Algae ID

[Biggen]

Hey folks,

I have been fighting with an outbreak of this algae that I haven't been able to identify. It doesn't appear to be Bropsis as it isn't feathery like Bropsis is. It almost looks like a type of turf algae to me. Almost like Chaeto. It is very tough and it grows in clumps. It is starting to spread from rock to rock despite cutting down on my feedings to the tank. I have my macro algae for my refuge coming in tomorrow so hopefully after my refuge gets kicked into high gear, it will slow this stuff down. My astreas and turbos won't touch this stuff. The hermits kind of pick at it now and then, but don't seem to stay interested in it for very long. My emeralds will also pick at it occasional, but like the hermits, not they don't seem to eat much of it. I wonder if a lawnmower would help in this cause to remove it.

I took this picture with the flash on to try and bring out some detail of this junk.

Thanks guys!

 

[reefrunner69]

Cladophora or Cladophoropsis

 

[Biggen]

Hmm. Well I wonder what will eat this stuff. I don't mind if it starts growing in the refuge, but I can't have it in the display. One of my rocks is beginning to look like it has a green carpet put on it.

Think a lawnmower would take care of it? I hate using fish for this kind of work but I have got to do something in the meantime until I figure out a more concrete plan of attack.

An urchin may be a thought as well. Hmm....

 

[steve-s]

I would lean more towards the Cladophora. The lawnmower won't make a dent in that stuff it's too tough. Might scrape it's surfaces but that's about it. Hermits, turbo's and tangs are about your only option for control.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Biggen]

Hermits, turbo's and tangs are about your only option for control.

Grrrr... I was afraid someone was going to say that. Well, as I said before, the turbos and astreas don't even touch it. I have seen them move right over it looking for better food I guess. The crabs do seem to play around with it, but they don't seem to mess with it for long.

I only have about 15 hermits in the tank with 2 emeralds. This is in a 40 gallon. I wonder if I should "step up" the hermit crab population to see what happens. Any particular crab you would suggest? In the picture I took, it looks like one of my dwarf zebra hermits is giving in a whack...

What about a yellow tang? My tank is really to small, length wise, to properly support a tang though.

 

[steve-s]

In the picture I took, it looks like one of my dwarf zebra hermits is giving in a whack...

The zebra is the best macro algae hermit aside from the true scarlet that will bother with it much. The only problem is that due to the size most lefthandeds are sold at, you'd need about 30 8O .

My tank is really to small, length wise, to properly support a tang though.

I'd agree. If you have no corals you could try a tiger cowrie. Lettuce nudi's are also a possibility but if you have any powerheads or a skimmer pump in the tank, I wouldn't recommend it.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Biggen]

you'd need about 30

Hehe. Heck, with 30 dwarfs plus what I already have, it will look like I am breeding the darn things... I suppose I could buy that many, but I imagine most would die off after the algae is gone. Kinda a shame...

The scarlets are just too darn expensive. They start at around $2.00 a piece and go up from there...

The cowrie is out. Too much coral in the tank to risk that little guy eating everything. I also have two PH's in the tank so I guess the nudi is out. If it were to get sucked into a PH, I might as well break the tank down and start over.

So what are my options then? Lets see...

1. Buy another ~30 dwarf left handers and see what happens. I imagine even with this many crabs it may take quite a while to get this stuff under control.

2. Purchase the smallest yellow tang I can find and let it go to town on this stuff. The return it to the LFS after I have made sure this algae is indeed gone from the tank. Of course, this assumes I can catch the guy to take him back.

3. Urchin? Possibly a Blue Pincushion Urchin? But I have never seen one at the LFS so this would have to be a special order and there is no way of knowing if it will touch the stuff until I get it in the tank.

4. Lettuce nudi. If I didn't have any PH's this would be the "no brainer" solution in my mind. Covering the PH's is not really something I want to do as I will have to clean off the intake filters everyday to remove uneaten food, waste, etc... that will have been sucked onto it.

Crap!

:?

 

[steve-s]

3. Urchin? Possibly a Blue Pincushion Urchin? But I have never seen one at the LFS so this would have to be a special order and there is no way of knowing if it will touch the stuff until I get it in the tank.

DOH!! Completely forgot about those puppies. A blue tuxedo would be an excellent choice. I have one in my 90 and one in my 27. Great little algae eaters and completely reef safe IME. You name it I have it and they never touch anything live.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Biggen]

A blue tuxedo would be an excellent choice. I have one in my 90 and one in my 27. Great little algae eaters and completely reef safe IME. You name it I have it and they never touch anything live.

Any problem with them overturning anything in your tank (i.e. corals or rocks)? This would be the only thing that I would be leary of. It looks like they only get up to 3 inches in diameter so that isn't too big at all. They freely roam around the tank or do they stick to certain areas?

I have an acrylic tank. Any problems with this guy on the tank walls? I don't think his spines would cause a problem, but I wonder if his beak could cause any trouble.

I'll check with the LFS today to see if they can get one.

 

[steve-s]

They are quite prone to "aquiring" small items on their way by but they will not bull doze through things. I have often observed the ones I have and they will actually detect a coral and actually move around it rather than over it.

If it's small enough and not anchored it'll get picked up but otherwise you will have no concerns.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Biggen]

Excellent. I have my LFS looking for one now. He quoted me ~$25 which I didn't think was bad. I see them over the internet for around $16 but that doesn't include shipping it to me.

I'll let you know when I get it in.