Caulerpa Questions

Hi Guys

I have been having trouble with high nitrate for some time so today i went to the lfs and got a bunch of caulerpa to put in my sump.I only have a small sump so i cant have a dsb.Will the caulerpa grow ok if i just have it in a mesh cage with out any sand to grow roots into?.

And my nitrates are about 20,any idea how long it will take before the nitrates start to drop.I was looking at some corals today but didn't want to get any more until my water quality have improved.

 

Welcome to 3reef Anthias.

Good questions. All the Caulerpa I have had laid down root structures.

If it does not fare well consider Chaeto instead. Caulerpa can be extremely invasive. Chaeto also does better balled up in a sump with no sand.

For nitrates of 20 personally I would not introduce Caulerpa.

 

I would watch out with the caulerpa, unless you light it 24/7 it will go sexual and leech out nutrients back into your system, potentially causing algae blooms, cloudy water etc. I would use mangrove trees or chaeto as mentioned above.

 

FWIW, we run live macro, including fast-growing Caulerpa in many of our setups, and all I can say is that it's really helpful. IMHO/IME, the whole "going sexual" thing means the aquarist isn't keeping up with pruning and watching the stuff. We even let it purposely "blow", and never lost a thing...a good WC and some carbon took care of the cloudiness.

Caulerpa that is about to go sexual will "tell" you so...it turns a milky white with green dots in it, the dots being the gametes. Simply remove any of the stuff that is beginning to appear that way (not to be confused with whitish "active growth" on the tips).

Caulerpa does lay down rhizoids (pseudo-roots), but doesn't mecessarily NEED to "root" as these rhizoids aren't vascular...they're just anchors.

That being said, we generally run our live macro in our DT's, since we only run FOWLR's these days.

If the stuff is going to be relegated to a sump that you never look at, Cheatomorpha ("Chaeto") is a better choice, altho if it "goes sexual", it breaks apart into little pieces.

Just wanted to clear the air about keeping Caulerpa sp...

HTH

 

Thanks Corailline good to be here.

Thanks everyone.

The lfs only had caulerpa so i couldn't get any chaeto but i ordered some that should arrive tomorrow.I have the light on 24/7 so hopefully it doesn't get sexual.

With nitrate at 20 and unable to get them any lower will chaeto be ok?.
Any idea how long it will take to get the nitrates down,does chaeto work fast.

 

Greg I want to thank you for being so active here and providing us with such awesome advice!!

 

Eventually with the use of Macro Algae the nitrates will come down.
It's not a quick fix but consistent.
Ideally you want nitrates as low as possible, with newer tanks, those dominated by soft corals, and hardy LPS, nitrates of 20 are not a deal breaker by any means.
Water changes are helpful, running a skimmer wet, limited feedings are all tool to assist in dealing with elevated nitrates.

 

i would stay away from calurpa from personal experiences. I love my cheato however.

 

Chaeto arrived to today and it's in the sump so it looks like a waiting game.Nothing good happens quick in this hobby.I have just turned up the skimmer to wet,it's been skimming dry for a couple of months.

I have been doing big water changes lately and the nitrates just go back up to about 20 again,i don't over feed the tank i almost feel bad that the fish don't get enough.I have a feeling the trates are in the rock.

Thanks Guys.

 

What kind of water are you using? Are you doing your WC with Tap water? or even RO water? TAP definitely has nitrates and RO from a poor source who hasn't changed their filters often enough can have nitrates...