CAULERPA PROLIFERA

[clown-keeper99]

I saw this at my LFS and am wondering if I add this right to the tank if it will out compete my hair algea?
I'm kinda desperrate right now

 

[spanko]

Yup, and when it does you will wish for something to out compete it.

 

[eric b 125]

Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///t/389534/caulerpa-prolifera#post_3443393
Yup, and when it does you will wish for something to out compete it.
+1

 

[clown-keeper99]

also is fishing line safe?

 

[geoj]

Yep, I use it to floss with all the time. :laughing:

 

[smallreef]

yeah caulerpa is okay if you have a dedicated area in the fuge for it and it cant escape... if it does it will take over worse than your hair algae,...

 

[clown-keeper99]

Then what is a good macro algae to add to my main tank to outcompete hair?

 

[btldreef]

I really don't think it would be wise to add another macro to out compete the HA in your display. Any macro that would even have a chance (caulerpa sp.) is going to over run your tank. I have quite a few types of caulerpa running in my fuge. I literally harvest once a week, sometimes twice because of how fadt it grows. Trust me when I tell you, you do not want it in your DT.
You should battle HA the old fashioned way: nutrient reduction, light reduction, water changes and manual removal.
Do you have a fuge or sump with room for a fuge?

 

[clown-keeper99]

no I don't

 

[saxman]

I think it depends on your setup...IME, C. prolifera never went crazy on me. You can confine it to one spot in your tank and keep it pruned with little trouble (others such as C. racemosa and C. taxifolia and their variants will be much harder to control). Confining macro is even easier if you kind of separate the rockwork you grow it on from the rest of your rock...that way, whe it tries to "bridge" the gap, you can catch it more easily.
That being said, if you have a reef, you probably don't want it in the DT "just in case".
JM .02