Reef Aquarium Fact #4 Algae is a formidable opponent!

[revhtree Verified Admin]

We are going to continue discussing the reef aquarium facts submitted by our members in the My Miami chalice giveaway thread. Do you agree or disagree? What are your thoughts?

Fact #4

Algae is a formidable opponent!

Truth or False? What else might we need to learn on this subject?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Can someone put together a list of the undesirable algaes that we sometimes must fight in our aquariums please?

 

[Speg]

It's not a large list..but hair algae has to be #1. I'm sure that we've all had issues with it one time or another. Diatom outbreaks can be annoying sometimes but it's usually quick to go away.

I'd say the statement is very true....for some algae...

although, without some algae we wouldn't have the pretty coral in our tank ;) not all algae is bad.... chaeto and other macro algae actually can help us fight off problem algaes.

I'd say that the statement is half-correct depending on the algae being discussed....:tongue:

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

What about all the algae in the ocean? I see pics all the time where their are tons of it! Is it just that we want our tanks to be perfect, or is algae meant to be in an ocean environment?

 

[FishLipz]

Brown wafer algae was my biggest problem this past year. However, I found the perfect natural solution =

This one isn't mine but mine sure loves eating algae :wink:

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Wafer algae huh? Any pics?

 

[FishLipz]

Again, this isn't my tank. I took it from the web. This stuff was impossible to control by manual removal. It seemed to spread faster, the more you pulled out. From reading about it, it can plague any tank even the cleanest and most well cared for. Sally Lightfoot crabs are a possible solution to this too, but I don't know too many people who want one in their reef.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Yea that's not to PURDY is it! HA!

 

[Troylee]

wow thats pretty crazy.. never seen or heard of it before.....
i would say problematic ones are
byropsis
hair algae
bubble algae
turf algae
cotton candy
sometimes culprepa
plenty more but these are the most common.....

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Hey Troy can you try to get some pics of each one of those please? :)

 

[Troylee]

ya i can do it when i get home.... im on my 10 min break at work .... which was over 5 min ago......lol

 

[beaslbob]

We are going to continue discussing the reef aquarium facts submitted by our members in the My Miami chalice giveaway thread. Do you agree or disagree? What are your thoughts?

Fact #4

Algae is a formidable opponent!


Truth or False? What else might we need to learn on this subject?

whole hardily disagree.

formidable -----i guess

opponent-----no


IMHO most of the problems and almost all the new tank problems would be avoided by considering algae you ally not opponenet. And starting the tank with lotsa macros right from the start.

And further by keeping the macro algaes healthy and growing you prevent almost all the long term tank problems as well.

So instead of worrying about why nitrates and phosphates are high, why pH is low, why fish have ich, and so on, I just grow algae and let the algae take care of the tank.

my .02

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

That's a nice perspective Bob. Do you keep alagae in a refugium?

 

[beaslbob]

That's a nice perspective Bob. Do you keep alagae in a refugium?

Yes and one of my refugiums is in tank.

A very expensive complicated design.













a egg crate cramed in 3" in front of the back glass. :bigsmile:

 

[condor]

Brown wafer algae was my biggest problem this past year. However, I found the perfect natural solution =

This one isn't mine but mine sure loves eating algae :wink:

i believe that would be kelp

 

[Dylan]

Dinos are evil and malicious.

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Algae can be a formidable opponent but not necessarily. I love algaes. Many types of macros are real colorful, and turfs that many people hate allow me to run my Algal Turf Scrubber which helps me export nutrients and add phytoplankton to my tank. I have many photos to show my perspective. I will make believers of algae haters! Algaes are beautiful in their own right!... just give me a moment...

 

[FishLipz]

i believe that would be kelp[/QUOTE. I've had kelp on liverock and this didn't seem the same. This stuff encrusts over rock, overflows, and anywhere else it settles onto. I believe it's also known as Lobophora Variegata.

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Here are some photos of my Blue Sparkle Macro. Its more beautiful and bright than most blue clams. One could say that this algae is a formibable opponent because it has the potential to smother corals. That opinion is based on perspective. In my algae tank, it has free reign becuase it is the showstopper of the tank. I don't keep many corals in the tank and this tank has been growing very well for over 4 years with extremely minimal maintenance. Algaes can be beautiful and rewarding :)

to learn more about this and other types of macro please visit my thread about macro algaes...
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/ge...-macro-algae-lovers-rejoice-most-amazing.html


more photos coming...

 

[Engloid]

Brown wafer algae was my biggest problem this past year. However, I found the perfect natural solution =

This one isn't mine but mine sure loves eating algae :wink:

Blond Naso? Did he do anything for hair algae? Seems that nothing likes to eat it.