Bubble Algae completely destroyed

Mattscubeofwater · Nov 14, 2018

I’m writing this thread because I wanted to post my experience with a combination of products that I had been using to try to eradicate a minor bubble algae takeover in my tank. I’m not sure how it entered my system, but I started noticing small amounts of it scatter thought my 90 gallon cube. It wasn’t really a problem. It didn’t grow in size so I left it alone. Big mistake. This algae can really take over fast and can propagate it good water parameters.

I started my treatment on October 15 after reading people had good results with Vibrant but that it was killing their snails. I had already been using Nopox sparingly. I also added 4 emerald crabs two weeks prior, but I’m convinced these guys do not eat the large bubbles, instead preferring to eat the bubble algae that is not quite visible.

I used the Max dose of Nopox regardless of what nitrates we’re testing and dosed if 1 time per week. The following day I would dose vibrate at its max dose. I would dose vibrant two times per week.

After three days there wasn’t much difference. However you can barely see in the pics the color change on some of the bubbles.

Mattscubeofwater · Nov 14, 2018

After 3 weeks of this, Along with water changes and skimming, the bubble algae was really starting to die off. Keep in mind that these pics were just a small representation of the amount of bubble algae in my tank. A lot of it was hard to photograph but the pics representative of what was happening throughout the system.

landlubber · Nov 14, 2018

1 or 2 emerald crabs can completely turn a bubble algae outbreak in a tank around in 1 week. I'm not a huge fan of them staying in the system permanently but I'm even less of a fan of dumping anything in my tank that isn't food, fish, coral or new salt water.

Mattscubeofwater · Nov 14, 2018

As this week, about a month after treatment began, there is barely a trace of the bubble algae. The only bit of it left is the empty broken bubbles still attached to some parts of the rock, if any. All my livestock survived. No snail losses of any kind. For the people that lost snails, my guess is that you have other things going on in your tank. I mostly grow SPS, with scattered LPS and my parameters are pretty consistent.

Further, as others have stated, I think that when nuisance algae is present, testing for nitrates and phosphates is pointless. Just assume that both of those parameters are very high. Testing is inaccurate due to them being absorbed immediately.

KH 8.5
Cal 450
Mag 1350
Salinity 1.025
Nitrates < 5
Phosphates .03

I hope this helps anyone dealing with bubble algae. From what I’ve seen, This algae is the type of problem that people quit the hobby over and had been my most difficult challenge since entering reefing due to there being no clear cut solutions. Manual removal is a bit like a dog chasing their tale and just makes the problem worse as not mater how careful you are, spores WILL be released multiplying the problem.

To recap. Nopox + vibrant + emerald crabs eradicated the bubble algae. In two weeks I will stop the vibrant and we shall see what happens. My hope is that the emerald crabs will keep in in check if any comes back

miyags · Nov 14, 2018

Good pictures,you can really see the bubble algae dying.And not being eatin by crabs.

Mical · Nov 14, 2018

Foxface was my cure for bubble algae. Had a bad case of BA on a large rock covered by 3 BTAs, crabs couldn't get close but Foxface "hoovered it up" in less than a week. He also doubled in size.

Mattscubeofwater · Nov 14, 2018

landlubber said:
1 or 2 emerald crabs can completely turn a bubble algae outbreak in a tank around in 1 week. I'm not a huge fan of them staying in the system permanently but I'm even less of a fan of dumping anything in my tank that isn't food, fish, coral or new salt water.

This is not true. There was simply to much of it for them to even make a dent. You can clearly see that the algae is dying off and not being eaten. I would watch the crabs eat around the large bubble algae.

Yes some crabs gobble the stuff down. Yes some tangs or some rabbit fish gobble it down. But sometime they dont. Sometime tangs don’t touch it. Sometime crabs don’t touch it. Then your left with the livestock. And if your adding a fish your at least 60 days from being able to add it if your QTing it properly.

Bottom line is there are several ways to accomplish a task. This thread was the way I delt with it using chemicals. I’m simply posting what I did and the results

landlubber · Nov 14, 2018

Mattscubeofwater said:
This is not true. There was simply to much of it for them to even make a dent. You can clearly see that the algae is dying off and not being eaten. I would watch the crabs eat around the large bubble algae.

This thread is meat for those of us who have tried everything and are looking for a chemical solution. I’m simply posting what I did and the results.

I understand that and I think its great that you're sharing your results.
the comment I made using crabs was my anecdotal experience over the course of 2 separate MAJOR outbreaks and the result was the same positive outcome both times. I've also had poor results the couple of times I've resorted to chemical interventions in a reef system. the chemical gets added, it impacts the issue it's supposed to cure but the following months are spend playing a game of trying to regain chemical stability in the system. during this unstable period coral doesn't grow and the microfauna in the system is heavily affected.
I recommend that you do what works for you but for me, reefing is about learning what works and what doesn't. in my experiences adding quick fix, mystery fluids to a system that relies on biological + chemical balance and outright stability to succeed has never been the best solution. if it was you'd see the industry pros standing behind these products and backing their success with them.
I'm happy to hear you have it sorted out... I just prefer to always use natural interventions over chemical is all.

Mattscubeofwater · Nov 14, 2018

landlubber said:
I understand that and I think its great that you're sharing your results.
the comment I made using crabs was my anecdotal experience over the course of 2 separate MAJOR outbreaks and the result was the same positive outcome both times. I've also had poor results the couple of times I've resorted to chemical interventions in a reef system. the chemical gets added, it impacts the issue it's supposed to cure but the following months are spend playing a game of trying to regain chemical stability in the system. during this unstable period coral doesn't grow and the microfauna in the system is heavily affected.
I recommend that you do what works for you but for me, reefing is about learning what works and what doesn't. in my experiences adding quick fix, mystery fluids to a system that relies on biological + chemical balance and outright stability to succeed has never been the best solution. if it was you'd see the industry pros standing behind these products and backing their success with them.
I'm happy to hear you have it sorted out... I just prefer to always use natural interventions over chemical is all.

I agree with you On nearly nearly everything you said especially when it comes to things like chemiclean but this bubble algae was different for me. I spent 6 months trying to rid this stuff but it was getting to plague proportion. I would halt the progress but couldn’t reduce it. Further it was starting to uproot my Monti plates. My hope is that the emerald crabs will take over from here kind of like the peppermint shrimp ate my aptasia’s but I had to kill the large ones with aptasia x because they were to big for them. I haven’t seen an aptasia since. I also have been not seen any detriment in growth. My red planet grew about a half inch. Further I don’t think it’s a miracle potion. Both products are essentially carbon dousing but vibrant also has beneficial bacteria

Either way I appreciate your comment and your method is obviously the preferred choice.

Oshengems · Nov 14, 2018

I can tell you on my 75g one single emerald held BA well enough that you couldn’t tell I had it, I know the OP was on chemicals to achieve this, but because this is my 2nd male I will share my experience. Female emeralds frankly don’t do anything but eat bits of algae directly in front of them BA is completely ignored. On the other hand males are bulldozers constantly eating non stop hair or BA or most of the algea on rocks constantly scrapping. I’m only posting this because I had went through 3 females before I added a male which in one week cleaned up! He’s been on the downside lately and think he’s going to perish, I was T my local petco yesterday and saw another male and decided to test this theory added him to the rock where most algea is growing he went straight for the BA. Again could be all just luck but males seem to do a better job at CUC than females.

sghera64 · Nov 14, 2018

@Mattscubeofwater please give us an update in about a month so we know how this ends up after you are off of the Vibrant. Good or not, It’s all useful to the rest of us

Mattscubeofwater · Nov 15, 2018

sghera64 said:
@Mattscubeofwater please give us an update in about a month so we know how this ends up after you are off of the Vibrant. Good or not, It’s all useful to the rest of us

Will do!

Rc1989 · Nov 15, 2018

Mattscubeofwater said:
Will do!

I just did my second dose. After the first dose, you could see the bubble algae losing color after the second day. I have had your same results. I also added 3 emerald crabs and siphon BA out on the weekly. I hope this continues to work for me. Thanks for the update.

phil bevilacqua · Nov 21, 2018

landlubber said:
I understand that and I think its great that you're sharing your results.
the comment I made using crabs was my anecdotal experience over the course of 2 separate MAJOR outbreaks and the result was the same positive outcome both times. I've also had poor results the couple of times I've resorted to chemical interventions in a reef system. the chemical gets added, it impacts the issue it's supposed to cure but the following months are spend playing a game of trying to regain chemical stability in the system. during this unstable period coral doesn't grow and the microfauna in the system is heavily affected.
I recommend that you do what works for you but for me, reefing is about learning what works and what doesn't. in my experiences adding quick fix, mystery fluids to a system that relies on biological + chemical balance and outright stability to succeed has never been the best solution. if it was you'd see the industry pros standing behind these products and backing their success with them.
I'm happy to hear you have it sorted out... I just prefer to always use natural interventions over chemical is all.

What do you recommend? My tank is clean but bubble everywhere

phil bevilacqua · Nov 21, 2018

bronxreef said:
I can tell you on my 75g one single emerald held BA well enough that you couldn’t tell I had it, I know the OP was on chemicals to achieve this, but because this is my 2nd male I will share my experience. Female emeralds frankly don’t do anything but eat bits of algae directly in front of them BA is completely ignored. On the other hand males are bulldozers constantly eating non stop hair or BA or most of the algea on rocks constantly scrapping. I’m only posting this because I had went through 3 females before I added a male which in one week cleaned up! He’s been on the downside lately and think he’s going to perish, I was T my local petco yesterday and saw another male and decided to test this theory added him to the rock where most algea is growing he went straight for the BA. Again could be all just luck but males seem to do a better job at CUC than females.

How can I tell it’s a male?

JMetaxas · Nov 21, 2018

3 Emerald crabs in my 40 gal breeder tank did quite the job on the bubble algae.

Super Fly · Nov 21, 2018

foxface or yellow tang will take care of bubble algae

YumaMan · Nov 21, 2018

Besides poisonous dorsal spines, what's the downside of using a foxface to eradicate BA? I have a 120 g reef -- will this house a foxface or will he knock down every acro frag on the rocks as he attempts to find a swimming lane open?