culerpra dying.. need help

[reefguy565]

My tank is 7 weeks old and I have tried growing chaeto 2 times in a refugium 2 times now and it dissolves and dies. I now got some culerpra last week and i see a lot of white leaves and stems. Means it is going sexual and will die. I am not sure what the issue is but can't keep any macro/culerpra alive..

alk- 7.6
cal-480
phos- 0
nitrates 10

light bulb i am using a 38par 6700K par light

I was bubbling 24/7 so I am not sure if that has anything to do with it. I also dose iron/mag once a week 10ml.

 

[Greybeard]

Don't know what sort of Caulerpa you're talking about... I had C. Racemosa go sexual on me once, many years ago. I'll never stick another sprig of it in any aquarium I own. Ended up using 100 lbs of very expensive live rock to fill a hole in my back yard. A friend uses C. Mexicana in his ref. Has for years, so far, no problems. I'll stick with Chaetomorpha, thanks.

As for being unable to keep it, I'd guess the problem is in the '7 weeks old' bit. Give it a some time. Those Par38 bulbs _will_ grow Chaeto (and Caulurpa). If your Phosphate is really testing zero, that's something you may eventually need to address, but I wouldn't do anything about it at this point. Maybe feed a bit more. Give it some time. I'd wait 3 or 4 months, and try Chaeto again.

 

[reefguy565]

Don't know what sort of Caulerpa you're talking about... I had C. Racemosa go sexual on me once, many years ago. I'll never stick another sprig of it in any aquarium I own. Ended up using 100 lbs of very expensive live rock to fill a hole in my back yard. A friend uses C. Mexicana in his ref. Has for years, so far, no problems. I'll stick with Chaetomorpha, thanks.

As for being unable to keep it, I'd guess the problem is in the '7 weeks old' bit. Give it a some time. Those Par38 bulbs _will_ grow Chaeto (and Caulurpa). If your Phosphate is really testing zero, that's something you may eventually need to address, but I wouldn't do anything about it at this point. Maybe feed a bit more. Give it some time. I'd wait 3 or 4 months, and try Chaeto again.

thanks... i figured i would try culerpra since chaeto died on me 2 times. i also guess tank is too clean still and not enough nutrients.