Caulerpa Help

[agentK]

Hi guys! Been having brown algae problems for quite a while in my FOWLR. Just checked our deepwell tapwater and Tetra NO3 tester says its at 12.5ppm. Well that figures. Since Reverse Osmosis is out of my budget as of the moment, i tried caulerpa culture. Problem is, LFS don't have them here. I remember eating this one time so asking around identified this as "The Grape Caulerpa" (cant remember the scientific name).

So i placed a bunch in the sump. My sump contained 4 pieces of LR, nothing more. Installed a NO flourescent that was on 24/7. After a week, they all wilted. What gives?

The only thing i noticed is that the pvc pipe that pours water into it is bubbly and a bit strong. They did get smashed about a bit. I lessened it but still no luck. Any ideas? Replacements?

TIA!

Ken

[bawater]

If you have access to other test kit brands i suggest you get a re-confirmation on the NO3 level.

If you drink the well water i think you need to keep this in mind with regards to blue baby syndrome(which may come in handy in future):

http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/groundwater/pdfs/MDH-NinWW.pdf

http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension...wm/ag473_4.html

You choose a sensitive algae to start on - caulerpa tends to go sexual often -24hr lighting doesn't stop it. I find the grape is the first to go then followed by feather/fern caulerpa. There is a moss kind of caulerpa which never melts....and will even grow in ambient lighting.

sorry i don't have a pic of it(but i think there is one in the seahorse forum) - this algae tends to grow fast, you can almost see new growth daily (with fast growth means uptake of nutrients) and need regular trimming. I'm very sure you should be able to find it.

You may want to use PL lighting on the algae- which helps in good lush growth. A 16hrs on 8 hrs off period is good enough.

Water flow had nothing to do with it.

If you can find Ulva around, it would also be a good candidate.

If your souce water is 13ppm NO3 - have you also tested for PO4?

What are the levels in your main tank?

The algae should be able to lower it by a pinch but don't count on it doing more than 10-20ppm(depending on the amount of algae used).

Try to get a good reverse osmosis unit.

[FuEl]

bawater...are you talking about this caulerpa species? Got it from CF today for $6...$5+ after discount. bigger than hand+fingers!

[bawater]

yes, it will grow and thin out. But it will grow & grow.

i did a search a long time ago and even got it confirmed a by a few ppl on RC. Its caulerpa sp. (i think the exact species start with a M.)

[agentK]

Thanks for the info bawater! An RO/DI unit is still out of my budget right now but will look around for other types of caulerpa. The grape indeed does "Melt" . It's also the cause of my current algal bloom. Sadly, it took a couple of casualties with it. The reason i asked is because i have been waging a battle with my nitrates. Turns out, my deep well water contains a bit even as tap. I'll be installing a DSB in a couple of days. Would you know how i can seed this?

Again, many thanks for your infos.

Ken

[agentK]

By the way, thanks for the blue baby input. Will do a little more tests.

[bawater]

You have coral chips in your tank - you will need to remove the current substrate, replace it with as fine as u can get - if beach sand is the only thing then beach sand it can be.

When u wash the sand in a pail - wrap a magnet in a plastic bag and hold it in one hand while u rinse thru. It should pick up metal.

Go for as deep as u can visually afford - an average 4inch(6 if your tank deep enough). Do not use anything bigger than grade #1 sand. A DSB should be made up of a mixture of 0.1mm to 1mm grain sizes.

As you have LR - it will seed the sand, it takes time and a DSB matures somewhere ard 7-12mths.

When the caulerpa melts, it shouldn't upset the tank much - the cloudy water is just 'sperm & eggs' from the algae. It settles clear within an hour or two. What it does is release back all the nutrients it took up.This usually happens at sunrise.

If you chk daily- tell tale signs is that the caulerpa will start to yellow (while the internal contents turns to liquid) You have somewhere from 12-24hrs before it "melts".

Before you spend more money on your tank, you should look into the RO - since you can use it for drinking too.

[agentK]

Thanks for the great info Bawater! Just found aragonite a supplier labels as silica. Will be installing the DSB maybe this weekend! Thanks again!