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shane849 
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 Topic: Question about my Cheato
Posted: August 27 2016 at 8:29pm |
I bought my cheato at my lfs about a month ago. I took it Outlet of my media basket tonigt to trip it and noti e someone spots turning White and all those little balls growing all over it. Is this normal?  
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: August 27 2016 at 8:32pm |
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It's not cheato it's calurpa. I'm sure Mark will be able to shed some light and point you to some tips on here that you can read through.
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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shane849
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Posted: August 27 2016 at 9:11pm |
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Thank you for the response. This looking like grape calurpa, amps i right? From what Ive been rating when it turn White it has gone sexual which is bad. I almost reed that grape calurpa has a reputation to leach chemicals back in to my water. If anyone can shed someone lights on this it would be greatly appreciated.
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sabeypets
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Posted: August 28 2016 at 1:57am |
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Yes its grape calurpa.
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Shaun American Fork  "Would you leave a dead cat in your kitchen till tommorow?" Builderofdreams
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1stupidpunk
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Posted: August 28 2016 at 12:55pm |
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Yup definitely grape calurpa... It turns white like that when: Its not pruned enough, its not getting enough light, or its not getting enough nutrients. If not pruned often enough the macroalgae stops growing and can release some of the nutrients it has absorbed. It can also go asexual and release thousands of spores into your system but i've never seen it do that personally.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 10:10am |
Yes, I've seen it dozens of times. In PM from/to Shane I thought the Caulerpa had just been placed in the system. I didn't know it had been a month.
Basically, it's not been harvested so there is not enough food(pollution/nutrients) in the system for all that Caulerpa to eat. Remove the white part if possible and leave the green, then feed the system(fish food) to provide food for the Caulerpa. I know that sounds kinda crazy when keeping nutrients low and keeping nuisance algae from growing is done by avoiding over-feeding.  It's all part of the balancing act we must do for our little boxes of live ocean.
As Phys said, insufficient bright light can lead to slowed growth and possible disintegration. Whether the Caulerpa is "going sexual" or not, based on dozens of observed occurrences, I believe that it's just the lack of food. I have stopped the disintegration of fields of Caulerpa by simply overfeeding the tank a few days.
The nice thing about Chaetomorpha(kate-o-morfa) is that it does not disintegrate as easily. It just stops growing. Here is a thread (from the Reefkeeping Tips) which shows different types of Macroalgae, including Chaetomorpha:
Aloha, Mark  |
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kevin.st
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 10:47am |
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Mark, what light do you recommend for a chaeto/caulerpa mix in a sump?
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love2skiutah
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 10:51am |
 kevin.st wrote:
Mark, what light do you recommend for a chaeto/caulerpa mix in a sump? |
I use a $30 LED bulb from Home Depot. Lasts about 2 years. They work awesome
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 1:42pm |
BTW, the Caulerpa pictured in the OP is both Grape and Feather Caulerpa. The Feather Caulerpa I see looks like it was not disintegrating. Each strain/variety of Caulerpa can withstand different minimum levels of nutrients. Macroalgae kept in a container is not the best method. It does not get a good flow of water and may starve because it's receiving only a portion of the nutrients swirling around in the system. Macroalgae growing freely in the tank is easy to remove if harvested often and as it grows it looks beautiful.
For lighting I like fluorescent because it emits a broader spectrum of light for growing a great crop of Macroalgae. PC/CF (power compact/compact fluorescent) twist bulbs are so inexpensive these days. Three of those will last ~2 years for only ~$9. The cone reflector at ~$10 will last forever.
Buy the PC Twist bulb that is as high wattage as possible and Daylight color, not warm or cool white.
See the pic below of my favorite system ever, with Mr. Ray and Batfish swimming around the suspended reef.
Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - August 29 2016 at 1:50pm
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reefnfeef
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 2:47pm |
love2skiutah wrote:
kevin.st wrote:
Mark, what light do you recommend for a chaeto/caulerpa mix in a sump? |
I use a $30 LED bulb from Home Depot.  Lasts about 2 years.  They work awesome |
+1
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aaaaaaaaaaaaaannd.... I'm broke
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 3:47pm |
reefnfeef wrote:
aaaaaaaaaaaaaannd.... I'm broke |
Follow my methods/advice and you might not be broke. After the initial $10 purchase of the Cone Reflector at HD/Lowes, the ongoing yearly cost is about $5. Compare that to the $15/yr cost of the LED, of which you seem to be so fond. Just saying.... this hobby does not have to be expensive.
Aloha, Mark
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bstuver
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 4:08pm |
Mark Peterson wrote:
reefnfeef wrote:
 <span style="line-height: 16.8px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">aaaaaaaaaaaaaannd.... I'm broke</span> |
Follow my methods/advice and you might not be broke. After the initial $10 purchase of the Cone Reflector at HD/Lowes, the ongoing yearly cost is about $5. Compare that to the $15/yr cost of the LED, of which you seem to be so fond.Just saying.... this hobby does not have to be expensive.
Aloha, Mark  |
You do realize Mark that the aaaaaaaaaaaaand...I'm broke is his signature line and had nothing to do with a sump light;)
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Jackie Stuver
"wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart
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sabeypets
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 8:05pm |
Mark Peterson wrote:
BTW, the Caulerpa pictured in the OP is both Grape and Feather Caulerpa. The Feather Caulerpa I see looks like it was not disintegrating. Each strain/variety of Caulerpa can withstand different minimum levels of nutrients. Macroalgae kept in a container is not the best method. It does not get a good flow of water and may starve because it's receiving only a portion of the nutrients swirling around in the system. Macroalgae growing freely in the tank is easy to remove if harvested often and as it grows it looks beautiful.
For lighting I like fluorescent because it emits a broader spectrum of light for growing a great crop of Macroalgae. PC/CF (power compact/compact fluorescent) twist bulbs are so inexpensive these days. Three of those will last ~2 years for only ~$9. The cone reflector at ~$10 will last forever.
Buy the PC Twist bulb that is as high wattage as possible and Daylight color, not warm or cool white.
See the pic below of my favorite system ever, with Mr. Ray and Batfish swimming around the suspended reef.
Aloha, Mark
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Upon closer observation there are a couple strands of feather caulerpa mixed in there.
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Shaun American Fork "Would you leave a dead cat in your kitchen till tommorow?" Builderofdreams
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: August 29 2016 at 8:11pm |
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 30 2016 at 6:35am |
 It's all good.
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Teknik777
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Posted: August 30 2016 at 4:04pm |
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I have found that you get what you pay for. For example if you want to do this hobby cheap you can defiantly do that with a display full of Macroalgae. Everyone's opinion of what looks cool is different. For example I think Macroalgae looks dumb af in the display and would only ever keep it in the sump. I would prefer to have mostly SPS in my display.
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220 G SPS Display.
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love2skiutah
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Posted: August 30 2016 at 4:08pm |
Teknik777 wrote:
I have found that you get what you pay for. For example if you want to do this hobby cheap you can defiantly do that with a display full of Macroalgae. Everyone's opinion of what looks cool is different. For example I think Macroalgae looks dumb af in the display and would only ever keep it in the sump. I would prefer to have mostly SPS in my display. |
I agree. Most people don't want their displays looking like refugiums. Look at all the successful beautiful tanks (Like Teknik and Syphus) and they don't have their displays full of macro algae. Feed the fish some good quality foods and in the mean time, there is plenty of algae they can pick at, up and around your rocks.
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Hogie
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Posted: August 30 2016 at 4:32pm |
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I'm an all or nothing kind of person on Macro. I had a little 2 gallon pico macroalgae tank that only had different kinds of 'display' macro algae. I keep it well trimed and it was a pretty tank (sold it eventually.) However, in my main tanks, i don't want macro in them. To me, my tanks are akin to art and if there is macro in them, it looks like a mistake. Now that's not to say that macro in displays is bad or doesn't work. One of my all time favorite tanks was a sea horse/pipe fish/garden eel tank that was in Centerille. It had some softies and a few other things, but was 90% different kinds of macro algae and it looked so awesome! That said, if you look at Aaron Allen's tanks, they are fantastic! Absolutely beautiful colors, stunning growth, great polyp extension, and if there was macro in there, to me, it would look so out of place, it would ruin the look of the whole tank. It's 100% personal preference. So, google different tank pics and look at one with and without macro in the display and find which you like.
As for the bulb, I also use LED, but I didn't always. I had before a regular bulb in a cone reflector under my 45 gal and it was actually generating a lot of heat when it was on and was heating up in stand considerably. So I swapped to a Lowes LED light and it's been there for close to 4 years now and is still going strong. No problems.
Edited by Hogie - August 30 2016 at 4:36pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 31 2016 at 9:12am |
LED does have the advantage of putting off less heat.
I love the color green. I love algae. I love the look of it. I even love the taste and smell of it.  It may have something to do with my childhood summers, playing in ponds and swamps near my home. It may also have something to do with the first reef aquarium picture I remember seeing in a book (pre internet) which had a a few runners of bright green feather Caulerpa interspersed with LR, coral and a beautiful green tailed Six-line Wrasse. 
Teknik777 wrote:
I have found that you get what you pay for. For example if you want to do this hobby cheap you can defiantly do that with a display full of Macroalgae. Everyone's opinion of what looks cool is different. For example I think Macroalgae looks dumb af in the display and would only ever keep it in the sump. I would prefer to have mostly SPS in my display. |
I understand and agree with some of this, but I don't recall ever hearing or saying that Macroalgae must be kept in the display in order for the tank to be affordable/less costly.
To set the record straight, this is what I do say: A brand new tank will do much better, and very quickly, if Macroalgae is used as a major part of the initial biofiltration. As time progresses, the animal population (bacteria, bugs, sponge, worms, etc.) grows larger, so that the Macroalgae may be removed in steps. In tanks that have been running for over three years or so, Macroalgae, even in a Refugium, becomes practically unnecessary. This is also partly due to Coralline Algae and Sponge becoming more prominent in the biofiltration mix.
Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - August 31 2016 at 9:19am
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 31 2016 at 9:54am |
In thinking about this new tank, and knowing that there have already been some crab deaths, both Hermit and Emerald Crabs, I'm suggesting that Caulerpa growing across the sand would also provide something for those crabs to forage on while the tank matures. Caulerpa stretching across the sand or on a rock looks nice and is extremely easy to remove. Again, as I have said before, small Tangs/Rabbitfish can be very happy and healthy when introduced into a small tank where Caulerpa has been allowed.
Aloha, Mark
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