Pom Pom Gracilaria from Aquabarn turning white 😔

IMAGNDAT · 08/03/2020, 03:57 AM

So I recently purchased some Pom Pom Gracilaria from aquabarn, it was beautiful nice red. today I noticed its turning white like if it's bleached 😔, my tank is freshly new, and currently just have cerith snails, and 2 clown fishes. In my refugium I'm using the 18w chaetomax light and have some chaeto and Clean Sea Lettuce also from aquabarn, those macro algae are doing fine, but the Gracilaria. Is it possible the light is too much for it and causing it to die off?

Michael Hoaster · 08/03/2020, 09:11 AM

It sounds like you may have more plants than nutrients to feed them. Try feeding your fish a little more food than you normally do. The sea lettuce and chaeto you have are both fast growers, and the pom pom is slower. So they may be outcompeting it. If it dies, don't remove it. It may pop up again later, when conditions are better for it. That happened to me, and the plant that popped up was naturally attached and beautiful.

IMAGNDAT · 08/03/2020, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

It sounds like you may have more plants than nutrients to feed them. Try feeding your fish a little more food than you normally do. The sea lettuce and chaeto you have are both fast growers, and the pom pom is slower. So they may be outcompeting it. If it dies, don't remove it. It may pop up again later, when conditions are better for it. That happened to me, and the plant that popped up was naturally attached and beautiful.

Got some zoanthids and shrooms coming in this week, hopefully gets more nitrates in the tank I guess.

ThePurple12 · 08/04/2020, 05:59 AM

If anything, those will remove nitrate with growth....

Is it completely pale? If not, it still has a chance. It’s possible it’s getting too much light, I would move it to a lower spot and add some nitrates with Spectracide stump remover from Home Depot.

IMAGNDAT · 08/08/2020, 10:22 PM

update, I guess after some white scare, it seems to have stopped, it's not completely dead and it's still trucking, going up against the chaeto that's growing bigger it seems fast lol.

ThePurple12 · 08/09/2020, 08:50 PM

Nice!

08/03/2020, 03:57 AM	#1
IMAGNDAT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 20	Pom Pom Gracilaria from Aquabarn turning white 😔 So I recently purchased some Pom Pom Gracilaria from aquabarn, it was beautiful nice red. today I noticed its turning white like if it's bleached 😔, my tank is freshly new, and currently just have cerith snails, and 2 clown fishes. In my refugium I'm using the 18w chaetomax light and have some chaeto and Clean Sea Lettuce also from aquabarn, those macro algae are doing fine, but the Gracilaria. Is it possible the light is too much for it and causing it to die off?

08/03/2020, 09:11 AM	#2
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	It sounds like you may have more plants than nutrients to feed them. Try feeding your fish a little more food than you normally do. The sea lettuce and chaeto you have are both fast growers, and the pom pom is slower. So they may be outcompeting it. If it dies, don't remove it. It may pop up again later, when conditions are better for it. That happened to me, and the plant that popped up was naturally attached and beautiful. __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

08/04/2020, 05:59 AM	#4
ThePurple12 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Virginia Posts: 506	If anything, those will remove nitrate with growth.... Is it completely pale? If not, it still has a chance. It’s possible it’s getting too much light, I would move it to a lower spot and add some nitrates with Spectracide stump remover from Home Depot.

08/08/2020, 10:22 PM	#5
IMAGNDAT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 20	update, I guess after some white scare, it seems to have stopped, it's not completely dead and it's still trucking, going up against the chaeto that's growing bigger it seems fast lol.

08/09/2020, 08:50 PM	#6
ThePurple12 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Virginia Posts: 506	Nice!