Caulerpa Toxification caused Coral Bleaching?

dave espi

New Member
ok, first off I have read extensively, and been in this hobby long enough to see errors and common pitfalls and know what not to do, but this baffles me.
ok, since I have no freeken clue why my corals are bleaching (new, old, transfers, LPS, sps, softies and shroooms too) in 2 of my tanks. The Condylactus Anemone is doing well, as are Xenia Elongatta and salbastae (feather worms).
I have come to this possible conclusion.
APARENTLY..... there is a phenomenon known as "The O3 factor."
Caulerpa Algaes can produce a by-product that will induce an enzyme protease reaction in corals too expell some pigments and makes them susceptable to PAR burning, shrinkage and eventual RTN. IS THIS A POSSIBLE cause to my dillema ?
I have taken nearly all the corals out of my 40 Long in hopes of them recovering in other environments. All the shrimps and stars, crabs and snails are fine as well as fish. The coraline growth is good. 330 W vho. I have 65 #s Caribbean, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and Bali rock in the tank. Bare bottom with only 5 #s of aragonite to "litter it" and powerheads for movement.
I have Proliferia, racemosa (and its varient peltata), Serrulata, A few Nemeris annulata (sea cattails or fuzz stick grass) a few tiny patches of Valonia (bubble algae) and recently an outbreak of tuffted Hair algae ( I dont believe it to be bryopsis as my sailfin tang ate it in another tank.)
FWIW, it isnt the water quality itself. I have tested across the board every concieveable thing offered (salifert) and it is "A-OK."
SO..... Im shooting in the dark here. Anyone with info, links, or ideas?
Spout now or be deamed "ah dauh...... that IS advanced."
PS: Im being sarchastic with the last rude-ish statement... (Im just Pissed and trying to make something humerous out of loosing like near 400.00 worth of stuff over a few months with no explenation.)
I like the look of the alga in the tank, and am cautious to "pinch off and remove runners so to not "bleed" the algae.
I have seen a signifigant drop in the hair algae growth, but it is requiring constant monthly "spot cleaning/ removal of patches"
IYE / O...Would adding a skimmer subtract from toxins of this nature FOR SURE, or will it simply just strip some crap like most skimmers?
I have a Turboflotor 1000 I am contemplating adding to a sump for the tank in the very short future.
Comments?
for the full thread.....>
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/show...&threadid=5620
FURTHER READING:
http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/index.jsp
wet web forums.
Caulerpa search:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...ifolia&spell=1
http://www.sbg.ac.at/ipk/avstudio/pi...t/caulerpa.htm
"But over more than 10 years that he has observed this species
in the Mediterranean, he has never seen evidence of sexual reproduction.
In the wild, though, the only reproductive cells released are male, fostering
the suspicion that all C. taxifolia in the Mediterranean are clones of that
single aquarium plant release in 1984.
bmedia.com/caulerpafaq2.htm" target="_blank">http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caulerpafaq2.htm
The short story is that there are far more disadvantages than advantages.
Yes it grows fast and yes it is a large nutrient exporter for it.
However, for those same reasons is a very strong competitor with corals for the same nutrients.
Furthermore, they exude noxious compounds that slow the potential growth of many corals (read: slows, not stops).
They are tedious to maintain without breaching critical mass for fear of a vegetative event which is inevitable and
potentially catastrophic in many systems. The list goes on. There are much better macros out there.
Caulerpa is popular because it was commercially marketed,
not because it is the best choice.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/index.html
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/show...&threadid=5620
 
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