Caulerpa turned white, water cloudy

[~LadyBug~]

My little patch of Caulerpa turned white overnight(possibly in fifteen minutes, I don't remember it looking odd when I turned the tank lights on this morning but I could have just missed it) and my water is cloudy(that I know did happen in fifteen minutes, because the water was fine when I put the dragons breath back in it's spot from where it had drifted overnight but when I came back in the room I could barely see the back of the tank.)

 

http://s770.photobucket.com/user/AnnasHope04/media/9510E384-986D-423A-B5A4-4F65468429A0-6881-000007BF4763FA92_zps933d9d89.jpg.html'>

 

What's going on? And will my Caulerpa make it or should I pull it before it further fouls the water?

[jestep]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/nftt/index.php

It's basically going into reproduction mode. I would get it out immediately and run a lot of carbon and mechanical filtration and start doing water changes.

[TheKraken]

Caulerpa will go sexual unless you keep it under 24 hour lighting. WC time!

 

And I personally would remove it.

[drunkenmonk21]

Caulerpa will go sexual unless you keep it under 24 hour lighting. WC time!And I personally would remove it.

Caulerpa does not need 24 hour light to live. What it does need is sufficient light and enough nutrients to live. It going asexual because you have a lack of one or the other. An 10-12 hour light will be perfectly fine given its a sufficient light source to sustain it. Lack of nutrients is a usual suspect in going asexual.

 

Also maybe it just wanted to reproduce lol

[TheKraken]

Caulerpa does not need 24 hour light to live. What it does need is sufficient light and enough nutrients to live. It going asexual because you have a lack of one or the other. An 10-12 hour light will be perfectly fine given its a sufficient light source to sustain it. Lack of nutrients is a usual suspect in going asexual.Also maybe it just wanted to reproduce lol

 

I wasn't referring to it needing 24 hr light to live, just to keep it from blooming. I've had it bloom under regular light in systems that have plenty of nutrients. My suggestion is to use a different macro if you want it in the display.

[grmoore]

Caulerpa does not need 24 hour light to live. What it does need is sufficient light and enough nutrients to live. It going asexual because you have a lack of one or the other. An 10-12 hour light will be perfectly fine given its a sufficient light source to sustain it. Lack of nutrients is a usual suspect in going asexual.

 

Also maybe it just wanted to reproduce lol

Asexual is correct. Its not a disaster, but you do want to use carbon and mechanical filtration for a while. A good sized water change will help a lot. Do that sooner rather than later - especially if you keep fish in the tank, as the oxygen levels will drop dramatically.

[Subsea]

With respect to Caulerpa going sexual, it is normally due to lack of nutrients. Most reefkeepers strive to maintain low nutrient systems. Under intense light, fast growing Caulerpa will remove nutrients from the water and starve. They then self destruct releasing spores into the water. However you should have seen indicators before the sexual event. Fast growth followed by stunted growth. White spots at various places. Normally, fast growth shows clear to opaque at point of growth. When you see white spots beware. The indicators that I mention should have been seen two or three day in advance. With respect to the feather Caulerpa, the stems doubled in diameter and white ooze begin to secrete out. In the case I am describing, I immediately moved Caulerpa into a tank with high nutrients and it cleared up in hours.

Patrick

[grmoore]

It's not really a case of self destruction, rather, a case of self preservation - propagation of the species. The asexual event is a last ditch attempt at keeping the species alive via sporulation.