Category: Green Macroalgae

A very popular species of Caulerpa for refugiums and or display in the marine aquarium. It features long, erect, feather shaped blades that form a somewhat rounded tip. The coloration varies, but is typically a light green shade. This species grows very quickly and can be problematic in some reef aquaria, as it can quickly take over the aquascape. It’s palatable to many fish and inverts, so is an excellent choice as a food source because of it’s fast growth. It prefers to grow on rocks and hard surfaces rather than sand, but it’s quite adaptable to grow in almost any environment. It has an interesting habit of climbing up the sides of an aquarium and rocks as a vine would. Sertulariodes is one of only a few species of Caulerpa that typically grows close to shore, but can be found growing sparsely to depths of about 50ft.

Scientific Name: Caulerpa sertulariodes

Common Name: Feather Algae, Fern Algae

Origin: Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Caribbean

Depth Collected: 5 -20 Feet

Maximum Height : 8″

Growth Rate: Fast

Light: Moderate

Temperature: 78-86

Propagation: Fragmentation, sporulation

Difficulty: Easy

Food Value: Palatable to both fish and invertebrates

Nutrient Uptake: Excellent

Flow Rate: Low to Moderate

This species of Caulerpa features small, irregular branched uprights with a series of flat serrated blades. It’s a Pacific species that made it’s way into the United States through tropical fish importers. It’s currently much harder to find due to stricter import regulations with Caulerpa species, especially in California. Its native to shallow water habitats, growing on small rocks and coral fragments. This smaller sized specimen is very hardy and will not grow too large in the aquarium. It’s somewhat palatable but it is mostly left alone due to its stiff composition.

Scientific Name: Caulerpa serrulata

Common Name: Sawtooth Algae

Origin: Indo Pacific, Asia

Depth Collected: 1-15 Feet

Maximum Height : 5″

Growth Rate: Moderate

Light: Moderate

Temperature: 78-86

Propagation: Fragmentation, Sporulation

Difficulty: Easy

Food Value: Somewhat Palatable

Nutrient Uptake: Good

Flow Rate: Low to Moderate

This species of Caulerpa features long, stiff, uprights with finger-like clusters of notched blades attached from a long rhizome. It is typically found growing intertwined with sea grass beds, channels and ledges in shallow water habitats to about 10ft deep. When found in deeper habitats it’s growth is much smaller and stunted. This species of Caulerpa prefers sandy substrate, but will attach to rocks and coral fragments. It is very hardy in the aquarium and is relatively undemanding in its needs. All Caulerpa species should be pruned back to encourage new growth and to prevent die off in the aquarium. It can be safely buried in the sand bed or left to attach on their own as they grow. Not palatable to fish and invertebrates.

Scientific Name: Caulerpa cupressoides

Common Name: Zipper Algae

Origin: Atlantic, Caribbean

Depth Collected: 1-15 Feet

Maximum Height : 8″

Growth Rate: Slow

Light: Moderate to High

Temperature: 74-86

Propagation: Fragmentation, Sporulation

Difficulty: Easy

Food Value: Not Palatable

Nutrient Uptake: Fair

Flow Rate: Moderate

They’re many species of Caulerpa racemosa found worldwide. They can be highly variable in composition, which makes it difficult to properly identify each individual species without inspection of the cell structure under a microscope. This particular species of racemosa features a dark green color with tall branches composed of long clusters of cylindrical shaped fronds. It resembles a bunch of bananas and is very attractive in the marine aquarium. Like most varieties of Caulerpa racemosa, it can quickly outgrow the available nutrients in a tank, so care must be taken to limit the size of each specimen by regular division of the rhizome. This species is not very palatable to most fish and invertebrates, although some algae eating fish will nip at the rhizome structure.

Scientific Name: Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea

Common Name: Banana Algae, Grape Caulerpa

Origin: Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean

Depth Collected: 4-25 Feet

Maximum Height : 6″

Growth Rate: Fast

Light: Moderate to High

Temperature: 72-86

Propagation: Fragmentation, Sporulation

Difficulty: Easy

Food Value: Not Very Palatable

This species of Caulerpa is a large variety that can reach blade widths of up to 2″ and a height of about 12″. Unlike it’s close relative, Caulerpa sertulariodes, it prefers slightly deeper habitats and often is found on the edges of channels in depths of 20ft or more. It features a thick rhizome, split into individual cylindrical fronds that grows horizontally on the sea floor. Younger specimens are often confused with Sertulariodes, as they are very similar in characteristics and are often sold as “feather algae” in the aquarium trade. Because of its size and it’s fairly slow growth it will not overgrow its environment like other species do. When pruning the large rhizome, pinching the tissue is best so that a minimal amount of chemical is released into the aquarium. Regular division of the rhizome is recommended to promote new growth and to protect the algae from sporulation.

Scientific Name: Caulerpa ashmeadii

Common Name: Giant Feather Algae, Feather Algae

Origin: Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Caribbean

Depth Collected: 5-25 Feet

Maximum Height : 14″

Growth Rate: Moderate

Light: Moderate

Temperature: 78-86

Propagation: Fragmentation, Sporulation

Difficulty: Easy

Food Value: Somewhat Palatable

Nutrient Uptake: Good

Flow Rate: Low to Moderate