It Could Be Worse

ReefSparky · 06-22-2009, 02:14 PM

One of my very first corals, a rock covered with yellow polyps and in my tank since almost day one--has become a rock covered with something else nowadays. I'm confident the yellow polyps are still somewhere intact, yet only a few made it to the surface.

Shortly after converting from FOWLR to reef, I noticed some macroalgae growth on this rock. In time it spread. Kingfish Matt's saying, "Go Slow, Let It Grow," is what happened here, like it or not.

Indeed it has grown slowly. I now know what invasive growth is all about. Once it takes hold, there's no abatement. I've removed this rock from my aquarium every 90 days or so, about 3 times now; to prune away with tweezers the copious growth of caulerpa racemosa that's taken hold. I've become tired with the process. I'm by no means lazy with tank maintenance, as I've even taken my sump with me into the shower for a cleaning--but with this pruning I'm done. I've decided to let the caulerpa grow.

Here are some shots of the yellow polyp over the time I've owned it. It's been with me from the beginning. It's survived through some bad times.

Now here's the very same rock. The caulerpa surrounds it like a cancer. Although it's runners are thick enough, the rootlike hair structures with which this macro attaches itself to rocks is so fine, it's impossible to remove it completely. Even a microsurgeon couldn't guarantee the complete remission of this plant.

So I'm letting it grow, Matt--and everyone else. I've become expert at keeping it isolated. For if it were to touch another piece of LR in the tank, it might just be game over. I have it on the sand where it will stay. Every now and then I pluck away the bamboo like shoots by which it attempts to increase its domain.

A fine line between beauty and havoc.

I suppose it could be worse. My new Kole tang, who ignores clips of seaweed and algae strips for these past 3 weeks, has taken a liking to this rock, and nips at it constantly. Perhaps this surgeonfish will be the surgeon I need most.

Enjoy.

divott · 06-22-2009, 02:16 PM

wow what a transformation. hopefully your yellows will pull through. if your sump was bigger. you could bathe in it instead. best of luck sparky

ReefSparky · 06-22-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by divott

wow what a transformation. hopefully your yellows will pull through. if your sump was bigger. you could bathe in it instead. best of luck sparky

I'm not too worried about the polyps. The thing about putting it in the sump is that there's no light down there. It's just a sump, not a 'fuge. If the algae on that one piece of rock alone would die off, I'd be concerned there would be a large enough amount of phosphates liberated into the water to cause nuisance growth elsewhere.

Maybe one day I'll start another tiny tank devoted just to it. I've got an LFS near me that expressed some interest in buying this caulerpa racemosa. They tell me it's not easy to cultivate. I find it very strange that it's my only algal growth in a system of 100 gallons+. Why does it thrive where no other algae will?

Like the title says. It could be worse, right?

Bogie · 06-22-2009, 03:25 PM

I hereby dub you "The Caulerpa King".
Sell it to the fish store or trade it for a nice frag and be done with it.

PackLeader · 06-22-2009, 03:30 PM

Why not just frag a few of the polyps off and nuke the rock completely afterward?

jakeh24 · 06-22-2009, 04:08 PM

you could sell clumps of it to your lfs for 10 bucks each

jakeh24 · 06-22-2009, 04:12 PM

hmmm just googled it and found this, thought it was interesting

Human uses: This seaweed is eaten in some places. In the Philippines, it is eaten fresh as a salad, or salted so it can be eaten later. Small quantities are also exported to Japan. It is also eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also reported to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, and to be used to treat high blood pressure and rheumatism. The seaweed is also fed to livestock and fish.

ReefSparky · 06-23-2009, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bogie

I hereby dub you "The Caulerpa King".
Sell it to the fish store or trade it for a nice frag and be done with it.

Don't know, Bogie--I've kinda taken a shine to this rock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackLeader

Why not just frag a few of the polyps off and nuke the rock completely afterward?

I've tried fragging one, Pack. Surprisingly after being unable to scrape one off the rock, I simply cut the stalk close to the rock; blotted the incision dry, and used superglue gel to adhere it to a separate rock. It worked! It was very labor intensive, and I think I might be just as apt to buy a small frag of yellow polyp and take it from there. I haven't decided yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakeh24

you could sell clumps of it to your lfs for 10 bucks each

I didn't know it had such value. Let me get it basketball sized first!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakeh24

hmmm just googled it and found this, thought it was interesting

Human uses: This seaweed is eaten in some places. In the Philippines, it is eaten fresh as a salad, or salted so it can be eaten later. Small quantities are also exported to Japan. It is also eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also reported to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, and to be used to treat high blood pressure and rheumatism. The seaweed is also fed to livestock and fish.

Maybe I'll just eat it instead?

Seems there are a few seaweed sources we humans enjoy. Nori, as a wrapper for sushi; and carageenan (I think a kelp derivative) is used as a gum/thickener for salad dressings, yogurt and the like.

steve wright · 06-23-2009, 05:32 AM

incredible story Reef sparky and great images

Steve

OverThinker · 06-23-2009, 03:17 PM

Wow...I thought you had photo-shopped that picture!!!! You would think that taking the time to prune it would have helped, but I betcha the more you trim things, the more they grow! Like human hair, or urchins eating coraline!!!

It's kinda cool lookin if it makes you feel any better! I was expecting a rock covered in fungus.

06-22-2009, 02:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
ReefSparky 3reef Moderator Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: South Florida Age: 44 Posts: 3,122 Skin: Mint Karma: 69156	It Could Be Worse One of my very first corals, a rock covered with yellow polyps and in my tank since almost day one--has become a rock covered with something else nowadays. I'm confident the yellow polyps are still somewhere intact, yet only a few made it to the surface. Shortly after converting from FOWLR to reef, I noticed some macroalgae growth on this rock. In time it spread. Kingfish Matt's saying, "Go Slow, Let It Grow," is what happened here, like it or not. Indeed it has grown slowly. I now know what invasive growth is all about. Once it takes hold, there's no abatement. I've removed this rock from my aquarium every 90 days or so, about 3 times now; to prune away with tweezers the copious growth of caulerpa racemosa that's taken hold. I've become tired with the process. I'm by no means lazy with tank maintenance, as I've even taken my sump with me into the shower for a cleaning--but with this pruning I'm done. I've decided to let the caulerpa grow. Here are some shots of the yellow polyp over the time I've owned it. It's been with me from the beginning. It's survived through some bad times. Now here's the very same rock. The caulerpa surrounds it like a cancer. Although it's runners are thick enough, the rootlike hair structures with which this macro attaches itself to rocks is so fine, it's impossible to remove it completely. Even a microsurgeon couldn't guarantee the complete remission of this plant. So I'm letting it grow, Matt--and everyone else. I've become expert at keeping it isolated. For if it were to touch another piece of LR in the tank, it might just be game over. I have it on the sand where it will stay. Every now and then I pluck away the bamboo like shoots by which it attempts to increase its domain. A fine line between beauty and havoc. I suppose it could be worse. My new Kole tang, who ignores clips of seaweed and algae strips for these past 3 weeks, has taken a liking to this rock, and nips at it constantly. Perhaps this surgeonfish will be the surgeon I need most. Enjoy. _________ 90G display tank. Kent Phos Reactor running carbon and ROWAPhos, Reef Octopus XP-2000 Skimmer. Sump is a 20G long. Auto top off consists of a float valve connected to Typhoon 5 Stage RO/DI, governed by a solenoid valve. Iwaki MD40RLXT inline pump. Coralife 2x250MH, 20K + 2x96W PC Actinics, Vortech MP40 pump, 2 Hydor Koralia #2's, and a #4. JBJ Arctica 1/3 HP chiller. Last edited by ReefSparky; 06-22-2009 at 03:32 PM.

06-22-2009, 02:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
divott Fire Squid Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: holland landing, ontario ,canada Age: 49 Posts: 2,941 Skin: Classic Karma: 74362	wow what a transformation. hopefully your yellows will pull through. if your sump was bigger. you could bathe in it instead. best of luck sparky _________ 90 gal reef , 30 gal sump , 6 x 54 t5 ho , coralife super skimmer , 3 koralia ph's , carbon and phos reactors life : percula clown, one-spot foxface , coral beauty , flame angel , purple tang,red scooter blenny , mccoskers wrasse, kole tang corals: toadstool leather, finger leather, , 2 green star polyps, pulsing xenia , zoas. bubble coral , frogspawn , blueberry gorgonian, monti cap

06-22-2009, 03:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bogie Longfin Fairy Wrasse Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: CT Posts: 2,342 Skin: Mint Karma: 17705	I hereby dub you "The Caulerpa King". Sell it to the fish store or trade it for a nice frag and be done with it. _________ My previous tank ---> Quick Video The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

06-22-2009, 03:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
PackLeader Giant Squid Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Reno, NV Age: 27 Posts: 5,450 Skin: Mint Karma: 50921	Why not just frag a few of the polyps off and nuke the rock completely afterward? _________ Jason 200 gallon long reef: 55 gallon sump, 20 long fuge, 300+ pounds LR, 750W MH, 216W T5, ASM G4+ skimmer, reactors, wavemaker, etc Hippo tang, O clown pair, firefish, starry blenny, YT damsel, BJ trigger, Scopas tang, chromis. Too many corals and inverts to list. http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off...-60554-19.html [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

06-22-2009, 04:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
jakeh24 Torch Coral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: reno, NV Age: 14 Posts: 1,183 Skin: Classic Karma: 8441	you could sell clumps of it to your lfs for 10 bucks each _________ 20H build ocellaris clownfish pair, strawberry pseudochromis, blue damsel 70w metal halide pendant, 10 gallon sump/fuge don't click this, seriously.

06-22-2009, 04:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
jakeh24 Torch Coral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: reno, NV Age: 14 Posts: 1,183 Skin: Classic Karma: 8441	hmmm just googled it and found this, thought it was interesting Human uses: This seaweed is eaten in some places. In the Philippines, it is eaten fresh as a salad, or salted so it can be eaten later. Small quantities are also exported to Japan. It is also eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also reported to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, and to be used to treat high blood pressure and rheumatism. The seaweed is also fed to livestock and fish.

06-23-2009, 05:32 AM	#9 (permalink)
steve wright 3reef Moderator Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: shenzhen Guangdong PRC Age: 45 Posts: 5,021 Skin: Mint Karma: 105999	incredible story Reef sparky and great images Steve _________ SPS takeover 75, GSP dominated 60. 5 gallon Nano, batteries not included.

06-23-2009, 03:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
OverThinker Skunk Shrimp Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bend, Oregon Age: 29 Posts: 267 Skin: Dark Karma: 941	Wow...I thought you had photo-shopped that picture!!!! You would think that taking the time to prune it would have helped, but I betcha the more you trim things, the more they grow! Like human hair, or urchins eating coraline!!! It's kinda cool lookin if it makes you feel any better! I was expecting a rock covered in fungus.