Caulerpa Plant turns white

[frosty]

I have a 75 gallon reef tank that is about 2 months old. I have had good success with all the snails crabs shrimp and fish that are in the tank. I just added a caulerpa plant on a piece of live rock ... in two days it has gone from green to white... is there something I should be doing for it?
Any advice is appreciated.

 

[steve-s]

If it's just the tips of the caulerpa then it's new growth and should be fine. If the bulk of the macro is turning white then it will be dieing and you will need to prune a majority of it out to prevent sporing and/or water quality issues.

Caulerpa's are not the best addition to your display tank, do you know the species? Macro algaes like fish and inverts are sensitive to changes in salinity and ph. For improved success in introducing them to a tank, acclimate them the same way.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Dewey]

How often should grape caulerpa be clipped ? and what should be cliped?

Thanks Dewey

 

[steve-s]

How often should grape caulerpa be clipped ?

Depends on the amount of growth but weekly would be best unless it grows slowly.

and what should be cliped?

You want to clip it so the growth gets thinned out as much as the length of the macro gets shortened. You need to ensure the lower portions of the macro are getting light and water flow as easily as the higher area's. If there is insufficient light/flow near the root area's, the macro will lose color and die back.

Cheers
Steve

 

[frosty]

Thank you for the information...