[alrha]

shouldnt be too hard to get them out when you dont need them anymore. they do come out, you just gotta catch them when they are out.
what other reliable solution would there be for bubble algae?

[alrha]

Quote: Originally Posted by Reefer420 I dont really mind other macro algae as I like the natural look- so bubble algae, red macro, etc. is fine with me...

wait till they start taking over your tank...

[Pedro]

By far i think bubble algea has to be the worst. I got that and it's been a tough battle. Forget about emeralds eating them, that's a myth in my opinion. They might pick at one here and there if small, but if there's an outbreak, forget it.

I think the best way is to manually remove as much as you can, if some pop i hope my ozonizer kills the spores. I just started this battle so i will see in a few months if i was successful.

[masterswimmer]

I agree with Pedro, I think emeralds eating bubble is load of bunk. I've been somewhat successful getting them out manually. The ones that bother me are the ones you just can't reach by hand because they're so far behind rocks, yet you can still see them. And they grow BIG. I've seen golf ball size.

master

[Paul B]

First of all I would like to say that if there is absolutely no algae in your tank, it probably is not as healthy as you believe it is.
Algae is a natural part of all healthy reefs. The sea is full of tangs, urchins, slugs, rabbitfish, algae bleenies etc. Guess what they are eating?
Slugs and urchins only eat algae. You may not see it because they eat it as soon as it grows. If you do any night time diving you will see hourdes of urchins all over the reef. Watch those Sally Lightfoot crabs crawling on the rocks, they are algae eaters.
The sea has unlimites water to dilute wastes and the vast majority of that water is too deep for algae to grow.
Using animals for algae control in a tank has limited success because the animals unfortunately also poop in the tank. Everything that goes into an animal also comes out.
In our tanks which are so overcrowded compared to the sea the nutrients have no place to go except in the skimmer. Skimmers work well but the wastes are in there long enough to grow algae.
Skimmers do not remove everything. They do nothing for ammonia and nitrates. We rely on bacteria for that. Bacteria which are mostly on the substrait and rocks can't convert it if it is in the water column.
I deal with algae by letting it grow. Of course I don't want it to grow on my corals because obviousely that would shade them thereby killing them. I force the algae to grow in a shallow trough above my water and partially under the lights. The algae has better growing conditions there because it is brighter and the water moves very fast. There is a plastic screen in the trough that can be removed to remove excess algae.
A lighted refugium will also reduce algae in your reef. The small amount of algae that does grow in the reef can be cropped by the herbifores.
Have a great day.
Paul