Caulerpa

Care at a glance

Caulerpa is biologically remarkable: the entire plant, with creeping runner and upright fronds, consists of a single giant cell containing countless nuclei. It grows fast and is often used to strip nutrients from the water or as food for tangs.

There is a risk attached, though: under stress a colony can switch to reproduction all at once, turning white and releasing its contents into the water, with a considerable water-quality hit as a result. Prevent that by keeping it in a refugium under continuous light and harvesting regularly; never release it into the sea, as some species are notoriously invasive.

Related species

• Chaetomorpha (refugium algae)Chaetomorpha sp.
• Halimeda (money plant)Halimeda sp.
• Gracilaria (red macroalgae)Gracilaria sp.
• Sea grapes (ornamental macroalgae)Botryocladia sp.
• Sea lettuce (ulva)Ulva lactuca
• Dragon’s breath algaeHalymenia sp.