Losing the battle to bubble algae
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I made caves for my fish to hide, so much poo was under there so I pulled off every frag yesterday and scrubbed all 150lbs of rock, hopefully I will finish today-and no more caves!. So check ur poo/detritus buildup is my advice (I run rowaphos, chemipure, biopellets and purigen-no match for detritus
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Maybe when doing W/c take a power head and blow all rocks off first, cuts down on build up
If you have quality power heads and proper flow, this wouldn't be a problem. A Long time ago when I had my 120, I used 4 K evo and still had poo all over my rocks. I upgraded to two mp40 and my tank went cloudy for 2 days because it was blowing all that crap off my rocks. After it learned up my rocks stayed cleaned and never had a problem with detritus.
From talking to some LFS owners, the issues with Emeralds seem to come from males, not females. I didn't know you could sex them, but there is a subtle difference in the carapace on the underside.
I bought 12 for my 465 a few months ago and had the LFS try to sex the crabs for me so I would not have any males.
Awesome insight, I will have to look into that. My daughter wouldn't allow me to have a tank without emeralds. She goes nutty when I let her hold one haha, she's a tough cookie. It's hard to get her to let me put them back in the tank! (I know, not the nicest thing to do to Emeralds, but never lost one)
The females stay much smaller than the males, apparently. Maybe the males display for the females and do the damage to corals. When the one emerald was cutting the polyps of my torch, I did not see him eat them or anything. Just cut them off and let them go.
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Dave I forgot about that until you mentioned it. Came across this article after someone from the club mentioned troublesome males-
http://glassbox-design.com/2008/mithrax-sculptus-how-to-sex-and-pick-the-valonia-eating-emerald-crab/">http://glassbox-design.com/2008/mithrax-sculptus-how-to-sex-and-pick-the-valonia-eating-emerald-crab/</a>.
Warning: Crab Porn Inside!
http://glassbox-design.com/2008/mithrax-sculptus-how-to-sex-and-pick-the-valonia-eating-emerald-crab/">http://glassbox-design.com/2008/mithrax-sculptus-how-to-sex-and-pick-the-valonia-eating-emerald-crab/</a>.
Warning: Crab Porn Inside!
I can't believe no one has said this already!
Get rid of it manually, one bubble at a time. Cut your pumps off. If you have ridgid tubing great, but I don't. You just connect the ridgid tubing to standard .225" tubing (airline tubing) or just use the airline tubing to carefully break the bubble algae off the rock. It has a "root" and there is a way to break it off and get the whole thing, just go at it from the side. I should mention that all this is being done while you are siphoning water through the tube, effectively sucking out the bubble algae. With the pumps turned off, there is little water movement, and if you happen to pop one, you just hover over it and around it, effectively siphoning out all the spores that would be released and sprad all around the tank if the pumps were on. Chances are, with this method alone, it will come back. That is why you keep emerald crab(s) to finish the job, effectively removing and eating the leftover "root"
Did I mention how effective this method is?
Edit: BTW my emerald crab is not the slightest bit green, its not a greenish grey, it is just grey, and it destroys bubble algae. If you can get a grey one try that.
Get rid of it manually, one bubble at a time. Cut your pumps off. If you have ridgid tubing great, but I don't. You just connect the ridgid tubing to standard .225" tubing (airline tubing) or just use the airline tubing to carefully break the bubble algae off the rock. It has a "root" and there is a way to break it off and get the whole thing, just go at it from the side. I should mention that all this is being done while you are siphoning water through the tube, effectively sucking out the bubble algae. With the pumps turned off, there is little water movement, and if you happen to pop one, you just hover over it and around it, effectively siphoning out all the spores that would be released and sprad all around the tank if the pumps were on. Chances are, with this method alone, it will come back. That is why you keep emerald crab(s) to finish the job, effectively removing and eating the leftover "root"
Did I mention how effective this method is?
Edit: BTW my emerald crab is not the slightest bit green, its not a greenish grey, it is just grey, and it destroys bubble algae. If you can get a grey one try that.
thats exactly what i've been doing so far. but with airline tubing, they have been getting stuck in the tubing, cutting off the siphon.
I'm grabbing a small foxface rabbitfish today to do the job. When he's done, he gets upgraded to my 100 fowlr ( which also has a couple spots)
I'm grabbing a small foxface rabbitfish today to do the job. When he's done, he gets upgraded to my 100 fowlr ( which also has a couple spots)
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Bubble algae is a PAIN. Its one of those things that will pop up... even with VERY clean water, and it takes time to destroy it. I'm winning the battle, but its slow.
Emerald crabs can help.. I believe a naso may also ... havent tried the tang approach yet though.
The other option is to have your sps corals COMPLETELY encrust all your rock
B
Emerald crabs can help.. I believe a naso may also ... havent tried the tang approach yet though.
The other option is to have your sps corals COMPLETELY encrust all your rock
B
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Red Sea Desjardini Sailfin Tangs are known to eat bubble algae as well (not the regular sailfin tang). Can be hit or miss sometimes but we have had great luck with them in our frag tanks.
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