Best Snail for removing algae?

[richardhmc]

My tank right now has been dominated by algae. The front and side glasses are completely green and there is a CARPET of hair algae on the sand bed.

I added a horned algae blenny a few days ago and it has been doing great with eating the carpet. I can tell this because now there are holes all over the algae carpet so I can tell it is doing its job. However it isn't getting the glass.

I have bought mexican turbo snails before but all they did was crap everywhere, and didn't remove the algae that well.

So what snails are best to get green algae off the GLASS. From my LFS I was told that red banded snails were the best to use - after some research, I think they meant the banded trochus snail. Is this a good snail to buy to remove algae from my glass?

 

[chanman]

why not use a kent scaper, magfloat or your expired credit card? Snails won't remove ALL algae.

 

[richardhmc]

I have a mag float.. It won't scrap off the algae.. that's how hard and tough the algae on the glass is.

I have used a small cutting blade to scrap off algae... works well but I need something to consistently remove it because the algae regrows very quickly.

Even though snails will not remove ALL algae, they will definitely help in removing most of it. Plus, I need help to remove algae off the rocks as well... the horned algae blenny will not be able to remove everything by itself considering how fast the algae grows and how little it eats at a time

 

[nanoreefer22]

Try to get the problem from the source. Phosphates would be a good place to start.

 

[richardhmc]

I have tried buying phosphate remover - phosban to be exact. It had absolutely no effect on the tank whatsoever.

And also I tried cutting back my light from 10 hours to 7 hours... still no difference

 

[knugenx]

May I suggest - Margarita Snails.
I put about 12 margarita snails in my 14G to clean the algae off the tank...I couldn't scrap because it's acrylic...now most of the algae both soft and hard are gone. It's been about to weeks...I can see from both sides of the tank. The best thing is that this snail can flip itself upright we it falls off rocks and the glass/acrylic.

 

[nyc reefer]

Algae

I second what Nanoreefer said you have to take a measurement of your phosphates and cut down on the amount. You may have to cut down the amount of food, the amount of time your lights are on and replace the bulbs if they are old. Another source is your water is it RO/DI or from the faucet. Good luck!!

 

[richardhmc]

Thank You knugenx for your suggestion. Did some research and they sound like good snails thanks!

I use strictly RO/DI water. No faucet

The lights are practically new - 3 months old at max and I have cut down the lights by so much I feel like the corals aren't getting enough light and the fish are probably wondering why the sun is going away so quickly

I feed minimally.. just enough to get all the fish a good meal

I have tried to take out phosphates by putting in phosban but it hasn't done anything with the alge

 

[tosiek]

And by saying "phosban doesn't do anything for the algae" you ran it in a reactor, changing it out weekly with the proper amount for over a month as it takes about that much time to clear up and start to fix the hair algae problem? As well as tested Po4 levels 3x a week with a good Po4 tester like a hanna or the better more expensive test kits to see how much its pulling out? The cheap Po4 test kits don;t give an accurate reading at all and the freshwater ones don't work at all on saltwater tanks. You were removing the algae you have in your tank by hand for the month? Lowering your Po4 won't kill off the algae, it will stop it from growing again so you have to remove it by hand. If you did you should have seen no more hair algae back if your doing it right, 95% of the time high po4 levels with high nutrients in the tank is the culprit. You sure its not bryopsis or something else?

Something is wrong if your getting a bed of hair algae on your sand bed other than "not having enough things eating the algae". Fix the problem thats causing the hair algae ALONG WITH getting a good algae clean up crew. Also, alot of things won't eat hair algae. And having something eat it quicker than it grows does not make your problem fixed especially when it comes to high nutrient/Po4 levels because it affects other things in the tank as well.

I quickly seen your other posts on the lighting page. If your tank is flooded with algae its not your lights, or the time they are on. It will help it grow but with a properly filtrated tank with normal feeding you should be able to keep the lights on for 12+ hours a day without seeing an algae outburst.

Id give more help to fix the problem but i know nothing at all about your tank, what your dosing it with, or anything else. The problem could be type of lighting, not enough filtration, whatever your dosing with, bad high Po4 salt batch, ect.

To answer your original question, lawnmower blenny for the hair algae, any of the mexican turbo snails or the golf ball sized marguerita snails work for the green powder algae that gets on your glass and alot of algae on the rocks. Sea hares also work well for algae but get big fast.

 

[tosiek]

I feed minimally.. just enough to get all the fish a good meal

How many fish and how much food? I knew someone that used up the big cans of flake food every month and he only fed 5 fish. He fed what he thought was a little and made sure all the fish were fed well. The sandbed was covered in flake.

 

[jadakiss]

I also had a small issue with green algea and cyno. I started to attack it hard so i did 14g water change every week , brought a mp20 vortech, change phosban media every month , installed chemipure elite, change filter media where water trickels down to every 2 weeks also keep my mh lights on for 6hrs and feed algea strips 4times a week and a little of mysis . I have a 55reef with a yellow tang and wrasse I dose bionc 2 part. Ever since I've been doin evey thing like I said it's getting way better .Make sure u check ur rodi with a tds

 

[Awibrandy]

Richard, how about you give us some info on your set up?
For instance: Equipment list, paramaters, what test kits you use, fish, corals, how much lr & sand, size of tank.
Answer to these will better enable our members to help you with the issue of your algea problem.

 

[skimacka]

[QUOTE

Id give more help to fix the problem but i know nothing at all about your tank, what your dosing it with, or anything else. The problem could be type of lighting, not enough filtration, whatever your dosing with, bad high Po4 salt batch, ect.

[/QUOTE]


How common is it to have a bad salt batch?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

My tank right now has been dominated by algae. The front and side glasses are completely green and there is a CARPET of hair algae on the sand bed.

I added a horned algae blenny a few days ago and it has been doing great with eating the carpet. I can tell this because now there are holes all over the algae carpet so I can tell it is doing its job. However it isn't getting the glass.

I have bought mexican turbo snails before but all they did was crap everywhere, and didn't remove the algae that well.

So what snails are best to get green algae off the GLASS. From my LFS I was told that red banded snails were the best to use - after some research, I think they meant the banded trochus snail. Is this a good snail to buy to remove algae from my glass?

We need to know all of your water parameters to be able to help you out as well as what you dose and what your bioload is as well.

How common is it to have a bad salt batch?

It happens.

 

[richardhmc]

Okay, thank you for all your input. I have found out why the phosban never worked haha I didn't know that I needed to use a reactor. What I did was just put the bag of phosban into the prefilter box of my and let it sit there.

Jadakiss - i have begun to do 10g water changes instead of 5g weekly hoping this will help

Awibrandy - good idea haha ok heres the specifications

50 gallon tank
Current USA Outer Orbit Fixture 1x150w MH and 2x96w compact flourescents
AquaC Remora Hang on Back Skimmer
Approx 60-70 lbs live rock consisting of fiji, tonga branch
60 lbs of live aragonite sand
I do not use a filter. I just depend on weekly water changes.

I did a test on the water and it was strange that I got 0 for phosphate.
I use a API-Reef Master Test Kit.

KH - 8dKH
PH - 8.2
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0
Temp - 78

Lighting - 2 hours MH and then 5 hours of CF = 7 total hours of lighting

Feeding - one cube of frozen brine shrimp and a pinch of mini pellets. There is none left over since the fish first get to it, and if it hits the bottom, the Coral Banded Shrimp comes and finishes it off.

Fish - Pair of true percula clownfish, flame angel, horned algae blenny
Inverts - Banded Coral Shrimp, 2 Nassarius Snails, 3 small and 1 big mexican turbo snail
Corals - 1 Armor of God Zoa, 1 green birdsnest.

I hope I mentioned everything about my tank. Anything else I should mention?
I am trying to turn this into a reef tank but I can't do that with all this algae.

 

[Awibrandy]

First, API test kit aren't the best. I do use the API for ammonia. The rest I use salifert, except for PO4. The best PO4 test kits are quite expensive so I let my tank & animals tell me if it is to high for them.lol One day I'll invest in a Hanna.

Yes, phos reactor is highly recommended!

Between you and me I didn't care for the Remora.
Why don't you have any other filtration? For example a sump, or a hangon back filter.
Brine shrimp unless freshly hatched is not nutritious.

Did/do you test for calcium, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites? What readings did you get for those?

Please try to get better test kits before you go full blown reef.

 

[richardhmc]

First, API test kit aren't the best. I do use the API for ammonia. The rest I use salifert, except for PO4. The best PO4 test kits are quite expensive so I let my tank & animals tell me if it is to high for them.lol One day I'll invest in a Hanna.

Why don't you have any other filtration? For example a sump, or a hangon back filter.

Did/do you test for calcium, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites? What readings did you get for those?

Please try to get better test kits before you go full blown reef.

What is a good test kit brand?

I didn't think I would need one if I just kept up with the water changes. I was told a skimmer and water changes would be fine.

I didn't think calcium would matter on algae problems and I do have the others except they come from a freshwater test kit is that okay?

So in the end, how can I get rid of the algae? Is my water chemistry ok?

 

[tosiek]

[QUOTE

Id give more help to fix the problem but i know nothing at all about your tank, what your dosing it with, or anything else. The problem could be type of lighting, not enough filtration, whatever your dosing with, bad high Po4 salt batch, ect.

How common is it to have a bad salt batch?[/QUOTE]

It was like 3am and it popped into my head on random causes for Po4 problems. =0)

And Rich, no your right. Weekly water changes and some skimming from the remora should take care of any filtration your gonna need untill you pack your tank full of stuff and probably after. But i would get a reactor for the phosban and do the work involved in making that work. But you still don't know if its Po4 or something else causing the algae, the elos and the salifer po4 test kit are good choices on reliable readings for it and you can;t really start working to fix the problem without finding out what your po4 actually is.

I would dump using the brine for a while and maybe looking into a good flake brand like ocean nutrition. The cube your using from the brine is alot for what you have in your tank and it doesn;t do much in providing beneficial nutrients to your fish. Also, the frozen cubes need to be sinsed out through mesh before feeding. The cloudy white ice that surrounds the brine or mysys or whatever is frozen is chock full of Po4 and waste.

 

[mr_X]

i wouldn't use any flake either. chop up your own fresh food and freeze it flat in ziplocks. it's cheaper and better than LFS food.
here's a recipe of mine-
http://renegadereefers.org/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=98

there's also a food made by a local to me that's called "5 star reef bar" which is similar to what i did.
http://www.5starreefbar.com/5StarReefBar/Home.html

i believe she is selling it in stores in the area.

 

[richardhmc]

Is a reactor a must have for any reef aquarium? Just wondering.

Also, thank you for the food tips! Yeh, these ice cubed foods are pretty bad I noticed.

Overall, I need a cleaner crew since my tank is full of decaying matter - like there is gray stuff on my rocks and that needs to be cleaned.

For the phosphate.. I read that the algae could be eating the phosphate so quickly that parameters could read 0. Is this what could have happened in this situation?