Bubble Algea

[SaltyT]

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.

He was cool about picking out large females for me. My earmuff and kuiters have eaten all but my 5 largest emerald crabs so I think they've come to a truce haha

 

[tbrown]

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 !!!

Not chasing as much as attacking/trying to get a snack. I haven't seen it, just was told it happens. My tang left my sea hare alone.

Edit: Then again, you never know how fast you really are until you're being chased by a Grizzly Bear...

 

[afrokobe]

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

I have two emerald crabs in my 25 gallon and neither has touched the bubble algae at all (in a different spot). Both of them do seem to hang out in the preferred spots, should I just get more crabs? I bought them locally...maybe I should try reefcleaners.

 

[Gtinnel]

He was cool about picking out large females for me. My earmuff and kuiters have eaten all but my 5 largest emerald crabs so I think they've come to a truce haha

The last emeralds I added from reefcleaners the longest one last a few days. I honestly never even considered asking for larger specimens.

 

[tbrown]

With Emerald Crabs, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there two different locations they come from and only one of them will eat bubble algae?

 

[bnord]

I have two emerald crabs in my 25 gallon and neither has touched the bubble algae at all (in a different spot). Both of them do seem to hang out in the preferred spots, should I just get more crabs? I bought them locally...maybe I should try reefcleaners.

its a puzzle... I have heard comments like yours often, could be genetic populations, or subspecies that have different behaviors -
I have received them from KP Aquatics and LFS and have had success

 

[Gtinnel]

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

I’ve only seen my Melanarus picking at a dead crab once. It is my only wrasse in the display but I have a Timor in qt that is about to go in also.
I have had emerald crabs in the past and I saw one of them (I didn’t look at the gender because at the time I didn’t know females were safer) plucking clove polyps off one by one and eating them. So I know they will potentially eat coral, but at the time I had almost no algea in the tank and I never even considered supplemental feeding, so I’m guessing they were starving.

 

[afrokobe]

its a puzzle... I have heard comments like yours often, could be genetic populations, or subspecies that have different behaviors -
I have received them from KP Aquatics and LFS and have had success

thanks, ill give another vendor a try. All of mine have been locally sourced, so maybe the ones I have been getting aren't interested

 

[Gtinnel]

Reef cleaners guarantees his will eat bubble algae

 

[bnord]

Reef cleaners guarantees his will eat bubble algae

or he will come in a clean it himself!?

 

[Gtinnel]

or he will come in a clean it himself!?

Mine from him didn’t eat bubble algea, I attribute most of that to them being dead.

 

[CoralB]

Mine from him didn’t eat bubble algea, I attribute most of that to them being dead.

Let him come and clean that . Ha! . Now you have to get a fish that eats bubble algae and dead crabs

 

[Gtinnel]

Let him come and clean that . Ha! . Now you have to get a fish that eats bubble algae and dead crabs

I’d be good with that if there was one, as long as they eat the algae I’d treat them to the occasional crab treat.

 

[Lavey29]

I have or had 2 nice size emeralds in my tank for many months and no bubble algae anywhere. Now my crabs are MIA or lost on patrol and of course I see bubble algae starting. Crabs missing over a month now to.

 

[tbrown]

I have or had 2 nice size emeralds in my tank for many months and no bubble algae anywhere. Now my crabs are MIA or lost on patrol and of course I see bubble algae starting. Crabs missing over a month now to.

My Emerald Crabs will often disappear for weeks on end and then show up one day. They leave my corals alone but they also leave my bubble algae alone...

 

[CoralB]

I’d be good with that if there was one, as long as they eat the algae I’d treat them to the occasional crab treat.

On a serious note try coaxing your fox face . The crabs are hit or miss and when their a hit you would need a buzillion of them to make a dent . My experience with five I have now , is by the time they eat one , ten more bubbles has popped up . Give the fox face a shot man !!! And have a little patience!!

 

[Gtinnel]

On a serious note try coaxing your fox face . The crabs are hit or miss and when their a hit you would need a buzillion of them to make a dent . My experience with five I have now , is by the time they eat one , ten more has popped up . Give the fox face a shot man !!! And have a little patience!!

My foxface is still my primary plan, the emerald crabs would just be a back up. I’ve decided to stop feeding nori for a while and then place some bubble algea in the water while feeding to see if I can entice him to try it.

 

[Lavey29]

My Emerald Crabs will often disappear for weeks on end and then show up one day. They leave my corals alone but they also leave my bubble algae alone...

I used to see them out every night doing their thing but now over a month gone. No real predators in the tank to get them either. Hope they come back.

 

[bnord]

Let him come and clean that . Ha! . Now you have to get a fish that eats bubble algae and dead crabs

Zebra snails to clean the crabs carcasses

 

[bnord]

My foxface is still my primary plan, the emerald crabs would just be a back up. I’ve decided to stop feeding nori for a while and then place some bubble algea in the water while feeding to see if I can entice him to try it.

Again mileage is always going to very depending on individuals. I had the ugliest fox face on the face of the planet. Not a one’ spot not a two spot, not a magnificent it was just a smudge spot. Which sit under the frag rack flashing is dorsal fins or anybody that came near him waiting for me to feed him. Never saw him graze one time.
mileage will vary