Algae Problem or Not? Help new to this

Firecoral · 01/23/2012, 12:17 AM

My boyfriend and I were given about 100 lbs of live rock and it was doing well in a 110 gallon tank. Then we noticed this green "turf" like algae growing on it. It is difficult to pull out because it has seemed to adhere itself to the rock...HELP! How do we get rid of it? We looked it up and it looks like spagetti algae, and that it is good in a refugium. But it is in our main tank. We bought some zebra snails and a lawnmower blenny as per our LFS but now we don't know what it actually is...help pls.

sporto0 · 01/23/2012, 12:23 AM

That looks like "turf" algae, it is considered a nuisance algae, but it doesn't usually spread that fast but it is very hard to pull out by hand, if you could remove the rock & scrub it with a tooth brush, you should be able to remove the majority of it. Good luck.

Firecoral · 01/23/2012, 12:56 AM

Is there anything that would eat it? And if we can't get it off at its base, will it regrow? We were going to order snails and crabs. Or maybe take rock out and let it dry out? We really don't want to do that though...thx

sporto0 · 01/23/2012, 10:44 AM

Usually when you have that kind of thick growth, snails & hermits won't touch it or be able to control it, they prefer newer softer growth. I don't know if a seahare would eat it but even if it did, that would not be enough to sustain life. I still think the best bet is to tooth brush or bottle brush it off in the sink, perhaps then a CUC would keep it mowed down, there is always a possibility of regrowth unless you dry it out or cook the rock.

01/23/2012, 12:23 AM	#2
sporto0 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Posts: 2,924	That looks like "turf" algae, it is considered a nuisance algae, but it doesn't usually spread that fast but it is very hard to pull out by hand, if you could remove the rock & scrub it with a tooth brush, you should be able to remove the majority of it. Good luck.

01/23/2012, 12:56 AM	#3
Firecoral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 6	Is there anything that would eat it? And if we can't get it off at its base, will it regrow? We were going to order snails and crabs. Or maybe take rock out and let it dry out? We really don't want to do that though...thx

01/23/2012, 10:44 AM	#4
sporto0 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Posts: 2,924	Usually when you have that kind of thick growth, snails & hermits won't touch it or be able to control it, they prefer newer softer growth. I don't know if a seahare would eat it but even if it did, that would not be enough to sustain life. I still think the best bet is to tooth brush or bottle brush it off in the sink, perhaps then a CUC would keep it mowed down, there is always a possibility of regrowth unless you dry it out or cook the rock.