Caulerpa - how to kill

[dvgyfresh]

I would also do the fox face, I think that is C brachypus and is more invasive than prolifera, my fox face and scopas tangs much prefer what you have.

So new plan! Lol, I am going to fill my storage bins with fresh saltwater and take out rocks and use tweezers and try to pull most of it off. This will probly greatly upset my coral but I think they’ll get over it. Aside from that I either have to rehome damsels for foxface or use API algae fix which is probly the worst option considering it’s chemicals. I guess I am doing a rip clean lol

 

[Subsea]

So new plan! Lol, I am going to fill my storage bins with fresh saltwater and take out rocks and use tweezers and try to pull most of it off. This will probly greatly upset my coral but I think they’ll get over it. Aside from that I either have to rehome damsels for foxface or use API algae fix which is probly the worst option considering it’s chemicals. I guess I am doing a rip clean lol

when you remove rock from tank, consider tooth brush dipped in hydrogen peroxide for hard to remove spots.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

So new plan! Lol, I am going to fill my storage bins with fresh saltwater and take out rocks and use tweezers and try to pull most of it off. This will probly greatly upset my coral but I think they’ll get over it. Aside from that I either have to rehome damsels for foxface or use API algae fix which is probly the worst option considering it’s chemicals. I guess I am doing a rip clean lol

I wish you were close. I would bring over my 14" vlamingi and just hold him over the rocks for a nice meal lol.

But @Subsea has it down perfect.

Pull rocks, pull it off, use tweezers to get the runners and in crevices, then scrub it with peroxide.

Trick to peroxide is a stiff bristle tooth brush and some smaller makeup brushed to apply it. The makeup brushes work great to keep it localized and to spread it on before hitting with tooth brush.

If it is in very small holes where a tooth brush will not go, harbor freight has a small pic set for about 3 bucks and a small nylon brush (almost q-tip llike) set for cleaning tubes and such for about 4 bucks. Those are some of my favorite reef tools for tank buy outs that the rocks need some serious help lol.

 

[spideybry]

Following along. I am having the same issue at the moment in my tank as well.

 

[Garia666]

Fluconazole would help

 

[afrokobe]

Vibrant should work from what I've read.

 

[Grumblez]

Fluconazole would help

this, vibrant probably won't its more so for greenhair algae and bubble algae etc. It will kill the culurpera to though.

 

[spideybry]

Fluconazole would help

I used fluconazole once, knocked it back a bit - but this stuff came right back even after manual removal.

Fluc will be a last ditch effort if my current crab and manual removal approach setup doesn't work well.

The last time I ran fluc, my biodiversity took a hit and everything looked “off” for a while. Took forever to bounce back.

On the flip-side, my clowns love sleeping in it lol.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I used fluconazole once, knocked it back a bit - but this stuff came right back even after manual removal.

Fluc will be a last ditch effort if my current crab and manual removal approach setup doesn't work well.

The last time I ran fluc, my biodiversity took a hit and everything looked “off” for a while. Took forever to bounce back.

On the flip-side, my clowns love sleeping in it lol.

I must say the caulerpa really does help tank stay stable but it just grows toooo much , I found dosing nopox was Starting to make it wither and turn white but it was at the expense of the corals / anemones so I stopped dosing - back to manual removal weekly - emerald crabs do eat it just not fast enough

 

[spideybry]

I must say the caulerpa really does help tank stay stable but it just grows toooo much , I found dosing nopox was Starting to make it wither and turn white but it was at the expense of the corals / anemones so I stopped dosing - back to manual removal weekly - emerald crabs do eat it just not fast enough

Oh it is amazing as a nutrient export, but agreed it is insanely invasive.

Btw pithos crabs also eat it and they love it, but still way too slow to make a solid dent. Though I am actually seeing signs of rock I hadn’t seen in a while.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I’ll have t

Oh it is amazing as a nutrient export, but agreed it is insanely invasive.

Btw pithos crabs also eat it and they love it, but still way too slow to make a solid dent. Though I am actually seeing signs of rock I hadn’t seen in a while.

Ill have to look those crabs up , bristle tooth tangs also work sadly my tank is too small / stocked , I’m also worried about killing it all off due to the caulerpa going sexual

 

[spideybry]

I’ll have t

Ill have to look those crabs up , bristle tooth tangs also work sadly my tank is too small / stocked , I’m also worried about killing it all off due to the caulerpa going sexual

I bought 4 from ReefCleaners and they really do like it, but again too slow.

Pitho Crab

Resides : Rocks and horizontal surfaces Consumes : Hair Algae, Complex Macroalgae and Turf Algae Max Size (Carapace): Males 1.25 or 30mm - Females 1.5 or 40mm Origin :...

www.reefcleaners.org

Did the video come through? I am on mobile and it isn’t playing on my end.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I bought 4 from ReefCleaners and they really do like it, but again too slow.

Pitho Crab

Resides : Rocks and horizontal surfaces Consumes : Hair Algae, Complex Macroalgae and Turf Algae Max Size (Carapace): Males 1.25 or 30mm - Females 1.5 or 40mm Origin :...

www.reefcleaners.org

Did the video come through? I am on mobile and it isn’t playing on my end.

No the video won’t load lol , I’m also on mobile

 

[spideybry]

No the video won’t load lol , I’m also on mobile

Weird, uploaded it to YT so you can enjoy watching it munch at it lol.

 

[Duncan62]

I don’t need to , but I have to trim it weekly and would prefer it not to be there. I don’t want as much maintenance as the algae makes me do haha

How many emerald crabs do you have? Mine wiped out something that looks like the same species before they ate the stuff I bought them for. The bigger they get the more they scavenge and eat less algea. Good luck.

 

[dvgyfresh]

How many emerald crabs do you have? Mine wiped out something that looks like the same species before they ate the stuff I bought them for. The bigger they get the more they scavenge and eat less algea. Good luck.

3-4 , I will probly do a another order of CuC early next year to hopefully help

 

[MaxTremors]

Fluconazole killed all of my caulerpa (3 different kinds). Took 2-3 weeks, but it’s 100% gone.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Fluconazole killed all of my caulerpa (3 different kinds). Took 2-3 weeks, but it’s 100% gone.

Dosage per g/l? Any negative affects ? I am most worried about my anemones with doing chemicals

 

[Duncan62]

3-4 , I will probly do a another order of CuC early next year to hopefully help

I keep 5 little ones in my 30 and move the bigger ones to the 90. They do a great job in the little tank but chase flakes or anything once bigger. It'd be a shame to start it over. Hopefully someone has a great solution.

 

[MaxTremors]

Dosage per g/l? Any negative affects ? I am most worried about my anemones with doing chemicals

20mg per gallon, but I did 30mg per gallon for a couple weeks at the beginning. Absolutely no negative effects on corals (LPS, Softies, and a few SPS), and anemones (RBTA, maxi mini, and rock flower). Ran it for over two months (almost 3). I was treating Cladophora, and at first I didn’t think it was doing anything to my caulerpas, but around 3 weeks in it started melting (did lead to a nutrient spike), took around 2 months to kill the cladophora. You don’t want to run carbon for the entire duration or run your skimmer for just the first week (and for 3 days after any re-dosing. Because of the nutrient spike I had to do water changes during the treatment, so for whatever percentage of tank volume I took out, I redosed the same percentage of the initial dose. My initial dose was 800mg (which was around 1.5x the recommended dose), so when I did a 25% water change, I redosed 200mg. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.