Will any nano sized herbivoire touch this stuff?

[10" Red Devil]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/95606Algae.JPG

I currently have a 20 gallon long but will be upgrading to a 30 long will any nano-sized herbivoire much this stuff down? It is getting a little out of hand. Funny part is that my nitrates/phosphates are at zero (salifert for the nitrate and a hannah phosphate meter for phosphate test).

I have some trochus snails and a few hermits which consist of a Hawaiian Zebra, Mexican Red-Leg, Blue-Legg and a mystery all creme colored little guy.

I was thinking maybe an angel would take care of it, but I have clams and a bunch of SPS frags that I would be extremely worried about getting eaten.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[10" Red Devil]

Oh I guess I should tell you a bit about the tank if you think it might help. The tank is about 4 years old, It is lit by a 150 metal halide pendant that is on for 8 hours. The bulb is a 12K reeflux bulb. Soon will be switching to a 4x39watt Tek T-5 Fixture for the 30 gallon.

I do water changes of 7 gallons every 2 weeks, but I have not done a change in 3 weeks. The Algae has been here since long before I got a little lazy though. Skimmer is a Tunze 9005, I run a fuge on a reverse lighting cycle with Chaeto in the sump. Currently it is completely full to the gills with Chaeto. Flow in the tank consists of 2 Tunze 6025's and a AquaClear powerhead that does a little over 100 gph for sweeping out behind the rocks. The tank is run barebottom.

[10" Red Devil]

Forgot to mention I run Rowa in a reactor I use about 50ml possibly a little more if I remember right. Also run a nano sized Ca reactor that I added to the tank a couple months ago.

[MTB]

Looks kind of like bryopsis. I don't think it is palatable to any herbivore. And angel would be to big for that size tank. There is a sticky at the top of the marine plants forum that may help.

[10" Red Devil]

That is not bryopsis.

[2farNorth]

Well that's all I can say, is Good Luck!!! If it is the same stuff in these threads - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1050184
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1043835


I have been battling this stuff for almost 4 months... And well I gave up, Actually I'm tearing the tank down this weekend, (I'm actually upgrading to a larger tank anyways so...) I have purchased new base rock, and will be purchasing new live rock within the next couple weeks... And I plan on trying to find a way to safely kill this stuff,,

Not to get you discouraged but..... Here is what I found out so far....

I know that if you pull it, be prepared, It comes back 3 times as bad... Shutting the lights off for a couple days, without removing the corals, that doesn't work... Snails ignore it, LMB made it worse, he just picked at it and it spread more... All my parameters were great... My chaeto in the fuge actually died off, because this stuff was soaking every last nutrient out of the water.... water changes, nope, that don't help, actually made it worse...

Sooo... I plan on trying to 'cook' the rock for a few months, and we'll see if that works...

What kind of Live rock do you have? What kind of salt do you use? Just curious...It seems that everyone I ask never seen the stuff... well almost everyone <L> I though I was the only one with this problem!!!... I mainly want to know where it comes from....
Did you add anything recently before this stuff took off?

[10" Red Devil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9878156#post9878156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
Well that's all I can say, is Good Luck!!! If it is the same stuff in these threads - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1050184
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1043835


I have been battling this stuff for almost 4 months... And well I gave up, Actually I'm tearing the tank down this weekend, (I'm actually upgrading to a larger tank anyways so...) I have purchased new base rock, and will be purchasing new live rock within the next couple weeks... And I plan on trying to find a way to safely kill this stuff,,

Not to get you discouraged but..... Here is what I found out so far....

I know that if you pull it, be prepared, It comes back 3 times as bad... Shutting the lights off for a couple days, without removing the corals, that doesn't work... Snails ignore it, LMB made it worse, he just picked at it and it spread more... All my parameters were great... My chaeto in the fuge actually died off, because this stuff was soaking every last nutrient out of the water.... water changes, nope, that don't help, actually made it worse...

Sooo... I plan on trying to 'cook' the rock for a few months, and we'll see if that works...

What kind of Live rock do you have? What kind of salt do you use? Just curious...It seems that everyone I ask never seen the stuff... well almost everyone <L> I though I was the only one with this problem!!!... I mainly want to know where it comes from....
Did you add anything recently before this stuff took off?

Im in Michigan too. Where did you get your rock? I got mine locally here in S.E. Michigan.

Yeap that is what I have alright! Dang! I knew it wasn't good. *Sigh* The problem is I have so many zoos on the same rocks as this stuff that I will kill the zoos if I take the rocks out and scrub them. The other thing is that Im sure all of my coral frags have the stuff or remnants of it on their basis so even if I pulled the rock I would probably just get it again in a little while.

[10" Red Devil]

I have quite a few encrusted mini colonies of sps on these rocks, I hate to try and brake them off and reattach them cant think what damage that would cause. I suppose some of the hardy ones like the montis will survive.

[2farNorth]

I have a 55g setup and ready to go, making the swap tomorow, I'm planning on pulling all the rock, inverts, fish and critters, move them to the 55, then take down the 90... replace it with a 120, all new rock... and basically start over,, I just have to be carefull so I don't infect the new tank...

I'd like to find out what's feeding the stuff... or better yet, where it came from.....

So I take it you didn't add anything new lately?

If you can keep it somewhat under control.. give it some time, I may be able to find out how to get rid of it.... The hardest part is to not hurt anything else in the tank.... If you do pull it out by hand, make sure you syphon at the same time, because it breaks apart really easy and spreads....

oh ya -- YGPM

[waldomas]

Did you try Mexican Turbo snails? They eat just about everything.

[2farNorth]

I'm not sure if their mexican, but I do have some large turbos, and they eat around it....

[10" Red Devil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9880506#post9880506 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
I'm not sure if their mexican, but I do have some large turbos, and they eat around it....

Probably are Mexican its the most common and pretty much the only one most stores sell.

Something has got to eat this stuff.

[10" Red Devil]

bump

[2farNorth]

So whats the status on the Algae?

Confirmation, turbos don't touch it...

Bleach kills it though!!!

[10" Red Devil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10040564#post10040564 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
So whats the status on the Algae?

Confirmation, turbos don't touch it...

Bleach kills it though!!!

I am not 100% but I had a turbo on a patch of mine and I swear it was eating the stuff!! It seems since I got two Mexican Turbos the shear quantity of the stuff has dwindled quite a bit.

[edwing206]

I know it's not bryopsis but maybe you could still raise the Mg to 1600+.

[2farNorth]

I was thinking of trying that... Just for future reference.....

[10" Red Devil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10040833#post10040833 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by edwing206
I know it's not bryopsis but maybe you could still raise the Mg to 1600+.

Does this affect any other algae?

Thanks.

[edwing206]

Nope. Well, except for bryopsis. but yeah....

[reverendmaynard]

This may or may not help, but having your fuge "full to the gills" with chaeto is not really doing you much good. It needs room to grow and you need to prune it regularly. The only way that any macro will help with nutrient problems is if you prune it and remove it from the tank. Otherwise it keeps recycling the same nutrients over and over, with newer growth uptaking and older growth dying off and releasing the nutrients back.

[10" Red Devil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10041949#post10041949 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reverendmaynard
This may or may not help, but having your fuge "full to the gills" with chaeto is not really doing you much good. It needs room to grow and you need to prune it regularly. The only way that any macro will help with nutrient problems is if you prune it and remove it from the tank. Otherwise it keeps recycling the same nutrients over and over, with newer growth uptaking and older growth dying off and releasing the nutrients back.

Good point I have let my fuge go. What percentage of the chaeto should I prune in order to make it effective?

[mecheng]

Did you try a rental foxface? Buy him small and then transfer him once he cleans the place up.

[Uncle Salty 05]

I am not familiar with what it is but it looks like a beneficial macro algae to me. Unless it is just taking over I would just prune it and let it go. Some of the pictures were quite attractive.

[2farNorth]

You may be able to keep it under control in a 20... I myself lost it on my 90... Granted I may have tried harder near the end, But I was planning an upgrade anyways, so.......

6th post down on the 3rd page - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1119950&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Do you have any updated pics? I noticed the stuff I have over time turns dark,, and gets brittle... breaks off really easy....

[ljosh]

Magnesium?

[reverendmaynard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10045693#post10045693 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 10" Red Devil
Good point I have let my fuge go. What percentage of the chaeto should I prune in order to make it effective?

I like to prune it down to about 1/3 of the fuge volume, let it grow to about 2/3, rinse and repeat.:D

[10" Red Devil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10048904#post10048904 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reverendmaynard
I like to prune it down to about 1/3 of the fuge volume, let it grow to about 2/3, rinse and repeat.:D

Thanks.

[Pea-brain]

Have you tried urchins or saltwater acclimated mollies? I hear they are good at eating algae. I have some in my tank but they don't have any algae to eat. I also hear they are bullies, but I don't have any other fish so I can't say anything about that.....

[ocean.mirage]

you neeed to get toyrself a tunze 6045 pump. It will definently take care of that little problem. It is all about flow with algae.