Growing Calerpa

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Okay, just as I'm getting ready to pick up my new Tang, it looks like my Calerpa is not doing well. Cheato is growing like mad, but in 3 places (in tank, and 2 different fuges) my calerpa is turning into a slimey gooie mess.

 

Everything else looks great, including the cheato sitting right next to it.

 

This seems crazy to me, anyone have any ideas?

 

Phil

[Guest clownfish4]

I'd advise against the calurpa. If it goes sexual you'll have a real mess on your hands. You can feed your tangs nori.

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Mike,

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Aware of the downside to calerpa getting all sexy on me, I have that effect everywhere I go.

 

Was planning to keep a small amt of calerpa as a treat and especally while getting new fish to eat. Will keep the bulk of my fuge (20+gal) cheato.

[Lee Stearns]

Phil,

Sounds like the calurpa is going asexual- in the events I have wacthed this occur- It releases its nutrients back into the water stream- with the massive skimmer you have I would not worry about it too much- But on why it happens and when it will happen- I have not got a clue- nor is there much on RC or other places as to why. I had the long feather type growing in my Nano cube just fine- I harvested every month a bit to keep it under control and then one weekend it started turning white on the ends and then disappeared altogether- did not seem to affect the tank much at all and my cube has no skimmer.

I have had it do the same in my fuge of my main tank which is why I seldom let it get very big there. I wonder if the red varient would go asexual like that- I would be willing to go in and try some with you if you want- I have never had much luck keeping everything in the tank from heading for the red macro though.(tang heaven?)

BTW I for got to get some of the neat looking pods you have in there, so If you are coming down the parkway - stop in and bring me some- I will make it worth your while frag wise-- They almost look like an isopod-harmless varient

Regards,

Lee

[Grav]

I thought calerpa would only get sexy if there was too much of it. Also, from what I hear it happens quickly, and this is a slow process.

 

Hmmm.

 

They ALMOST look harmless? That isn't good. Maybe we should figure out what they are before we start spreading them around.

[Lee Stearns]

There are many types of Iso pods out there that I was reading about a while back- Out of hundreds of virieties there are only a couple that are the harmful fish attacking varieties- the rest are benificial- have you seen any clinging onto one of your fish sucking blood?- No-- and this has been running three months- have you seen one of these isopods being eaten by any of your fish?- If so I would say they are beneficial critters. But I am game to let them devour anything in your tank for a couple of more more months before importing-

On the asexual change in calurpa- yea it occurs over two -three days before it is totally gone- no trace, and seems like if the grape and feather are intertwined they will go at the same time- If they are fairly seperate, opposite ends of the same fuge, then one going asexual will not affect the other. I am not sure what the nutrient levels were when it went- High, low, or not a factor- Did not seem to be a factor in my nano- as I kept it trimmed to about the same amount. At least those were my observations.

Now on that note I saw at live aquaria that they are selling white feeder shrimp-tank raised- whose adult size only gets to about 1/2 inch- I thought about cranking a small 5 gallon up to see how they do- they sell by the hundred- want to split a hundred a couple of ways anyone?

Sorry for hijacking the calurpa thread- the shrimp might eat calurpa?

Regards,