Caluerpa Rules!

mark-24

mark-24

Member
SWEET, I bought some caluerpa algea 3 days ago, and my nitrites were 4, and my ammonia was 1. Now my nitrites are .75, and ammonia is at .25. Oh yeah, my tank is cycling for about a week and half.
-Mark
 
@knight

@knight

Member
mark, buddy, your supposed to have a nitrate spike durring a cycle, but hopefully it's over. next....the diatom bloom. calupera wont help ya there, but hermits will.
 
mark-24

mark-24

Member
Well, I got some more today for free! And Caulerpa and most plants, are a critical part of the Nitrogen Cycle. Ammonia is the most toxic and is the first stage of the cycle, then the nitrites, and then nitrates. Peanuts, and seeds act them same way, those chemicals act as fertilizer for the plants. If you ever go and buy some fertilizer for your lawn, it should contain ammonium nitrite, which is very dangerous, and that is also how a fertilzer bomb is made.
Right now, I think I have like 6 different types of it in my tank- Madiens Hair, Halimeda, prolifera, taxafolia, grape, and some type of algea that is kinda purple, blueish, and looks somewhat like colt coral. I'll get a pic of it up soon, my mom has the digital camera.
-Mark
 
nacl-h2o

nacl-h2o

Active Member
Mark your right caulerpa will thrive in ammonia and or nitrite. Actualy with proper lighting and trace elements with the ammonia or nitrites the next time you look into your aquarium caulerpa may be all you can see, it can grow like weeds. However you may be defeating the only good part about cycling, and that is if the caulerpa consumes all the ammonia and nitrite whats left to establish a good healthy prolific bacterial colony needed for a stable aquarium. Caulerpa can't do it all bacteria is also an important part of the nitrogen cycle (you need both). Many people these days try various means of rushing the cycling process at the risk of having an unstable aquarium sometimes they get away with it and sometimes they don't (and that can be costly). If you let the cycle run it's natural course 4-6 weeks it will give you a much more stable beginning for your tank and could save you a lot of time money and frustration in the future.
[ September 24, 2001: Message edited by: DAN THE MAN ]
 
mark-24

mark-24

Member
Well, the tank has been cycling for about 3 and a half weeks. And it's doing great, I have about 90 or so lbs of lr, and about 40 lbs of ls with 150 lbs of southdown sand. The damsels are happy, doing great, and eating very well. I'm really happy to see em nibbling on the algea now and then. And hopefully the algea won't get too out of control before I add the foxface, he'll love it. And I just tested my nitrites and ammonia, both are just hovering above 0, so hopefully this weekend we might be able to add the eel or lion! I would take a pic of the tank, and post it, but the digital camera is out of batteries. I'll get a pic up asap.
-Mark
 
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