jason7504 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 i suspect that i got some macro on my LR when i got it because ive had a macro outbreak in my tank and its covered 2 rocks with a little growing on a couple others..i heard that you can pull it off but then it would just grow back..and i have a couple of coral frags so i cant turn the light off..how can i get rid of it? my phosphates are 0 and nitrates and i have a lawnmower blenny too..will they eat macro or just micro algae? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 What kind of macro is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Get a Tang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 i can't tell..i'll try to take a close up but its green and long...i cant get a tang, i have a 34g tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breefcase Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I have been battling sawtooth caulerpa almost since I got my tank started. (flame) Lately, it has been really taking over. Things you can do are: 1. Feed less 2. Reduce lighting period 3. Install phosphate reactor in your tank (even though you're showing no phosphate, its because the macro is eating it up so fast.) 4. If your not using a sump, with light and chaeto, you need to. For me, the first two were not what I wanted to do, so I got a phospate reactor, which reduced my Phosphate from 1 ppm to 0 in about three days. Also, I am placing a new 250w MH over my sump, and am going to run it on a reverse photoperiod. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 well i dont really wanna feed less and i dont feed that much now and i can't really reduce my photo period anymore because its 8 hrs now...how would I know if i have phosphates if my chaeto eats it up so fast...and i have a fuge with light and chaeto.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I have seen lm blennies eat caluerpa but they need to be hungry. Rabbit fish trim caluerpa, but have been know to eat zoas and other polyps. You cannot get rid of it COMPLETELY unless you get new live rock. You could put in a larger fuge with chaeto on the back of your solana. That will take up more nutrients like breefcase mentioned. One thing you might consider is to try and isolate the rock where it is located. Put it in a quarantine tank and try to cut out the affected spot. The problem is, this may not kill all the caluerpa cells deep inside the rock. I have heard of people putting live rock in the dark for 6 months, or you could kill your rock and start from scratch, recuring it. The best way to get rid of a caluerpa problem is to get rid of the rock and buy diy rock. Buy some of dsoz's diy rock and trade in your rock to a fish store for livestock credit. Someone who does not mind the caluerpa will buy it. A fish only live rock system would benefit from live rock with caluerpa. It is of value to non-reef aquarists. A seahorse tank is another example of a tank that may beneft from caluerpa invaded live rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I had a ton of unwanted grape caulerpa in my tank, and it was growing really fast. I manually pulled it off all the rocks, slowly and carefully, doing whatever I could to keep from tearing the "roots" and leaving them in crevices. I had a couple of small strands come back, but I just manually removed them, and it seems that whatever was left was kept in check by the cleanup crew. You might just give that a try before doing anything totally disruptive to your system. My $0.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Grape Caulerpa is the aiptasia of the macro-algae world. It took me forever to get that crap out of my tank after I foolishly put some in my sump. I still wake up sweating from grape caulerpa nightmares. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 +1 on the tang. Or you could TRY flipping the rock and burying the macro or at least starving it from light. Maybe rip it off then flip rock to prevent grow back. JAI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr S Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I have had good luck with a sea hare if it is hair algae but I would agree with Joel, get a small rabbitfish. They are awesome for eating macro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breefcase Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 A Rabbitfish *will* work, just be prepared for it to turn to your zoas once the macro is gone. People do keep them with zoas, though, and have no problems. Just a heads up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 how would I know if i have phosphates if my chaeto eats it up so fast.. Take a water sample to WAVES and have Joel test it with his colorimeter. It costs $1 but it is very accurate for testing phosphates. Can you get a picture of it. It may not be calurpa, it could be something different like bryopsis or one of the turf algaes. If it is one of these other things then the cure could be completely different. If it is bryopsis, then raising you magnesium up to 15-1600 for a few weeks can take care of it. If it is turf algae then you can just keep scrubbing it off. I had a fox-face rabbit fish for a long time in my tank. He was a very cool fish to have. Just watch out for the poison spines on its back... dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 You can take your ball of chaeto and tie it to the rock with the offending macro algae on it. Leave it there for a week or two. You are effectively doing a lights out on the macro algae rock, but while giving your corals light at the same time. Pruin as much off as you can first. A pic is worth a thousand words here, one pic and you can get a pretty good ID and perhaps a better place to start from. Some macro's are easier to get rid of then others IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I have one question. Is it long, green, wavy, and look like hair on a rock? Like Pledosophy said, a picture would help. Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 I have one question. Is it long, green, wavy, and look like hair on a rock? Like Pledosophy said, a picture would help. Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- i have the green, hairy, wavy stuff but also some longer green and harder feeling algae too..i also use chemi pure elite to help with the phosphates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 i will post a pic later today though to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Yeah, at this point a pic would be really helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I had a ton of unwanted grape caulerpa in my tank, and it was growing really fast. I manually pulled it off all the rocks, slowly and carefully, doing whatever I could to keep from tearing the "roots" and leaving them in crevices. I had a couple of small strands come back, but I just manually removed them, and it seems that whatever was left was kept in check by the cleanup crew. You might just give that a try before doing anything totally disruptive to your system. My $0.02 This worked for me as well. I now only get it from a couple spots and pull it when it gets a few inches long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 This worked for me as well. I now only get it from a couple spots and pull it when it gets a few inches long. how do you remove them without tearing the roots? i took out the 2 rocks and pulled some of the macro off but i couldn't get any off that almost "encrusted" on the rock surface... would coralline overgrow and get rid of the macro? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 +1 on the tang. Or you could TRY flipping the rock and burying the macro or at least starving it from light. Maybe rip it off then flip rock to prevent grow back. JAI i wish i could get a tang but i can't. i have a 34g nano (sad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Get a good picture of it. If I remember one of your other pictures it showed some algae, and it was a hair algae, not calurpa. It may have even been bryopsis. Before you can get a cure, you need to know what it is you are treating. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I just slowly and gently pull on it as close to the rock as i can. It took awhile, but i just stayed consisitant, removing all i could each week when i do WCs and now its almost gone. Coralline would grow over it if it grew fast enough. But i think the macro grows faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 This pic is from the thread http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10826 The algae in this picture is NOT calurpa. If this is the algae that you are asking about, then it is not just a pull carefully from rock situation. Someone said calurpa early in this thread and everyone jumped on the calurpa bandwagon. It looks like bryopsis or hair algae. NOT calurpa. You need to reduce nutrients, remove phosphates, use a skimmer (or skim more), remove manually, reduce photoperiod (3-4 hours a day would be OK for a little while), and/or raise magnesium levels. You have a battle in front of you. I am fighting the evil bryopsis in my new anemone tank. You can win if you do all that is needed. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 With that picture ^. I would say you need to lower the amount of food you are feeding. Even skip one day a week to allow the tank to catch up. Reducing lighting period should help. Are your bulbs old? How old? What kinda clean up crew do you have? Be specific on what you have. Skimmer? What kind? Increase the skimmers output even if it means you will need to add more water. RO/DI unit? How old are the filters? There are more but answer these and it will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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