Caulerpa Question...

[Arcade_Guy]

So I'm thinking about getting a dwarf sea hare or two, since I can snag them super cheap.. And sea hares are high on my list of faves...

I've read they eat Caulerpa, but I don't want to keep it in my refugium because when it "sexes" it pollutes the water.

My question is, if I keep a small container under my stand only for housing and growing caulerpa, will i need to heat the water? Or can I just throw the stuff in a container of tank water and let it go?

Does the water even need salt or can it just be RO/DI?

Sorry if this is a noobish question, just not sure what the requirements for macro algae like that is...

[lazylivin]

You do need salt at correct salinity but can stay away from RO/DI so that way it has some nutrients to feed off of if you arent going to keep a fish with it. It will need a light source which should warm the water but even so a heater would not be necessary. The other option is to just use the water that you would normally dispose of during water changes. Should have some good nutrients in it. I am sure some others will chime in and correct anything if I am wrong.

[MechanicalEngineer]

Caulerpa won't necessarily "sex" regularly.  Under certain lighting conditions, it happens less often...and some species do it less often too.  I've had Grape Caulerpa for 2 years now...never "sexed"...knock on wood.

[Joel]

A 5 to 10 gallon aquarium or a container with a similar foot print could work as a culture vessile. You will want a container that is long and wide enough that the caulurpa is getting light evenly distributed over it. You must use salt water with an appropriate Specific gravity, the suggestion to use old water from your aquarium is a good idea, brand new, sterile water would not support macro algae very well. A lighting system with a kelvin temp in the 55K to 67K range is ideal, florescents such as PC work well but others have reported that grow light such as the type sold at hardware store work well. 12 + hour a day is typical but do not operate the lights 24 /7, Macro does better if it has a "night" cycle as well.  A stagnant body of water is not ideal, you will want a small amount of gentle water current, a small power head should do the trick. I feel that a warmer, stable temperature is better than cooler, unregulated temp. You will see a more vigorus growth with a warmer temp (high70's to low 80's) A iron & magnesium supplement as well as a plant fertilizer can really make this stuff grow but use with caution, overdosing can cause unwanted algae (hair for example) and even can kill the caulerpa. Regular pruning of the caulerpa often prevents it from crashing and dying off. Some types aren't know for it (Grape for example) where as other are more prone to if (Taxifolia or floridea).

Hope this helps....Joel

[Arcade_Guy]

wow, thanks a ton for the info guys.

i've been running my refugium lights for most of the day AND night... Time to get another timer and give it a proper night cycle i suppose.

So would it be very risky to keep caulerpa in with my cheato in the refugium? Or would a separate container really be that much more preferable to keep my tank water quality up and give each macroalgae plenty of space?

If only sea hares would eat cheato huh? lol

[Revaltion131]

Sorry to go off-topic a little, but I have a question on keeping Caulerpa as well.  I'm looking at doing a planted, macro-algae tank and two of the algaes I have to look more closely at are two species of Caulerpa.  It's a 3 gallon tank, and I'm undecided on whether or not I'm going to do a small, satellite refugium.  Would you stay away from using Caulerpa ornamentally, or would it be doable if it were trimmed regularly?

[MechanicalEngineer]

I would stay away from Caulerpa as an ornamental simply b/c of the rate it grows.  My fiance tried that...and he couldn't keep it trimmed back enough. 

I have both chaeto & caulerpa in both of my sumps.  As I've stated before, in one tank the chaeto grows better...and in the other, the caulerpa grows better.  The caulerpa grows better in my lower nutrient tank...and the chaeto grows better in my high nutrient tank.  Go figure. 

[Arcade_Guy]

when i get my dwarf hares, i'll try some caulerpa in the sump..

i was under the impression it would be bad for water quality, thanks for everyone's input

[Joel]

when i get my dwarf hares, i'll try some caulerpa in the sump..

i was under the impression it would be bad for water quality, thanks for everyone's input

Caulerpa isn't bad for water quality per-se, but caulerpa does release noxious compounds into the water that can be harmful to other plants and corals. These compounds can significantly retard growth in some corals.

Also, if a person has a large amount of caulerpa in a sump and is relying on it for water management, there are additional concerns. If it crashes a huge amount of organic waste will be released causing potentially major water quality  issues and fueling nuisance algae. Also, if it crashes, you now have a filtration system now missing a major component of what was managing the water, this too will have a negative impact on water quality.

[Revaltion131]

I would stay away from Caulerpa as an ornamental simply b/c of the rate it grows.  My fiance tried that...and he couldn't keep it trimmed back enough. 

I have both chaeto & caulerpa in both of my sumps.  As I've stated before, in one tank the chaeto grows better...and in the other, the caulerpa grows better.  The caulerpa grows better in my lower nutrient tank...and the chaeto grows better in my high nutrient tank.  Go figure. 

Thanks Nikki, looks like I will cross those two off.  Even better to know from someone that has tried.