What is killing my caulerpa?

Knight_Solaire01 · Aug 3, 2020

Hello everyone.

Currently I am running a now well established sea horse and sea horse friendly mixed coral tank. I also happen to have had some very successful peltata caulerpa algae that carpeted my tank. It was so successful that I had to pull much of it off every now and then to stop it from overtaking my live rock. However recently I have seen more and more of it turn white and die off. The parts that aren't white are shriveling up. Only one part remains okay for now. But I am afraid to move it around until I know what is happening. I noticed what looked to be tiny flat worms or sponges growing on their roots. What is this?

ichthyogeek · Aug 3, 2020

It sounds like parts of it are going sexual. Are the nutrients in the tank significantly less than they were in the beginning? I know that macros can consume quite a large amount of nutrients, and a lack of them can cause Caulerpas to melt

monti mike · Aug 3, 2020

Knight_Solaire01 said:
Hello everyone.

Currently I am running a now well established sea horse and sea horse friendly mixed coral tank. I also happen to have had some very successful peltata caulerpa algae that carpeted my tank. It was so successful that I had to pull much of it off every now and then to stop it from overtaking my live rock. However recently I have seen more and more of it turn white and die off. The parts that aren't white are shriveling up. Only one part remains okay for now. But I am afraid to move it around until I know what is happening. I noticed what looked to be tiny flat worms or sponges growing on their roots. What is this?

If you find out let me know because I want to kill the caulerpa in my display lol