Bubble Algea

[Anemone_Fanatic]

You could totally get away with the naso for a while. The tang police will haul me off in chains for this, but according to this article,

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

you could fit one up to 11.5 inches in there. It won't work forever, but it'll have plenty of time to eat every piece of bubble algae in there.

 

[Gtinnel]

Maybe try a bigger emeralds crab...I can't see a wrasse that fits in a 125 eating mine..lol

The wrasse is just a Melanurus and I have only seen him picking at the shell of a dead one once, which is why I just assumed he is killing them. I don’t have a lfs so sourcing ones that are guaranteed to be larger is a challenge.

 

[Gtinnel]

You could totally get away with the naso for a while. The tang police will haul me off in chains for this, but according to this article,

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

you could fit one up to 11.5 inches in there. It won't work forever, but it'll have plenty of time to eat every piece of bubble algae in there.

I can’t in good conscience do it, I believe I’m a honorary member of the tang police. Plus the whole not having a lfs or much of a local reefing community makes it nearly impossible to get rid of a fish when needed.

ETA- Thanks for linking that article, I had never seen it before.

 

[CoralB]

Something’s gotta eat it. What about urchins?

I had 3 tuxedo urchins that didn’t eat the bubble algae , but they did wear them on their backs . It was fun to watch

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Oh ok, not having an LFS willing to take one back after a while changes things. Have you considered a halloween urchin? I understand that they don't carry frags around, are more likely to eat bubble algae than the tuxedos, and also they just look good. I'm also going through bubble algae, and I have a 20 gallon. Big enough for one urchin, but not two. I got a tuxedo for my algae before I knew about the halloween urchins, and while it has a very fashionable bubble algae hat, it hasn't eaten any that I know of. I also tried Vibrant, and it killed a whole rock of bubble algae, but it killed a 7 color trachy with it. I agree with @NowGlazeIT , something's gotta eat it.

 

[tbrown]

I’ve tried cutting back a little but not completely removing food.
He is not I also have a tomini and a purple tang, plus a lawnmower blenny.

The Tomini and Purple get along? I always thought they were conspecifics and would fight in a tank that size. Good news for me!

 

[Gtinnel]

The Tomini and Purple get along? I always thought they were conspecifics and would fight in a tank that size. Good news for me!

If my memory serves conspecific is the same species which obviously they aren’t. They’re not even the same genus.
As for them getting along, yes for the most part. The purple will show dominance and chase the tomini from time to time but he does that with other fish in the tank too, and it’s never more than just chasing the tomini for a second then he backs off.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I removed quite a bit of bubble algae from my tank today and there are several places where I can’t reach it, plus I knocked several of my frags off of the rock while doing it. So I realized I have to find something that will take care of it for me.
I have tried emerald crabs but they don’t last long in my tank, I’m guessing my wrasse is eating them. I’ve tried a foxface and he eats like a pig but doesn’t touch bubble algea.
Is there anything that I’m forgetting that will take care of it for me, or is there a way to encourage a foxface to eat it?

My foxface 'discovered' bubble algae when I was popping it out of crevasses with a bamboo skewer. He chased it down, found he liked it, and now wont leave it alone. Before that he didn't touch it.

 

[tbrown]

The Tomini and Purple get along? I always thought they were conspecifics and would fight in a tank that size. Good news for me!

Yep! Wrong word. I was trying to remember the word for similar body types and was thinking it was conspecific. Anyway, this is great news! I loved my old purple tang but I have a Tomini right now. When I upgrade to the 125 I'm going to need more algae eaters for certain!

 

[Gtinnel]

My foxface 'discovered' bubble algae when I was popping it out of crevasses with a bamboo skewer. He chased it down, found he liked it, and now wont leave it alone. Before that he didn't touch it.

That’s good to hear. I was considering trying to get him to eat a piece when I fed the tank.

 

[Gtinnel]

Yep! Wrong word. I was trying to remember the word for similar body types and was thinking it was conspecific. Anyway, this is great news! I loved my old purple tang but I have a Tomini right now. When I upgrade to the 125 I'm going to need more algae eaters for certain!

As for eating algae I’ve not been overly impressed with either, although I don’t usually have a lot of algae for them to eat. The foxface is an amazing herbivore compared to every other fish that I’ve had IME. However there is a chance they’ll nip at corals.

 

[tbrown]

As for eating algae I’ve not been overly impressed with either, although I don’t usually have a lot of algae for them to eat. The foxface is an amazing herbivore compared to every other fish that I’ve had IME. However there is a chance they’ll nip at corals.

We'll then... Yellow Tang and Foxface it is. The Foxface was coming regardless. I got a Lawnmower yesterday - he's in QT right now.

 

[Gtinnel]

We'll then... Yellow Tang and Foxface it is. The Foxface was coming regardless. I got a Lawnmower yesterday - he's in QT right now.

I have a lawnmower blenny too and my tomini will chase him. There is actually more aggression between my tomini and lawnmower than my purple and tomini.

 

[tbrown]

I have a lawnmower blenny too and my tomini will chase him. There is actually more aggression between my tomini and lawnmower than my purple and tomini.

I've heard that tangs will chase Lawnmower blennies and Sea Hares because they look like algae.

 

[SaltyT]

I know what you're going through I'm battling BA too. My fox wouldn't touch the stuff either so I stopped feeding nori, after about a week or so he started picking at the BA - but this doesn't sound like an option for you since you have tangs.

One of the things that is working for me is emerald crabs from Reef Cleaners. I have a wrasse dominant system so I do have causalities, but I ordered more emerald crabs than I needed to account for the losses. Request large emerald crabs so your wrasse won't eat them all, it's too much work lol

Keep scraping the BA off the rocks as best you can and collect it in a net to throw out. Don't worry about popping them, I've popped so many that in theory my scape should be more BA than rock by now but that's just not the case. About 70% of my BA is gone and more disappears everyday. Best of luck!

 

[bnord]

Emerald crabs - devil or angel - is one of the most controversial topics. I sex them in the store and take females(sorry folks behind me in line) - or if I order them the males go to the sump.
Have 1 in a 15, 2 in a 20, 5 in 90 and more in a 180.

only place I have Bubble is on frags in a suspended frag rack, or on powerbeads, or on trochus snails

Occasionally see females picking at corals and never see ill effects to those corals

Have melanuras, Timor, leopard and 6 line wrasses and never see dead crabs

There are fox face or tangs in some of those tanks, but not all (the small one) and they could be helping, but don't see it

might give it another try - have also tried the red crabs from KP, but they seem not to live as long

And there be MONSTERS in the sump - thinking about a crab boil

 

[tbrown]

And there be MONSTERS in the sump - thinking about a crab boil

I love me some fresh crab!

 

[gbroadbridge]

I know what you're going through I'm battling BA too. My fox wouldn't touch the stuff either so I stopped feeding nori, after about a week or so he started picking at the BA - but this doesn't sound like an option for you since you have tangs.

One of the things that is working for me is emerald crabs from Reef Cleaners. I have a wrasse dominant system so I do have causalities, but I ordered more emerald crabs than I needed to account for the losses. Request large emerald crabs so your wrasse won't eat them all, it's too much work lol

Keep scraping the BA off the rocks as best you can and collect it in a net to throw out. Don't worry about popping them, I've popped so many that in theory my scape should be more BA than rock by now but that's just not the case. About 70% of my BA is gone and more disappears everyday. Best of luck!

As you've noticed, Bubble Algae is not spread by popping them.
Not sure where that piece of misinformation came from initially

 

[Gtinnel]

I know what you're going through I'm battling BA too. My fox wouldn't touch the stuff either so I stopped feeding nori, after about a week or so he started picking at the BA - but this doesn't sound like an option for you since you have tangs.

One of the things that is working for me is emerald crabs from Reef Cleaners. I have a wrasse dominant system so I do have causalities, but I ordered more emerald crabs than I needed to account for the losses. Request large emerald crabs so your wrasse won't eat them all, it's too much work lol

Keep scraping the BA off the rocks as best you can and collect it in a net to throw out. Don't worry about popping them, I've popped so many that in theory my scape should be more BA than rock by now but that's just not the case. About 70% of my BA is gone and more disappears everyday. Best of luck!

My tomini never touches the nori and I’m sure my purple tang would be fine without it for about a week so I will try that first. I will also ask John at reefcleaners about getting large emeralds next time I place an order.
Currently when I do remove the bubble algae I have a large metal straw attached to a piece of tubing. I just start a siphon and let it go into a filter sock in my sump. It works really well but I’m lazy and don’t do it as often as I should.

 

[CoralB]

I've heard that tangs will chase Lawnmower blennies and Sea Hares because they look like algae.

I’m sorry but you have to show me a video of a tang chasing a sea hare . I just got to see it !!! . Show me !!! . I wasn’t aware that sea hares could move much faster than a rock , there is no chase !!! . Gotta see this !!! Funny !!!