I need help setting up a unusual saltwater tank for my moms Christmas present. Basically I wanna grow bubble algae.

[Dragonspainter]

So uh, yeah this is probably a pretty unusual question. How do you intentionally grow bubble algae?

For a bit of background my whole family are huge nerds. My mom is a botanist, my brother is a geologist (almost done with his degree,) and I am a 3d artist.

While rockhounding about a month ago we found these fossilized single celled organisms (i can't remember which ones right now) They basically look like a grain of rice but my mom was super excited about it and showed it off to everyone. It reminded me of when she was studying biology she had a pet slime mold as a project and was quite enamored with it. Basically my mom loves weird single celled organisms.

A few weeks later my brother sent me a photo of this funky looking huge single celled algae called Valonia ventricosa. It's also known as “sailor's eyeball”, or as you guys probably know it, bubble algae.

I joked we should get some as a Christmas present to my mom. And then we realized that we actually should get some as a Christmas present to my mom.

When I first started looking into it I thought it was some kind of super rare specialty algae and you had to order a culture from a lab, but then I found out that it's actually considered a nuisance algae. So I tried looking up ways to grow it intentionally, but all I could really find is people wanting to get rid of it.... So my question is; How to grow bubble algae!

The current plan is to set up a small/nano saltwater tank for my mom that focused on growing Sailor's eyeball and Acetabularia algae (another large single celled algae.) with maybe a few simple invertebrates. The idea is the tank is supposed to be low maintenance. The tank I am looking at right now is the 13.5 gallon Fluval Sea Evo.

A few other helpful things I would like to get advice on; Would I need a protein skimmer with this tank? Some people say yes, others say no.
What kind of little critters can I put in that are bubble algae safe? Are there any critters that will eat other algae but leave the two I want to grow alone? Do you think I would even have to worry about other algae? And finally, would anyone perchance be able to send me a hunk of rock with it already growing on it?

My mom has had a freshwater tank for about 20 years and keeps mini ecosystems in pickle jars, and I know quite a bit about freshwater aquariums and have set up a few planted tanks for other people. But neither of us have ever done saltwater so any tips or recommendations would be great!

 

[40g Nano]

You could get some snails (turbos) and hermit crabs

IMO, you don’t need a skimmer since you won’t even have fish to my understanding

 

[Dragonspainter]

You could get some snails (turbos) and hermit crabs

IMO, you don’t need a skimmer since you won’t even have fish to my understanding

The hermit crabs wont pop the algae bubbles? I know emerald crabs are used to control bubble algae.

I'm not planning on any fish atm, but possibly some shrimp. My brother is really pushing for a baby horseshoe crab but I don't know if that is a good idea (My brother LOVES horseshoe crabs due to them being living fossils.) But I know they can be a bit high maintenance to hand feed and we would have to rehouse it into a bigger tank after a few molts, but that would be something to worry about in a year or two minimum. We also have a nearby aquarium that would take it if it got too big for us to handle.


I am also giving a serious look at Hawaiian super shrimp, but I have no idea if they would work.

 

[Cole.mormon]

use tap water when you set ut up

 

[Cole.mormon]

emerald crab
3 red leg hermits
one mexican turbo snail
3 astrea snails

 

[Smarkow]

Cool present. Cooler Story. Coolest mom

 

[TriggerFinger]

Once you have a tank ready, go to a local fish store and ask them for some or ask to buy some rock/rubble with some on it. I have an infested tank and it started with a tiny bubble from a fish store coral frag. No skimmer needed.

 

[JimWelsh]

Cool present. Cooler Story. Coolest mom

I agree! I don't have much to offer regarding the question being asked, but I love this story and cause.

 

[Dragonspainter]

emerald crab
3 red leg hermits
one mexican turbo snail
3 astrea snails

The red leg hermits and Mexican Turbo Snail seem like a good way of controlling potential hair algae, but I am worried that the emerald crab and astrea snails would eat the bubble algae?

Once you have a tank ready, go to a local fish store and ask them for some or ask to buy some rock/rubble with some on it. I have an infested tank and it started with a tiny bubble from a fish store coral frag. No skimmer needed.

Hmmm thats a good idea! Now I just have to find some that have it growing on it. I have a few local ones that might...

Cool present. Cooler Story. Coolest mom

I agree! I don't have much to offer regarding the question being asked, but I love this story and cause.

Yeah I figured you guys would get a kick out of this. I think its one of the most perfect, albeit odd, presents I have ever heard of lol

 

[PicassoClown04]

Sounds like your mom would love stomatella snails! Really cool little buggers imo. I have some free floating bubbles (giant ones). If you pop them they should release their spores into the water which will spawn babies soon. I really suggest checking out Algae Barn as well, they have some really cool algaes that could be super neat! Maybe even throw a mangrove in there for some height? Limpets are also living fossils, I have some fossils in my house that look just like em! I don’t think they’d both any of these larger macro algae’s

 

[Joshcom]

Use a light with either heavy red blue or white, use a liquid fertilizer to grow the bubble algea no emerald crabs they will eat it, if your looking for a shrimp then it should be fine, with no fish a skimmer is detrimental for the tank, have some flow, after you have a few bubbles pop a few to release the gametes into the water, you should be good for filtration with the fluval 14.5, using tap water is good, if you want to keep the glass clean go with trochus snails and cerith if you wanna keep the sand bed clean try nasarrius snails. The water should be dirty as in full of phosphate and other nutrients but not dirty as in visibly dirty so run a mechanical filtration and chemical filtration system in the tank. Best of luck it's easy to grow just hard to destroy

 

[Tamberav]

I have seen bubble algae for sale on ebay.

You do not need a skimmer even if you had fish and SPS. No way that is needed on a 13g.

You should get some asterina starfish.

 

[Dragonspainter]

Sounds like your mom would love stomatella snails! Really cool little buggers imo. I have some free floating bubbles (giant ones). If you pop them they should release their spores into the water which will spawn babies soon. I really suggest checking out Algae Barn as well, they have some really cool algaes that could be super neat! Maybe even throw a mangrove in there for some height? Limpets are also living fossils, I have some fossils in my house that look just like em! I don’t think they’d both any of these larger macro algae’s

Oh wow stomatella snails are super weird! Perfect for the project lol. I'll have to look more into Limpet species. A mangrove tree would be super awesome, as my mom is already keeping a tiny coffee plant and jackfruit tree. The only problem is we have to keep these in a cage due to our cat who *LOVES* getting into stuff. Specifically sitting on plants, chewing on them, and knocking them over. So the mangrove tree would not last long... Its also why I chose a aquarium with a good lid!
I would love some big bubbles if you don't mind keeping them for a few weeks, as I haven't even ordered the tank yet and I would like to start it cycling. I had to wait until my brother moved into his new apartment so we can hide the tank there until Christmas.

Use a light with either heavy red blue or white, use a liquid fertilizer to grow the bubble algea no emerald crabs they will eat it, if your looking for a shrimp then it should be fine, with no fish a skimmer is detrimental for the tank, have some flow, after you have a few bubbles pop a few to release the gametes into the water, you should be good for filtration with the fluval 14.5, using tap water is good, if you want to keep the glass clean go with trochus snails and cerith if you wanna keep the sand bed clean try nasarrius snails. The water should be dirty as in full of phosphate and other nutrients but not dirty as in visibly dirty so run a mechanical filtration and chemical filtration system in the tank. Best of luck it's easy to grow just hard to destroy

I assume that the light that the fluval comes with will work? People use it to grow coral so I think it should have the right wavelenghts. Thanks for all the advice and the snail suggestions. Out of curiosity why is tap water good? Same reasons that its good for freshwater aquariums?

 

[F i s h y]

Oh wow stomatella snails are super weird! Perfect for the project lol. I'll have to look more into Limpet species. A mangrove tree would be super awesome, as my mom is already keeping a tiny coffee plant and jackfruit tree. The only problem is we have to keep these in a cage due to our cat who *LOVES* getting into stuff. Specifically sitting on plants, chewing on them, and knocking them over. So the mangrove tree would not last long... Its also why I chose a aquarium with a good lid!
I would love some big bubbles if you don't mind keeping them for a few weeks, as I haven't even ordered the tank yet and I would like to start it cycling. I had to wait until my brother moved into his new apartment so we can hide the tank there until Christmas.



I assume that the light that the fluval comes with will work? People use it to grow coral so I think it should have the right wavelenghts. Thanks for all the advice and the snail suggestions. Out of curiosity why is tap water good? Same reasons that its good for freshwater aquariums?

I disagree with the tap water is good statement regardless of what you are trying to grow.... that will lead to unsightly nasty forms of algae and bacterium that you don't want to have to fight to have your bubble algae growing...

 

[Cole.mormon]

because it has some spores ect in it

 

[Cole.mormon]

ro di is the best

 

[Joshcom]

I disagree with the tap water is good statement regardless of what you are trying to grow.... that will lead to unsightly nasty forms of algae and bacterium that you don't want to have to fight to have your bubble algae growing...

It is exactly that op is trying to grow algea that tap is good, rodi removes everything which allows the user to control everything in the water but when growing just algea no coral there isnt a need for such pure water and as long as op uses a water conditioner it will be fine as the algea will use almost everything in the water.

 

[F i s h y]

It is exactly that op is trying to grow algea that tap is good, rodi removes everything which allows the user to control everything in the water but when growing just algea no coral there isnt a need for such pure water and as long as op uses a water conditioner it will be fine as the algea will use almost everything in the water.

There will be a distinct difference between battling unsightly cyano bacteria, dinos, and slime algae versus growing beautiful macro algae as the OP wants. There are a whole host of individuals on this forum that have devoted time to only growing macro algae. I recommend the OP looks for advice there....

 

[Cole.mormon]

tap water w conditioner, what conditioner do you use

 

[Joshcom]

It is exactly that op is trying to grow algea that tap is good, rodi removes everything which allows the user to control everything in the water but when growing just algea no coral there isnt a need for such pure water and as long as op uses a water conditioner it will be fine as the algea will use almost everything in the water.

Aslo bateria blooms will happen no matter what water you use, the water is going to be highly nutritious and bateria will bloom but after enough time should disappear, you could also try to use a uv sterilizer when there is a bateria bloom, also if you are going to put fertilizer in it will pretty much be tap water minus the chlorine and chlorimine so why spend the time and water in making rodi just to turn it back into tap. When you can use tap and a dechlorinator.