rustypleco
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Messages
- 99
need help please!!! bubbles on rock
- Thread starter rustypleco
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hey Rusty,
It looks like there's a little Cyanobacteria, and green hair algea. When the lights come on, the algea feeds on the light and the nutrients in the water. It gives off gas as a result, these are the
Bubbles.
It looks like there's a little Cyanobacteria, and green hair algea. When the lights come on, the algea feeds on the light and the nutrients in the water. It gives off gas as a result, these are the
Bubbles.
OP
OP
rustypleco
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Messages
- 99
how do i get rid of it and how harmful is it?
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
Cyano comes from excess nutrients. Cutting back feeding by half and reduce your photoperiod by an hour or two, along with regular water changes, will help curb it.
Green Hair is another nuisance algea that is fed by excess nutrients, this could have come in on any new acquisitions. Some crabs like Emrald green Mithrax crAbs are know to eat it as well as others, this will help take care of what is there.
Both algeas need light, that's why the cutting back on photoperiod, will help
The algea is more the symptom, than the problem. The problem is excess nutrients.
Good Luck and hope this helps!
Green Hair is another nuisance algea that is fed by excess nutrients, this could have come in on any new acquisitions. Some crabs like Emrald green Mithrax crAbs are know to eat it as well as others, this will help take care of what is there.
Both algeas need light, that's why the cutting back on photoperiod, will help
The algea is more the symptom, than the problem. The problem is excess nutrients.
Good Luck and hope this helps!
OP
OP
rustypleco
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Messages
- 99
ok i got some rowaphos will that help?
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
That should help pull the Phosphate out of the water. Not really familiar with Rowaphos, but have heard others use it on this site.
With the existing algea, I would suck out the Cyano with airline tubing siphon, and replace the water with new. Some people like to strain it and put it back, but IMO, you can't strain it all out, why bother. The hair algea, try to manually pull out what you can. Any remaining hair, maybe a crab or 2. The crabs help get rid of the hair algea but the nutrients from the algea are still in the tank, now as crab turd. So the crab takes care of the symptom, but actually adds to the overall problem of too many nutrients. The best way to limit the nutrients is careful feeding, and regular water changes. Limiting what goes in the tank and regularly removing what is in the tank is the best way to avoid algea problems.
Beyond this, look for algea turf scrubber on this site. This is a way to use algea against itself, and from what I'm learning it works better than a refugium at exporting nutrients.
Good luck with your tank!
With the existing algea, I would suck out the Cyano with airline tubing siphon, and replace the water with new. Some people like to strain it and put it back, but IMO, you can't strain it all out, why bother. The hair algea, try to manually pull out what you can. Any remaining hair, maybe a crab or 2. The crabs help get rid of the hair algea but the nutrients from the algea are still in the tank, now as crab turd. So the crab takes care of the symptom, but actually adds to the overall problem of too many nutrients. The best way to limit the nutrients is careful feeding, and regular water changes. Limiting what goes in the tank and regularly removing what is in the tank is the best way to avoid algea problems.
Beyond this, look for algea turf scrubber on this site. This is a way to use algea against itself, and from what I'm learning it works better than a refugium at exporting nutrients.
Good luck with your tank!
CaptainAhab
Thanx but no.....
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2008
- Messages
- 2,333
Been gone for awhile and was tooling around the site and have noticed that this seems to be a recurrnig theme (not just about crabs but all inverts)
"The crabs help get rid of the hair algea but the nutrients from the algea are still in the tank, now as crab turd. So the crab takes care of the symptom, but actually adds to the overall problem of too many nutrients."
I'm not sure where it comes from and I don't have any scientific proof but I would think simple biology takes over here. Living things consume food to extract nutrients that there body needs to survive. They excrete what they don't consume. To imply that it is a zero sum game would seem to be highly suspect at best.
To discourage cleanup crew additions because of the zero sum belief would also be suspect
If there is some science behind the statements, drop me a pm w/ the link. I'd love to edumacate muhshelf
"The crabs help get rid of the hair algea but the nutrients from the algea are still in the tank, now as crab turd. So the crab takes care of the symptom, but actually adds to the overall problem of too many nutrients."
I'm not sure where it comes from and I don't have any scientific proof but I would think simple biology takes over here. Living things consume food to extract nutrients that there body needs to survive. They excrete what they don't consume. To imply that it is a zero sum game would seem to be highly suspect at best.
To discourage cleanup crew additions because of the zero sum belief would also be suspect
If there is some science behind the statements, drop me a pm w/ the link. I'd love to edumacate muhshelf
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hey Ahab,
First, I didn't try to discourage any CUC additions. I actually suggested a small CUC addition.
Second, I didn't try to imply a zero-sum theory, just that it's not a perfect solution. I was trying to stress that the algea wasn't the problem, water quality was.
And lastly, it is pretty simple.
The addition of more life to a system, increasing your bioload, all with waste-producing biological systems themselves, to solve the problem of too much waste, seems kinda shtoopd!
First, I didn't try to discourage any CUC additions. I actually suggested a small CUC addition.
Second, I didn't try to imply a zero-sum theory, just that it's not a perfect solution. I was trying to stress that the algea wasn't the problem, water quality was.
And lastly, it is pretty simple.
The addition of more life to a system, increasing your bioload, all with waste-producing biological systems themselves, to solve the problem of too much waste, seems kinda shtoopd!
CaptainAhab
Thanx but no.....
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2008
- Messages
- 2,333
that would all make sense, if that's what the words said
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
CaptainAhab said:
Different words, same point. Just didn't think I had to break it down so far, CUC alone will not end an algea problem. Only hide it for awhile.
Are you here just to bust balls, or are you actually trying to help anybody out?
Jlsardina
Aquarium Advice Addict
CaptainAhab said:
IMO I believe the clean up crews do produce waste but it is minimal compared to what they are removing from the tank. If clean up crews were so bad we would not be adding them to a reef tank. Additionally, if they produce so much waste which only adds to the problem then why do we recycle our sea slugs? Do they not clean up the algae and then starve because there is none left? If the slugs only produced more waste then we would all have some cool looking ones in our tank.
Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinions- and I am all for saving a life (invert or fish) - but the important thing is to just fix the problem and not put a band aid on it. Having emerald crabs in a reef tank is a good thing. I say add the emeralds to assist in the removal of the green hair algae and cut back feeding and lights for a while.
Then again- its just my $0.02.
Flreefer
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wasn't trying to say that they produce a lot of waste, just that they will add to the total waste being produced, in a tank that cant handle the load to begin with. And unless other measures are taken, besides CUC, it will only get worse.
I have a small CUC in my tank, and their purpose is to help prevent high nutrient levels by scavenging uneaten food, and hopefully avoiding algea outbreaks and poor water quality. Not to take care of a problem once it already exists
I did suggest to the OP that a couple Emeralds would help with the algea. IMO there are just more important things to be done to help prevent it in the future ( less food, regular water changes, monitor phosphates)
I have a small CUC in my tank, and their purpose is to help prevent high nutrient levels by scavenging uneaten food, and hopefully avoiding algea outbreaks and poor water quality. Not to take care of a problem once it already exists
I did suggest to the OP that a couple Emeralds would help with the algea. IMO there are just more important things to be done to help prevent it in the future ( less food, regular water changes, monitor phosphates)
dogfish2806
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
For bubble algaa marine biologist recommended to me gettin an emerald crab. I got two and my tank was clean in no time
