bubble algea getting out of hand...

fast57 · 10/15/2007, 09:05 PM

what else can i do about this crap!! 1 emerald crab isnt doing a damn thing in my tank and its everywhere. Im really getting tired of the way it looks. What are my other options on getting rid of it?

Toddrtrex · 10/15/2007, 09:21 PM

I gave up on trying to defeat it --- have a patch of new live rock curing right now, in a couple of weeks I am going to redo the whole tank to get rid of it.

I've tried removing the existing rocks and scrubbing them, and yet it came back. Though I did just find out the filter on my RO/DI was cashed, and the TDS was through the roof, sure that didn't help one bit, but I already had the new live rock.

fast57 · 10/16/2007, 04:01 PM

well thers no way at switching out my rock that are loaded with corals. there has to be another way....what about a UV light?

fast57 · 10/18/2007, 08:53 PM

no one with any ideas? how many emerald crabs can you put in 1 tank?

Toddrtrex · 10/18/2007, 09:03 PM

You can try emeralds, though everything that I've read -- and experienced -- is that they are hit or miss.

Maybe start off with 3 or 4 and see what happens.

Also, are you using RO/DI water ? ( and if you are is the TDS near or at 0 ) it surely won't hurt to make sure your water is a clean as possible.

One reason I think mine got so out of hand is that I neglected my RO/DI filters and my TDS got a wee bit high. Since I've changed the membrane and filters I've noticed the front glass doesn't need to be cleaned as often.

davidryder · 10/18/2007, 09:36 PM

IMO the reason algae gets out of control is because it is allowed to. If you remove it before it reaches plague proportions it's easy to control.

My only suggestion is to manually remove as much as possible. Adding crabs is a band-aid and isn't guaranteed to work. Good luck

shootist · 10/19/2007, 12:34 AM

Dont ever burst the bubbles,that makes it 100x worse. There is one surefire way that I know of but may be quite a bit of work,depending on how much you have. Use a syringe,you can get them at the drug store Im pretty sure. The wife is a nurse so we have them everywhere. Make sure you choose a fine gauge. Stick the needle in the bubble and suck out the juice till its dry. Works like a charm but make sure you dont let any of the juice out. Just do a few bubbles a day and in a couple of weeks you should be back in control,good luck.

fast57 · 10/19/2007, 06:05 AM

im gonna try the syringe thing. Itll be tedius but i tired of this crap.

Subliminal · 10/19/2007, 07:35 AM

I took out some bubbles yesterday.

Given I didn't have any really big ones, but here's what I did:

It was water change time. I had some extra air line tubing around.

I put my bucket on the floor in front of the tank and started the siphon with the air line tubing.

I scraped off the bubbles with the tubing and it sucked them right into my bucket. Some popped, some didn't. Didn't really matter as the airline was just sucking the insides into the bucket as well.

If you have bigger bubbles, just use a little bigger tubing. I liked the small tube because I could take my time with it without worrying about the 5 gallon bucket filling up.

Also, if you do pop the bubbles, make sure you go back and scrape the skins/anchors off the rock.

Hope that helps!

Reef'in Colorado · 10/19/2007, 07:44 AM

My blue line rabbitfish eats bubble algae, not sure if this is the norm or if I just got lucky....

drstupid · 10/19/2007, 07:07 PM

don't worry about it, it's natural. and easy to remove manually. popping the bubbles does not cause it to proliferate, they need to be huge for that. i've got a foxface and a few emeralds and they do *nothing* for the valonia. my wife, on the other hand, can take a quart out in minutes.

it's annoying because there's nothing much you can do wrt lighting, nutrients, chemicals or predation to take care of it. if you start thinking about it as easy to remove pretty green marbles you'll feel much better about everything.

jmgpr7 · 10/19/2007, 08:12 PM

manually, Blennys, Foxface, emeral crabs, tangs.... a good cleaning crew...

10/15/2007, 09:05 PM	#1
fast57 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: southside of chicago Posts: 667	bubble algea getting out of hand... what else can i do about this crap!! 1 emerald crab isnt doing a damn thing in my tank and its everywhere. Im really getting tired of the way it looks. What are my other options on getting rid of it?

10/15/2007, 09:21 PM	#2
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	I gave up on trying to defeat it --- have a patch of new live rock curing right now, in a couple of weeks I am going to redo the whole tank to get rid of it. I've tried removing the existing rocks and scrubbing them, and yet it came back. Though I did just find out the filter on my RO/DI was cashed, and the TDS was through the roof, sure that didn't help one bit, but I already had the new live rock. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

10/18/2007, 09:03 PM	#5
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	You can try emeralds, though everything that I've read -- and experienced -- is that they are hit or miss. Maybe start off with 3 or 4 and see what happens. Also, are you using RO/DI water ? ( and if you are is the TDS near or at 0 ) it surely won't hurt to make sure your water is a clean as possible. One reason I think mine got so out of hand is that I neglected my RO/DI filters and my TDS got a wee bit high. Since I've changed the membrane and filters I've noticed the front glass doesn't need to be cleaned as often. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

10/18/2007, 09:36 PM	#6
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	IMO the reason algae gets out of control is because it is allowed to. If you remove it before it reaches plague proportions it's easy to control. My only suggestion is to manually remove as much as possible. Adding crabs is a band-aid and isn't guaranteed to work. Good luck __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)

10/19/2007, 07:07 PM	#11
drstupid Aquarist emeritus Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Narberth, PA Posts: 760	don't worry about it, it's natural. and easy to remove manually. popping the bubbles does not cause it to proliferate, they need to be huge for that. i've got a foxface and a few emeralds and they do nothing for the valonia. my wife, on the other hand, can take a quart out in minutes. it's annoying because there's nothing much you can do wrt lighting, nutrients, chemicals or predation to take care of it. if you start thinking about it as easy to remove pretty green marbles you'll feel much better about everything. __________________ i'm not a real doctor, i just play one on tv. Current Tank Info: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2429266

10/16/2007, 04:01 PM	#3
fast57 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: southside of chicago Posts: 667	well thers no way at switching out my rock that are loaded with corals. there has to be another way....what about a UV light?

10/18/2007, 08:53 PM	#4
fast57 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: southside of chicago Posts: 667	no one with any ideas? how many emerald crabs can you put in 1 tank?

10/19/2007, 12:34 AM	#7
shootist Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Indy Posts: 168	Dont ever burst the bubbles,that makes it 100x worse. There is one surefire way that I know of but may be quite a bit of work,depending on how much you have. Use a syringe,you can get them at the drug store Im pretty sure. The wife is a nurse so we have them everywhere. Make sure you choose a fine gauge. Stick the needle in the bubble and suck out the juice till its dry. Works like a charm but make sure you dont let any of the juice out. Just do a few bubbles a day and in a couple of weeks you should be back in control,good luck.

10/19/2007, 06:05 AM	#8
fast57 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: southside of chicago Posts: 667	im gonna try the syringe thing. Itll be tedius but i tired of this crap.

10/19/2007, 07:35 AM	#9
Subliminal Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Princeton, NJ Posts: 322	I took out some bubbles yesterday. Given I didn't have any really big ones, but here's what I did: It was water change time. I had some extra air line tubing around. I put my bucket on the floor in front of the tank and started the siphon with the air line tubing. I scraped off the bubbles with the tubing and it sucked them right into my bucket. Some popped, some didn't. Didn't really matter as the airline was just sucking the insides into the bucket as well. If you have bigger bubbles, just use a little bigger tubing. I liked the small tube because I could take my time with it without worrying about the 5 gallon bucket filling up. Also, if you do pop the bubbles, make sure you go back and scrape the skins/anchors off the rock. Hope that helps!

10/19/2007, 07:44 AM	#10
Reef'in Colorado Reefer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Frederick, Co. Posts: 934	My blue line rabbitfish eats bubble algae, not sure if this is the norm or if I just got lucky....

10/19/2007, 08:12 PM	#12
jmgpr7 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico Posts: 109	manually, Blennys, Foxface, emeral crabs, tangs.... a good cleaning crew... __________________ The SEA is full of wonders.... Reef Rules!!!!! Current Tank Info: 46 Bow in progress, 15Gal. sump, and 10Gal. frag Tank. 225 Under Contruction