The bubble algea take over

[ItouchedThebutt]

Hello all! So I’m here today to offer insite to my next move, to maybe find a mentor in this. Someone who has over come bubble algea and one!!

So my tank was set up in March, so it’s not all that old. I’ve gone through a Dino out break, now onto a bubble algea outbreak and starting to see green hair algea. Awesome. Dinos along with cyano seem to went away. I know I’ve struggled to keep my phosphates either detectable or at .03ppm. I do weekly 5 gal water changes in my Red Sea 170 which is about 40 gallons total. I’ve swapped over to tropic Marin bioactif salt and have done maybe 5-6 water changes in my normal routine since doing so.

I am in two camps at the moment. And would like advice or insite. The nuke it option with vibrant aquarium cleaner. Or I have tropic marins carbon dosing system, to raise my phosphates and then does the bacto balance. I ultimately want to get there just have not started yet. I listen to a lot of Lou and he sounds ***** convincing. Just looking for some advice. I will say my lights are on a 12 hour schedule with a 2 hour ramp up and 2 hour ramp down. No skimmer, I have a “failed fuge” as in my Cheto has not grown any at all. Hasn’t died but no growth. That’s lit by a AI fuge at 30% or 40% during the same duration as the tank lights are on. Here’s some pics of my out break, please don’t judge me it’s ugly.

 

[Slocke]

Is the tank big enough for a Foxface and have you tried emerald crabs?

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Is the tank big enough for a Foxface and have you tried emerald crabs?

Not unless I buy a baby fox face and rehome, which I don’t personally want to try. I’ve had one in my 60 gallon in the past and didn’t see much help but then again I never had a large outbreak. I do have an emerald crab and don’t see much reduction. Granted it’s just one but I also never see him picking at it.

 

[KrisReef]

I saw a 2 inch Foxface yesterday at a LFS that could help out with this tank.

If you think Vibrant will work then you have not looked at all the threads on here on Vibrant.

Can you reduce the light period, use a toothbrush to scrub the algae, and siphon out the excess funk during the water change?

 

[Slocke]

I saw a 2 inch Foxface yesterday at a LFS that could help out with this tank.

If you think Vibrant will work then you have not looked at all the threads on here on Vibrant.

Can you reduce the light period, use a toothbrush to scrub the algae, and siphon out the excess funk during the water change?

I mean vibrant will kill the algae as it is an algaecide. It just lies about what it actually is.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello all! So I’m here today to offer insite to my next move, to maybe find a mentor in this. Someone who has over come bubble algea and one!!

So my tank was set up in March, so it’s not all that old. I’ve gone through a Dino out break, now onto a bubble algea outbreak and starting to see green hair algea. Awesome. Dinos along with cyano seem to went away. I know I’ve struggled to keep my phosphates either detectable or at .03ppm. I do weekly 5 gal water changes in my Red Sea 170 which is about 40 gallons total. I’ve swapped over to tropic Marin bioactif salt and have done maybe 5-6 water changes in my normal routine since doing so.

I am in two camps at the moment. And would like advice or insite. The nuke it option with vibrant aquarium cleaner. Or I have tropic marins carbon dosing system, to raise my phosphates and then does the bacto balance. I ultimately want to get there just have not started yet. I listen to a lot of Lou and he sounds ***** convincing. Just looking for some advice. I will say my lights are on a 12 hour schedule with a 2 hour ramp up and 2 hour ramp down. No skimmer, I have a “failed fuge” as in my Cheto has not grown any at all. Hasn’t died but no growth. That’s lit by a AI fuge at 30% or 40% during the same duration as the tank lights are on. Here’s some pics of my out break, please don’t judge me it’s ugly.

Known as Velonia can be challenging to reach each and every one. Vibrant I find to be an alternative and not a solution. While there is a success rate with this product, Ive seen many tanks suffer also. Best success to it do removal in a container of tank water taking the rock out.
If not possible . . . . Take a small needle and have 3/8 tubing ready and attach to end of tubing with rubber band and pop each one and siphon at same time- You will have removed all spores and foreign material in area.
Had to do this in the past with birdsnest coral and was gone 100%.
Other option is to add pitho crabs or emerald crabs (which I do not trust) which will eat them

 

[RC_Reefer]

I was battling Bubble Algae for a while recently.

Here are the 3 things that did the trick for me.

- Lots of manual removal
While the return is still running, get your vacuum going and run the discharge through a filter sock in your sump. Use a toothbrush (use both ends) or tongs to manually remove the bubbles. Suck them up with the vacuum and the filter sock collects them.

- Get a bunch or emerald crabs
I can't say for certain if they truly eat the big bubbles, but I think they eat them when the algae is really small.

- Get a Foxface if your tank can support it.
I got a regular Foxface and he loves bubble algae! The smallest Foxface is the One Spot Foxface.

Honestly manual removal seems to have got me over the hump, then the crabs and the Foxface did the rest.

 

[tREEFarm]

Pitho crabs worked for me!

 

[jkcoral]

Some trochus snails, a couple of Mexican turbos, and maybe 2 pitho crabs would make great workers and help avoid chemical treatments like vibrant.

Pitho crabs are relatively unknown, but I cannot recommend them enough. Unlike emerald crabs that may or may not touch bubble algae and usually become a nuisance, pithos destroy the stuff and are model citizens.

Been reefing a long time, and after trying the pithos for the first time a year ago, I will never think about another emerald again.

 

[jkcoral]

Pitho crabs worked for me!

Best kept secret! They are awesome.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I saw a 2 inch Foxface yesterday at a LFS that could help out with this tank.

If you think Vibrant will work then you have not looked at all the threads on here on Vibrant.

Can you reduce the light period, use a toothbrush to scrub the algae, and siphon out the excess funk during the water change?

I can, I’ll admit I have not tried this. I’m not against fox face, it’s just a pain catching fish later on to rehome as my rocks are all superglued together.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Known as Velonia can be challenging to reach each and every one. Vibrant I find to be an alternative and not a solution. While there is a success rate with this product, Ive seen many tanks suffer also. Best success to it do removal in a container of tank water taking the rock out.
If not possible . . . . Take a small needle and have 3/8 tubing ready and attach to end of tubing with rubber band and pop each one and siphon at same time- You will have removed all spores and foreign material in area.
Had to do this in the past with birdsnest coral and was gone 100%.
Other option is to add pitho crabs or emerald crabs (which I do not trust) which will eat them

What are pitho crabs? My emerald crab either can’t keep up or doesn’t eat any of it.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I will try the manual removal of all the algae, I like the running the return to the filter sock for a non stop siphon. I will look into pithos crabs as an alternative. Never seen my lfs stock them maybe they can order me some.

Aside from Manuel removal. Does anyone here have experience with carbon dosing, specially tropic Marin products?

 

[vetteguy53081]

What are pitho crabs? My emerald crab either can’t keep up or doesn’t eat any of it.

Bubble algae will grow at a faster rate than they can keep up with.

Pitho Crab:

 

[jkcoral]

I got a few rocks from a friend shutting their tank down. Didn’t know they had bubble algae and it exploded.

This first picture is from right before I added the pithy crabs, and the last photo was 4 days later. They are awesome.

 

[RC_Reefer]

Aside from Manuel removal. Does anyone here have experience with carbon dosing, specially tropic Marin products?

I just started dosing Tropic Marin Plus-NP
I'm having trouble keeping P04 up during my battle with Dinos.
I've only been dosing it for 3 days now.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Bubble algae will grow at a faster rate than they can keep up with.

Pitho Crab:

Looks like a tick with claws. Where can I get some reliably all 3 LFS have never heard of these guys.

 

[TheStrangler]

I'm also on the +1 Pithos bandwagon. They're like $6 each from Reefcleaners

Pitho Crab

Resides : Rocks and horizontal surfaces Consumes : Hair Algae, Complex Macroalgae and Turf Algae Max Size (Carapace): Males 1.25 or 30mm - Females 1.5 or 40mm Origin :...

www.reefcleaners.org

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I just started dosing Tropic Marin Plus-NP
I'm having trouble keeping P04 up during my battle with Dinos.
I've only been dosing it for 3 days now.

So my tank started with a Dino out break, I just test my phosphate and it’s .11 witch explains why my Dino’s went away and other algae exploded. I’m about to start dosing bacto balance since my phosphate is in a good range. For the longest time it was .03 or lower that’s when Dino’s were bad. I’ve been kinda feeding heavily with reef foods to help naturally bump it while the corals get to feast to.

Problem is my nitrates stay at 0 even with .11 phosphates or 0 phosphates. Think that’s what the algae is sucking up heavily now?

Looking back at my tests logs phosphates fluctuate a lot with me while nitrates are a steady 0-1 for the most part my phosphates stayed .03 or below except a few months back they got to .16

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I'm also on the +1 Pithos bandwagon. They're like $6 each from Reefcleaners

Pitho Crab

Resides : Rocks and horizontal surfaces Consumes : Hair Algae, Complex Macroalgae and Turf Algae Max Size (Carapace): Males 1.25 or 30mm - Females 1.5 or 40mm Origin :...

www.reefcleaners.org

How many would you recommend? And is that a reliable source to order from?