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Coral Vue Hydros

Grapes in the Pico


tetrafin22

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Hey everyone !

 

I unknowingly introduced some Grape Caulerpa into my 5 gallon pico. It has since taken over every rock I have and has now nearly covered all of my zoas and sucked the fun out of the hobby for me, Hooray !

I have tried manual removal. It works for maybe about the time it takes to walk to the trashcan and back. then twice the amount pops up again. As for biological, well to my understanding, satan made it in such a way that the toxic chemicals in the algae would be displeasing to the majority of animals that try to eat it. Which explains why all the many many mystery gastropods turn there eye tentacles elsewhere. I have a tuxedo urchin, he will be moved to a larger tank after its finished cycling, who does a fantastic job eating all the algae around the caulerpa. Chemicals would be the last option. If you are still reading this (I mean like, thanks) I hear good things about API's Algaefix however Id like to make sure it would work for this case. Please, if you have or know of someone with this problem, apart form total tank tare down how did you get rid of the grapes? what has been your experience with Algaefix? Sharing your general experience with the awful, awful plague that is caulerpa is also welcome.

 

So the moral here is, please help me.

Also don't touch the devils lettuce because it will infest everything you love... and you will cry.

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Well. Caulerpa is a constant nutrient uptake macro. If it is growing that fast, it is doing a good job of nutrient control for you. What are your water parameters? If you get phosphate and nitrates down close to 0, yank the algae, it should start to falter, but you'll need to keep it this way for a few weeks so it can't reestablish. The remaining will start to turn pale, remove it before they pollute your water.

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First, let me suggest another option than the trash can. Grape Caulerpa makes a great cheviche and is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world.

 

I use Grape Caulerpa for nutrient export in my 150G mixed garden reef tank. It looks great with its color contrast to Red Grapes.

 

For my application, I confine it to the substrate. When it gets on the rocks its holdfast become a problem. To remove it from your rocks with coral on them, prepare a 15% dip of hydrogen peroxide mixed with tank water. Submerge your rock for 5 minutes. Some corals may be more or less sensitive. Flush off your coral in a second bath of tank water, then add back to your tank.

 

Happy trails.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I know this is waaaaaay late, but i just wanted to thank you two for your advice! I'm running skimmerless so the nutrients are a bit up there. Hmmmm cheviche you say... :P

 

I ended up taking most of the rock out and dipping the rest in a hydrogen peroxide tank water mix. :owned:

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