Poll: Biggest Pest(s) in the Reef Tank

[ArowanaLover1902]

I've tried to add as many as I could think of, sorry if I forgot anything major. I'm curious as to what other people think. Thanks for voting!

 

[Flippers4pups]

Biggest "pests" in a new system are:

Cyanobacteria

Diatoms

Dinoflagellates

Bryopsis algae

And GHA.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

My system is a year old+ and I'm at war with cyano (I did beat bubble algae though, pretty happy about that)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I voted weed coral.

Cyano is about 3.5 billion years old, and needs to reasoned with, not batteld IMO.

I was also going to vote other :unsolicited advice.

 

[ca1ore]

You forgot ich! Of those listed I suppose I'd say majano anemones. I have found them much more pest-ish than aiptasia.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I forgot parasites in general ugh. My personal opinion is cyano, they've always been a pain (like when they converted the atmosphere to oxygen based and wiped out most of life on earth 3 billion years ago ha ha ha) and various algaes, once you get them its very hard to get rid of them.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Hands down Colonial Hydroids.
Nearly impossible to get rid of.
2nd choice would be aiptasia.

 

[lolmatt]

I super glued over a small patch of hydroids and they haven't come back. For me it's vermetid snails and spirorbid worms - they're seemingly endless and while not really harmful per say, they're ugly and I'd prefer not to have them :/

 

[tripdad]

I think it's a toss up. I think pest anemones and pest algaes have caused more people to tear down and leave the hobby than about anything else.

 

[revhtree]

I had to vote various algae as the biggest. I feel pretty confident I can handle everything else pretty successfully.

 

[dansreef]

In my opinion.... the biggest pest a tank can have is often it's owner.

I am as guilty as the next guy... I start a tank and I need to be doing something... even when it should just be going through a cycle. I need to go test ....and chase water parameters, often times when there is nothing in the tank.... I want... I want to achieve the perfect state.... Honestly, if I could just keep my fingers off.. and hands out of my tanks... allowing the tanks to cycle, settle and mature... I think a lot of the outbreaks I have had to deal with would never have happened. Who doesn't freak out when they see a discoloration... OMG... it is cyano. Lets roll up the sleeves and start fighting.... dosing... trying all the magic elixirs in the hobby. OMG... I have algae... How do I get rid of it... what can I dose.....etc.... All of this usually ends up killing off beneficial stuff...leaving the nasty stuff to live unchecked.... making their outbreak even worse.... It is a vicious cycle... that starts with the owner....

I hope you get my type of sarcasm here...

These glass environments are delicate and need a chance to settle in and mature. They are going to go through ugly stages. There are going to be flatworms, algae, dinoflagellates, diatoms...critters not wanted and some we should just leave alone. I fought a long... hard battle with Dinos. I was losing miserably... and then I remembered something a guy told me decades ago about fish tanks.....fresh and salt. Let them settle. Let them find a balance. Keep you hands out of the tank and let things take their course. It is hard to do...but for me, when I don't follow this advice... I spend a crap load of money on unnecessary stuff... I usually make things worse...

Yeah... I think if many of the hobbyists here actually thought long and hard about it and were honest.... they would admit too their own actions have probably created problems than most of the other pests listed....

Some of my most successful tanks... have been the tanks that I neglected while I was setting up a new tank. All I ever did with them was feed.... and make sure they were topped off with RODI. Corals grew like crazy and fish were happy as can be. I have one in my home office I am looking at right now. I haven't done anything to it in two years....other than feed.... top off.... I cant even remember when I last did a water change to it. I have LPS, some leathers and other softies that are growing like weeds. The fish are happy, healthy... colorful.... I cant tell you when I last tested the water parameters.... It is not the most beautiful of tanks... but it is healthy and thriving...

So.... yeah.... I think the biggest pest a tank can have is often it's owner....

 

[Jorge Linares]

Other = me.

 

[dede]

Fish Parasites, coral eating bugs/worms, Aiptaisia and mojano, various algaes.

 

[trido]

Cyano is easily treated with chemiclean. Most algeas can be taken care of with fish, snails, products and just good husbandry. Weed corals are a choice. Bacterial infections in corals are rough, and Majanos are a bugger too. Aptasias have never been that big of a deal for me though but by far the worst thing I've encountered in 12 years is both polyclad flatworms and Acro eating flatworms. Neither are easy to get rid of.

Edit: pyramid snails. They suck when they kill your clams and then survive for ages on your larger cleaner crew snails.... No clams for me for who knows how long.

 

[becks]

At the moment - Vermetidae snails! If I could buy a fish or invert that eats them...I would

 

[Brian W]

My top pests are bubble algae, Aiptasia. I always seem to have it in every tank I own and can never 100% get rid of it.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Honestly TBH the only real "pest" would have to be Virus' Fungi and Bacteria, who cares about some algae just pick it off or buy whatever eats it. I don't seem to understand why so many people voted for Various Algae when it's easy to remove.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Flatworms, even the harmless ones. I'm pretty sure they came in on my CUC as I dip everything else with a mix of iodine, Coral RX and Bayer. They don't hurt anything but they group up on my glass and it drives me crazy!!! On a positive note, they ensure my glass is scraped and wiped several times a day...

I've almost nuked my tank with FW Exit a couple times and I swear I can almost see them laughing at me now!!!

 

[GoVols]

Onetime a I got a bunch of Mantis Shrimp in some Caribbean Live Rock. Those were some boogers to catch

But... I've got to go with dino's

 

[reeferfoxx]

But... I've got to go with dino's

Nah, its easy. I've cycled through 4 strains. All 4 strains were erradicated with dirty water. What bites though, once they're not visible, you have to be cautious with nutrient export. Might be a good idea to look the salt mix and source water you're using. There could be a toxic element or chemical effecting microfauna or inverts.