Green Bubble Algae
- Thread starter dickenscd
- Start date
Best method is removing it by hand ... preferably if you can remove the rock out of the tank ... you will have more problems if you pop them in the tank.
I have read Sailfin Tangs (doesn't make a difference which one ... Red Sea or not ... ) eating bubble algae ... but it's hit or miss with our reef inhabitants ... some people have said emerald crabs will eat them as well.
- Location
- Ronkonkoma, NY
Foxface will eat it
- Location
- The Big City
It's hit or miss on any of them, including Emerald crabs. The problem is that there are other things to eat in the tank for them to eat and they usually will eat those things instead of the bubble algae.
It's really hard to get the bubble algae once you have it. The best thing to do is to try and remove it by hand, even if you have to break it in the tank. Then increase the flow, which should keep the spores from settling down and hopefully they'll get sucked into the overflow. You may also want to check out the overflows themselves, there are usually tons of them in there. If you remove them you can reduce the amount greatly. I've seen some tanks with a lot of flow and there wasn't any green bubble algae in the tank but the overflow and sump was filled with them.
It's really hard to get the bubble algae once you have it. The best thing to do is to try and remove it by hand, even if you have to break it in the tank. Then increase the flow, which should keep the spores from settling down and hopefully they'll get sucked into the overflow. You may also want to check out the overflows themselves, there are usually tons of them in there. If you remove them you can reduce the amount greatly. I've seen some tanks with a lot of flow and there wasn't any green bubble algae in the tank but the overflow and sump was filled with them.
I had a lot in a 34 gal. tank. On one of my cleaning I removed about 50 of them. I did pop a few by accident, it happens. The next week I removed another 10 or so. A few weeks later I had less than 10 to remove. I also reduced the amount I feed my fish.
When I remove them I do it before I do a water change. I turn off power heads and the pump so they are easier to get after removing. I then suck them up with a turkey baster as I remove them.
When I remove them I do it before I do a water change. I turn off power heads and the pump so they are easier to get after removing. I then suck them up with a turkey baster as I remove them.
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
use a syphon.carefully go on a 45 degrees angle and slowly push them and the syphon will suck them right up.
- Location
- Wallingford, CT
James,
Try the easy way first, order a dozen maybe two, of emerald crabs.
Try the easy way first, order a dozen maybe two, of emerald crabs.
- Location
- Southampton UK
Pretty much all of the above methods work imo.
Adding fish as a cure is very hit and miss though ime....I have two rabbits and three tangs and none of them will touch the stuff.
My long term solution was adding several emerald crabs, and pulling out by hand. The rest (and trust me i had alot in a 400 gallon system) were manually popped and ground to dump the spores. I added a load of densly packed floss to the sump for 24 hours over this period with circulation kept at a maximum which caught alot of the spores as a green gunk after passing over the weirs( a micron bag over the overflow pipe will do the same). this was then removed carefully.
A month later it was all gone from the system.
Regards
simon.
Adding fish as a cure is very hit and miss though ime....I have two rabbits and three tangs and none of them will touch the stuff.
My long term solution was adding several emerald crabs, and pulling out by hand. The rest (and trust me i had alot in a 400 gallon system) were manually popped and ground to dump the spores. I added a load of densly packed floss to the sump for 24 hours over this period with circulation kept at a maximum which caught alot of the spores as a green gunk after passing over the weirs( a micron bag over the overflow pipe will do the same). this was then removed carefully.
A month later it was all gone from the system.
Regards
simon.
- Location
- Bay Ridge BK
I had been battling green bubble algae for a while.
I recently purchased a Yellow Belly Hippo Tang and to my surprise he has eaten most of it. I am going to add a phosphate reactor to hopefully stop it all together.
I have also heard the desjardini tang eats this stuff.
Just thought I would share.
I recently purchased a Yellow Belly Hippo Tang and to my surprise he has eaten most of it. I am going to add a phosphate reactor to hopefully stop it all together.
I have also heard the desjardini tang eats this stuff.
Just thought I would share.
- Location
- Southampton UK
Interesting Rookie, ive never heard or witnessed that phenomenon. Ive seen them picking algae out of the centres of nest type corals (where you commonly get some die back and infestation), but never seen any damage caused to living tissue even in systems where algae is at very low levels.
Regards
simon.
Regards
simon.
- Location
- The Big City
A bigger problem with Emerald Crabs is that they like to get under corals and move corals around, which results in them knocking the corals over.
Sorry to jump on this thread but I am having a small problem with red bubble algae, some hair algae, etc. I have a 12g Aquapod that has only been up for 4 months now. The corals and fish are all doing well but I think I am going to get one emerald crab to take care the the alage issue. I do have a small patch of chaeto that i recently added and shoved behind a rock -hoping that helps too. Will the emerald crab eat the chaeto?
Also..I am nursing a sun coral back to health but it does seem that a lot of the different algae are on it and I think it is because of where the sun coral died off the algae must be feeding on some left over stuff.
Also..I am nursing a sun coral back to health but it does seem that a lot of the different algae are on it and I think it is because of where the sun coral died off the algae must be feeding on some left over stuff.
- Location
- The Big City
The Red bubble algae is most likely Cyano, Emerald crabs aren't going to eat it. Do a search on it and you'll find ways to get rid of it, some which will also help you get rid of the Hair algae too. As for the algae growing on the Sun coral, take a Turkey baster and blow the algae off of it.
I carefully cut them off of the rock and suck them up with a turkey baster. Try not to break them.I do it before my water changes so that I can replace the water that gets sucked out. I also turn off pumps and power heads.
As far as I understand, prevention comes from not over feeding.
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