MACRO ALGAE & O3 factor protien interferance and CORAL bleaching.

ok, since I have no freeken clue why my corals are bleaching (new, old, transfers, and shroooms too) in 2 of my tanks I have come to this possible conclusion.

APARENTLY..... there is a phenomenon known as "The O3 factor."

Caulerpa Algaes can produce a by-product that will induce an enzyme protease reaction in corals too expell some pigments and makes them susceptable to PAR burning, shrinkage and eventual RTN.

I have taken nearly all the corals out of my 40 Long in hopes of them recovering in other environments. All the shrimps and stars, crabs and snails are fine as well as fish. The coraline growth is good. I have 65 #s Caribbean, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and Bali rock in the tank. Bare bottom with only 5 #s of aragonite to "litter it" and powerheads for movement.

I have Proliferia, racemosa (and its varient peltata), Serrulata, A few Nemeris annulata (sea cattails or fuzz stick grass) a few tiny patches of Valonia (bubble algae) and recently an outbreak of tuffted Hair algae ( I dont believe it to be bryopsis as my sailfin tang ate it in another tank.)

FWIW, it isnt the water quality itself. I have tested across the board every concieveable thing offered (salifert) and it is "A-OK."

SO..... Im shooting in the dark here. Anyone with info, links, or ideas?

Spout now or be deamed "ah dauh...... that IS advanced."

PS: Im being sarchastic with the last rude-ish statement... (Im just ####ed and trying to make something humerous out of loosing like near 400.00 worth of stuff over a few months with no explenation.)

I like the look of the alga in the tank, and amcautious to "pinch off and remove runners so to not "bleed" the algae.

I have seen a signifigant drop in the hair algae growth, but it is requiring constant monthly "spot cleaning/ removal of patches"

IYE / O...Would adding a skimmer add or subtract from toxins of this nature? I have a Turboflotor 1000 I am adding to a sump for the tank in the very short future.

Comments????

When did you start using marine env salt dave?

My shrooms closed up for a day when I switched to it, and now they're all white except the ones under the shadow of the rock above.

I'm not saying i have any clue what's going on but maybe my experiences can help you come to some conclusion. If you do lemme know.

So the caulerpas by-product is an oxidizer? That is pretty strange...never heard that type of thing before.

I've seen tanks with tons of caulerpa and never seen this happen. What about people with refugiums? I'm not discounting the idea but it doesn't seem to calculate right for me.

If this is true and caulerpa "CAN" produce this by product you may want to find out what triggers this to occur. It can't be in every tank that has caulerpa but only in tanks with an unknown "trigger" to cause this...

Interesting thoughts though.....???.....Cameron

I had no problems wiht my 37 up till like a month ago when I added some caluerpa Proliferia to it. My tang ate it. now Im loosing my Montipora for no reason, a colony of GSP is dying, and

some shrooms are shriveled. Im on the process of dong massive water changes to see if it helps maters. I have already done 140 gallons on my 37 over 3 weeks to attempt to get rid of ANY polution.

the 40 L is a complete differnt story, it is uniform death and losses across the board. the tank I got the algae from originaly

is also having issues. a Possible link in the chain of misery?

:

BO, the salt isnt the issue. the bleaching was before using it. if anything, using the Aquacraft salt hs helped.

My coraline is looking great as well as other forms of life.

Sorry for the long winded answer!

I searched PubMed for Caulerpa and proteases. I couldn't come up with any "protease" or O3/ozone factors secreted by Caulerpa, but I did find this:

Caulerpenyne, a toxin from the seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia, depresses afterhyperpolarization in invertebrate neurons.

Mozzachiodi R, Scuri R, Roberto M, Brunelli M.

Neuroscience 2001;107(3):519-26

The massive invasion of the Mediterranean Sea by the tropical seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh has stimulated several investigations in order to test the environmental risk from an ecotoxicological point of view. The studies carried out on various experimental models have shown that caulerpenyne, the major metabolite synthesized by the seaweed, affects several cellular and molecular targets. In addition, neurological disorders have been reported in patients who accidentally ate C. taxifolia, but no evidence about the potential effects of the seaweed and of its metabolites on nerve cells were up to now available.Herein we describe that caulerpenyne modifies the electrical properties of touch mechanosensory cells of the leech Hirudo medicinalis

Effect of caulerpenyne, a toxin extracted from Caulerpa taxifolia on mechanisms regulating intracellular pH in sea urchin eggs and sea bream hepatocytes.

Galgani I, Pesando D, Porthe-Nibelle J, Fossat B, Girard JP.

“Some French publication”

The proliferation of the green marine alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean led us to investigate the toxic effects on marine organisms of caulerpenyne (Cyn), the major secondary metabolite synthesized by the alga...........Cyn provoked an acidification of seawater containing both unfertilized and fertilized eggs, as revealed by a titrable efflux of protons...........These results suggest that Cyn inhibits intracellular sequestration of protons and thus liberates protons into the cell cytoplasm from which they leak toward the extracellular medium.

Chemical defense in marine macroalgae

Georg Pohnert’s Lab at the Max Plank Inst. (www.ice.mpg.de)

Its (Caulerpa) success is also based on a very efficient reproductive strategy and a highly active chemical defense. Its effective defense is nearly exclusively based on one sesquiterpene, caulerpenyne.

I'm not sure a protease could cause such wide spread effect (they're inherently unstable proteins), but this "caulerpenyne" can cause wide spread effect, like in the Mediteranian. Don't know if I helped or confused, but as a biochemist, I had to try. Make hair algae sound attractive!!

Finaly, I get a good response in a thread. Thank you !

The only hole in that theory is I dont have any taxifolia in the tank. Of course thats not to say its completely off base, but it is very plauseable theory.

Perhaps its "goooooooooogle" time.... for research.

No Worries Dave!

Hey, you might email that guy (Georg Pohnert......No E on Georg!) at the Plank inst. That's his bag! Maybe he'll know some thing more specific. Also, I did find some other Caulerpa species mentioned, what do you have?

Instead of Google (I tried!) try PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

It might seem like alot of scientific mumbo jumbo (unless your a science geek, like me), but you might be able to "refine" the search, since I only looked for "Caulerpa and Protease"

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=...xifolia&spell=1

that brought 4000 hits. :shocked:

This link is excelent :

http://www.sbg.ac.at/ipk/avstudio/pierofun...ct/caulerpa.htm

gives pics and detailed info.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caulerpafaq2.htm

read pages 1-3. a lot of the same general statements about caulerpa being toxic and going sour, a little mention of coral growth inhibitors, but nothing about causing bleaching....

Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo are on this board.......

Im going to post a link.. I hope it helps.

funny actualy, Mr. Reef himself Fenner tells people to do a search more that I do ! its quite refreshing

more to come ... BBIAB.

add the skimmer imo. if there's something foreign the collection cup should show it pretty quick.

the other algae could be exuding something similar to the Caulerpenyne. it's all a competition for available resources and chemcal warfare is a very possible result imo.

have you tried testing varying levels of tolerant corals and inverts?

I added a skimmer on my 37 and my corals picked up in general health and color. You will be amazed at the sh** it will pull from your tank.