# Bubble algae and other alge woes.



## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Since my new waterchange regime, and new salt mix, I've had nothing but nusence algae. hair, diatom and bubble... bubble is a pain because I really can not go much to get rid of it. it is brutally hard to get off the rocks without causing the structure to weaken. 

I do like my algae, and I feel that it does have a place in a reef, but really, the bubble is getting out of hand. 

I suspect that the change of salt water is basically giving the tank a case of NTS. On top of that I do not use RO water. At least not yet. The idea of buying RO water from down the road is a but... difficult. Bike remember and I'd want to get at least 10 gallons a shot. I am sure me riding down an unploughed road with that much water hanging off my rack. Suppose I could drag out the trailer... be awkward x 2

anyway Bubblealgae help!


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## acer (May 18, 2010)

yeah... I don't have a solution but I feel your pain....
I got a small bag of the oceanic salt... mixed it with the little salt I had before... annnnnnd I get hair algae... but no, that's not the worst of it... a week later I get cyano. I'm still fighting it 2 months later. but it seems to be slowing down, cause I started using a crap load of carbon. It's weird cause the water in that tank is perfect and the water in my tank in Hamilton is crap.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I using tropic Marin salt. So the shift in nutrients perhaps?


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## acer (May 18, 2010)

yeah... either phosphates or nitrates or both...

I know some people used emerald crabs to get rid of them... you can probably get away with taking out larger bubbles manually without popping them, which is better than having a crab that could eventually cause problems. 

or try getting something that removes phosphates and nitrates?


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Aye and Aye to both nitrates and phosphates. 

Well considering i do plan on moving to a larger tank in the future ergo tear down of current system will be happening. Maybe I can look into an emerald crab. I will have a proper refugium then so it cna move there. The larger bubbles are what are being difficult. I try to gently roll and wiggle them, but the sods burst. I removed the guppy trap because of some in there. the livestock (some palys and my carpet) have been moved to a temporary placement until later. well the palys are in quarentine. 

Where can I find an emerald crab and for how much. I hear they can pic on zoas... might not be too bad if they decide to control some of my polpy things.


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## acer (May 18, 2010)

sounds good...

I've got one I can get rid of if you want it for 5 dollars. but big als has them usually for about 15 dollars... NAFB had when I was there on Saturday, not sure how much. Mine has to go cause I have to take that tank down and I don't want to put it in my other tank, so if you want it I can meet you at the Ikea in Burlington some time.


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

I would like to share with u my experince, i got 2 emeral crabs and the 2 of them were eating my zoas so i would think twice about that, plus when the crab remove the bubble all the do is brake them and u know what happen next, u will get tons more.
If u can take the rock out and remove the bubbles would be great, if not u could use a shyphon with a racer or blade at the end so when u remove them from the rock they get suck right the way.
U can check some videos on youtube showing that process.
Cyano could be produce for different factors as poor circulation or water flow,overfeeding, dead spots in your tank as mention before on circulation of water or even too much light and many more factors.
I went tru cyano in my tank and all i did was reduce the light hours and 10 percent water change everyday for a week and good bye cyano.
Cyano is one of the oldest type of bacteria dated millions of years ago when we were not even alive

I guess everyone goes tru algae faces in the tank but once your tank mature u wont have that problem..


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

the cyano was never a problem for me. it came, then it went. 

What I have right now....and I had htem before until my hermits decided their shells would make great homes, are periwinkles. Don't have a fit when I say I got them from the s uper market. they got htem in fresh today. I haven't seen them in most of a year. I put them in an area with the diatoms and they are busy having a feeding frenzy. which is the lip of my AC110. 

I suppose the brunt of it, the bubbles will have to be removed as much as I can, and when I move to the larger tank (several months from now) I will have to sit down and pluck the rock


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

Personally i dont mind bubble algea as long is not taking over my tank, i had some and i let it grow big so i could removed them easier..
I have an idea send a deceptic crab to do the job..lol


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I don't mind, but it is getting a little nuts. Decepticrabs :3


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

check this video out


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I pretty much do that. I have a wand that I made like that for syphoning sediment off the rock.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I have a hermit crab that has developed a taste for hair algae in high places. One of my more aggravating hair algae locations my lip to my AC110. this fellow has been in my tank for most of my tank's life, chosen a larger shell and has been hanging off my snails eating their hair algae shells and the filter intake.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

To bad you cant tie some new hermits to him for "training"

I have one snail that spends his life cleaning the glass, and the rest stick to the rock/back wall.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I found my zoa knocked around and my chalice frag shifted, then I realised teh hair algae was off the zoa frag. Herb (what I have now named him) was nomming the hair off the zoa. he seems to be quite hungry for it. Quite happy I am actually seeing them do their jobs finally.


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## rrobbiiee (Dec 4, 2010)

It is nice and all when the CUC eat's the micro algae, but when they eat the macro variant it is indeed very rewarding


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