Malachite Green (I'm sure this is not spelled right <<corrected>>).
<<Yeeikes!  Dangerous stuff...very toxic (must be measured very carefully)...tends to kill the “good guys”>>
Anyway, one of my LFS sources assured me they have medicated their show reef tank with this stuff with great success.
<<(sigh)>>
So to answer your question, yes the tank was medicated but this was a long time ago and the tangs in the tank died from the parasite, the medication did get rid of the parasite and didn't kill any of the corals.  The feeding of every other day was suggested to me, all the fish in the tank seem a litter over weight, (I think), even the 2 Nasos were very thick and clean.  I do think they should eat every day, but I think they have gotten used to this.
<< <grin> Would “you” get used to eating every other day?>>
I have had a small passer that has grown into an adult with great adult colors and has been with me since I started this tank. So what do you think the downside of this may be?
<<Can only wonder how much “better” the fishes would be with daily nutrition...>>
Next, having read through your site, I must have missed the RO part, why not use RO for top off?
<<Raw RO water lacks any buffers/earth elements...these are pulled/drawn from the tank water to reach equilibrium each time raw RO is added, creating instability/ a seesaw effect on your water chemistry>>
I figured the weekly water changes would replace anything the RO is missing for top off no?
<<Likely it does...but buffering the top-off water to reduce fluctuations in water chemistry is a better solution and will reduce the associated stress on your livestock>>
TDS of the RO was approx > then 150.
<<A properly functioning RO membrane should give you a reduction by a factor of 10 over the reading from your tap>>
Based on what you have said, I think I will remove the grape macro algae.
<<Super!>>
After this email, I think I am leaning more towards the algae causing the problems as I know tangs more then other fish have to be handled with care in regard to diet.
<<Important to al fishes...the more varied the better>>
Please let me know what you suggest for the water change water.
<<I think I have...but if not clear, just give a holler...>>
I am always looking to hear other experienced advice...
<<As am I my friend>>  
Thanks, Patrick...
<<Be chatting my friend, Eric Russell>>

Feeding tangs/angels   9/16/06
Hey.  I have a quick question about properly feeding tangs and angels.  I have a 55 gallon reef with lots of Caulerpa (three different types from what I can tell), covering close to 100 lbs of live rock.  I have a flame angel and purple tang that feed off the rock constantly.  Other than providing some protein in their diet such as Mysis shrimp, do I still need to supplementally feed them?
<Though they don't appear malnourished... I still would...>
I occasionally give them sea veggies dried seaweed.  They seem to like it a lot more than the Caulerpa growing on the rocks, but is it necessary?  
<Might be... Caulerpaceans aren't palatable to all...>
Can they get all their nutritional requirements from the 3 types of Caulerpa growing in my tank or should I continue feeding them the dried seaweed as well?  Thank you
Jon
<I would. Bob Fenner>

Trying to Carve a Statue with a Toothpick - Maddening Caulerpa Infestation
Hey all,
I am at the point at which I am considering leaving this hobby. I no longer enjoy looking in at my tank, because all I can see is a jungle of Caulerpa. It kills everything, grows over it. It puts its roots through the mantles of my clams and the flesh of my corals. Just recently I had to snip away a part of my maxima's mantle to free it of "the root of all evil" (Caulerpa = all evil). I have a 4-5 inch thick layer of the stuff on all of the rock, the bottom 2" completely white (starved of light). Just last night, by flashlight, I removed 14 pounds of this aquatic demon. I swear, I am going to start calling people "Caulerpa" as an insult. I hate nothing more than this vile weed. I have set up a series of buckets filled with fresh water to kill whatever I pull out, to watch it deflate pitifully like a wretched little raisin. This brings me great joy, watching it suffer.
Please, someone, anyone, help me! This is my final plea. There is a slug, Oxynoe viridis. I need that slug. It lives on a diet of solely Caulerpa racemosa, and is the answer to my numerous prayers. I have tried everything else short of tearing down the tank. Ripping the damn stuff out is futile. To control it by ripping it out, even aggressively and in such a small tank as mine, is like trying to use a toothpick to carve a statue.
Once again, I ask you all, HELP! I know that all of you are accomplished aquarists, and hail from various places in the world. Someone receiving this email, somewhere, might just be able to locate a (or several) Oxynoe viridis.
Find one for me, and I'll send you a bunch of Caulerpa. :-)
Thanks in advance for finding the slug that will save my tank,
Mike Giangrasso -  WWM Crewmember
<My advice is to sell this rock to any of a number of people that will actually value it for its plant life forms/coverage... 
And replace with new rock (cure for a couple of weeks). It's good to replace rock periodically as it is... and this is an effective solution that is more reliable than months of hopeful natural predation/control. 
A fast and furious fix ;)
It will give you a chance to stack again/better (as with needing to build the rockscape away from all walls... do avoid the reefscape touching glass/walls... severe impediment to water flow overall and all that leads to)
Kindly, Anthony>
<Good advice... and along those same lines... I see Walt Smith took mine and started his "Fiji Gold" (named in honour of the bier there) supplement line. <VBG> B> 

Caulerpa mexicana outbreak 28 March 2005
Hi, 
<Howdy!>
Just an update (as requested) about the Caulerpa outbreak which had taken over my 5' x 2' x 2' for at least two years and was smothering everything, growing back quicker than I could pull it out. Identified as C. mexicana I think. Followed your suggestion six months or so ago. Took all the living rock out and pulled off as much algae as possible, even down to picking bits out with tweezers. Put the rock back and after two months there was slight re-growth which failed to take hold. Not a single strand of the d**n stuff now. Thanks guys. 
<Great to hear.> 

Substitutes for Caulerpa 7/11/05
Hiya,
    After pouring over the FAQs, I've decided against  Caulerpa. To me, the risks seem to outweigh the benefits. I was wondering what  else I might be able to put in the tank I'm setting up for my tang and other  veggie-munchers to munch on that aren't so potentially deleterious.
Thanks your help,
Marianne
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/maralgae.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Caulerpa toxicity! 7/9/05
Hey Anthony,
<M. Maddox here today - not as good, but a lot cheaper! ;)>
I need your help!!!
<Mental or physical?>
I just recently added Caulerpa racemosa to my new refugium.  I know that you're not a big advocate of Caulerpa for nutrient control.
<Not at all - and I've seen it take over tanks, smothering everything in the process>
  I've been careful pruning this algae without actually breaking off dead strands.  Unfortunately, when I stepped out last night, the an entire handful of Caulerpa floated into my pump! When I got home, I found pieces of Caulerpa everywhere in my main tank. I tested the water and found that the Ammonia level hit 1ppm from 0.
<Good god.  100% water change time!>
I've NEVER had any other reading than 0 for ammonia.  I did a 25% water change last night and checked my reading several times afterwards and the ammonia level fell to 0 again.
<I would another, larger water change to be sure - ammonia is BAD>
  I also tried to remove every little piece of Caulerpa from my tank.  I also placed a bag of carbon in my sump.  Do you think that the shredding of this algae caused the ammonia spike?
<Yep>
  Also, what else can I do to reduce the toxins released from this Algae?  More water changes?
<More/larger water changes, carbon, Poly-Filter (the one by PolyBioMarine)>
  I'll carefully test the water for the next few days.  I'll also remove the algae and go for an algae like Chaetomorpha.
<Good idea>
Thanks
Nilesh  
<You're welcome - M. Maddox>

What Will Munch Caulerpa? 8/17/05
Hello Bob,
<Actually, Scott F. in tonight!>
First of all, I'd like to say I appreciate your site and am thankful for the help you've given me in the past. I try doing the research myself as I realize your time is valuable.  That said, I've read the algae control FAQ's and the Algae ID'S.  The algae ID section noted that Razor Caulerpa was very hard to get rid of and not very palatable to most fish.
<That's correct. Many fishes will not touch it.>
So I read the algae control FAQ'S and didn’t find Razor Caulerpa specific questions (most just read algae).  I did read that lawn mower blennies do a great job of controlling algae but I wasn’t sure if that applied to razor Caulerpa.
<Not in my experience. It's simply too tough for these guys. In fact, I think that the Lawnmower Blenny is highly overrated as an algae eater...A great fish with a fun personality, but not all that great at consuming algae, IMO.>
So my question is, "What will eat the Razor
Caulerpa?"  I have a 55 gallon tank with a hydor20 canister filter and a power head for water circulation.  There is no media in the canister filter. I top my water off with water from my planted discus tank (remember that question?) and have some mangroves in lieu of protein skimmers and about 4" on aragonite #00 and 50 lbs of live rock.  For lighting, I have two 65 watt 50/50 Power compacts.  I've never had anything die on me except an octopus after about four months.  The water is very clear and everyone seems happy except me because of Razor Caulerpa, which I fear will overtake my tank.  I have about 20 Blue Mushrooms, a Blue Sponge, 1 large Yellow Gorgonian, Sun Polyps (they’ve released spores that matured into little Sun Polyps throughout the tank), a small Orange Starfish covered in what appears to be orange
thorns (not sure what kind it is), a mated pair of False Percula Clowns, a Mandarin Dragonet, and a Pajama Cardinal.  Everyone except the Mandarin (I’ve seen him eat formula 1 in addition to the pods all over the glass) has been in the tank for over a year.  The only mineral supplementing I do is adding one of those little white cubes whenever one runs out which is about every two weeks.  I scrape lots of red and green coralline algae of my glass weekly.  Back to my question, what will help with my Razor Caulerpa problem?  Any advice is much appreciated.  Thank You.
<Well, short of manual extraction, there are not a ton of fishes that will eat the stuff. Some Zebrasoma Tangs will do the job, but you need to have a system that suits the Tang's long term needs. And, Tangs are individuals; some may never touch any Caulerpa at all! You just cannot be certain. I'm afraid that manual extraction is the best bet in dealing with this algae.>
p.s. I did have a Moorish Idol die on me, but it wasn't my fault.  I casually told my wife I'd love to get one someday and one day I came home to see a Moorish idol lying on its side.  She bought it for me while I was at work and it was dead a half hour after I got home. I wanted to yell at her because I’ve advised her against buying stuff without proper research on my part many times but her smile at the thought of the wonderful surprise she thought she was giving me overcame the urge to yell.  Still it was very sad to think the Moorish Idol was pulled from the ocean to die in my tank.  I think she learned her lesson from that (we lucked out on the orange starfish being harmless so far, that was her surprise also).  auughhh
<Well, it is certainly a tragedy that these fishes are available to the causal hobbyist, but here intentions were certainly good. I guess we all need to educate our spouses and significant others on the suitability of some animals for captive life, and the unsuitability of others. It's a good practice for us, for the environment, and for the hobby. Best of luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Attack Of The Caulerpa!  Reefer Forced to Take a Hands-off Approach 10/22/05
I'm hoping someone has a solution for what has me ready to abandon my many years of marine aquarium keeping.
<<uh oh...sounds like trouble...>>
The Caulerpa housed in the refugium has migrated to the main tank and is threatening to completely take over everything.
<<Not uncommon...this genus of macroalgae is known for its invasiveness. One of several reasons I prefer Chaetomorpha for refugium use.>>
Unfortunately, I had hand surgery earlier this year and with my hands in casts was unable to stop the progression in time.
<<Ouch! Hope things are getting better.>>
My tank is sixty gallons and I have, live rock, which is being completely taken over, six small to medium fish and a few corals. I think because of the small size of the tank that a fish big enough to eat this Caulerpa would not fare well, if this is even a possibility.
<<Mmm...maybe>>
Since, my hands are still recuperating does anyone have a solution to this problem?
<<Enlist a friend to help/contact an aquatic service... EricR>>

Grape Caulerpa 11-16-05
Hey Crew,
<<Hello>>
We have some grape Caulerpa growing in our 50 gallon reef. It's growing fast, too!!
<<Always a bad idea to add Caulerpa to a display, unless you want it to look like a planted freshwater aquarium.>>
What can we do to get rid of it? It's real hard to pull it out  manually, as it is stuck to the rocks.
<<Pull out as much as you can by hand and find a suitable vegetarian to add to your tank. I never suggest adding a fish to fix a mistake in your tank, but a rabbit fish will do wonders for you.>>
<<And likely be too large for this system, if not immediately, then in very short order.  I suggest using this animal only very short term.  MH>>
Any fish or critters??
50 gallon reef
DSB
100 lb live rock
3 Chromis
1 Clown
1 Pseudochromis fridmani
SPS
Ricordea
Xenia
Emerald Crab
Ca 425
Alk. 9.2
Mg 1350
Phosphate .05
Nitrate...undetectable
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Ronnie NYC
<<TravisM>> 

Dude... DUDE!  Re: Grape Caulerpa 11-19-05
Hey,
<Hello>
I didn't add it, I am aware that this stuff is crap. It grew on it's own...
<That happens.>
Is a rabbit fish the same as a Foxface?
<Yes>
Thank you for your time Dude.
<<The "Dude"...?  MH>>
<No problem.>
Ronnie
<Travis> 

A Solution to Caulerpa?   1/30/06
Hi everyone,
<Mike G>
I have a lot of Caulerpa in my tank and I read on your site that the lettuce nudibranch will take care of that.  
<Hmm... not in my experience. I've found that the only way to get rid of the blasted stuff is to pull it out by hand, 5 minutes a day, day after day after day. Lettuce Nudibranchs tend to focus on the filamentous Algaes  - Caulerpa is really too tough, I'd think. In any case, none of the several Lettuce Nudibranchs, Sea Hares, Sea Urchins, Blennies, Snails, or crabs that I heard were supposed to eat the stuff would actually eat it, in my experience. There is one species of sea slug - Oxynoe viridis - that will take care of the stuff, but don't count open finding one any time soon.>
My question is, will it harm anything else in my tank?
<Aside from filamentous Algaes, nope.>
I have:  a bubble coral, bubble tip anemone, frog spawn, flaming scallop,
<For the record/readers of this in the FAQs - Not a wise choice. Flame Scallops are next to impossible to keep alive for an extended period of time. A waste of money and life to purchase one.>
orange cup coral, rock anemone, crocea clam, orange linckia that has lost 2 legs, (why?)
<Linckia tend to lose their legs when very stressed or diseased/starving. Again, not a wonderful choice. It could also be the case that something assisted the star in removing the legs, though I'd say that is much less likely.>
and polyps.
<Zoanthids, I assume?>
Maroon clown, firefish, cleaner shrimp, a scooter blenny, a lot of little white starfish  (I don't know what kind they are)
<Asterina sp. - identifying the exact species would be outstandingly difficult. Harmless, interesting. Reproduce via fragmentation. No cause for alarm.>
and a lot of snails.  Thanks for your help.
<Good luck.>
Kris
<Mike G>

Caulerpa Invasion - 02/18/06
Dear crew member,
<<EricR here>>
I have a nuisance algae in my tank which (after searching this site and Algaebase) I believe is Caulerpa nummularia - there is also a photo of it on your site, under the heading Marine Algae ID 9.  The email is entitled Algae ID 12/17/05.  It is the photo on the bottom left.
<<Yes, I see it.>>
The thing is, there doesn't seem to be an abundance of information about it out there - or at least, with my amateur research skills, I can't find it.
<<Hmm...a Google search re seems to bring up quite a few "hits"...though only working through them will determine if there is any useful information.>>
What I do know is that it spreads like bird flu and seems impossible, short of a tank tear-down, to eradicate.
<<All the Caulerpa species can be very difficult to remove once entrenched.>>
Do you think a tang species might eat it?
<<Maybe...but I think a Foxface would be a better choice.>>
I don't know if it's toxic or not.  Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
<<Have a look here, I think you'll find it of interest:  http://reefshow.com/html/modules.php?name=AvantGo&file=print&sid=144 >>
Thanks,
Melinda
<<Regards, EricR>>
 

Algae identification and removal 02-05-06 Hi, <Hello> I have a large amount of what appears to be Caulerpa growing in my tank. Today while fumbling through your archives I read that some Caulerpa can give off toxins, which surprised me. <All algae can actually> So I looked through all your algae identification pages, and I found nothing. <Surprising> A close match is Caulerpa racemosa, but I don't think that is it. <Is what this looks like to me> I will be attaching a picture of it. Just in case it did not go through, which it may very well not, I will give a quick description. As all Caulerpa it is based on a vine. On the vine "bubbles" shoot out along the vine. Unlike Caulerpa racemosa, there are two bubbles on opposite sides of the vine, then go up 1/2cm the vine and there are two more "bubbles" on opposite sides of the vine and this continues. So my questions are what is this? And is it a danger to my tank? <In large (relative) quantity, possibly> By the way my yellow tang will not touch it, this leads to my theory of it being undesirable. If I need to remove it what is the best way to do it. Remove it all at once? <If you want> Or remove it over the period of a few days due to the possibility of releasing excessive toxins into the water? <Oh! If you want to remove it entirely, try to take it out all in one go... along with a water change, use of carbon...> Sorry for the lengthy question? <No worries. Bob Fenner> Thanks much, Jed

Water Noise vs. Flow Rates - 06/30/06
Hi!
I am looking for a solution to eliminate noise from the overflow.
<<A very common venture>>
I tried everything and I started to believe a silent overflow is a myth.
<<Hee! Indeed!  At least at the "higher" flow rates>>
Now there is a way and it would be to dramatically reduce the flow rate.
<<This is what I always advocate.  There are other things you can do to help...such as aspirating the return lines, submerging/adding ells to the termination ends, etc. ...but reducing flow probably makes the single largest difference.  Few hobbyists (if any) need to push 1500gph or more through their sump.  Much easier to deal with a sub- 1000gph flow rate here...employing other methods for increased flow in the display as/if necessary>>
I have reached the point where it's either that or get rid of the sump and install an external skimmer.
<<Mmm, let's work on quieting that overflow...>>
Right now the skimmer is in the 1st chamber of the sump.  There is already good circulation in the display (15X per hour) from 2 Tunze Stream 6100 with a multicontroller.
<<Excellent!  Reducing flow through the overflow/sump should not be an issue then>>
I do a 5% weekly water change.  Most of the sump (25 gal) is in fact a fuge for plankton/pod production and macro-algae.
<<All the more reason to keep it>>
Display is 90 gal reef with 150lbs Fiji LR and sugar fine 5"
DSB.  In these circumstances do you see any long term problems involved in having a flow rate from the return pump of only 6X per day instead of 6X per hour?
<<Mmm...if I understand you, this would equate to just over 20gph (540gph divided by 24hrs).  This is slower than I like, but I think a flow rate of 200gph-300gph would be fine...and easily dealt with/made quiet>>
If I may ask at the same time a bioload question.
<<Sure>>
I am thinking of some change and would like to know if this is too many fish.
<<Okay>>
Is this a heavy bioload with my set-up, would I be on the edge? :
-2 Ocellaris
-5 to 7 Chromis viridis
-1 clown goby (Gobiodon histrio)
-1 mandarin
-1 Tailspot blenny (genus Ecsenius)
-1 yellow tang (Z. flavescens)
<<This would indeed fill you up.  I would like to suggest you forego the mandarin.  This tank isn't really large enough (refugium or not) in my opinion to be able to provide the necessary nutritional needs for this fish for the long term.  I would also suggest you keep the number of Chromis to 5, until you see what (if any) behavioral/environmental issues develop>>
Lastly, would an Ecsenius blenny (like the Tailspot) be helpful to control Caulerpa growth in the display?
<<I doubt it...the Combtooth blennies are more "filamentous" algae feeders.  The tang will probably be more useful for this purpose, though there's no guarantee of that either>>
And what about a tuxedo blue urchin (Mespilia globulus) for that same purpose?
<<A neat critter...and likely a worthwhile addition...but it too will probably go for your hair, and most assuredly your coralline, algae first.  You best bet re removal of the Caulerpa is manual extraction.  If you can manual reduce it enough, the tang might be able to keep it in check for you.  I guess you'll know better than to add this to your display next time, eh! <grin> >>
Many many thanks!
Dominique
<<Quite welcome.  Regards, EricR>>