Need ID for friends tank...

dkw27

dkw27

Member
Hi..
A friend of mine has a 125 gallon tank that's been overtaken by some sort of algae plant..Some of it looks like cheato, but I'm not sure what else is growing...She weeds it each month and gets a plastic grocery bag full and doesn't know how to get rid of it...I've attached the photos she sent me today in hopes that someone can identify and suggest a solution for her..Thanks for looking...




 
keri

keri

Active Member
Ugh, looks like caulerpa - it's very invasive. Some states don't allow it at all because it gets out and takes over local marine plants. If you live anywhere near the ocean you should Burn it when you remove it from her tank. Caulerpa can also "go sexual" under the right conditions nuking your tank. I've had my own battles with caulerpa, and have kept it under control by
1) manual removal of as much as possibe (the roots embed themselves in the rock, I hate it!)
2) Minimizing nutrient levels in the tank, caulerpa thrives in high nutrients. I feed less and do more frequent water changes, keeping my parameters in check. Using a product like chemi-pure or phosban might help you too.
3) I have a sailfin tang, a foxface and an urchin in that tank which seems to help a little (the urchin is the best but he comes at a cost, he's always knocking over my corals and stealing frags)
Also, if your light bulbs are older they may be emitting the wrong type of light, encouraging algal growth. Even tho they look the same to us, over time the will loose their "oomph" :)
Hope this helps
Google caulerpa, there are many different types, and see if you have one of those.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top