Neptune Aquatics

Massive bubble algae bloom (solutions?)

Haven’t read the thread, but smashing and siphoning is what I try to do. I think smashing and dislodging can help tempt fish to try it as well sometimes
 
Went with pincushion urchin today. Although so far -he is not doing much -but I will check out this reefcleaners website

@Kensington Reefer -tank too small for a rabbit fish. Plus the last one I had couldn’t have bothered in the last tank. If I had space I’d get another desjardin tang-that did the trick and was a really pretty fish.
The rabbitfish thanks you for considering the spacial limitations of your tank and it’s requirments.
That said a desjardini tang will get larger than a dinner plate
 
Never heard of them. What do they look like?
Screenshot_20221013-211921_Google.jpg
 
Biological controls are hit and miss, and you are likely going to want to scrape the algae off to get the hervirores to start eating the algae - they are like deer, they eat the shoots and leaves, not the branches (bigger one can eat the branches, but our tanks are generally too small for those fish).
I don't think nutirents have much at all to do with managing algae - algae are just too good at life. Take an hour, scape and brush, and your herbivores are more likely to help keep it in check.
 
Same as I told you yesterday. It’s not your nutrients as we discussed when you came in. Manually remove as much as you can reach, don’t worry about popping them!! Pop as much as you want, that’s how emerald crabs, fox faces, etc eat the Mc they have to pop them first. Like @Thales said, algae predators don’t eat whole trees, they want the fresh saplings, so pop away, use metal forceps and pull out as much as possible, it’s actually quite rewarding!!!! No pox isn’t going to make your algae go away, your nutrients seemed fine to me. Like I said on my 100gl reef, if high nutrients were the cause of algae then that tank would be covered in theory, being phosphate is about 1.2 and nitrates are at 100. I’ve been dosing no pox just to get my nutrients down a bit, nothing to do with algae control. when you looked at both my reefs yesterday, I explained to you that the reason for no algae being in either tank, even the one that was started with dry rock almost 3 months ago and has had no ugly stage, isn’t because I run ultra low nutrients, I run high nutrients on all my systems some are really high! No algae! All due to natural predators of algae. The more the merrier! I do still believe in red field ratio though, but that is a whole other topic that doesn’t need to be opened up here. Get more predators!!! And manually remove as much as you can get to, most of all have fun while your doing it, don’t treat it as a burden!
 
Same as I told you yesterday. It’s not your nutrients as we discussed when you came in. Manually remove as much as you can reach, don’t worry about popping them!! Pop as much as you want, that’s how emerald crabs, fox faces, etc eat the Mc they have to pop them first. Like @Thales said, algae predators don’t eat whole trees, they want the fresh saplings, so pop away, use metal forceps and pull out as much as possible, it’s actually quite rewarding!!!! No pox isn’t going to make your algae go away, your nutrients seemed fine to me. Like I said on my 100gl reef, if high nutrients were the cause of algae then that tank would be covered in theory, being phosphate is about 1.2 and nitrates are at 100. I’ve been dosing no pox just to get my nutrients down a bit, nothing to do with algae control. when you looked at both my reefs yesterday, I explained to you that the reason for no algae being in either tank, even the one that was started with dry rock almost 3 months ago and has had no ugly stage, isn’t because I run ultra low nutrients, I run high nutrients on all my systems some are really high! No algae! All due to natural predators of algae. The more the merrier! I do still believe in red field ratio though, but that is a whole other topic that doesn’t need to be opened up here. Get more predators!!! And manually remove as much as you can get to, most of all have fun while your doing it, don’t treat it as a burden!
Going to need a small chisel or ice picker at this point to get it off the rocks!
But to @Thales & your point biological controls are hit and miss. I have definitely learned that over time. Nopox is now to bring down the levels a bit hopefully.
May be back @under_water_ninja to get a couple of crabs as well!
 
The herbivore ideas are covered above, so I won't rehash that.
Unfortunately no perfect solution.

If algae is exploding, you should look at nutrient reduction.
Agree with Rich that Algae will grow no matter what. But you do want to avoid creating a perfect environment for it.
In particular, check phosphates. Add GFO in a sock if needed.

Another option is tough (easy) plating and encrusting corals, especially in lower areas.
Kill the bubble corals right next to the colony as it grows.
Eventually the coral takes over the rock, leaving no more spots for algae.
 
Watch reefcleaners for pitho crabs, that’s where i got mine. He’s pretty awesome, but he flips corals on the sand bed like it’s a full time job. I see it as he’s really just holding me accountable to getting my corals glued down.:D

I don’t have any bubble algae so i can’t speak to that….correlation, or causation?!
 
Watch reefcleaners for pitho crabs, that’s where i got mine. He’s pretty awesome, but he flips corals on the sand bed like it’s a full time job. I see it as he’s really just holding me accountable to getting my corals glued down.:D

I don’t have any bubble algae so i can’t speak to that….correlation, or causation?!
I've been using these to keep things from getting knocked over. You "screw" them into the sand and it really holds them down well. https://printedreef.com/products/frag-plug-sand-stand
 
Watch reefcleaners for pitho crabs, that’s where i got mine. He’s pretty awesome, but he flips corals on the sand bed like it’s a full time job. I see it as he’s really just holding me accountable to getting my corals glued down.:D

I don’t have any bubble algae so i can’t speak to that….correlation, or causation?!
I don’t keep corals on the sandbed as my tigershark goby just buries them! But it’s good to know about pithos. Currently out of stock but will be notified when they have them.
 
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