i need suggestions on how to RID my system of this bubble algae !! it is really getting seriously OUT OF CONTROL here. i know that Emerald Crabs are good at helping to prevent it, but what have you guys heard about a serious outbreak ??

i am about ready to just empty all of the rock out of my tank and REPLACE it with stuff from the sump while i blow torch every square inch of the rock in the DT.

Rrrr, I hate nuisance algae! You are running GFO, right?

yup, what i have right now is from Matt and I rearranged my rocks about a month ago. it caused a SERIOUS outbreak.

Well you could try to only use ambient light in the DT for a few days. If you did that, I'd do a water change (limit nutrients) and prune the macro (encourages growth) first. Then I'd plan on doing a water change afterwards using a small diameter tube as a siphon to get as much out as possible.

You might also want to get some caulerpa. I think it grows faster than cheato and might out-compete the BA for nutrients.

Of course, what do I know, every time I think I've beaten the HA in my 54 it comes back. :)

i am making water right now for the waterchange after i start siphoning it out tomorrow. hopefully that will get rid of most of it.

Let me know if you want some caulerpa. This time of the year I could mail it to you easily. I let it set in a soft cooler in my living room for 3 days just to see how it did and it looked the same then as when I took it out of my fuge.

I'll trade my aiptasia infested rock for your bubble algae rocks. :D

That is a trade made in heaven!

a seahare might eat it. I know mine cleaned up my tank really well.

My emeralds never touched the stuff, except very small bubbles. I keep it in check with manual removal.

The only thing you have to keep in mind when using mithrax or emerald crabs, is that when they eat the bubbles, they pop them in the process. Doing exactly what you don't want to do!!!!

I would replace your GFO if its over a month old and get some fresh stuff in there. Also, it seems that when you moved your rocks you probably did one of two things: popped a couple of them in the process or you might of had some accumulated organics in your rockwork and released them into the water column free to be eaten by those round little eyesores.

Manual removal, fresh GFO (do you have a reactor for it?), adding more macro algaes to use up the excess organics, cutting back your photperiod by a couple of hours, or as Carmie suggested for 2-3 days, and then a massive (10-25%) water change followed by smaller, weekly water changes. Attack it from as many angles as possible and it should start to recede.

yeah, i have just changed out the GFO and reduced my lighting by 3 hours per day. i will begin siphoning in the next couple of days.

Manual removal is the best solution. Light won't do anything. Nitrates feeds them. I had this all over my rock in my mantis tank...,,

Hey Patrick...dunno if I said it or not elsewhere, but welcome to TR. You seem to have a clue... nice to have you around ;)

Dave

you might want to replace your gfo every 2 weeks, as it might be getting saturated before that. Switch to Phosar HC. Also, reduce nitrates by adding caulpera and maybe trying some AZ-NO3. Manual remove until contained a bit, then you can place some epoxy puddy on the remaining SMALL patches when they crop up. Worked for me.

Hey Patrick...dunno if I said it or not elsewhere, but welcome to TR. You seem to have a clue... nice to have you around ;)

Dave

Thanks Dave, pleasure to be here and to pass on the little i know.