Help ID algae or Caulpera??

zippy557

zippy557

Member
This plant is in my tank and refugium and nothing seems to want to eat it in the tank so im assuming it's caulpera but can not find it online anywhere ... i tried to paint a pic cause you wouldn't be able to see the detail with a camera. it's almost like a snowflake then stem then another flake and so on ....
 
yearofthenick

yearofthenick

Active Member
I doubt it's hair algae, since hair algae looks like hair and not snowflake-tipped seaweed.
Does it look like it has little tiny grapes on the end? If so, that's caulerpa. It doesn't sound like chaeto, which looks like a small ivy plant almost.
Is it overgrowing or overtaking your tank?
If you do determine that it's caulerpa, then you need to be careful with it, because caulerpa can sometimes go sexual, meaning that it releases chemicals in the water as a defensive measure for the purpose of multiplying itself. People that use caulerpa in their refugiums leave the refugium lighting on much longer - some of them for 24 hours a day - so that the caulerpa doesn't go sexual.
 
zippy557

zippy557

Member
it's not overtaking the tank ... yet, but i can see it starting to spread out more and more. it almost looks like it has vains that run along the rocks and then the "leaves" branch off of the main stem.
 
yearofthenick

yearofthenick

Active Member
Can you give us a pic? If it's algae, you could dose your tank with some algae remover. Careful though, as it might affect your corals.
 
pezenfuego

pezenfuego

Active Member
Originally Posted by zippy557
http:///forum/post/3005485
I believe i found it, thanks for that link
...Now how do i get it out of my main tank?
Well, that can be pretty hard to do. Simply pulling it all out will not eradicate it, it will grow back. If it isn't growing explosively, just make sure you keep it in check by cutting it back often. It is an EXCELLENT nutrient remover, so throw it in your sump if you want. It won't do a lot of damage if it is kept in check and if your lighting schedule is steady. I remember CK had it go sexual a little while ago in his DT. He caught it in time and ripped it all out. It hasn't made a comeback, so I guess it's gone. Anyway, it isn't a huge deal. He put it in the tank on purpose. It is a really good or really bad thing to have depending on the way you look at it.
Good Luck.
 
pezenfuego

pezenfuego

Active Member
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3005601
and why is that ?
From what I've heard (I believe from Spanko
) it is able to plant itself into the rock and regrow.
I don't have caulerpa, so feel free to correct me, don't penalize Spanko either, I just might be crazy for thinking he said that.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Joe knows well how the Caulerpa runners dig into the rock work and if any part of it is left it will regrow. Caulerpa is the largest single celled living thing on the Earth. It is able to grow and spread with the tiniest of pcs. Not sure where he was going with his question unless he was testing your knowledge.
 
pezenfuego

pezenfuego

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3005676
Joe knows well how the Caulerpa runners dig into the rock work and if any part of it is left it will regrow. Caulerpa is the largest single celled living thing on the Earth. It is able to grow and spread with the tiniest of pcs. Not sure where he was going with his question unless he was testing your knowledge.
Thanks for chiming in, I'm glad to see that I am not crazy...and that I was right...so take that meo

I thought so, I was confused by his response. Now he knows that he has the ability to make me second guess myself.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator

Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/3005690
Thanks for chiming in, I'm glad to see that I am not crazy...and that I was right...so take that meo

I thought so, I was confused by his response. Now he knows that he has the ability to make me second guess myself.

Come on Pez...you should have figured that out by now
Have you not noticed how many times he questions what we know that he knows the answers to...It is to make sure that you truly understand
 
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