Bubble Algae

[jgoal55]

I've never had bubble algae in my tank but a frag I bought recently had a very small piece of bubble algae (maybe the size of of a BB).

I didn't notice it until I placed it in the tank and so now I am wondering what the best way to get rid of it is???

I have pro coral cure????????/

 

[sprayin70]

just pull it out

 

[jgoal55]

ok thanks, simple enough.....but after i pull it out.....do i pop it or something? or just clean it off with an algae sponge or something....

 

[sprayin70]

Just pull the ba off and throw it away!

 

[jgoal55]

wow....cool....why cant all reef issues be this easy to solve????

 

[sprayin70]

it's not when the ba runs wild. I had to cook my rocks for over a month to kill all the ba. Great save . Always pull that stuff of before you put a coral in your tank. IMHO

 

[wolfie]

MAKE SURE YOU PULL IT OUT OUTSIDE OF THE TANK.... Never pull them out inside out your tank......

Once it is pull out then wash your frag with FW dip then place it back inside

 

[jgoal55]

ok, and the FW dip part...whats the best way of doing that? never done that either?

 

[FutureInterest]

The BA is filled with spores so if you pop it in the tank, you'll have much more BA eventually. FW dip isn't going to do much to the BA, nor will a coral solution dip.

 

[jgoal55]

but you do the FW dip after you pull it off from what I understand right?

 

[FutureInterest]

You can... the dip will only be useful to wash the spores off if you've popped it by accident. From my understanding the FW won't kill the spores unless you keep them in the FW for a long time... which would prolly kill the coral. So just rinse it off essentially. Use some tweezers and try not to pop it. G/L.

 

[jgoal55]

good idea thanks....

 

[simon_kruger]

If getting at the Bubble Algae is an issue, i.e. too deep in your tank, or on a piece of LR that is not removable. Try Emerald Crabs. I have personally has some good success with them. I'm all for the natural way of curing things.

Good luck.

 

[dakota9]

I bought some lr off ebay, although it was a local seller in marietta, she said it was Dr. Foster's and Smith, but I doubt it. It was all white when I got it, but turned out ok as now it has some coraline on it. 6 months after butting it in my tank, it grew two Bubble Algae on it. It never spread, and a year later they are still just the two on one rock. If I were going to get rid of them, I'd use the FW dip method described above because of the thousands of spores inside the bubble algae, but like I said it's never spread. Infact, I think it actually looks kinda cool in my tank although I've seen a really nice reef tank that had a lot of bubble algae and it detracted from the look, so leaving it is a crap shoot. good luck! Dakota

 

[kappaknight]

Simon.Kruger;46669 wrote: If getting at the Bubble Algae is an issue, i.e. too deep in your tank, or on a piece of LR that is not removable. Try Emerald Crabs. I have personally has some good success with them. I'm all for the natural way of curing things.

Good luck.

Maybe I should get some MD blue crabs... I have one possibly two that are the size of a golf ball.

 

[siege]

I've never heard of anything besides Emerald Crabs eating bubble algae... and unless your tank is huge, those blue crabs may outgrow your tank quickly (unless you were planning on having them for dinner anyway). Only a LARGE emerald crab would even think about attacking a piece the size of a golf ball, and I doubt even the biggest mithrax would try it, since the skin on the BA gets pretty tough pretty quickly. When you've got pieces that big that can't be removed manually without risk of popping them, I suggest doing all your tank maintenance, start everything back up, turn on all powerheads for max possible flow, remove the BA, and then start a two to three day lights-out period. the high water flow and the lack of light will make it hard for the BA spores to find a good new home, and should help mitigate the chances of any further outbreak.

 

[mattrg_2000]

Does anyone know of an LFS sponsor with emerald crabs in stock?

 

[washowi]

That whole crab thing ....doesn't seem right to me....Once they eat it....(if they d)o..The thing pops or leaks right...so the spores are released..hence more algae.

Rip it out..Take the whole rock out, scrub it....wash it and pray you got all of it.

 

[siege]

washowi;46787 wrote: That whole crab thing ....doesn't seem right to me....Once they eat it....(if they d)o..The thing pops or leaks right...so the spores are released..hence more algae.

Rip it out..Take the whole rock out, scrub it....wash it and pray you got all of it.

I always kind of wondered about that myself, but I understood the theory to be that the crabs (note plural, most people seem to recommend having a couple of them) bust open the big ones and then bust the smaller ones that form before they have a chance to get big, and just keep eating them until the environment is basically too hostile for the BA to have a chance to take hold.

Pure supposition on my part, though.

 

[jefft]

I've had excellent results getting rid of my BA with my Emerald Crabs they even took care of some red slime also, I also noticed my Sally Light Foot Crab spent some quality time on the BA also.