Any sweet SPS tanks out there WITH algae?

[foshizzle]

A while back I added some fish and increased feedings with great results. I've noticed that as my colors have continued to improve I've also started growing algae where there was none before.

I know a lot people see algae growth as a sign of problems in an SPS system, but I'd like to see some thriving SPS tanks WITH algae...

(please detail your herbivore crew as well)

[King-Kong]

There's an important thing to remember; even on the reef, there is a lot of macro algae growth.

And even in successful SPS tanks, there is a lot of algae growth. The thing is, you have to be sure to maintain a high grazing level.

That's why a lot of SPS guys go with lots of tangs and other fish which will graze.

I have about 15 Astrea snails in my tank who do wonders with brown films and a purple tang (and a recently added 2" hippo tang). I do have a red turf algae which grows, but you'd think it was a corraline algae because my purple tang is constantly grazing on it, so it never gets a chance to get any kind of distance away from the rock.

[foshizzle]

well said...

[jay24k]

I only get hair algae on my overflows which is normal. I do have 4 tangs in my tank so they do pick quite a bit also. I'm a BIG believer in snails though. I generally have around 60 to 80 snails at any time of the astreas and about 10 mexican turbos. Also a few conchs and ceriths and nassarius. I only keep about 10 red legs though.

[trueblackpercula]

how many of these tank have sand? Nit trying to bash i was looking into adding sand to my BB tank.
Michael

[zuzecawi]

I keep a nice small growth of algae in my tank. I like it, I get strange macros going sometimes, and when the blenny grazes them to nothing I add more gracilaria. I think the copepod population has skyrocketed since I quit keeping such a sterile tank, and since my mandarin dragonet is my favorite fish, that's a good thing! My sps are all doing well, putting on good growth and gorgeous colors. But I do weekly water changes to keep the algal growth from getting out of control. I have for algae critters:
Lawnmower/Jeweled Blenny
several conchs,
several redlegs and blue legs hermits
more nassarius than I remember (I added 100, maybe half are still alive after hermit wars)
a giant mexican turbo that I'd love to catch someday,
a few astreas
several stomatellas
several bumblebees
several nerites
several neriths
several limpets
the ubiquitious asterinas stars.

[Shawnts106]

I have a bit of hair algae that grows in my overflow, near the spill over... but thats about it

Right now I have a species of Cynobacteria called Phormidium that is gone wild, strangly enough I have researched it and found that it only grows in nutrient poor systems that are brightly lit... GO FIGURE! rrrrrrr

The only things good at eatting it are Tricolor Hermits.

[my2girls]

Foshizzle- great thread topic. I always find it hard to get good color without algae. To be honest, I would rather have mediocre color and no algae. As I get more experienced, I find myself looking at the tank and trying to find faults with it, rather than enjoying the corals. It seems like it's almost not acceptable to have any algae in the tank at all.

[Gary Majchrzak]

corallines are alga....
but I think you mean only greens or browns (?)

[foshizzle]

Originally posted by King-Kong
There's an important thing to remember; even on the reef, there is a lot of macro algae growth.

And even in successful SPS tanks, there is a lot of algae growth. The thing is, you have to be sure to maintain a high grazing level.

That's why a lot of SPS guys go with lots of tangs and other fish which will graze.

So where are the benefits coming from?

Are the higher levels of dissolved nutrients in the water nourishing the coral?
OR
Are the corals benefiting more indirectly from feeding on herbivore poo and microfauna?

[dvanacker]

My bubble aglae has really picked up lately.....but so has my SPS colors. I have been feeding more as well.....seems like a hard balancing act. I was thinking tonight, why are we always so concerned about the smallest algae's?? It's like you've failed if you can have a 100% algae free tank.

[gasman059]

how many of these tank have sand? Nit trying to bash i was looking into adding sand to my BB tank.

stay d course mr barebottom u'll get there lol

[OnlyCrimson]

Originally posted by dvanacker
My bubble aglae has really picked up lately.....but so has my SPS colors. I have been feeding more as well.....seems like a hard balancing act. I was thinking tonight, why are we always so concerned about the smallest algae's?? It's like you've failed if you can have a 100% algae free tank.

Good way of looking at it. Everything in this world is balanced. Just need to find that balance.

[reefgeek84]

Originally posted by King-Kong
There's an important thing to remember; even on the reef, there is a lot of macro algae growth.

And even in successful SPS tanks, there is a lot of algae growth. The thing is, you have to be sure to maintain a high grazing level.

That's why a lot of SPS guys go with lots of tangs and other fish which will graze.

I have about 15 Astrea snails in my tank who do wonders with brown films and a purple tang (and a recently added 2" hippo tang). I do have a red turf algae which grows, but you'd think it was a corraline algae because my purple tang is constantly grazing on it, so it never gets a chance to get any kind of distance away from the rock.

This is very true...people always seem to judge a tank based on algae...You could have the best looking corals and if there is algae people comment on it.

Algae is on the reef all over the place, or else alot of species would not be around.

My girlfriend just tonight commented, that she really likes my marbles in my tank...marbles aka bubble algae, she says they are beautiful...so really it just depends on who you talk to...

[twon8]

i grow chaeto out my ...

i have algea in my tank, mostly red filemtous that my powder brown and lmb take car of. i also recently noticed some kind of green algae growing.

normally anywhere the pods can get to gets cleaned of algae

[murphreef]

i keep cheato and caulerpa in my sump which grows crazy but i have some hair algae in there too on some of the LR rubble.... i also have some brown diatoms on my shallow sand bed.... not a lot but still enough to be noticed... i have a large bloom of halimeda on a rock that some how developed from a hitchicker and now is growing relatively fast...

my 2 yellow tangs and large lawn mower blenny take care of pickin the rocks clean from other forms of algaes.... i have a bubble algae here and there too but they kinda look cool....

i feed my fish pretty heavily and all my sps corals look awesome... i dont have too much of a clean up crew maybe about 20 hermits and 6 medium astrea snails in my 180G tank and thats it.... oh wait i do have a large4" abalone that came in years ago as a hitchicker about the size of a penny hes out every night munching so he probably does a really good job on the algaes

[jeffbrig]

I don't know if I'm ready to throw the "sweet" label on it (yet), but I have a growing collection of SPS and I do have a macroalgae (Dictyota dichotoma) that does pretty well in my tank.

You can see patches on top of the rocks in this picture:


For whatever reason, my 4 tangs (achilles, PBT, yellow, purple) don't eat it it, nor any of my snails. Another experienced reefkeeper told me he has seen Moorish Idols eat it, but I'm not ready to push my luck with those.

It grows in easily removed clumps, which I pull every once in a while, but I have never really tried to eradicate it. It's actually VERY good at helping to attach frag plugs. I figure it's a form of easy nutrient export when pruned.

Other algae growth is pretty limited in the tank. No bubble algae, no hair algae anywhere. I keep a small ball of chaeto in the sump, but it's pretty slow growing, and I rarely wipe down the sides (usually when coralline dots start forming every few weeks).

[Vanquish]

I have lots of red nuisance algae... but last I tasted, my water's salty!

[jeffbrig]

Very punny

[Lunchbucket]

i have tried running very very sterile and my bryopsis still grew and my sps were very light and stopped growing a little i think. i upped my feedings a LOT and added about 2 more fish in my 58gal. since then my SPS have picked up in colors. i added a fuge w/ some cheato w/ a strong bulbs and it has grown well and the bryopsis has slowed a lot. it isn't anchored in the rock as well either. so not sure if it is dieing off but i can only hope.

those who do run a fuge w/ cheato do you run reverse cycle or 24/7??

i do have some cyano that grows on some shaded spots of my rock too

Lunchbucket

[toothman]

I will second the lawn mower blenny, I have one in a large tank and have almost 0 algae and feed my tank daily. Yes the blenny's stomach is always buldging with food. The blenny is really interesting also with its rolling eyes and moving head.

[trueblackpercula]

Lunchbucket

bryopsis still grew

I am starting to get this as well is there anything that eats it?
Michael

[King-Kong]

I had it and threw a lot of lettuce nudibranchs at it. They would only eat the top leafy parts, leaving the green stems behind (went through about 6 lettuce nudis).

Finally, I heard about doliatus and virgatus rabbitfish. Grabbed one, and man did that guy rock! Ate up my bryopsis like it was candy, and TAUGHT my purple tang (who hadnt been touching it) to eat it. Bryopsis all gone.

[Brock Fluharty]

I've had lettuce nudibranch's, and they are cool looking, but they seem very delicate, and smaller than you'd think.

[foshizzle]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket

those who do run a fuge w/ cheato do you run reverse cycle or 24/7??
Lunchbucket

reverse. chaeto grows better with a dark period unlike caulerpa

A sea hare is the best algae eater I have seen. Eats everything (except for this red hair stuff?) and drops large pellets that can easily be siphoned off, but my lawnmower may be my favorite fish