M
minitruck
Guest
I am using a red sea test kit and my CA level is at 650 if I did it right. Is this bad or will it be ok for my corals? If its a bad thing how do I bring the level down??
Thanks, Josh
Thanks, Josh
reefnut
Active Member
Originally Posted by floorguy
retest and then test alk your alk is probably low dont add till you test though then check ph that might be off a little as well, if alk and ph are low supper buffer dkh is a good product that will fix your alk and ph prob if any good luck.
Ditto... and water changes will help bring everything back in line.
retest and then test alk your alk is probably low dont add till you test though then check ph that might be off a little as well, if alk and ph are low supper buffer dkh is a good product that will fix your alk and ph prob if any good luck.
Ditto... and water changes will help bring everything back in line.
M
minitruck
Guest
Ok cool. Ill check the alk. My ph is at .5 so I need to do a water change anyways. But my CA level is ok and its not hurting any of my corals?
reefnut
Active Member
I wouldn't say it's ok but I don't think it's harming anything currently. You do need to get everything balanced... meaning the calcium and alkalinity. Calcium around 420-440 is good IMO with a alkalinity of 8dkh to 11dkh.
A PH of .5 is not a true reading. It should be around 8.?.
Good Luck.
A PH of .5 is not a true reading. It should be around 8.?.
Good Luck.
M
minitruck
Guest
Whoops, phosphate is .5 and my ph is 8.2 like always. Amonia is 0 and so is nitrite. I didnt test for nitrates yet. These readings are in my 20 gallon nano so i think Ill do a 5 gallon water change and see what happens. As far as my test kit goes I knwo i need the salifert but I got these before I knew better, lol.
Thanks guys, Josh
Thanks guys, Josh
M
minitruck
Guest
Im hoping that the water change will get rid of atleast a little bit. I heard that plants will take care of it but I dont have a refugium on my tank. Maybe ill just take some plants from the fuge on my 120 and put a big hunk in a corner in my 20. That should work right?
M
minitruck
Guest
Well I have a small one on my 10 gallon nano but I dont have another one for the 20l. I know its not ideal to have macro in your display but it would work the same right?
M
minitruck
Guest
Well I dont have caulerpla, I have a long kinda flat blade plant in my fuge. Ill try and get a pic of it
M
minitruck
Guest
here you go, kinda dark.
druluv
Member
Here is an article on caulerpa:
The case for Caulerpa
Caulerpa, the leafy green marine macro algae, has had a chequered past in the hobby. Once regarded
as impossible to grow in the confines of the aquarium it then became one of those infuriating aquarium subjects that would appear unwanted from nowhere and often have to be removed by
the bucketload Conversely, if you were keen to culture this rather attractive group of algae, your ef-forts would usually be met with failure.
Over the years, the number of
species available to Lobbyists have slowly risen from a single species, Caulerpa prolifera, to somewhere
in the region of 25 true species.
The choice of species can most often be a case of luck on the part
of the hobbyist as live rock is the most common means of introducing Caulerpa into a reef tank. live rock often contains dormant growths of plant organisms and many forms of algae can spring forth once the rock is introduced
into your tank. in favourable conditions, without too many herbivores around,
any Caulerpa amongst the forms
of algae can quickly become dominant. Caulerpa has three
basic requirements
for growth: a reasonably strong
current intense high quality lighting with a good photoperiod, and a substrate of rock or sand, which it quickly colonises using its adventitious root system. The current governs the form the Caulerpa assumes.
Caulerpa has remarkable regenerative powers, which allow a small drifting fragment to settle and quickly grow into a large expanse. In doing this, Caulerpa can take up large amounts of excess nutrients from the water column to convert into
plant material. In high nutrient aquarium systems, nutrient levels can be easily reduced by harvesting the luxuriant growths of Caulerpa.
Caulerpa also increases oxygen
levels in the aquarium and, during photosynthesis, reduces C02 levels;
pH is also stabilised by the same process and, in fact, can increase marginally under favourable conditions
Photosynthesis, of course, only occurs during the lighting photoperiod and one of the big advantages of the continuous around-the-clock refugium lighting used with the ecosystem method is that these benefits also become continuous and add to the stability of the water chemistry.
There is also evidence that in good lighting Caulerpa hastens the oxidation of catabolites. Phycocollides are also produced, which are large non-crystalline molecules that are often referred to as seaweed gums. These are similar to the ingredients used in water conditioners for aquaria and when introduced to the water a thin sticky emulsion results, which acts as
a coating agent.
These emulsions are called colloides, which, since they diffuse easily through living tissue, can protect fish from skin and gill disorders. Tests on aquaria filtered by the ecosystem method have shown that the system helps prevent and even cure lateral line disorder.
It's also long been known that marine algae, including Caulerpa, contain several substances that have a significant antibiotic effect towards fungal diseases and those caused by pathogenic bacteria. This perhaps explains why hospital tanks heavily planted with Caulerpa or other algal growth can quickly heal fish where standard treatments have failed. This is yet a further reason for the success found using the ecosystem filtration method in reversing head and lateral line disorders.
The case for Caulerpa
Caulerpa, the leafy green marine macro algae, has had a chequered past in the hobby. Once regarded
as impossible to grow in the confines of the aquarium it then became one of those infuriating aquarium subjects that would appear unwanted from nowhere and often have to be removed by
the bucketload Conversely, if you were keen to culture this rather attractive group of algae, your ef-forts would usually be met with failure.
Over the years, the number of
species available to Lobbyists have slowly risen from a single species, Caulerpa prolifera, to somewhere
in the region of 25 true species.
The choice of species can most often be a case of luck on the part
of the hobbyist as live rock is the most common means of introducing Caulerpa into a reef tank. live rock often contains dormant growths of plant organisms and many forms of algae can spring forth once the rock is introduced
into your tank. in favourable conditions, without too many herbivores around,
any Caulerpa amongst the forms
of algae can quickly become dominant. Caulerpa has three
basic requirements
for growth: a reasonably strong
current intense high quality lighting with a good photoperiod, and a substrate of rock or sand, which it quickly colonises using its adventitious root system. The current governs the form the Caulerpa assumes.
Caulerpa has remarkable regenerative powers, which allow a small drifting fragment to settle and quickly grow into a large expanse. In doing this, Caulerpa can take up large amounts of excess nutrients from the water column to convert into
plant material. In high nutrient aquarium systems, nutrient levels can be easily reduced by harvesting the luxuriant growths of Caulerpa.
Caulerpa also increases oxygen
levels in the aquarium and, during photosynthesis, reduces C02 levels;
pH is also stabilised by the same process and, in fact, can increase marginally under favourable conditions
Photosynthesis, of course, only occurs during the lighting photoperiod and one of the big advantages of the continuous around-the-clock refugium lighting used with the ecosystem method is that these benefits also become continuous and add to the stability of the water chemistry.
There is also evidence that in good lighting Caulerpa hastens the oxidation of catabolites. Phycocollides are also produced, which are large non-crystalline molecules that are often referred to as seaweed gums. These are similar to the ingredients used in water conditioners for aquaria and when introduced to the water a thin sticky emulsion results, which acts as
a coating agent.
These emulsions are called colloides, which, since they diffuse easily through living tissue, can protect fish from skin and gill disorders. Tests on aquaria filtered by the ecosystem method have shown that the system helps prevent and even cure lateral line disorder.
It's also long been known that marine algae, including Caulerpa, contain several substances that have a significant antibiotic effect towards fungal diseases and those caused by pathogenic bacteria. This perhaps explains why hospital tanks heavily planted with Caulerpa or other algal growth can quickly heal fish where standard treatments have failed. This is yet a further reason for the success found using the ecosystem filtration method in reversing head and lateral line disorders.
msd2
Active Member
ask around and see if someone in your area has cheato, it doesnt go sexual, doesnt require lights 24/7 and is an effective nutrient transport. You can also think about using Xenia, if it takes to your tank it will pull lots of nutrients out of the water. My xenia is so effective at removing that my cheato in the fuge is almost gone.
druluv
Member
I also have Xenia. Cheato just grows to slow for me. I do agree that xenia is actually the best. I would like to have a dedicated Xenia scrubber. The caulerpa actually grows over the cheato in my fuge and It doesn't go asexual in my tank.
If your caulerpa is getting more action than you, then you have a problem lol
If your caulerpa is getting more action than you, then you have a problem lol